Celebrating the New Media Arts Semester Long Residency Program

A couple weeks ago I woke up and, as morning routines sometimes tend to go, my son had a meltdown. This one was a little different, though. He was really down on himself and started talking about how many shortcomings he had so I decided to keep him home with me that day. The hang up was that I had a showcase for Crockett High School to attend for work. The mama side of me knew these two did not coincide on accident.

The showcase at Crockett that day was the celebration of the 4 months of work by Ian Fry and his colleague Christina as part of our New Media Arts Semester Long Residency Program. They spent this semester teaching kids freshman aged and up about percussion and ended it with an ensemble performance where parents and teachers as well as other students could attend.

The child of a teacher, Ian told me that he started teaching 25 years ago when he was just 10 years old. He has a performance degree in Jazz and Classical Percussion and a Master of Arts and uses his skills to teach transitioning kids how to connect with music, specifically percussion. Ian is a staple in the VSA Texas family and seeing him interact with his students is something that is truly inspirational. I observed his ability to tune into what they needed individually and that is what a true teacher does. I got to chat with Ian today about his experience at Crockett and I want to share some of that interview with you today for our blog.

Percussion teacher Ian, dressed in black pants and a black shirt, uses a cowbell for rhythm as he warms up for the showcase with his students playing various types of drums.

Why is learning about music so important?

“It’s a shared human experience that we all literally resonate with and enjoy to some degree. It’s part of our life no matter what. I think that you don’t have to be objectively good at an instrument to benefit from it. Making those sounds and vibrations is so important to having a shared language.”

The first day vs. the last day:

“We didn’t know anyone, we had only met the teacher, but I remember them being receptive. It was really cool to walk in and have them be so welcoming. The students seemed so excited to be exposed to a drumming class, I don’t know if they ever had it before or not, but they were super excited, eager and focused. When we left that last day we were part of their family. It was great to, in those 4 short months, really connect with them and see them build their skills.”

What kind of things did you teach them?

“The program has an aspect of music literacy as well as learning rhythms and music by copying things. People tend to learn really well by repetition and in that repetition we ingrain those skills that we want to master. Each class, we ended up going over the same routine and that helped with the retention of knowledge. We learned a lot about Brazilian, Cuban and hip hop styles of percussion. It was all carnival rhythm.”

What was one of the most impactful things you saw through the semester?

“There were two guys that stood out to me. One who was extremely non-verbal and the other one just seemed like he was on the spectrum, verbal but sometimes not very active. What was amazing for us to witness was from the beginning one would take his medication during the day and when he got to the class he was very tired; he’d be napping a little bit but when everyone started playing he would snap out of it and start playing energetically. The other one was super non-verbal, barely ever played at all, but by the end he was playing and not only making noise but playing a really cool triplet pattern that sounded really nice.”

At VSA Texas, our mission is to make art accessible to everyone, no matter their abilities and our program at Crockett did not fall short of fulfilling that mission. I am so glad I got to expose my son to everyone that day because a bad morning was made better by just being there and that is a priceless experience. I can’t wait to see how many more minds we reach by continuing to do what we do!

Connections

Hi VSA Texas friends! This is April, and I have been working hard on our veterans program lately. We have an exciting event planned for June 15th from 6-8 pm at Art979 Gallery, 210 W 26th Street in Bryan, TX.

Invitation for the 2017 Distinguished Artist Veterans Showcase that includes a painting of a gecko by Mary Ishler and a poem called The Desert by Judy Smith.

This will be our 8th annual Distinguished Artist Veterans art exhibit and we have something different planned. This year it is all about connections! We expanded our program in 2015 to include The Re-Integration Project writing classes. Our second publication of writings by veterans is out at the printer now and it is filled with 100 pages of poems, short stories and screenplays.

Cover of The Re-Integration Project publication including an abstract marker drawing by Valerie Short called Everyone’s Dream.

How is this about connections, you ask? Well, we have connected our veteran writers with veteran artists and songwriters by asking the artists and musicians to choose a piece of writing from the book and create a response. The art has been coming in all week to my office and every artist who drops off artwork is excited to tell the story of how their work was inspired by the veteran writers. Denise Knebel was here this morning from San Antonio. She created a painting in response to a short story “Terminal” by Thomas Orlando. In this story a junior officer butts heads with a colonel, but by the end of the story, their relationship becomes one of mutual respect. The connection that the officer makes with the colonel in the beginning of the story comes back around to him in the end. We find a similar storyline in Perry Jefferies “Club-Footed Frankenstein.” As Denise explained it, so much of what happens in the military is about connections between people. She portrayed that in her acrylic on canvas, “Connections…for us all.”

An acrylic painting with many layers including images of figures and planes overlaid by square patterns of purple bars, dripping veins of green and yellow, and circles of gold.

Beyond the art, we are also working with veteran songwriters. As they turn in their songs, I am finding a theme to the music. Most of the songs are soul- or country-influenced and all of them are about love. With titles such as “Tornado of Love” by Glenn Towery or “People Just Need Love” by Rick Milisci, the songs bring about a feeling of love and the connection each of us has with everyone else.

I am telling you, this is going to be a great event! If you can’t make it to Bryan on June 15th, I urge you to take a trip to view the show while it is on display until July 15th. Or visit our website, because I will be posting the writings, songs, and art there soon.

Finally, I want to say, this project would not be possible without funding support from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. In the spirit of connections, I want to share with you a fantastic blog by one of the Peer & Family Support Program mentors that was published on the Reeve Foundation's blog recently. The blog, written by Julie Rodes, describes her journey from being a patient with a new spinal cord injury to her recent acceptance into medical school.

Stay connected!

You Are Listening to Radio KVSA Texas!

Hi blog readers! This is April Sullivan here to tell you about our summer fun in Radioland. I have personally been apprenticing on the KOOP 91.7 FM Radio shows Austin Artists and Reflections of Community Outreach on Mondays from 1-2 pm each week. By the end of July I will have taken my test to become a Certified Programmer for KOOP Community Radio Station. I am very excited!

Last month from June 13-24 I used my newly learned skills to teach a Radio Internship to 12 young interns. With lots of help from Eric and volunteers, we worked with our group of interns on topics such as FCC regulations, planning a music show, recording a newscast, writing a PSA and a podcast, and other skills of a radio DJ.

Interns Rachel and Max edit their PSA text with volunteer Zahira.

Intern Thad recording his newscast with volunteer John

One great thing about Austin is that we have lots of friendly community radio stations in this town. We took field trips to KOOP, a volunteer-run community station and KVRX, the UT student-run station. We saw DJs in action, rummaged through walls full of music CDs, and enjoyed a day out using public transportation. Did you know that KOOP and KVRX share the same FM frequency at 91.7 FM? So you can listen to unique programming 24 hours a day on the radio or online at www.koop.org or www.kvrx.org.

Intern Pearl at KVRX Studios

KOOP Executive Director Kim McCarson with Intern Rachel

And here is a little secret… you may see artwork by one of our interns on the next KOOP t-shirt. I don’t want to give anything away yet, but once a final design is announced, you know I will be showing it off. We are always proud of the work our interns do to impact the local community.

After a fun-filled two weeks where our 12 interns put in 40 hours of work learning about and creating radio, we had a final showcase where we played sound recordings of their newscasts, podcasts, and music shows. You can hear our newscast on the VSA Texas SoundCloud page here. As with all of our Side by Side Internships focused on providing techniques in creative industries for transitioning youth with disabilities, we know our interns have learned new skills they will take with them and apply in any career path they choose.

So what is our next Side by Side Internship opportunity? We have a new program called Giving Voice and the application is out now with a deadline of July 22nd. We are looking for 16-22 year olds with disabilities interested in being matched up with a graphic designer for a one-on-one poster design project. See details at http://www.vsatx.org/sidebyside/index.html.

Crockett High School New Media Arts

Hi blog readers! This is April letting you know what I have been up to lately. For most of this semester I have been visiting Crockett High School on many Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons to be a part of our New Media Arts Program there. For five years now, the wonderful Mrs. Jane Comer has invited us into her Life Skills classroom to teach New Media Arts classes that combine traditional arts and technology. This year, we had a powerhouse team of teaching artists including Johnny Villarreal of The Edge of Animation Station who brought in his portable stop motion animation studio. We had Jo Ann Santangelo teaching photography skills with photo assignments in the classroom and outside around the school. And we had Stephen Sprague teach the process of filmmaking from storyboarding to filming to editing. I came in to tie it all together with art lessons and everyone’s favorite: quizzes!

Co-teachers Johnny, Jo Ann, and Stephen

The group of 15 students did a great job in all aspects of this class, which they were graded on. The showcase this week was a big success with parents, friends, and administrators in attendance. They were impressed with the photos, storyboards, and artwork on display in the classroom.

Student photos

And in the library, the students led the presentation of their movie premiere with each student standing up and talking about what they learned. Their film was called “The Big Show in the Big Storm” and included a tornado, a talent show, a theft, and a capture. Animation was included in parts of the movie, and a short reel of the student’s animations was also shown. I am very proud of all of the Crockett Life Skills students who participated in this program. We look forward to doing it again next year!

If you want to see the movie, subscribe to our VSA Texas YouTube Channel here, and you will be notified when it is ready to watch online.

A sign welcoming guests to the movie premiere

A Tale of Two Showcases, Part 2

After the whirlwind journey of our OMOD showcase in Austin, we hit the road to do the same thing in Houston. (Read all about Austin in Part 1 here!) Despite our hopes for an early departure last Friday (the 13th, as it turned out), we arrived at the Alley Theatre with only 15 minutes to spare before our rehearsal was set to begin. Houston welcomed us, as always, with traffic, a feud with our GPS, and massive, many-lane freeways we had to cross instantaneously to reach our exits.

Soon, the other van from Austin carrying Celia, Chris, Jennifer, and Adrianna arrived, the participants from our Houston program filtered in, and we began acquainting ourselves with the beautiful Alley Theatre Texas Room, running through the blocking of the showcase, and offering notes to each performer on how to best make their stories come alive. As in Austin, we were tremendously thankful to have Chris Strickling of Actual Lives fame on our team, and she, along with Alex, our Houston facilitator, Celia, and Nicole, worked wonders to bring out everyone's best performances yet. We wrapped up the rehearsal at 8pm and returned to our hotel for a desperately needed dinner and glass of wine (or two). By the time I collided with my bed, I was out like a light.

Chris coaches Adam on his speech during rehearsal.

The next day we all met at the Alley Theatre at noon, and soon after, the wave of stress that normally precedes a big showcase impacted us like a speeding train. I remember looking over the Texas Room at the fury of activity – participants practicing speeches before coaches, Alley Theatre employees arranging paperwork, ice water, and plastic cups on a table by the door, my attendant Nic gaffer-taping mic cables to the floor with the lightning speed and precision of someone with ample experience on film sets – and thinking, "there's no way we're going to be ready in time." Of course, I was wrong, and each heart-dropping problem was solved swiftly and intelligently.

A sign in the lobby of the Alley Theatre directs
audience members to our showcase in the Texas Room.

The showcase itself was certainly not free of bumps – the immediate failure of the lavalier mic mirrored a collision of wheelchairs at the start of the Austin showcase just a week before – but even so, the stories were simply too good to fail, and besides, what in life doesn't involve a bump or two? The unflinching demeanor of the participants in the face of each technical hurdle also reflected their impressive growth in the past six months as well as their confidence in their stories and their speaking ability. Every story resonated with humor, humanity, and the unique personality of the speaker telling it.

Special thanks to our friends at the Alley Theatre and Theatre Under the Stars, but more specifically Mary Sutton, Mara McGhee, Eileen Edmonds, and David Oliver, for their crucial support of our Houston program and making this all possible. Thanks also to our facilitators, staff, and other assistants including Alex Odom, Chris Strickling, Celia Hughes, Nicole Cortichiato, and Una Lau. Finally, a big congratulations is in order for all of our Houston and Austin speakers who gave excellent performances across the board. It was a wonderful honor to work with all of you, and I look forward to see what you all accomplish next!

The OMOD crew poses for a photo after the showcase.
From left to right: Adrianna, Alex, Jennifer, Veronica,
myself, Adam, Alisha, Russell, and John.

A Tale of Two Showcases, Part 1

(Photos by Camille Wheeler)

I have a bad habit of doing things backwards. In college, I completed my freshman composition requirements as a super senior. I moved to Austin before I had a job or even a place to live. Most recently, I completed an OMOD class as a student after having led several OMOD classes. Now I would not advise anyone else to do these things in the same order I did, but for me, the reverse order seemed fortuitous. After waiting ‘til my final semester to fulfill the composition requirement, UC Berkeley offered a "Disability in Film" class for the first time since I started school there, and that class gave me the opportunity to sink my teeth into material I truly cared about. Moving to Austin without a plan allowed me to find a unique organization that I literally rolled into one day not knowing it was the start of a powerful four-year journey into the world of self-advocacy and a kind of storytelling I never thought imaginable.

Similarly, if I had taken the OMOD class when I first began this job, I would have been so caught up in my post-college ego that I would have hardly learned a thing. Taking the class also came at a time when changes in my disability forced me to accept dictation as my new permanent way of writing. While I resisted this change as long as I possibly could because of how restrictive I imagined it, I realize now that dictation – and this whole class, for that matter – allowed me to break free of what always scared me most about writing: revision. Since writing without a mistake is virtually impossible through dictation, I learned to let the mistakes go, to accept the crappy first draft, to see a story as more than the nuts and bolts that hold it together.

Of course, the OMOD class experience was far from being one man's stubborn battle with Dragon Dictate, and I must mention Chris Strickling, our rock star facilitator, and the OMOD process itself, which is almost magical in its transformative power. Chris has the uncanny ability to cut to the heart of a story, and she always seems to say exactly what a writer needs to hear. One five-minute conversation with Chris caused me to rethink my use of verbs entirely, and I have had verbs on my mind ever since. I realized that my verb vocabulary has not grown an iota in the last four years, so I most certainly have my work cut out for me in the coming months!

Chris laughs while I present my story in class.

Beyond Chris, working in a class with seven peers with a range of disabilities and all in the same nerve-racking boat of writing and presenting personal stories instilled camaraderie, confidence, and a true revelation of what is good in a story. Unlike any creative writing class in college where feedback is either presented in cold online forums or shared around a circular table where you are asked to sit quietly while your peers report back on what they thought about your story for a grade, OMOD allows you to see the effect of your story on the actual faces of your peers as they hear it for the first time, to experience the thrill of their genuine laughter at humorous moments in your story or their heartfelt response when you reveal a part of yourself just like them.

The OMOD class culminated in a showcase for an audience of 40 people that resulted in a (well deserved, in my opinion) standing ovation. We began with an ensemble piece entitled, "Listen to My World,” in which we all described the sounds we hear or the images we see, if hearing is not possible, and what those sounds or images mean to us; Carlos Orellana closed the showcase with a beautiful piece showing that these sounds can actually present a complete picture of who we are and left us with the line, “It's not the footrests, the brakes, or the wheels that make the wheelchair, it’s the person inside,” to which we answered, “It’s always the person inside!”

The OMOD crew! From left to right: Sheri, Jennifer, Nissi,
Chris, Carlos, me, Michael, and Peter

Keep Your Eyes on Houston!

Hi all! Remember me, Nicole Cortichiato? Well if you don’t, I’m the Project Facilitator for the Opening Minds, Opening Doors program. What’s new, you ask? These glasses for one but I am getting used to them. I just wanted something a little more bold and with color, ya know? I think I’ve accomplished that. Yes, they are prescription.

Me and my brand new green glasses!

What else is new? Our second round of Houston classes!!! Eric and I have been Skyping into all of our OMOD classes in Houston, and we know you’ll be excited about our upcoming show on May 14th. I guarantee the stories will entertain you. But I can’t reveal all the details, so let me just give you a few appetizers before the main dish. Here’s a taste of what you can look forward to in our Houston showcase:

• From Alisha's "Kemah Boardwalk" Story: The safety bar locks into place. I feel the pressure of the bar against me. My head fills with excitement. I can't wait for The Inverter to flip me upside down. I can feel the sun on my face as the ride starts to move. The ride goes upside down really fast! Then it flips me right side up again! Flipping and flipping like a pancake. 

• From John's "Learning to Swim Again" Story: At first, I hesitated. I just froze, and smelled the chlorine, and listened to voices echo on the water. I thought: do I really want to go in there? I wasn’t sure I would remember how to swim. But I got into the special chair by the pool edge, and it lowered me into the water.

• From Russell's "Chicken Suit" Story: I walked the streets, passing out coupons. And nobody knew it was me in the costume unless they saw me get dressed. And this one girl said, "Thank God they got someone else to wear that costume!"

The Houston speakers posing for a photo
after their first class showcase December 19th

Well that’s it. No more appetizers for you. Save room, my pretty’s. And be sure to join us at the Alley Theater in Houston on May 14th to hear the complete stories and mingle with our OMOD speakers. Perhaps you might even be encouraged to write one of you own. We certainly hope so! Stay tuned to our Facebook and website for more details!

Houston, We Have a Showcase

Hey folks, Eric here with another road trip adventure!

Before the Christmas break, my attendant Nolan and I hit the road again, this time to Houston for the conclusion of a six-week OMOD class at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center (MMSC). Throughout the preceding several weeks, seven self-advocates in Houston had been hard at work, each writing and preparing a personal story to present at the final class showcase on December 19th. This showcase would also be the first time I would meet any of them in person since up to that point I had only seen or spoken to them via Skype.

When Nolan and I arrived in Houston, we ate a lunch of monstrous sandwiches at Cafe Express, and then began setting up the mic equipment for the showcase at the MMSC. Participants slowly filtered in with scripts and heightened nerves. Once everyone arrived, Alex, the Houston class facilitator, led the participants in some silly and relaxing warm-up activities. Afterward, we did a quick technical rehearsal of the showcase, filled out evaluations, and then the group spread out to practice their speeches or meditate, as needed. By 2:45pm, we had all taken our places, and family members and friends formed our small yet formidable audience. As emcee, I kicked off the showcase a few minutes before 3pm.

Adam spoke first about his unique abilities. Alisha spoke second about her recent trip to Camp Summit in Dallas. Russell spoke about the numerous jobs he's had, passing out coupons in a chicken suit and delivering room service at the Sheraton among the more notable ones. John told a story about when he played the Grinch in "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" at Theater Under the Stars. Tony's story was "Everything You Need to Know About Me," a charming glimpse into his life with an emphasis on his family, friends, girlfriend, and love of football. Joseph spoke about his journey to the church and his dream of becoming a minister. Alec concluded the showcase with a story about what's important in his life.

The Houston Seven posing with their writing facilitator

Each story ended in great applause, and we received positive feedback from everybody after the showcase. As usual, there were a few unexpected issues, like a cell phone ringing in the middle of one participant's speech, another participant grabbing the wrong copy of his script, and a third participant getting emotional when reading his speech. I believe though that every mishap only strengthened the participant speaking because public speeches rarely go exactly the way we expect, and it's important to realize that and get used to it sooner rather than later.

Once we said our goodbyes to the participants, staff, and audience members, we left the MMSC and went to visit Nolan's grandmother Marian at her retirement home, which felt much more like an upbeat, stationary cruise ship than a retirement home – in every direction were snazzily-dressed seniors lounging, playing cards, and guzzling glasses of wine. Marian treated us to a dinner of grilled salmon and wild rice in the cafeteria, and I quietly ate while Nolan and Marian caught up.

After dinner, we drove back into the heart of downtown Houston for an art installation/music festival called "Day for Night." Nolan's half-brother had gotten extra tickets that he invited us to use, so we decided to check it out. As we entered the festival, Janelle Monae was on stage singing a soulful cover of James Brown's "I Feel Good." (Please note: videos from "Day for Night" below may take a few minutes to load.)

Artsy lights and images were projected on the outsides of the art installation buildings around the festival grounds. The first installation we saw was like the warehouse set from some apocalyptic movie – bright lights suddenly flashed on and off at the far end of a grid of steel beams while a soundtrack of metallic clicks and thunderous booms played in the background.

In the next installation, streams of light projected on a translucent screen shot up and down like massive ocean waves, seeming to morph briefly into vaguely human figures before falling back into abstract streams.

By far the most adventurous moment of the festival was my trip to the bathroom, which in this case was a couple dozen porta potties set on a three-inch raised wooden platform and surrounded by five feet of rough, muddy terrain. I paused there briefly, contemplating the difficult path to the porta potties and thinking that there must be an accessible path somewhere, until several inebriated dudes in black jackets emerged out of nowhere, started lifting up my chair, and attempted to carry it across the mud. I didn't really know what to do, so I just held on and hoped for the best. Luckily, within minutes, I landed victoriously on the platform unscathed, but as I suspected, there was, in fact, an accessible path just around the corner.

We then wandered into a third and final building, which had a number of smaller light projections by various artists and another stage.

We ordered a round of hot toddies and slowly explored the building. Then Battles walked out on stage, and we stayed to watch their set of layered electronic loops, angular guitar rhythms, and extended jams.

After such a long day, we were tired and made our way to the exit. The big outside stage was counting down the minutes until New Order was scheduled to play, and I heard some random woman yell, "Bye forever!" Well, I hope that's not the case with Houston.

Guest Blog: Victor Martinez on the Opening Minds, Opening Doors Showcase!

            This was my second time attending a presentation of Opening Minds, Opening Doors, held at the Capital City Event Center. When I went last year, I had been on the board of directors for VSA Texas for only a month. VSA Texas sponsors events like this that feature art and people with disabilities. Their goal, in this case, is to combine storytelling and acting with public speaking so that the participants, or self-advocates, as they are commonly referred, can bring their stories to the general public. The disabilities include muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, limb loss, cerebral palsy, autism, dyslexia, and epilepsy. 

           The purpose of this event is to give the public an opportunity to participate as an audience in the creative and insightful speaking abilities of the participants. The delegations came from Austin and El Paso. The El Paso group members are affiliated with the Youth Leadership Forum, sponsored by Volar Center for Independent Living. "Volar" means to fly. This event, which took place on February 5, allowed the participants' voices to soar. The late morning performance began at around 11:45 AM, with an introduction by Eric Clow and an explanation about OMOD.

            The first speaker, Jamie Martinez, who hails from El Paso, began by telling a story entitled "Spring Break." This involved visiting her grandmother in San Diego. It was full of humor, especially the part about the dead cow they smelled, and eventually saw. The image was horribly funny, and it got Jamie and her grandmother giggling, picturing the cow's feet in the air and stinking to high heaven. That was the icebreaker for the event.

           Next up was Alina Arredondo who talked about her grandfather, and all he had done for her while he was alive, and how he was continuing to inspire her from the great beyond. She recounted his influence in a story called, "To My Heart in Heaven." Viejillo was his name. He had encouraged her to excel in high school, (and later after he passed) go on to college, and she recently got accepted to law school. It was a story about faith and doing what was expected of the heart.

           ROTC was the theme of the next speaker as he started off by barking, "Attention!" That got the audience's attention. Then, Paul Nathan told the story of how he entered ROTC as a freshman, but because of his disability could not participate fully. As circumstances would have it, he found a place for himself as a medic by attending to the injuries of the corps, acquiring a medic's certification, and earning respect from others. When graduation had become a viable cadet. He ended the speech by the order, "Dismissed!" Though we were not leaving, because it was far from over.

            An ensemble of four--David Chapple, Renee Lopez, Kaye Love, and Eric Clow--took over from there with a piece called "Close Encounters of the Public Kind." This episode was largely a tongue-in-cheek account of how the public views people with disabilities. Though funny, this presentation carried some right-on observations by the disabled on stage.

             Speaking about her bus trip to California in a piece called "Disneyland Here I Come," Roxela Confresi talked about her great adventure westward. Speaking with the aid of a Dynavox machine, she eloquently described her experiences which she couldn't have done without the loving support of her family.
            "Cell Phones" was the topic presented by Stephanie Gonzalez in which she explored the irony of a device that was probably intended to make us more connected, but in many regards, has left us isolated in our own little worlds. She left the audience with the image of the people we love staring down at their cell phones oblivious to the world around them, and denying themselves of human affection.

            Roxana Confresi, sister of Roxela, discussed returning to college in "Back to School 10 Years Later." It was another example of how people with disabilities can overcome obstacles of apprehension and new surroundings.

             Another highlight was this guy named Chuy Duarte. Ironically enough, he talked to God a lot, and guess what Chuy means? It's a Spanish nickname for Jesus. He talked about miracles, and how in spite of what the doctor said, he was determined to walk again. He told the story about his first physical therapy session when the therapist told him he would never walk again, but he was determined to start walking right away. Which he did! He took 10 steps that first day through sheer willpower and by the grace of God. The story was very inspirational, and it brought me back to the idea that prayer, hope, and determination play a large part in our recovery.

            The final presentation of the early afternoon was another ensemble consisting of five people--Ashley Butler, Kamand Alaghehband, Marielle Abrams, Danny Taylor, and Laurel Coppock. The premise for this final episode was that a fairy godmother was able to grant wishes to all the participants. They recounted their most far-out fantasies.

            All in all, the event was all that it was cracked up to be - entertaining, inspiring, and relevant. Entertaining because it had humor that tickled the audience; inspiring because of the courage and resilience displayed in the stories; relevant because the stories reflected what was important in the lives of the storytellers. I look forward to the next Opening Minds, Opening Doors event, and I invite the readers of this blog to attend an event of theirs, support a worthy endeavor, and be entertained by an inspirational group of people.