Thank YOU, thank YOU, thank YOU for taking the time to visit this page. Welcome to the recap and recording of yet another wonderful event with East Side Story and The Post East. Let me be the first to officially, whole-heartedly welcome you to the first East Side Storytellin’ at The Post East. It was the 57th spectacular edition of East Side Storytellin’ we have done so far! Like the 56 previous shows East Side Story has put together, we gathered together in order to get people 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, this is the recap and recording of East Side Storytellin’ 57. Let us begin, again.
The first featured guest of the evening was a writer who always has a smile on her face every time I see her so it’s no surprise that she has written books about happiness. Her work has appeared in Ladies’ Home Journal, Mandala, Guardian UK, A Woman’s Asia (Travelers’ Tales), and many other publications and growing. She was included in Eric Weiner’s bestseller, The Geography of Bliss. Originally from Nashville, she has an M.F.A. in fiction from the University of Arizona (go Wildcats), and now divides her time living in Thimphu, Bhutan, and Nashville. Married to a renowned Bhutanese thanka painter, Phurba Namgay, author of A Field Guide to Happiness: What I learned in Bhutan about Living, Loving, and Waking Up, as well as Married To Bhutan: How One Woman Got Lost, Said ‘I DO’, and Found Bliss, both of which you can purchase at East Side Story (1108 Woodland Street, Unit B), it was my absolute honor to introduce Linda Leaming to the stage.
Linda didn’t need an introduction, to be quite honest. She was glowing with smiles as she saw a handful of long-time friends in the front row showing their support for their favorite author. Linda also didn’t need an introduction because she is fearless. She jumped right in front of the crowd and the microphone ready to share her stories like she’s never told them before. She prefaced the reading by saying that currently she is writing short stories but the books that she has published so far were basically nonfiction and stories from her journey to Bhutan after leaving Nashville for life adventures. If you knew Linda before the show, you understood you were in for a treat. If you didn’t know Linda already, it didn’t take long for you to connect to her story and her positive personality and instantly become best friends with her. She is a one-of-a-kind soul in every way possible.
As she read from her tales inside Married To Bhutan, it was refreshing for me to sit and think about just how different and more complicated life is in East Nashville than in Bhutan and have Linda as a virtual tour guide in my head into her worlds. It may sound awkward or surreal, but the tone, humor, descriptions, creativity, and love that Linda expressed in her stories are simple and life-changing to hear if you listen just right (hear the recording below for yourself). But honestly, Linda is a natural-born storyteller that doesn’t seem to have ever met a stranger. The words on the page and everything she says is right from her heart with a twinge of a smile and laughter for the bright side of life. Doesn’t that sound refreshing, to say the least? My favorite part, bar none, was Linda describing the child-like wonder that her husband displayed while being introduced to and fascinated by Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. I don’t think people are amazed by the world we live in as much as we should be. Linda’s writing and stories constantly amazed me in that best of ways. Then, before I knew it, she was finished with her reading and ready to make room for the musical guest of the show.
The second featured guest of the evening was someone that is very close to the eclectic family that makes up The Idea Hatchery next door to Art & Invention Gallery over at 5 Points East Nashville. She is a regular face volunteering her time at the legendary Fat Crow Press, two doors behind East Side Story, and she is also always someone who is smiling every time I see her in public. She is a singer-songwriter named after a Thomas Hart Benton painting of a woman playing a guitar so it’s probably safe to say she was destined for great music. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, her musical style is inspired by the blues and ragtime sounds native to the port city. She has shared the stage with the likes of Steve Earle, Bobby Bare, Jr., Will Kimbrough, and many more, but this particular night we had her all to ourselves. As you can hear in the recording below, it didn’t take long for everyone to realize that this lady is just as great as the big names I mentioned above. With her successful 2012 debut Land in Sight, and her most recent work to be released later this month titled Raised On the Plains, it was perfect timing for me to introduce Jesse Lafser to the East Side Storytellin’ family!
Jesse preferred to sit down and really focus on her guitar, harmonica, and her vocal talents (a true triple threat). She let it be known to the crowd right off the bat that half of the songs she was going to share were meant to be taken seriously and the other half were not. Either way, after listening to the first verse of the first song, everyone knew we were experiencing something extraordinary. Jesse has a talent of sharing her personal stories, fiction or not, through songs that are so easy to follow that you are totally immersed in the plot. I guess it’s a sure fire testament to just how skilled she is at what she loves to do. The great ones make their craft seem easy.
All that said, like Linda, Jesse took deep inspiration from her time traveling solo into worlds she had not really known much about before getting there and then came back home (a new home in Nashville in both cases) with more than enough material and ideas to turn their real life experiences into some of the most relatable, honest, and pure art that I’ve heard in a long time. Whether it was the humor of Slow Down Mama or the majestic found in Mountain Air, Jesse Lafser is someone who is about to be heard and known about far beyond the great circles of Nashville artists that she already runs side by side with. Take one listen from the songs in the recording below (and make sure to go buy her albums from her website after you finish reading this post) and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. This girl isn’t good … she’s one of the greats!
After Jess finished her set, I was able to have Linda re-join us up on stage with both of them comfortably seated. I was standing because of the setup, but I’m glad that I didn’t sit down with them because I’m sure we would have talked for about an hour longer. Linda and Jesse were quite the pair together. Both exuded such confidence and positivity and great vibes, as evident in the warm crowd that was engaged and enlightened by the combo of the show all night long. The ideas and conversations that flowed from these featured guests were as constant and clear and fresh as a natural spring water creek.
I’m starting to think that the show overall was just a perfect reflection of everyone involved. From Jesse Lafser and Linda Leaming and the friends they brought into one of my favorite spots in Nashville that Chris and Tonya make a home away from home for anyone who enters The Post East, Tom Eizonas said it best after the show ended when he mentioned that there was just so much positivity all around us all night long. I think that spoke volumes about the collective special gathering of the people that met for this East Side Storytellin’ show on Tuesday, April 7th, 2015. Luckily for you, whether you were there in person or not, you can listen to the show below, share it with everyone you know, and make plans to come experience the next show planned on April 21st.
Here is the edited recording of East Side Storytellin’ 57 that featured Linda Leaming and Jesse Lafser. Enjoy-
https://soundcloud.com/eastsidestorytn/sets/east-side-storytellin-57-linda
Before I say goodbye for this round of fun, I’d like to give a big round of thanks for Linda Leaming and Jesse Lafser for sharing their stories, talents, and time with us.
You can read more about Linda Leaming- http://www.lindaleaming.com
You can listen to more from Jesse Lafser – http://www.jesselafser.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’d also like to show much love to Clay Brunton for the beautiful artwork for the prints made by Kevin Anthuis at 5 Points Digital Imaging (www.5pdi.com) to celebrate the show.
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 a huge shout out to Tonya and Chris here at the Post East for everything they do for the community and this world!
The NEXT East Side Storytellin’ event presented by East Side Story will be …
Tuesday, April 21st
East Side Storytellin’ 58
7pm at The Post East (1701 Fatherland Street)
reading- Betsy Thorpe (http://about.me/betsythorpe)
singing- Forlorn Strangers (http://forlornstrangers.bandcamp.com/)
That’s all for East Side Storytellin’ 57 and another fabulous event at The Post East. Thanks for taking the time to visit this page and sharing the good word to others about it 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. Thanks and good day your way.
Much love,
mE
