Stories transport us across time and space, bring us together, help us make sense of our lives and the world, make us laugh and cry, and even change our minds. Stories fuel social change and personal change. Their power drives us, as Two Old Bitches, to collect edgy elder women’s stories to share with story-loving listeners of all genders and ages. And to discover and tell our own stories. In this episode, we each share a personal story crafted in a recent storytelling class. Yes crafted, because storytelling is an art, one that can be honed, and it’s a joy to hone it in the company of others as we did in our most recent workshop. Joanne shares “What Happens When Your Heart Really Does Belong to Daddy?” a story of gendered power dynamics in the workplace decades ago that still drives her passion for justice today. Idelisse shares “Girdles,” a childhood story of the physical and psychological constraints foisted on women and girls that shaped her, in more ways than the obvious.
You can listen to our stories on audio AND – for those who like the combined audio-visual effect – check out Idelisse and Joanne telling their stories to each other. And guess which one of us tried (with partial success) to tell her story and hula hoop at the same time?
We’d love to hear from you! We are going to host a Two Old Bitches storytelling salon/class in the spring. Please let us know if you’re interested and have ideas or questions. Write to us at 2obpodcast@gmail.com and share your brilliance!