Our inaugural episode shares a story from In a Nutshell Storytelling's first live show at the stellar Sofia Theatre back in January, when the prompt was "Breaking the Ice." Master storyteller JP Frary told us a tale about turning 21 on an Alaskan fishing boat full of seasoned fishermen. JP felt like the odd man out and homesick to boot until he shared his letters from home with the crew members (Sharing letters with the whole crew was mandatory, the ship's captain informed a wary JP at one point) and began to see how he was more connected to them than he had initially thought. It's an immensely satisfying tale with JP deftly weaving the stories of his family back at home with his own out at sea.

The Nutshell Crew spent a sunny afternoon talking at length with JP about his thoughts on the craft of oral storytelling. JP, never one to shy away from sharing his opinion, gave us--and any other person interested in turning real-life experiences into shareable stories--lots of actionable ways to intentfully look at telling stories, from the benefits of counting syallbles to having as nondescript a visage as possible, so that the audience can envision their versions of the story's characters.

If you want to hear the entire interview, go to www.inanutshellstorytelling.substack.com

A semi-curated list of items, subjects, and places mentioned in JP's interview:

Dutch Harbor, Alaska

Odysseus

Brogue

Abdul Kenyatta

Wallace Stevens: Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird

The Moth (StorySlams)

Haiku

Beyond Borders

George Nakashima

William Faulkner: As I Lay Dying

F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby

Prompt: is presented by In a Nutshell Storytelling

Hostest: Amy Bee

Mostest: Keith Lowell Jensen

Producer: Aaron Carnes

Thank you to:

DJ Yuma Tripp for allowing us to use his song, "Lazy Skank," in our episodes and 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.