In November we heard some compelling stories about “Home” from storytellers Barbara Barnett, Karen Cornell, Elsa Durusau, Madelyn Powell, Amanda Innes, Rebecca McCarthy, Ardith Wagley, Adrian Zelski and Crackerjack storyteller Fenwick Broyard.
We heard about relationships with family – difficult relationships, treasured ones and sometimes both together. We heard stories of reconciliation accomplished with or without the other person involved. We heard of journeys where home turned out to be in unlooked-for places. We heard tales of being lost, of trauma, of diaspora, of fighting for one’s life… and of finally finding safety, more often than not within the strength of one’s own mind and heart.
Some quotes from November’s show:
“This time my mother had picked a hotel right on the river. You could see it and see the waves and see the people in their boats. …I was born next to this river, in Natchez, Mississippi. My entire life I’ve crossed this river for one reason or another.” – Elsa Durusau
“I am on my Uncle Joe’s shoulders; he has a boa constrictor around his waist. He’s holding my brother’s hand. I am holding a white kitten on Joe’s head, and the kitten is pooping on his head. My cousin John David is holding a plastic bag full or water and in the water are pirana.” – Rebecca McCarthy
“I gave her the name Diva. I said, ‘You are a beautiful person; you are a diva!’ I found out that Diva had been homeless from the day she was born; she had been left in the woods as a baby.” – Barbara Barnett
“For me, it’s been just like that song that says, ‘I was born by the river in a little tent and just like the river I’ve been running ever since.’ Since Hurricane Katrina I’ve lived in Lima, Peru, El Salvador, Brazil, Seattle, Washington, Houston, Texas, Chicago, Illinois, and now Athens, Georgia.” – Fenwick Broyard
“Home is about family; it’s about acceptance; it’s about your chosen family. It’s about the people you love and who you love to be with. …And if you look around you, these Rabbit Box events have become something of a family, too. These events bring out some of the best people in town. Everybody is supportive, and to me, that’s what home means.” – Ardith Wagley
We tend to agree, Ardie!
Rabbit Box 