Last Thursday I had the honor of joining in the Montclair Story Salon (MSS - I know, acronyms, right?!?) in my hometown of Montclair, New Jersey. The theme was “Grow for Me,” which I learned that night was a line from “Little Shop of Horrors.” The evening's cause was to benefit Montclair Community Farms, which provides homegrown produce and eggs to seniors and others experiencing food insecurity.
I was in the company of fabulous musicians and compelling tellers of their own life stories, as well as a truly gifted visual artist.
Liz Samuel, creator of MSS, introduced the evening and capped it off with a closing story, while Merrie Koehlert painted a still life of two onions in real time over the course of the event.
Lana Mustafa, executive director of Montclair Community Farms, explained how her Palestinian ancestral roots were in farming and described the evolution of this organization under her leadership.
Jessica Schachter from We Are Montclair told her gripping personal story of life before and after a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). She told us how she learned resilience from the daffodils that lean toward the sun early every spring.
Claudine Ohayon shared her story of growth from girl to woman in the context of the growth of her hair, as a metaphor for the many changes that take place over a lifetime offering a generous helping of humor in the telling.
Then I took to the stage for the first musical moment of the evening. I debuted a new song, “Better Self,” as a sort of mantra to summon personal growth at a time when it's needed.
For a second song, I was joined by the marvelous Leslie Masuzzo for a duet of “A Moment of Loving Kindness," a heartfelt song based on the loving kindness meditation practice (also known as ”metta.")
Here's my performance of “Better Self,” captured by Nicole Gray.
…and here's “A Moment of Loving Kindness” with Leslie Masuzzo:
After my two songs we heard from Nancy Burke, who, in referring to herself repeatedly as a “gutless wonder,” illustrated the difference between fearlessness and bravery. She brought this point to its pinnacle when recounting the story of a canoeing trip where a friend's canoe was sinking and Nancy had to take action, forcing her into a moment of sudden growth of her bravery to rescue her companion.
Then came perennial Story Salon musician Stacia Thiel, an extraordinarily gifted roots/Americana singer/songwriter, accompanied by her producer Scott E. Moore on electric guitar. Stacia nimbly tugged at the audience's heartstrings, singing of nostalgia for her native Wisconsin and of her desire for her children to hold on to the qualities that make them wonderful in the song “Stay Stars.” Scott added crystalline guitar tones that heightened the emotional experience of Stacia's heartfelt vocals and rich acoustic textures.
We then got a story from Charles Rosen, founder and CEO of Ironbound Farm and Ciderhouse, about what he learned from an encounter with a Palestinian farmer in the West Bank, and how it inspired him to both carry out an act of kindness for a farm worker and then reframe the initially disappointing way in which the kindness was received.
Stacia and Scott returned for an uplifting musical encore and Liz closed the night with a moving story about her inspiration from her mother, an avid gardener, to develop the Montclair Story Salon.
Over the course of the event Merrie continued working on her still life of the onions. A video camera and projection screen showed the audience her progress as she kept painting.
Here's the completed work, which was offered for sale to benefit Montclair Community Farm at the end of the night:
I can honestly say the first few speakers colored my emotions for the delivery of my two songs and made for a one-of-a-kind performance in my body of work. Having Leslie contribute to our best-yet rendition of “A Moment of Loving Kindness” felt amazing. I was every bit as much Leslie's audience who happened to be onstage as I was a performer in that moment. The speakers who followed me, plus Stacia and Scott, added to the feeling that I was truly among fellow travelers, even if our economic realities and backgrounds vary widely. We were all tapped into a common human experience and a desire to make a difference with our intentions, our efforts and, yes, our stories.