Live Storytelling Across Cultures
Saturday, February 1st, 2:00-4:00pm
$5 suggested donation
Join us for a community gathering at Stories Aloud/Allowed, where the ancient art of storytelling takes center stage in a celebration of Maine’s rich cultural tapestry. Storytellers from diverse communities will share tales drawn from myth, folklore, original works, and personal experiences, offering insights into the histories, values, and beliefs of the cultures that shaped them. From the Celtic roots of Ireland to the voices of new Mainers, this event will showcase the power of storytelling to unite, enlighten, and spark dialogue.
The event will be open to storytellers from across Maine’s vibrant communities, offering a rich diversity of voices and perspectives. The program will begin with three featured storytellers sharing their tales. After a brief break, we will have an open mic, inviting attendees to sign up and share a 5-10 minute story. After the performance we invite you to join us for a social hour, where all can gather to meet the performers, share, and reflect in an informal setting.
Join us for Stories Aloud/Allowed and become part of an event that can inspire us all, and help build bridges between fellow Mainers!
Check out our phenomenal Featured Storytellers!
Mihku Paul
Mihku Paul is a Wolastoqey writer and visual artist born and raised on a wild Maine river. She is an enrolled member of Kingsclear First Nations and a graduate of the Stonecoast MFA program and her poetry has appeared in multiple anthologies, including Dawnland Voices, POEISIS, Atlantic Vernacular and both Wait: Poems from the Pandemic and Enough! Poems of Resistance and Protest (Littoral Books). Most recently she presented Msi-te Ktahkomiq Kintaqot (The Whole Earth Resounds) for Maine Conservation Voters Evening for the Environment. Her collaborative experimental film, Putep Qotatokot-te Elewestaq (The Whale was Speaking) also on Climate Change, premiered at the Belfast Poetry Festival and can be viewed at this link: Putep Qotatokot-te Elewestaq
Forthcoming work will debut at the Maine Historical Society’s upcoming exhibit Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690-1940 and a new anthology, Cape Cod to Nova Scotia: Art, Ecology, Poetry of the Gulf of Maine (2027)
Mihku lives and works in Portland.
Cathy Furness
Although three generations removed from the family farm in County Laois, Cathy felt drawn to Ireland from a very young age. She followed that gravitational pull to Dublin, where she earned a graduate degree in Irish literature and folklore. She also studied traditional music while she was there by attending sessions at O’Donohue’s on Merrion Row nearly every night.
Cathy retired early from her professional life in New York to take a deep dive into storytelling. Since then, she has told stories on two continents to audiences of all ages. She likes to share the layered wisdom of folktales of many cultures, but is especially drawn to the heroes, heroines and stories of her Irish ancestors. Now living in the woods outside Brunswick, Maine, she shares her home with Redmond, Conor and Molly, three very spoiled cats.
Khadija El Barkaoui
Khadija is an Indigenous person of the Amazigh people from North Africa, with years of experience in cultural management. As the founder of Coelle Travel, she offers unique cultural experiences in Maine, including this authentic Amazigh Tea Ceremony inspired by the traditions of nomadic life in the Sahara.
This experience invites the community to immerse themselves in the soothing rituals of Amazigh tea culture, which have been central to nomadic hospitality for centuries, while supporting meaningful causes. It also provides an insightful introduction to Moroccan traditions, offering a deeper understanding of the culture and its people.
Khadija’s approach is deeply rooted in her Amazigh heritage, blending nomadic traditions passed down through generations with her passion for sharing the stories of her land and people.