Steel City Stories was back at the First Unitarian Church on November 1st, and the theme of the night was Moonlighting! We heard a range of stories about what people do in their spare time, from passions to obligations, and all that comes with it! For those of you who missed out (or just want to re-listen), keep an eye on our Soundcloud page as we’ll be posting podcasts of the stories there. Let’s dive in!

 

Anne Cumby was our host for the night, regaling us with her own tales of moonlighting.

 

Susan Creer kicked off the night detailing the struggles she has experienced with the ODSP system.

 

Our very own Grace Evans, a Steel City Stories committee member, told of her relationship with her 106 year old friend Mrs. Goodale, and how she ‘moonlighted’ learning and sewing a quilt over ten years.

 

What was a weekend passion became a full-time job for Kate Flynn, as she went from working as a 9-5er in the city, to farming with her husband in a true fish-out-of-water story.

 

Carla Borstad Klassen shared her experience of being a new parent, and all the surprises it entails.

 

Ending the night was Darlene Chrissley, telling her enlightening experience of discovering skinny-dipping.

Unfortunately Joy and Gary Warner were unable to attend.

And that’s it! It was another great event, with wonderful people and fascinating stories. We are taking a short break for the winter, but will be back on March 7, with stories about “Faking It”. Stay tuned for details!

Get to know your storyteller! Leading up to Moonlighting on Saturday, we’re bringing you brief bios of our speakers. Here’s Kate!

Kate Flynn is Co-owner and Operations Manager at Honest Field Farms, a small organic farm based just outside of Hamilton in Millgrove, Ontario. A one-time New Yorker, Kate is proud to call downtown Hamilton home. Kate holds a M.Sc. from Oxford University and B.A.H. from Queen’s University. When she’s not at the farm, Kate can be found volunteering with the Hamilton Victory Gardens, reading at the Mulberry Cafe, or running (very slowly) in Bayfront Park.

Join us at the First Unitarian Church on Saturday, November 1st, to hear Kate and others tell true stories from their own lives, live without notes! Doors open at 7. Advance tickets available online (here!). See you there!

Get to know your storyteller! Leading up to our next event, Moonlighting, on November 1st, we’re bringing you brief bios of our speakers. Here’s Grace!

Grace Evans is a community development worker at the Social Planning and Research Council for Tastebuds, Hamilton’s Student Nutrition Collaborative. At Tastebuds, Grace supports universally accessible student nutrition programs in schools across Hamilton by incorporating local foods and developing and implementing food literacy programming. Grace is a co-founder of Steel City Stories and lives downtown with her partner Scott and their dog Hank.

Join us at the First Unitarian Church this Saturday, November 1st, to hear Grace and others tell true stories from their own lives, live without notes! Doors open at 7. Advance tickets available online (here!).

Get to know your storyteller! Leading up to our event on Saturday we’re bringing you brief bios of our speakers. Here’s Darlene!

Darlene Chrissley is fascinated by the unique weirdness of people and the wonders of the everyday world. She has the curiosity of a scientist, the imagination of an artist and a passion for language. Her ongoing quest is to live in the sweet spot where self-expression and service meet. Darlene is the author of the book Conversations for Power and Possibility.  She has an international coaching and consulting practice. Skinny-dipping is her favorite sport.

Join us at the First Unitarian Church this Saturday, November 1st, to hear Darlene and others tell true stories from their own lives, live without notes! Doors open at 7. Advance tickets available online (here!).

Get to know your storytellers! Leading up to our next event, Moonlighting, on November 1st, we’re bringing you brief bios of our speakers. Here’s Gary and Joy!

Gary Warner has had a lifelong career as a university professor and administrator. He both taught and worked overseas in international development and was director of McMaster International. He has been active in the Hamilton community for over 40 years on social justice issues, including anti-racism, immigration, poverty, human rights and international development. He is a member of the Order of Canada.

Joy Warner has spent a lifetime pursuing the elusive goal of peace through many groups, including Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, Project Ploughshares, KAIROS Ecumenical Justice Initiatives and the Hamilton Culture of Peace Network. Joy is the Coordinator of the Spiritan Office for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation. She is proud to be a Raging Granny. Joy and Gary have 4 creative children and 9 beautiful grandchildren.

Join us at the First Unitarian Church this Saturday, November 1st, to hear Gary, Joy, and others tell true stories from their own lives, live without notes! Doors open at 7. Advance tickets available online (here!).

Get to know your storyteller! Leading up to our next event, Moonlighting, on November 1st, we’re bringing you brief bios of our speakers. Here’s Susan!

Susan Creer is a local gal with a strong interest in people as well as disability and poverty concerns. Susan’s background includes professional and community theatre, event planning, and administration. She has a B.A. in Psychology and Theatre Arts from Redeemer University College and an Event and Conference Management Certificate from Mohawk College. Susan teaches acting to children and youth and is a speaker with ‘Speak Now.’ She is also a board member for the Routes Youth Centre in Dundas and a Toastmaster International club member. Susan loves to walk and then relax with tea and a good book.

Join us at the First Unitarian Church this Saturday, November 1st, to hear Susan and others tell true stories from their own lives, live without notes! Doors open at 7. Advance tickets available online (here!).

Get to know your storyteller! Leading up to our next event, Moonlighting, on November 1st, we’re bringing you brief bios of our speakers. Here’s Carla!

Carla Borstad Klassen was born and raised in Hamilton, and grew up singing and defending herself against her brother. She works at the Social Planning and Research Council where she does program evaluation and community planning related to immigration, food, neighbourhoods, and children. She likes laughing, has problems with capitalism, tries to be kind, and feels lucky to have such a compatible partner in Anna. Carla likes sleeping (but doesn’t do it much), eating (constantly), dancing, and being deeply silly with her kid, Charlie. 

Join us at the First Unitarian Church next Saturday, November 1st, to hear Carla and others tell true stories from their own lives, live without notes! Doors open at 7. Advance tickets available online (here!).

Our Supercrawl event was a huge success thanks to all of you! Many people made the detour from James Street North to come see us at Mill’s Hardware, and there were plenty of great stories to be heard. Unfortunately musician Tom Wilson was sick and could not make the event, but our remaining seven speakers shared their journeys of venturing “into the wild”…

 

Crowd-favourite Steve Bunn returned to host (his second time!), quipping small stories of his own trips into the wild.

 

Sandy Shaw shared a story about losing her purse, and the unexpected journey she took to retrieve it.

 

When a honeymoon went from bad to worse, Suzanne Burchell had to cope with the uncomfortable situation.

 

Alex Drumm told us about the time he tried to force a life changing experience, and ended up hanging onto the side of a 40-foot cliff.

 

Zak McDonald went off to India for his life changing experience, but ended up learning more about his love of home in the process.

 

Chris Krucker told us his story of becoming an organic farmer, and how an oak savannah became his organic farm.

 

Katy Morrison went “into the wild” by taking her education to Kenya, and pushing herself outside her comfort zone.

 

Jess Goodes shared some relationship wisdom, telling the story of a trying camping trip he took with his wife when they first started dating.

Again, thanks for everyone that came out and to everyone who has been supporting us so far! Keep an eye out as our November 1^st event, Moonlighting, is coming up quickly!

It’s coming up, folks: our 2-part storytelling showcase at Supercrawl! This weekend!

On Saturday, September 13th we’ll be at Mills Hardware, at 95 King Street East, from 1 – 4pm with speakers from 1 – 2 and 3 – 4. This is a free event! See below for more information on the four Hamiltonians who will be sharing their “Into the Wild” stories from 3 – 4pm!

Zak McDonald is a stand up comedian. After a rough childhood he turned to stand up comedy as an outlet. Zak has shared his story across the country developing a strong local following. Zak’s comedy is a mix of his new-age lifestyle and his I-used-to-live-in-a-car past. He is known as a “spiritual journeyman” as he has spent time exploring every religion. Starting this September, Zak will spend eight months touring with non-profit charity Live Different, visiting high schools across Canada and inspiring students to pursue their dreams.

 

Chris Krucker farms in Copetown with his wife Denise and kids at ManoRun Farm. Chris graduated from McMaster with a philosophy/social work degree. He grew up working in his father’s pastry factory and realized that there must be more than machines, labourers and commuting. He thought that there must be people that knew how to make things and how things work. He also felt a strong call from the landscape that he commuted through each day from Burlington to Mississauga, and ManoRun Farm was born.

 

Born and raised on the Hamilton Mountain and currently living near Dundurn Castle, Katy is a huge believer in this great city of Hamilton. She completed her nursing degree at McMaster in 2010 and couldn’t get enough of the penniless student life, so she is back doing a Masters in Public Health at U of T. Nursing has provided many opportunities for Katy to meet many different kinds of people, and to be in situations that challenge and humble her.

 

Jeff Goodes is a proud dad and husband. When he’s not immersed in the chaos of his home life, Jeff works at CBC Radio as a producer and host. Currently, he is working on White Coat/Black Art with Brian Goldman, and as the host of CBC Radio’s Overnight. Jeff also produces and co-hosts the Scott Free Podcast with Scott Thompson of Kids in the Hall. He puts on 5×7 Talks: 5-minute talks by 7 people who have an idea to improve their community. Follow Jeff on twitter: @jeff_goodes

It’s coming up, folks: our 2-part storytelling showcase at Supercrawl! This weekend!

On Saturday, September 13th we’ll be at Mills Hardware, at 95 King Street East, from 1 – 4pm with speakers from 1 – 2 and 3 – 4. This is a free event! See below for more information on the four Hamiltonians who will be sharing their “Into the Wild” stories from 1 – 2pm!

 

Sandy Shaw is a fiercely proud Hamiltonian whose roots run deep in our city. She is a booster of our incredible civic and creative communities. Putting people first, Sandy has long championed causes that are socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible. She is proud to have received the Women of Distinction Award for her work. A natural wit, quick with a quip, compassionate and committed, Sandy is looking forward to sharing her talents with her community for many years to come.

 

Suzanne is an instructor in Drama in Education at Brock University. She is retired from teaching drama for 38 years in secondary school. Her roots of storytelling are from her hometown of Parrsboro, Nova Scotia on the Bay of Fundy, where story telling is a natural ‘way’ for many in daily life. She was a founder of the Parrsboro storytellers group. Currently she belongs to the Hamilton Storytelling Circle. Recently writing short stories to tell has become a part of her repertoire as well.

 

Alex Drumm is a Hamilton-based writer who composes works of poetry and short fiction. He is currently a full time English major at McMaster University working towards his Masters in Creative Writing. Alex is also an accomplished singer-songwriter, formally under local label Other Songs Music and an active member of Eucharist Church. Some of his poetry can be read at http://www.wordgeryne.wordpress.com.

 

Tom Wilson is a three time multi-gold record awarded Canadian musician. The songs he has written have been recorded by Sarah McLachlan, Colin James, Lucinda Williams, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mavis Staples, The Rankin Family as well as his own band Junkhouse, who scored eleven Top Ten hits. His most recent incarnation is LeE HARVeY OsMOND. Tom Wilson is a long-time Hamiltonian.