KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
The seventh season of Galley Tables got its start on Friday night. KMXT joined the cast of storytellers before the packed show to talk about what community storytelling means to them.
More than 300 eager listeners turned out for the first Galley Tables of the season on Friday. Festivities began with a set from local band, Ellamy Tiller and the Twang. Seats quickly filled up and dozens of people stood against the walls or sat on the floor around the stage to hear fellow Kodiak residents tell tales.
The theme was “jerryrigged,” a prompt that brought stories of MacGyvered cars, a mountaintop injury, and even the split-second decisions that arise during a bear attack.
Many of the storytellers were first-timers. Some had been wanting to tell a story on stage for awhile, others were convinced by friends, and still others were last-minute picks chosen just a few minutes before the show.
We caught up with a few of the storytellers to talk about pre-show jitters and the value of sharing their experiences aloud.
“Jerryrigged is a subject very close to my heart, Seraphima Anaya began. “That’s all I will have to say about that.”
Christy Lyle said this was her first time telling a Galley Table story. “I considered it, but I always felt like I didn’t really have anything that was exciting enough to tell a story about. This was exciting enough. So here I am.” As for nerves, she said, “Super crazy nervous! I think I’m going to get up there and forget the whole story. There’s also some emotional parts to my story. I didn’t want to cry in front of the whole town. But I might!”
Other performers had varying takes on nerves. “I get excitable I don’t get very nervous,” Marina Richter told us, while Andy Edgerly flatly said, “Public speaking is horrifying.”
All of the storytellers were excited about the togetherness that Galley Tables delivers.
“I just love seeing people get up there,” Lyle said. “I learn things about people that I’ve known a long time that I never knew. Storytelling is important. And we kind of maybe are losing that a little bit, I think in our culture.”
“I like seeing everybody in the neighborhood,” Edgerly said. “Most of us are running around in our own little orbits. And so when something like this happens, you know, the whole town comes together. It’s kind of exciting.”
Richter’s take was similar. “I just love the sense of community and sharing. Especially as the winter starts to descend on us. I think every culture has benefited from storytelling. And I think Kodiak’s culture is no different. I think storytelling is an important part of the community.
All of Friday’s performers’ stories will be posted on the Galley Tables website, along with signups for the rest of the season. Next month’s theme is “Mama said”.
