The first time I stumbled upon an evening of storytelling that was not in a library with the storyteller sitting in a rocking chair surrounded by young children sitting on a colorful rug, I was enchanted. That night, a woman storyteller, someone well-known to the national storytelling world, was telling a fascinating original story about her father. I was mesmerized. I wanted to hear more. That was more than 20 years ago.

Today, storytelling is a rich center of my life and work. I tell stories myself as well as listen to other storytellers. There is a saying that "the shortest distance between two people is a story."

Because they want to spread the word about the magic of storytelling, three storytelling organizations in the Washington, DC, area are producing an invitational storytelling concert on Sept. 15 at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda.

I am honored to be one of the six tellers they have invited to tell stories that evening.

Hey, it’s in the neighborhood. Please join us.

Here is the information from the organizations:

The Other F Words: Friendship, Fidelity and Foolishness

An invitational storytelling concert by six stellar tellers from the DC area.

Sept. 15, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. at The Writer's Center in Bethesda (4508 Walsh St.—off of Wisconsin Ave., with plenty of parking).

Tickets are $15 ($13 for seniors and students); reserve at www.telmoment@verizon.net.

The storytellers are Noa Baum, Geraldine Buckley, Ralph Chatham, Janice Curtis Greene, Ellouise Schoettler and Anne Sheldon.

These seasoned tellers individually have delighted audiences from coast to coast for years. Don't miss this chance to hear them all on the same stage in one evening. 

The invitational concert is jointly sponsored by Telling Moments, The Virginia Storytelling Alliance and Voices in the Glen. This is the "kick-off" event that may become an annual "Happening" in the area.