This week, we’re talking to comedic storyteller Keith Lowell Jensen, who is not only the mostus to my hostus here at Prompt and the ringmaster of our main shows at In a Nutshell Storytelling, but he’s also a great friend and the only person I’d ever trust to take care of my dog Maxi if I died.

Keith shared a story at our February Nutshell about visiting Ukraine during wartime with his stepfather-in-law. In the story, Keith examines the eeriness of being a tourist in a city where everyday life is mixed with the sounds of air raid sirens and shuttered stained-glass church windows. Signs and artifacts of war were found throughout the cities he visited, sometimes subtly, like the lack of international tourists, and other times quite clearly, such as a dungeon restaurant decorated with a theme of the ongoing war.

Keith’s story highlights Ukraine’s resilience as a nation in the face of invasion, while also illustrating the personal helplessness individuals experience once the war machine starts churning. In doing so, Keith captures the universal feeling of powerlessness we all encounter at different times in our lives, as well as the sense of unfairness or injustice many of us are feeling right now.

Keith has a Substack you can check out, as well as many comedy specials online. Let’s help him get his latest—What I Was Arrested For—to 300k views! You can also see him monthly at In a Nutshell Storytelling and WILDCARD in Sacramento.

Prompt: is presented by In a Nutshell Storytelling

Hostus: Amy Bee

Mostus: Keith Lowell Jensen

Producer: Aaron Carnes

Thank you to:

DJ Yuma Tripp for allowing us to use his song “Lazy Skank” for our episodes and our live show.

Hyperpixel for audio and video services.

Sofia Theatre for a beautiful stage to gather around.

Babalou for watching over our event table and engaging with people in the best way possible.

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