East Side Storytellin’ 159 – The night Claire & Meghan (and Tim) reminded us that we are all foundlings in this thing called life.

Thank YOU, thank YOU, thank YOU. Hello Again! Welcome to another wonderful collaboration between East Side Story and The Post. Let me be the first to officially, whole-heartedly welcome you to the recap and the recording of the 159^th epic edition of East Side Storytellin’! Like the 158, I repeat … 158, previous shows East Side Story has put together, we all decided to take a break from our busy schedules all over town in order to sit back and relax and get everyone cultured up just right in the form of a Nashville writer reading from original prose, followed by an amazing local musician performing and talking about their original music, and then a round-up creative conversation with all featured guests of this event to talk about their individual journeys and personal ties to Nashville. Without further ado, fulfilling the entertainment portion of your day, this is the recap and recording of East Side Storytellin’ 159. Let us begin, again.

The first featured artist of the night is someone who I’ve known for a few years. She has never not had a smile whenever I’ve seen her, and it’s not because I was there to see it. She is a very smart young adult, but she doesn’t have a good answer for letting others know where she’s from. She was an Army Brat who has lived around the world. She grew up at the US Military Academy at West Point where her father was a professor. She attended Furman University (shout out Paladins), but she put her roots down in Nashville about 10 years ago. Above other traditional labels, she is a friend, wife, mother, and a writer. She has been featured in The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, and Entrepreneur Magazine, among others. She is featured tonight because she could fit us in her busy schedule while touring around the country with her debut novel, Beyond the Point. It was pretty darn easy to introduce this friend and to get a rousing dose of applause, love, and undivided attention from the crowd for one Claire Gibson.

Claire prefaced her reading by telling everyone that she was not going to read from her recently published book and that she was going to do something she had never done before = read something in the works before it’s out there to read in public. Like a songwriter testing out their latest song of the day, still in nebulous form, Claire dove right into the second chapter of a novel in progress. Titled Foundlings, there was a significant meaning to that word and background of the story at hand that involved orphans and their place in the world we live in. Everyone was at the edge of their seat and listening with all ears and open hearts.

And it should be known that not only is Claire a superb writer and reader, but she is also a superb writer and reader of many languages. While introducing a plethora of characters with stories as extraordinary as their exotic names, Claire whipped in and out of English and Italian like both were her natural language. The pace, the punctuation, the vulnerability, and the confidence that Claire created and shared her work with was tangible for the audience to grab a hold of and not ever want to let go. In fact, I could feel a collective sigh and pull back from the audience when Claire ended her reading. She introduced us to a wonderful new world of life, set the stage for several characters who we would all follow to the edge of that world if given the chance, and then she left us wanting to listen/read more = the art of a trusted writer who will finish the story and share it when it’s done in good time.

Our featured music of the night is also an artist who grew up traveling more than your average traveler. She moved 18 times in 18 years around the US and Europe, to be exact. She took up writing and performing as a way to cope with and combat travel fatigue. She attended Swarthmore College (shout out to the Phoenix), studying English and ecology. She grew to love poetry, and she did everything from tree surveying to environmental law to landscape design to support her first album and early tours. After going back to school to become a nurse practitioner, this afforded her a stable opportunity to feel at home in her music and Nashville in general. Like our mutual friend Suzie Brown Sax, this lady also saves lives and plays dives. We were lucky to have her here for this show and night. Alongside her talented friend Tim Carroll, I was over the moon excited and glad that the storms had passed through town to make space and clear the brush of the mundane for one of my favorite East Nashville humans and artists by the name of Meghan Hayes.

Right away, from the very first song of the set, Meghan connected herself with the theme of life and our place in this world that Claire had opened. Her song Seen Enough Leavers was a perfect bridge to a perfect set. But Meghan’s part in this particular evening and show to connect all things everything didn’t end there. The symbols of real life reflecting art was never more obvious to me than the afternoon wrecking of the powerful windstorm that blew through and up in East Nashville a few hours before the show. Limbs filled the streets where they once provided shade and protection from the burn of the sun. The harsh rains had swept clean the sidewalks and roads that had been filled with random pieces of rubble and debris over time. The clouds had since moved on to other cities and homes, and the sky was wide open again. All of that hit me like a ton of bricks when Meghan began playing her recent album of songs that were extremely inspired from her experiences with divorce. There was no getting around it, but thankfully for us she was an amazing guide to take us through it to get to the other side of it all.

And don’t let me forget to mention just how great the combo of Meghan and Tim were and are while playing together. I told them after the show that the way they played together reminded me of an older couple who have been married for half a century take to the dance floor at a wedding for someone just starting their story = meaning that they may not be on point with every particular note in line with one another, but they played loose and true with time and the essence of the story in a way that was conversational and simply beautiful and refreshing to behold. It was literally poetry in motion, and the brought each song to life and to the audience in a way that seemed to give each story justice for how they were originally conceived. It was truly something to behold, and I encourage you to listen to the entire set in the recording below. You deserve it.

After the music faded, it was great to get Meghan and Claire on stage together. These may have been the most well-travelled artists that I’ve ever seen on stage at any point in my life. I know there are other artists who have toured more than these too, but I’m talking about travelling in the sense that they have honestly lived in and called home to more places and cultures and communities than any other pairing I’ve ever been around. There is great wisdom in this knowledge and collective life experience. I was honored to dish out a few questions that I thought of before and on the spot, and these two artists were generous with their truths and lessons they have learned to this point. Both are talented with their words, stories, time, and love that they practice, share, and constantly learn how to do even better than the day before. And, oddly enough, both have a sense of not knowing just how extraordinary they both are as individuals in general. It’s so nice when ego is not as present in people as it is in others. It really helps the room and the world at large glow from the natural shine of good people like these two (and Tim too). I’ll save my words for the recording you’ll hear below, but know that this night was very special for me and all those involved. The storm passed, and we were all safe for a moment in time. That is something to take note of any day that happens to us.

So here it is, the edited recording of East Side Storytellin’ 159. This is the show where we featured Claire Gibson & Meghan Hayes (and Tim Carroll) at The Post East (1701 Fatherland Street) on Tuesday, August 20, 2019. It was really something special to witness. Thankfully, now that you have the recording link, you can enjoy it and share it as many times as you wish. That’s a lot more than any genie can give you. You’re welcome.

Before I say goodbye for this round of fun, I’d like to give a big round of thanks for Claire and Meghan (and Tim) for sharing their stories, talents, and time with us.

You can experience more of Claire’s writing here – www.clairegibson.com

You can listen to more of Meghan’s music here- meghanhayes.com

You can listen to this show, edited, soon, alongside the previous shows too, on our website, www.eastsidestorytn.com, at our In Our Own Words Tab – see here – www.eastsidestorytn.com/in-our-own-words



I’ll keep the gratitude going for Tom Eizonas, my lovely wife and most talented artist in Emily Harper Beard (efharper), and everyone that came out live to support the show … and to everyone who has helped continue to spread the word and support the show online afterwards.

Last, but certainly not least, I’d like to give one last shout out to Tonya and Chris for making The Post so welcoming and positively life-changing for the East Nashville community at large.

Our next show will be

East Side Storytellin’ 160

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

at The Post (1701 Fatherland Street) at 7pm

reading- Ed Tarkington

singing- Will Payne Harrison

 That said, that’s all for East Side Storytellin’ 159 and another fabulous event at The Post with East Side Story at the helm. Thanks for coming out and sharing the good word and giving some love to all of these great Nashville artists and our creative ideas. Please remember to be nice to one another out there. I repeat, please remember to be nice to one another. Thank you and goodnight.

Much love,

mE