Storytelling Open Mic
EVERY FIRST TUESDAY
DOORS AT 6:30 PM, STORIES AT 7 PM
$5 ADULTS / STUDENTS FREE
Storytellers of all styles and levels of experience are welcome! Enjoy an evening of true stories, traditional tales, myths, fables, family stories and more. We have just one rule: no notes!
No pre-sale tickets. Seating is first come first serve.
Caffe Lena’s full menu is available.
January 7, 2025 feature: Claire Nolan
Claire Nolan enjoys telling myths, literary tales, and folktales. As the seventh of ten children, she has a wealth of personal stories. Claire can be found telling tales locally at Caffè Lena in Saratoga, Proctor’s Theater in Schenectady, the Performing Arts Center at UAlbany, and Thacher Park. Claire’s love of history has sparked her interest in learning about women who have changed the world. She tells their stories in personae.
December 3, 2024 feature: Siri Allison
Siri Allison worked in the theater before discovering the lively world of storytelling. Today she tells stories around the region, focusing on curriculum-based school programs. She is a longtime member of Story Circle of the Capital District and helps produce their “Word Plays” program at Proctors. And she has recently returned to her theater roots working with the great folks at Fort Salem Theater in Salem, NY.
November 5, 2024 feature: Dave Kanietakeron Fadden
David Kanietakeron Fadden, born in Lake Placid, NY, and raised in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains, is an accomplished Native American artist with a rich family legacy. He honed his artistic skills at Saranac Lake Central School and North Country Community College, but much of his knowledge came from his family. His father, John Fadden, is an educator and painter, and his mother, Elizabeth Eva Fadden, is a wood sculptor and potter. David’s expertise in creating Native American imagery was further nurtured by his grandfather, Ray Fadden, founder of the Six Nations Indian Museum.
David’s work has been featured in notable publications like Akwesasne Notes, Indian Time, and the Northeast Indian Quarterly. His illustrations appear in various books, including Keepers of the Animals and Native American Animal Stories, as well as in How the West Was Lost on the Discovery Channel. His art has been exhibited in Albany, Montreal, and the National Museum of the American Indian in both Washington, DC, and New York City.
October 1, 2024 feature: Jesse Bowman Bruchac
Jesse Bowman Bruchac is an author, traditional storyteller and language teacher from the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation, a state-recognized tribe in Vermont. For three decades Jesse has been immersed in Algonquian language reclamation efforts. He is the founder and director of the School of Abenaki at Middlebury College. He has lectured at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, and worked with PBS, AMC, and the BBC as translator, language coach, and composer. His music has been a primary driver in language reclamation efforts, and has been featured in television, film, and radio. He’s performed at the Clearwater Festival, Old Songs, and our beloved local Dance Flurry. Tonight he will share traditional Abenaki folklore with music.
September 2024: On Hiatus
August 6, 2024 feature: Kelvin Keraga
Kelvin Keraga is an actor, storyteller and writer living in Greenwich, New York. For the last thirteen years he has gathered talented storytellers and actors together and performed with them in an evening of ghost stories called, Whispering Bones. Favorite acting roles include Bruce in Marie and Bruce, Basil in The Diviners, and the Fool in King Lear. He helped rescue Erica’s baby on All My Children (who unfortunately grew up to be a rather difficult son) and was murdered in the subway in a low-budget horror movie, Underground Terror. His story, “A Light Snow Falling” was a finalist in the Tiferet Journal Fiction Writing Contest, and he has performed for the National Storytelling Network.
July 2, 2024 feature: Linda McKenney
Linda McKenney has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Theater and Drama Therapy from State University of New York Empire State College. Her theater experiences include performances with companies in both New York and Tennessee. She has two one-woman shows – Susan B. Anthony and Carrie Chapman Catt. Linda has brought these women to life in schools and community organizations and for the United States Army.
Linda is a member of Story Circle of the Capital District. She’s shared her stories at various venues including Caffè Lena and won awards for her humorous stories. Linda believes that our stories define us, and we can always do a rewrite.
Linda writes creative non-fiction and her essays have been featured in several publications. She’s lived in the Capital Region most of her life and is a perpetual volunteer, currently active in three social justice organizations: The League of Women Voters, Braver Angels and Creative Action Unlimited. You can learn more about Linda here: https://www.majok.org
June 4, 2024 feature: Marni Gillard
Marni Gillard discovered storytelling as a Niskayuna middle school teacher. Her book Storyteller, Storyteacher (Stenhouse Publishers), available on Amazon, helps teachers and parents understand how valuable tale-telling and poem-telling are for students of all ages finding their voice. Marni’s double CD, Without a Splash: Diving into Childhood Memories shows how important life stories are for listeners and tellers as well. Meet Marni at MarniGillard.com