FLOOD EDITION – Photos and More!

The Special ‘FLOOD’ Edition of Mouth Piece Storytelling took place on Thursday, September 21, 2017 at Villains Baestro.

It was a hot, sunny, beautiful day! Although we had a small crowd, it was the perfect crowd! We settled in and listened to musician Dominic Carlone sing us some wonderful ‘water’ songs.

We had six incredible storytellers sharing stories dealing with all sorts of floods!

Storyteller Stefan – it was his first time up at the mic but he’s a total natural!

Storyteller Stefan started us off with a musical vibe of his own!

Storyteller Tammy shared a story about some leaky bladders. Construction bladders! It was her first time at the mic as well – and she rocked it!

Storyteller Karen told us about her grandmother’s beautiful flood home care and love.

Storyteller Geoff, a past Master Mouth Piece, made us laugh to tears with his Istanbul story.

Storyteller Peter had a load of a story. #shitty! Check out his facial expressions – a born storyteller!

Storyteller Alicia, also a first-time Mouth Piecer, gave us one powerful story of the flooding of the blood.

Because of the generosity of several local businesses, we were able to give each storyteller a gift for braving the stage, and AWARD THREE PRIZES FOR MAST MOUTH PIECES!

THANK YOU TO OUR FABULOUS DONATING FRIENDS AT 

Suede Productions

Windsor Vacuum

DeZenio Hair Salon

The Mouth Piece Family

The generous audience filled out their forms and voted on three storytellers as the winners or the MASTER MOUTH PIECES.

Congratulations to storytellers….GEOFF, PETER AND ALICIA!!

Each storyteller will advance and continue onto our annual Master Mouth-Off!

Oh, and did we mention that CBC NEWS was at our fancy little event? Indeed, they did! Journalist Chris Ensing came to cover our show – and we made the news!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THREE OF OUR STORYTELLERS ON CBC NEWS!

Thank you for your dedication and support of storytelling!

We’ll see you in November for the CHILDHOOD edition – featuring Guest Storyteller Janice Smith.

 

FLOOD EDITION Makes the News!

Our SPECIAL ‘FLOOD’ EDITION event made CBC Windsor News – both radio and on-line!! Journalist Chris Ensing came to the event and videotaped it – the put together this great story!

CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEOS OF OUR EVENT!

Thank you Chris and CBC Windsor for coming out to share our storytelling event!

Thank you to the local businesses that donated some fantastic prizes: Windsor Vacuum, DeZenio Hair Salon, Suede Productions and Cypher Systems Group.

Congratulations to our THREE MASTER MOUTHPIECES – Storytellers Geoff, Alicia and Peter! Photos forthcoming!

Mouth Piece Storytelling – The Road Edition

OUR APOLOGIES FOR TAKING SO LONG TO POST THIS!!!

To honour and support National Poetry Month, our theme for the April edition of Mouth Piece Storytelling was ‘The Road’ (that was the theme of National Poetry Month too! #somethingborrowed) I’ll admit that this theme was chosen because your host (me! Vanessa) is a poet herself. I wanted to gather three very special poets together as Guest Storytellers to share their ‘road to poetry’ stories. They all said yes! Talk about cat’s pyjamas – I was thrilled to share the stage with Benny Alexander, host and poet at Toast Open Mic, Courtney King, Slam poet and rep for Windsor Poetry Slam, and Teajai Travis creator/founder of the Bloomfield House and Free Verse Poetry events.

Here we all are…as happy as can be!

Being goofy because…well, poets are, aren’t they?!

From left: Benny, Courtney, Me and Teajai

Each of these tremendous people had a chance to share their story, and they did with passion and conviction.

Benny was up first, represeting Toast Open Mic.

Followed by the sweetly nervous Courtney King, representing Windsor Poetry Slam. Courtney also joined me at CBC to be on Windsor Morning to talk about slam poetry and storytelling. Thanks again Courtney!

Teajai Travis, founder of Bloomfield House and Free Verse Poetry and Spoken Word, rounded out our Guest Storyteller ‘road to poetry’ story that literally took him across the country.

After our Guest Storytellers spoke, I was completely inspired, and grateful for the hard work, passion and dedication to community that Windsorites live and breath each day. It’s a special road, it is, the creative road. But it sure is heartwarming and beautiful, ain’t it?

Soul Brother Stef did some of his wicked beat mixing and serenaded us with his sexy falsetto in between stories and during intermissions.

Here are the incredible and brave storytellers! Alex, Ashley, Joan, Hani, Frankie, Nathanya, Jay!

Storytellers shared intimate and comical stories about all kinds of different roads they took to things like self-confidence, graduation, self-love and, of course, the literal family ‘road’ trip!

Congratulations to our Master Mouth Piece – Nathanya!!

#familyroadtrips Oh boy! Nathanya and her family crammed into a vehicle…food, farts and more!

Thank you again to our sound guru Lauren H, our masterful music-magician Soul Brother Stef, photographer Katie Hawkins, The Foundry Pub staff, our guest storytellers, local media support, and our dedicated audience – all of whom give their time and hearts to keeping this little-storytelling-engine-that-could alive and well!

We’ll see you at the next one! Thursday, June 30, 2016 – The Music Edition!

 

CBC Interview A Blast! #NPM2016

Our early  morning interview with Tony Doucette and the Windsor Morning team was a total blast! We were a bit bleary eyed, but nothing some Tim’s coffee couldn’t handle. (Oh, and a Nutella croissant too! Super yummy!)

Wild-eyed and ready to be interviewed!

Courtney had a few of her 15 minutes of fame reading her poem entitled ‘On The Road’.

Courtney reads her poem -LIVE!!

The interview flew by, as it always does, but we had a great conversation, talked about National Poetry Month, and the connecting of poets in the city at Mouth Piece.

Two poets!

Happy National Poetry Month! Thank you CBC Windsor Morning! Thank you Courtney!

Here’s the interview – listen in!!

Courtney & Vanessa on CBC Windsor Morning

Press! Monday, April 11 – CBC Windsor Morning!

Myself and Windsor Poetry Slam poet Courtney King will be on CBC Windsor Morning this upcoming Monday, April 11, 2016 to promote the next Mouth Piece event! For the first time ever, members from the trifecta of poetry groups (Toast Open Mic, Windsor Poetry Slam and FreeVerse) in the city will join together to share stories! It’s National Poetry Month and to show support, the theme of our show is ‘The Road’ – as is the theme for NPM!!

Tune in to 97.5FM at 7:40am to hear the LIVE broadcast!

Thank you Jonathan Pinto and Tony Doucette and the Windsor Morning team for you unwavering support of Mouth Piece Storytelling!

 

 

John Wing at CBC Windsor Morning! On Poetry, Love & Storytelling!

Our early morning trip to the snazzy new CBC Windsor Morning Show was a grand success! John made everyone laugh – a great thing to wake up to!

Thanks again to the Windsor Morning team who so tirelessly continue to promote local events – including our sweet little storytelling series!

I wasn’t in the studio this time…but doesn’t mean the experience wasn’t selfie -worthy!

John’s so comfortable in-studio! I think he’s done this before!

Indeed, everyone gets an itchy nose! Host Tony D was, as usual, engaged in a wonderful conversation about poetry, love, comedy and storytelling! Thanks Tony!

Here’s a link to the segment on the radio!

John Wing on CBC Windsor Morning

Thanks for all your support Windsor! We’ll see you tonight at the big LOVE event!

 

Mouth Piece – Home For the Holidaze Edition – A Wild Success!

I tell ya – Windsor Storytellers – YOU ROCK MY WORLD!! We had another incredible storytelling event this past Tuesday at Vesta Pizzeria! The restaurant was packed! Folks came to eat, drink and tell stories! We had eight brave storytellers take the stage and share stories that made us think, laugh, cringe, oooh and ahhh!

Our day began dark and early in the CBC studios with the Windsor Morning team to talk about Mouth Piece. As always, the studio was warm and cozy, and the questions were great! Thanks to Peter Duck, Mike Evans and the rest of Windsor Morning Team!

Here’s a link to the show so you can hear it! Thanks again CBC Windsor Morning! (You too Jonathan Pinto!)

Our set up at Vesta Pizzeria & Antipasto Bar was warm and festive. DJ Cam brought his sweet gear, and we set for the show!

We pride ourselves on making our set-up match the theme! All for you storytellers and audience!!

The magic mic. Work it!

The gear!!

Starting the storytelling with an honest, vulnerable, heart-felt story about her wanderlust beginnings, photographer/tour guide and Guest Storyteller Sandi Wheaton quoted Pico Iyer and reminisced about sailors. Such a wonderful story! Thank you Sandi!

Guest Storyteller Sandi Wheaton.

Sweet Sandi also told us a very funny joke – here’s the visual punchline!

We had 8 storytellers (well, 9 if you count when my hubby got up to share!) who were a bit shy to start, but after several musical interludes by DJ Cam, folks signed their lives away and took to the mic!

Our list of storytellers for the Home for the Holiday edition is:

Melissa

Tracey

Collin

Alice

Abriel

Cheryl

Danah

Judy

Storyteller Abriel – Being an ‘adult’ at Christmas isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!

Storyteller Alice – holding her head over spilt wine!

Storyteller Cheryl – a repeat Mouth Piece participant (we love that!) – shares her Griswald-esqu holiday dinner story.

Storyteller Collin – another repeat Mouth Piece participant, and the only male to share! – recounts a questionable comment from his grandmother…and a flash photo of his soon-to-be mother-in-law!

Storyteller Danah shares about her almost-criminal pre-Christmas brush with the law…and other oopsy moments!

Storyteller Judy is sure she was the sexiest gal to ever have her garders snap and her stockings fall…

Storyteller Melissa learns the loud way – not to toast raisin bagels for her father-in-law!

Storyteller Tracey tells us about a Christmas in Cali…booze, bikes and a-ha moments!

It was a close competition with everyone sharing entertaining and beautiful stories. Poor audience has a hard task to choose a winner!

The Master Mouth Piece for the Home for the Holidaze edition is:

STORYTELLER DANAH!

First-time Mouth Piece storyteller Danah made the crowd roar with laughter with her winning story!

Oh such fun we had! Hosting, as usual, was a complete blast! I told some bad jokes, quoted our favourite holiday films, and shared a story about my soggy childhood leotards !

After the stories were told, DJ Cam played some of our favourite music and we danced into the night!

A Mouth Piece thank you to everyone who made this event another grand success! To the storytellers, the audience, the staff at Vesta (Orlando, Rio and Alexa), CBC Windsor Morning, The Windsor Star, our sponsors Suede Productions, photographers Marty Gervais and Steve Kriemadis, and the hottest volunteer ever Nick (my hubby!) – THANK YOU!

See you at the next Mouth Piece event…

Mouth Piece dishes on CBC Radio Windsor Morning!

Nope. Didn’t sleep well last night. Kept waking up because I was worried I’d sleep in and miss the 7:25am date with CBC Windsor Morning for an interview about Mouth Piece. You know how that happens the night before an exciting morning! I awoke at 6am. My body was like, um, it’s still dark outside. Wuzzzhappening?!! Needless to say, the wake-everyone-up and get to the station on time craziness worked, and the kids and I made it there on time. (Yes, I brought the kids. Thought they would like to see what live radio is like. I think they were sleeping with their eyes open!)

I was nervous and excited. Jonathan(Pinto) and Tony (Doucette) were lovely! We talked stories and food and Mouth Piece. Thank you CBC Windsor Morning!

Here’s the interview, in case you missed it!

Vanessa is interviewed on CBC Windsor Morning about Mouth Piece – The Food Edition

And here are some photos of the experience…sleepy little ones included!

 

We’ll see you at Rino’s Kitchen tomorrow night. 7:30pm sharp the storytelling will begin! @MouthStories !

Mouth Piece – The Food Edition!

It’s that time again! Our second Mouth Off is Thursday, September 10, 2015 at Rino’s Kitchen! It’s the Food edition! With special Guest Storyteller Jonathan Pinto from CBC Radio’s Windsor Morning. Jonathan knows loads about food; let’s call him a food-guru!

Jonathan hosts ‘Food With Jonathan Pinto‘ on CBC Radio’s Windsor Morning. The man knows food – and the stories that will warm your heart like a pie in an oven!

Here’s a fancy poster with all the essential ingredients for the show.

Don’t forget to bring new or gently used books to donate to the Raise A Reader program!