NOTES FROM THE FIELD: I SEE STORYTELLERS!!

There was a movie, I guess about ten years ago – the name is escaping me – but it had Bruce Willis in it, and the kid who famously said, “I see dead people.” Remember that one? Well, the rest of the line was “And they don’t know their dead.” Recently, I have often had the urge to say, “I see storytellers, and they don’t know that they are!”
In a yoga workshop I was in, the teacher held the whole class in the palm of his hand by telling the stories behind some of the yoga poses and characters from Hindu and Indian mythology that loom large in yogic philosophy. In an English as a Second Language classroom I was about to enter, I watched the instructor bring to life the tale the students were struggling to read in this bizarre language known as English. And as I was getting my haircut, my hairdresser, Ruthie, in her divine use of Spanglish was telling one of the other customers a fascinating tale of the local parking situation on her block. Storytellers all – and they don’t know that they are.
People say all the time, “Everyone can sing!”, frankly, I REALLY disagree with that notion, but I will say that everyone, EVERYONE can tell a story. Some folks might not use dramatic gesture, or change voices, or ever be the person you would pay money to see – but all human beings do have the ability, and I would say, the NEED to tell their tales. When we arrive home at the end of the day, and recount the daily events – is that not storytelling? When we speak of our lives with friends – citing times from our past and upbringing - is that not storytelling? Storytelling is more about connecting than anything else, that’s why there is no fourth wall, that’s why each time I tell a story it is different, because I am communicating with that particular audience, at that particular time. We humans crave that connection, we want to be seen, we want to be heard, and storytelling in all it’s forms does that. Storytelling, now that I think about it, may be one of the few things that EVERYONE does – it is a real commonality amongst people wherever they come from. Sounds a little grandiose, but also, I think, quite true.
So, check it out, have your ears open, and maybe you, too, will hear people telling their stories, sometimes in the most unlikely places, like between downward facing dogs, or clipping off split ends. And maybe you’ll find the urge to say, with eyes wide, and your voice in a whisper, like that kid in that movie (what the heck is the name of it??) “I see storytellers!”

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

Ah – it’s school time, again – and many of my performances are in classrooms, assemblies, and residencies, so I can’t invite the general public to those. But, here are the ones you can come to…

November 2011:
11/2: Roseville Branch, Newark, NJ 4PM
11/30: Springfield Branch, Newark, NJ 3:45PM

December 2011:
12/10: Scandinavian House, NYC 11AM
12/17: Kwanzaa Festival, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ TBA

February 2012
2/2: Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ 10:15, 11:15, 12:15
2/4: Elizabeth Public Library, Main Branch, NJ 11AM
2/4: Elizabeth Public Library, La Corte Branch, NJ 2PM
2/9: Hoboken Library, NJ 3:30 PM
2/14: North Plainfield Library, NJ 3:30PM
2/29: West Orange Library, NJ 7PM




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families.(More info on the circus below) Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ - mostly Monday, Tuesday, and Friday nights, but some other times as well (more info on Devotion Yoga below)And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program:
is a community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, an
award winning presenter of live family entertainment and a leading
not-for-profit performing arts institution.
Using juggling, mime, magic, music, puppetry, storytelling and lots of
improvisation, we are specially trained “doctors of delight” who bring the
joy and excitement of the one ring circus to the bedsides of hospitalized
children one to five days each week, year round, nationwide. As Meredith
Vieira, our national spokesperson and honorary clown doctor, phrased it:
From ringside to bedside! Clown Care makes “clown rounds,” a parody of
medical rounds where humor is the prescribed treatment. As “clown doctors”,
we are professional performers who work one-on-one with the children, their
parents, and hospital staff to ease the stress of serious illness by
reintroducing laughter and fun as natural parts of life.
A national network of host hospitals, generous contributions and grants from
individuals, foundations and corporations support Clown Care.


Storytelling Arts: Here’s the organization I do a lot of storytelling residencies in schools with: They are dedicated to bringing the art of storytelling to underserved populations. Storytelling Arts works with schools and community organizations to bring the benefits of storytelling to a varied audience. Storytelling Arts programs serve to boost literacy and build community through:
• Classroom residencies in schools
• Professional development opportunities for teachers
• Programs in community organizations
• Educational services in juvenile detention centers
Website: storytellingarts.net
Devotion Yoga: Devotion Yoga is a community dedicated to creating a safe, peaceful, and non-competitive environment which offers individuals the opportunity to learn the practice of yoga through classes, workshops and related events. We are committed to providing high quality, inspiring, unique, and balanced programming that support our members in living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Website: devotionyoga.com

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

Ah – it’s school time, again – and many of my performances are in classrooms, assemblies, and residencies, so I can’t invite the general public to those. But, here are the ones you can come to…


November 2011:
11/2: Roseville Branch, Newark, NJ 4PM
11/30: Springfield Branch, Newark, NJ 3:45PM

December 2011:
12/10: Scandinavian House, NYC 11AM
12/17: Kwanzaa Festival, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ TBA

February 2012
2/2: Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ 10:15, 11:15, 12:15
2/9: Hoboken Library, NJ 3:30 PM
2/14: North Plainfield Library, NJ 3:30PM
2/29: West Orange Library, NJ 7PM




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families.(More info on the circus below) Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. She also might be…performing as any number of characters for the Big Apple Circus Vaudeville Caravan program at the Montrose and Castle Point Veterans Hospitals. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ (mostly Monday, Tuesday, and Friday nights, but some other times as well). And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program:
is a community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, an
award winning presenter of live family entertainment and a leading
not-for-profit performing arts institution.
Using juggling, mime, magic, music, puppetry, storytelling and lots of
improvisation, we are specially trained “doctors of delight” who bring the
joy and excitement of the one ring circus to the bedsides of hospitalized
children one to five days each week, year round, nationwide. As Meredith
Vieira, our national spokesperson and honorary clown doctor, phrased it:
From ringside to bedside! Clown Care makes “clown rounds,” a parody of
medical rounds where humor is the prescribed treatment. As “clown doctors”,
we are professional performers who work one-on-one with the children, their
parents, and hospital staff to ease the stress of serious illness by
reintroducing laughter and fun as natural parts of life.
A national network of host hospitals, generous contributions and grants from
individuals, foundations and corporations support Clown Care.


Storytelling Arts: Here’s the organization I do a lot of storytelling residencies in schools with: They are dedicated to bringing the art of storytelling to underserved populations. Storytelling Arts works with schools and community organizations to bring the benefits of storytelling to a varied audience. Storytelling Arts programs serve to boost literacy and build community through:
• Classroom residencies in schools
• Professional development opportunities for teachers
• Programs in community organizations
• Educational services in juvenile detention centers
Website: storytellingarts.net
Devotion Yoga: Devotion Yoga is a community dedicated to creating a safe, peaceful, and non-competitive environment which offers individuals the opportunity to learn the practice of yoga through classes, workshops and related events. We are committed to providing high quality, inspiring, unique, and balanced programming that support our members in living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Website: devotionyoga.com

KEEP READING FOR THE LASTEST “NOTES FROM THE FIELD”!!!

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: MY 49TH STATE

If you were to read any bio I have written about myself for say, the last ten to twelve years, you will see over and over again these words - “Julie has performed in 48 of the 50 states.” Thanks to a myriad of musical theatre and children theatre tours, I spent years crisscrossing the continental United States. I played Puck in Nevada, a flying monkey in Texas, and second chorus girl from the right up and down the eastern seaboard, and back and forth between coasts in vans, buses, and – oh luxuries of luxuries - an airplane or two. Many of the states are just a blur – the hotel, the dressing room, and whatever mode of transportation carried me there. Sometimes now, when I’m on a trip as a tourist somewhere, I’ll get an odd sense of déjà vu, and know I’ve stood right where I was standing before, but this time, I’m actually seeing it.
And here’s the thing about this country of ours – it is BIG, and while it is varied, there are parts of it that are very much the same. Malls – check, everywhere from the Dakotas to Connecticut. All you can eat salad bars – oh yeah, the Southern states always have that “banana surprise” pudding, but I’ve saddled up to fill my plate at ones in Milwaukee and Iowa, too. And hotels, there is something so comforting that a Days Inn in Florida, looks EXACTLY like a Days Inn in Illinois when you stay in a different city every night. For one thing, I could always find my way to the bathroom in the middle of the night without turning on the lights because it’s always in the same place!!! Yeah, I LOVE travel, and getting paid to do it, AND perform is GOLDEN!!
When I started to do more storytelling and clowning, I wanted to stay home a bit more, and not always have a suitcase packed, so my work got a bit more centered on NY, NJ, CT, PA – trips where I actually see the place I’m in, and get a chance to soak in the uniqueness of it. My clown work has taken me international, to ports as varied as Paris, China, and Haiti. And, when my husband introduced me to this concept of vacation travel, I was able to revisit places like New England, San Francisco, parts of Canada, and Chicago, that I sort of sped by on my way backstage – as well as London, Amsterdam, and Rome, which were AWESOME to spend time in, and not worry about what time I had to perform something for someone somewhere!!
But still, there was something bugging me, as I got my passport stamped - I had been stuck on ALMOST having not only seen, but performed in all 50 states for years. I mean, I had been to CHINA, and not those last two states – Alaska and Hawaii. So this year, I’m not even sure why, a need in me grew to begin to polish off this great big country of ours.
As we walked through the NY Times Travel Show this year (if you love to travel it is a MUST for you, it just makes you drool – and this year I was – can you believe, paid to perform there!!) my eyes kept landing on the brochures picturing Alaska’s majestic beauty, “Julie,” it seemed to shout. “It’s time!!!” And so, even though my hubby and I are always the PLAN OUR VACATION AT THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT people, a plan began to form in our minds. Of course, the Travel Show was in February, and we normally don’t take vacation until the end of August/beginning of September, so there was plenty of time for us to forget this whole call to the great wilderness and all that, and to realize that when certain people say, “Oh, the prices have REALLY gone down!” they don’t necessarily mean so low that we two independent contractor people in the arts can afford it easily. But – and have I said this enough in this blog of mine – I have a MARVELOUS husband, and while I can barely sit down long enough to type this out, he loves to look at a computer screen and do research.
Through websites, and chat rooms he scoured, looking for ways to get us – without having to sell our kidneys - to Alaska. Cruises were out – we aren’t “cruisey” people anyway, we are far too independent – and after starting the summer in Haiti, I think the sight of all those buffets would have made me physically ill – so flying became our goal. Anchorage seemed to offer itself up to us, with flights that were reasonable (if you had three changes of planes – more stops means more states technically, so Jimmy can keep catching up to me – to look on the bright side of things!!) and left from Newark Airport, just 20 minutes or so from our apartment. We managed to get a flight/hotel package, where we’d be staying in one of my old tour favorites The Days Inn, in downtown Anchorage, and after we booked a car (note – the most expensive part of this whole thing, if this leaves you thinking of it), we plotted a trip that would take us to gorgeous Mt. McKinley, the State Fair, a glacier boat ride, and hours of doing what the two of us LOVE to do: amble, explore, and see where the road leads us.
With the trip booked, there was still one last detail for me – would I be satisfied in just seeing my 49th state, or did I HAVE to also perform there?? PLEASE – that’s a no brainer, from the minute we bought those plane tickets all I could think was, “I wonder how cold I’ll be?” and “Where am I going to either dance, clown, or tell a story for ANYONE, so I can say I’d performed in 49 states??”
In our travel “bible” “Alaska for Dummies” (that series has gotten us all through Europe – they are a prize I tell you, especially Paris for Dummies!!) I spied a town called Homer. It appeared to be the artsy town of that region, and when a friend that had lived in Juneau for eight years told me of the arts scene there, I knew that would be the place where I would find someplace to perform.
When we landed in Alaska – and this is what I LOVE about vacations – “performer Julie” fell away, and “just Julie” bloomed. As much as I ADORE storytelling, clowning, and teaching yoga, sometimes I need to just be, and landing in this place of majestic (cheesy word sometimes, but it so fits) so different from my urban lifestyle, allowed my busy little overly active mind to chill. So, suddenly performing in Alaska fell off my “to-do list” for our eight days there. On day number three, as we took a bus tour of Denali Park (big note: DO THIS BEFORE YOU DIE EVERYONE, SERIOUSLY, IT’S AMAZING!!!) I did turn to the people behind us, whom we had been chatting with, and tell them a short tale, explaining my quest, and though it was just one story, because I was in vacation mode, I put a big old mental check next to the state of Alaska, and considered my performance done.
But…and this I suppose is the good news. I love what I do, I love to create and adapt stories, I love to clown, I love to dance, and do yoga, so even when there is breathtaking scenery, and Jimmy and I are having a blast, and getting more sleep than we EVER do, around day six, the need to perform began to grow. It started to yell after a long bike ride, when my body whispered “Movement – we like, and bikes are always where we work on STORIES!!” But, by then, we had plans – we were still going to artsy Homer, but only for a few hours, before taking a day outing to see Glaciers – I wasn’t going to make Jimmy wait around while I tried to find a place to perform when we had such little time to explore this great town that had everything from sea, to mountains, to a yurt village!! I contented myself with the “bus ride” story, and went on.
But, did I mention that Alaskan weather is unpredictable?? And that it had rained part of everyday we were there? And that more storms were predicted?? Well, they were, and one of them was so large all glacier boats were cancelled. What to do? Homer had so much we hadn’t seen, and we had driven past a library – a big, new one – and where there are libraries, there are children who just might listen to a story. As we entered the library, my eyes fell on a flyer that said there would be a 10AM story hour THE NEXT DAY – I knew this was my opportunity. Jimmy walked in with me, but wandered over to look at a computer -this might have been even too weird for him, while I marched up to the information desk, and began. “I know this is going to sound strange, but…” I voiced my request to be allowed to tell just one story at the story hour the next day, and offered my business card with my website on it to the VERY friendly woman sitting there, hoping to convince her I wasn’t a lunatic. She said she had no authority to make those types of decisions, and directed me to another VERY friendly woman who said she didn’t have the authority, either. Finally, I met Anne Dixon, the VERY friendly library director – who, like the other two women, treated me with more respect and seriousness than I really think I deserved – I mean, what I was asking was pretty odd, after all. Anne listened, and said the call would really be up to the woman who was running the story hour, and that I could come back tomorrow at 9:45AM, and ask her. Encouraged, I left.
With success so close, I had time to drive myself crazy with another detail – WHAT WOULD I WEAR?? You see, I had come for vacation, in a place where our beloved Dummies book told me to dress in layers, jeans, and all weather gear. And so I had. My nice stretchy, but dressy looking black “storytelling pants” (look back at the notes from the field entries, and you’ll see my essay on these pants), that allow me to be my full uber physical self, but still look presentable, where in my drawer back in New Jersey, as were any of the nice tops I like to wear when performing. Worse yet, because we had thought we were going back to Anchorage to go on the glacier tour, the better of my two pair of jeans was in that Days Inn, and not the little local hotel in Homer where we were going to spend this extra night. A quick trip to the local boutique proved too expensive for “emergency pants”, and the consignment shop and Salvation Army thrift store had nothing in my size. Oh well, one shabbily dressed storyteller, who can’t lift her legs as high as usual because she might rip her old, tired jeans, I would have to be. Maybe they would think it was a New York City thing!!
That next morning, with hope in my heart, we arrived at the library. They didn’t open until 10AM, but Anne promised she would be on the lookout for me – and she was, as we got out of our car, she smiled, and waved at us, and we entered the building. Standing there, looking like the teacher and librarian EVERYBODY would want was Jolee. “Is this who I have to ask?” I said. And before Anne could respond, Jolee smiled, and said, ‘Come on in. I LOVE storytellers!!”
To say Jolee, Anne, the staff, the children and their families at the Homer Library were gracious, kind, and a wonderful audience would be a GREAT BIG UNDERSTATEMENT!!! They treated this rather ragamuffin looking storyteller like an honored guest, and I had a ball performing three stories for the attentive crowd that appeared. Looking back on it, I can’t think of any place else that I would rather have performed in the entire 49th state. So, to Anne, Jolee, and all you wonderful folks at the Homer Library that day – THANK YOU!! You helped put the cherry on my really wonderful FIRST trip to Alaska.
And, to anybody else who’s reading this – do you know any good libraries in Hawaii? My quest for my 50th state begins today!!!!

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: DREAMS

There is a folktale that goes like this: two friends set off to “find their fortunes”. One friend has a fantastical dream, and in the morning, even though his friend advises against it, the one young man sets off to follow it. He continues to pursue the vision that came to him in his sleep, and in the end he finds happiness and fortune. After the two friends have parted, the second man has a dream as well, but thinking it improbable, he never pursues it, and in time finds himself in poverty, and alone. Chance brings the two men back together, and when the poorer of the two sees his successful friend he asks how he came by his good fortune.
“Well,” his former companion replies, “Do you remember how I had that dream, long ago? I just followed it. No matter what happened, I kept moving towards it, and it led me to a happier life than I ever imagined!”
“That’s interesting,” said the poor man. “After you left, I too, had a dream.”
“And”, said his friend. “What happened? Where did the dream lead you?”
“Nowhere! I mean, you don’t expect me to follow my dreams, do you?”
Every time I think about that story, I wince, because I see far too many people, who, like that second man, ignore the callings of their hearts, muffle their dreams, and land up, as Thoreau wrote, living lives of “sad desperation”. This month, I have had at least two people ask me about how it is that I have seemed to - to coin that old Joseph Campbell chestnut, “followed my bliss”. While I wish I had answers for these folks, I don’t. All I know is that I didn’t seem to have a choice. Despite what my parents, society, and good plain common sense practically ached at times, for me to do, I just seem incapable of doing anything but what the voices in my heart whisper to me.
There have been times, frankly, when I wished I didn’t feel the need to be – well, ME!! I can’t tell you how much I sometimes want to say to that excited little monkey in my head that yelps life directions at me “NO!!!!” But, I just can’t seem to do it. Because as illogical as those ideas are, they always feel so darn RIGHT, and like a moth to the flame I find myself plunging in – AND LANDING RIGHT WHERE I SHOULD BE. And, here’s the thing, the more I’ve ended up in a place that’s right for me, the more I know my little monkey is worth listening to – even if no one in the entire universe would agree.
In the epic story, “The Ramayana”, Rama is said to be the best of men, because no matter what, he always adheres to the principal known as dharma – the belief that we are all born with our own individual talents, and traits, and it is our duty to express those qualities, no matter what. It’s our obligation to basically be ourselves, and life our lives, and not a version of anybody else’s. When I read Rama’s adventures last month, all I could say was, “Right on!!”
So, I guess what I’m saying is, if there’s anybody out there, saying, “SSH!” to their dreams – STOP IT, NOW!!! Life is too short, and too full of different types of lives, and possibilities, for anyone to discount their imaginings, no matter how crazy they may be. I mean come on – I’m a professional storyteller/clown/yoga teacher – how much odder does it get??!! 
So, to close, here’s a little Jewish fable, about the great leader of his people Abraham. “When I get to heaven, and God asks me – why I was not Moses, I know what I will tell him,” Abraham told a group once. “ I will tell him, it is because, I am not Moses. But, if he asks me why was I not Abraham, what can I say?”
GO BE YOU!!!

UPCOMING PUBLIC PERFORMANCES

What you see below are my public performances, no school, camp, or private events are listed – hope you’ll stop by one of these public performances

August 2011:
8/6: Hans Christian Anderson Statue, Central Park, NYC 11AM
8/22: South River Public Library, NJ 7PM
8/23: Oceanic Library, Rumson, NJ 3:30PM
8/26: Coney Island Branch, Brooklyn, NY 2PM
8/30-9/8 I’ll be on vacation in ALASKA!! I’ve been stuck on having been to 48 of the 50 states for a long time, so now I’ll have seen 49!!!

September 2011:
Not storytelling but check out: 9/10: “Namast-Play!” a two hour workshop where I’ll be teaching yoga, acro-yoga, and circus skills. Proceeds go to the Big Apple Circus Clown Care, and Clowns Without Borders (see more about these GREAT organizations below!) Devotion Yoga Downtown Studio, Hoboken, NJ 2PM

December 2011:
12/10: Scandinavian House, NYC 11AM

February 2012
2/2: Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ 10:15, 11:15, 12:15
2/2: Hoboken Library, NJ 3:30 PM




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families.(More info on the circus below) Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. She also might be…performing as any number of characters for the Big Apple Circus Vaudeville Caravan program at the Montrose and Castle Point Veterans Hospitals. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ (mostly Monday, Tuesday, and Friday nights, but some other times as well). And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program:
is a community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, an
award winning presenter of live family entertainment and a leading
not-for-profit performing arts institution.
Using juggling, mime, magic, music, puppetry, storytelling and lots of
improvisation, we are specially trained “doctors of delight” who bring the
joy and excitement of the one ring circus to the bedsides of hospitalized
children one to five days each week, year round, nationwide. As Meredith
Vieira, our national spokesperson and honorary clown doctor, phrased it:
From ringside to bedside! Clown Care makes “clown rounds,” a parody of
medical rounds where humor is the prescribed treatment. As “clown doctors”,
we are professional performers who work one-on-one with the children, their
parents, and hospital staff to ease the stress of serious illness by
reintroducing laughter and fun as natural parts of life.
A national network of host hospitals, generous contributions and grants from
individuals, foundations and corporations support Clown Care.


Storytelling Arts: Here’s the organization I do a lot of storytelling residencies in schools with: They are dedicated to bringing the art of storytelling to underserved populations. Storytelling Arts works with schools and community organizations to bring the benefits of storytelling to a varied audience. Storytelling Arts programs serve to boost literacy and build community through:
• Classroom residencies in schools
• Professional development opportunities for teachers
• Programs in community organizations
• Educational services in juvenile detention centers
Website: storytellingarts.net
Devotion Yoga: Devotion Yoga is a community dedicated to creating a safe, peaceful, and non-competitive environment which offers individuals the opportunity to learn the practice of yoga through classes, workshops and related events. We are committed to providing high quality, inspiring, unique, and balanced programming that support our members in living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Website: devotionyoga.com

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
What you see below are my public performances, no school, camp, or private events are listed – hope you’ll stop by one of these public performances!!

June 2011
6/7: Fair Haven Library, NJ 3:15PM
6/10-6/22 I’ll be in Haiti with Clowns Without Borders – visit their site: clownswithoutborders.org I was there in October – look for my blog entry called “The Happy Man’s Shirt” to read about it!
6/24: Montclair Public Library, NJ 11AM, 1PM
6/29:Neptune Library, NJ 3:30PM

July 2011
7/12: Arlington Branch, Brooklyn Public Library NY 2PM
7/13: Hawthorne Library, NJ 2PM
7/15: Ridgefield Library, NJ 3:30PM
7/18: River Vale Library, NJ 2:30PM
7/28: Monmouth Beach Library, NJ 7PM

August 2011:
8/6: Hans Christian Anderson Statue, Central Park, NYC 11AM
8/22: South River Public Library, NJ 7PM
8/23: Oceanic Library, Rumson, NJ 3:30PM
8/26: Coney Island Branch, Brooklyn, NY 2PM

February 2012
2/2: Hoboken Library, NJ 3:30 PM




So,,, where is Julie when she’s not storytelling?
She might be….Performing as Dr. Ima Confused, her character for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program at Harlem Hospital for the pediatric patients and their families.(More info on the circus below) Or, you could catch her stilt walking at any number of special events. She also might be…performing as any number of characters for the Big Apple Circus Vaudeville Caravan program at the Montrose and Castle Point Veterans Hospitals. And, of course, you might find her…teaching yoga at Devotion Yoga Studio in Hoboken, NJ (mostly Monday, Tuesday, and Friday nights, but some other times as well). And, never forget that sometimes she’s cleaning chimneys – okay, not for real – but I just looking for an ending!!!

Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital program:
is a community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, an
award winning presenter of live family entertainment and a leading
not-for-profit performing arts institution.
Using juggling, mime, magic, music, puppetry, storytelling and lots of
improvisation, we are specially trained “doctors of delight” who bring the
joy and excitement of the one ring circus to the bedsides of hospitalized
children one to five days each week, year round, nationwide. As Meredith
Vieira, our national spokesperson and honorary clown doctor, phrased it:
From ringside to bedside! Clown Care makes “clown rounds,” a parody of
medical rounds where humor is the prescribed treatment. As “clown doctors”,
we are professional performers who work one-on-one with the children, their
parents, and hospital staff to ease the stress of serious illness by
reintroducing laughter and fun as natural parts of life.
A national network of host hospitals, generous contributions and grants from
individuals, foundations and corporations support Clown Care.


Storytelling Arts: Here’s the organization I do a lot of storytelling residencies in schools with: They are dedicated to bringing the art of storytelling to underserved populations. Storytelling Arts works with schools and community organizations to bring the benefits of storytelling to a varied audience. Storytelling Arts programs serve to boost literacy and build community through:
• Classroom residencies in schools
• Professional development opportunities for teachers
• Programs in community organizations
• Educational services in juvenile detention centers
Website: storytellingarts.net
Devotion Yoga: Devotion Yoga is a community dedicated to creating a safe, peaceful, and non-competitive environment which offers individuals the opportunity to learn the practice of yoga through classes, workshops and related events. We are committed to providing high quality, inspiring, unique, and balanced programming that support our members in living a healthy and fulfilling life.
Website: devotionyoga.com