Tell Us Something – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Michelle Reilly finds herself homeless in 10th grade in a challenge that begins a lifetime of challenges. After earning a PhD despite her alcohol use disorder, she struggles to overcome addiction and finds unexpected hope in an online ad. Sensitive listeners, please note that Michelle’s story contains mentions of suicidal thoughts and the her father contemplating suicide, which may be distressing for some listeners. Please take care of yourselves. Michelle calls her story “Heroic Measures”.

📷 Donal Lakatua

Michelle Reilly is a wilderness specialist and wildlife ecologist who has lived in Missoula for 8 years. She is a wildcrafter, avid backpacker, and devoted mother. If she isn’t deep in the mountains or paddling the rivers, you can find her in her yard tending her gourmet mushroom gardens. She also runs a Missoula Ladies’ Dinner Club and enjoys entertaining in her backyard.

In our next story, Zeke Cork returns to Missoula after many failed escapes to face his demons, find love, and embrace his true self. Please take care of yourselves. Zeke calls his story “Ezekiel Cried”.

Zeke Cork is a writer, train dispatcher and board member of the Western Montana LGBTQ+ Center. He runs and hikes the local trails. He lives in Missoula with his wife and two rescue mutts. He loves tacos and trucker hats.

Ashley Brittner Wells is a self described tomboy in the 1980s who finds courage in the Montana Lady Griz games. It took years to find her own place in the stands and be the inspiration for girls who are like she was then. Ashley calls her story “Made In Montana”.

Ashley Brittner Wells is from East Missoula, Montana. She is a business owner, public servant, and cackler. She is best known as Mel’s wife. She is a lifelong women’s sports fan.

In this episode of the Tell Us Something podcast, four storytellers share their true personal story on the theme “Going Home”. Our stories today were recorded live in person in front of a packed house on June 11, 2024, as part of the opening Missoula Pride events.

In our first story, Kiki Hubbard, her mother and her grandmother are on a plane returning back to the United States from former Yugoslavia after a trip tracing their ancestry. The grandmother, a strong immigrant who fled war and violence, is frustrated because customs won’t let her bring bacon into the US. Kiki calls her story “What Bacon?”

Kiki Hubbard graduated from the University of Montana’s Environmental Studies program and now works remotely for the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an academic collaborator with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Kiki lives in Missoula, by way of Wisconsin and Washington D.C., and is a national expert in policy issues that affect our nation’s seed supply. She’s passionate about protecting family farms and community food systems from unfair and destructive corporate practices.

Next up is Adria Jwort, who, as a trans woman, wrestles with Montana’s anti-LGBTQ climate and complex relationship with her dad. The Club Q shooting prompts her to return home, prioritizing family despite ongoing struggles. We call her story “From Vegas to Montana — A Father’s Call”.

Adria L. Jawort is a Northern Cheyenne fiction writer and transgender/2 Spirit journalist based in Billings, Montana. Her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Electric Literature, and Indian Country Today, among other publications. She is the Executive Director of the nonprofit Indigenous Transilience. You can also find her on Instagram.

In our next story, Teri Wing leaves Butte, MT for convent life before leaving and finding love and family. Her journey home was a wild ride. Teri calls her story “Going home: The Long Way Around”.

Teri Wing is a born and raised Montananan. The mother of two and a grandmother of three boys, Teri is a retired educator who loves dogs and other living things. She hasn’t yet climbed tall mountains, run a marathon, or jumped out of a plane, though she says she may put those on her bucket list.

Our final storyteller in this episode, Chloe Williams, searches for happiness in love, places, & self-expression before finally figuring out what love is and where to find it. Chloe calls her story “The Rusty Screeching Turn Toward Home”.

Chloe Williams is many things. She is a seeker, a painter, a middle school teacher, a mother, a partner, and a friend.

Hailing from the West Coast, Chloe was born in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and raised in San Francisco. She spent some summers on a farm in Illinois. Eventually, she spent seventeen years in Portland, Oregon and ten years ago moved to Missoula. Chloe has lived at approximately forty addresses in her life, though she really has lost count.

Storytelling was passed down from her mom in the many long car rides of her childhood and is her favorite thing her mother gave her. Only in the last few years has she been called to try storytelling herself, and it feels like something her spirit needs to do.

Our first story comes to us from Stephen Tucker. Stephen Tucker accidentally learns who his favorite cat is when his apartment complex catches fire. Stephen calls his story Midnight Mayhem. Thanks for listening.

Stephen Tucker is a third-grade teacher in the Bitterroot Valley with ten years of experience. As a teacher, he has a passion for science, technology, and coaching Lego Robotics. He is a lover of the outdoors and enjoys hiking and spending his days on the lake with his paddleboard. When he is not teaching or enjoying the outdoors, he spends his time watching way too much Youtube and indulging his unhealthy obsession with Taco Bell. 

Our next storyteller is Sandy Sheppard, who details her ordeal of becoming the 1st woman optometrist in Montana in the 1980s. Sandy calls her story “I Will Rise Up, or It Takes a Little Time.”

Sandy Sheppard was a Navy brat. She lived in oceans, bays, and islands. She is thrilled to now be living on the Clark Fork River! Who would have guessed that she would have landed in Missoula, Montana & would have stayed for 41 years! She believes that in her 1st 3 years, she may have been happier landing on the moon!!!

Jolyne O’Brien shares her story about what people never told her about the 4th trimester. Jolyne calls her story “No One Told Me, or, the Fourth Trimester.”

Jolyne O’Brien is a wife of one husband, a mom of two daughters and two sons, and a teacher of hundreds of children. Jolyne is a woman, a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, an aunt, and a close friend. She is an artist, a portrait photographer, and an incredibly creative writer. She is a human and simply cannot be summed up in five sentences.

Closing out this episode of the podcast is Candace Haster. Candace shares her story of deciding to have a baby and the process by which she did so with a kind sperm donor. Candace calls her story “Well, that’ll be interesting”.  Thanks for listening.

Candice grew up in Kansas City, MO, and moved to and fell in love with Missoula in the 90s. You can find her small-scale ceramic and paper artwork tucked into nooks and crannies around town, in the woods, and possibly in your neighbor’s pocket. She is a parent, a Scorpio, an avid cyclist, and way into tigers. Ask her questions, she loves questions.

Our first story comes to us from Devin Carpenter, who shares a verbal love letter to his grandmother, who taught him to be a good neighbor and to be bold. He calls his story “Mimi on my Shoulder”.

Devin Carpenter is a Cali-Rado-Tanan who has lived in Pennsylvania and New York and is joined tonight by his Mom, Patty, and his Dad, Jeff…who do not know he is about to tell this story. Growing up on a military base and moving throughout his life has greatly influenced the way Devin sees the world and how he approaches relationships with others. Devin calls Missoula home and has been deeply involved in building communities through activism and social engagement since he first arrived here to start college at the University of Montana in 2008. Devin left Montana in 2015 to pursue a Master’s Degree in Higher Education at Penn State and found his way right back two years later to take on his current role as the Director of New Student Success at UM, where he serves as an advisor to the UM Advocates and mentors and transitions incoming students through a successful start of their college journey. In his free time, Devin is likely listening to his record collection, cooking a from-scratch meal in his kitchen, drinking a Shady at the (former) Kettlehouse Southside with his friends, dancing in the dark, or some combination of all four.

Sarah Black leaves her husband for another love and another life. Her parents hear the news with a lot of questions and a lot of grace. Though she isn’t as graceful when her spouse brings unexpected news to her, when she leads with love, she knows she’s hearing the news the best way that she can. Sarah calls her story “Lead with Love”.

Sarah grew up in Helena, MT. After high school, she moved around several times and is happy to reside in Missoula and live closer to family. She is fascinated by wellness, art, the outdoors, social justice, storytelling, and all the ways they intersect.

Whitney Peper and his partner make compassionate choices to the news that there is a strange man under his mother-in-law’s bed. Whitney calls his story “The Right House”.

Barron Whitney Peper is an award-winning architect based in Missoula who helps homeowners create new spaces and transform old ones in a way that welcomes nature, community, and health into our lives. He is also co-facilitating an emerging coalition of community members to support the city in reimagining how we can together address housing affordability, and he would love to talk to you about it.//
Barron Whitney Peper

Cathy Scholtens hikes to Hope Lake in Montana with her best friend, where they work out their complex feelings for one another. Cathy calls her story “Friendship, Hope, and Wisdom.” Thanks for listening.

Living her best life amidst the beauty of the Bitterroot Valley, Cathy is an out-of-shape adventure enthusiast. She loves the mountains, waterways, back roads, and MOST people of Montana. When she first came to Montana in 1976, she saw the Milky Way in all its glory for the first time. The wonder and magnificence of the night sky continue to knock her socks off.

Cathy’s heart also lies with a ragbag group of friends and family — her “Family of Choice”. She remains forever grateful for the craziness, the love, and the laughter they bring into her life

Our First story comes to us from  Katie Condon. Katie shares her story about an unlikely neighborly friendship. It’s an ode to neighbors, to Fran the dog, and to the community.

Katie calls her story “The Bologna House”.

Katie Condon is a humanitarian at heart. She believes in the connection of all things. Katie is a lover of art and the simple beautiful things this life has to offer.

Our next story comes to us from Reid Reimers. Reid Reimers is recognized for his Montana accent during a trip to Vietnam and is then invited to a neighborhood family wedding.

Reid calls his story “Crashing a Wedding in Vietnam”.

Reid Reimers was born and raised in Missoula and has a Master’s in Theatre from The University of Montana.  You’ve probably seen him hosting numerous events around town, running trivia nights, or strutting his stuff on the stage in local theatre productions, including The Rocky Horror Show. He has a deep love for other cultures and climes, which has taken him to almost 50 different countries.  Because he travels on a tight budget, he has to get creative on those trips, which often leads to unexpected adventures. He also teaches theatre to local kiddos, tends to his plethora of house plants, and recently became a puppy papa to an adorable sociopath named Dewey.

Pascaline Piquard is the French Fulbright Grantee 2023 who is currently an EFL teacher in a public junior high school in Besançon in the east of France. Apart from teaching from Grade 6 to Grade 9, she is a mentor for English teachers-in-training and she is quite involved at her school (gardening club, choir, anti-bullying group, German promotion).

She has studied English Language and Literature, German, Italian, and French as a Second Language at the University of Franche-Comté and at Knox College, Galesburg (Illinois). She also has a master’s degree in International Education and Cultural Project Management (University of Lyon 2). She has worked as an EFL teacher in France in public high schools and at Besançon public hospital (hematology cancer and behavioral problems departments). Besides she has taught FSL and FFL in Canada at the University of Guelph (Ontario), at Fairview CBE school (Alberta), and in Jordan at the University of Amman.

She loves being outdoors, taking pictures, experiencing new adventures, traveling, and learning languages to meet people. She also enjoys having fun with friends, especially doing improvisational theater, dancing, singing, and cooking.

Of course, she loves her two sons, Gaspard and Guillaume, with whom she shared her story first.

Rounding out this episode of the Tell Us Something podcast, Kaegan Bonstein, a short king makes friends with a Native Hawaiian family on the beach and feels safe and comfortable in his skin.

Kaegan calls his story “Short King”  or “Out of the Head and into the Heart”.

Kaegan Bonstein is a lifelong performer excited to take a hand at storytelling tonight. He has twenty-five years of performance experience ranging from musicals to environmental theater to political demonstration. He is also a lifelong food service worker and energy practitioner. He’s very grateful to call Missoula home and for this opportunity.

Our first storyteller is Jim Harte.  Jim has always loved film, ever since he was a boy. When the distributors forget to send the second reel of “Wild in the Streets”. Jim gets creative in the way that he avoids giving refunds. Jim calls his story “More Than a Movie”

Jim Harte has worked in the film business for 45 years. He was raised in New Jersey and majored in Drama at Ithaca College in Ithaca NY before moving to Manhattan where he received a BFA in Film and Television at New York University. He lived in Manhattan in the 1970s and 80s before moving to Rochester NY where he was a film editor for Eastman Kodak Company and an Archival Projectionist at George Eastman Museum. Since moving to Missoula Montana in 2021 he has acted in several films produced in Montana. His favorite storyteller is Jean Shepherd.

Abigail Gilbert has to borrow a car when she is traveling for her job in a super small town in Nebraska. She ends up accidentally stealing a car in the process. Abigail calls her story “The Keys to Success”.

Abigail Gilbert is a professional actor, educator and director who originally hails from Duluth, Minnesota. She is proud to work at the Missoula Children’s Theatre as the Tour Marketing Associate and Social Media Specialist and at Studio M as a teacher and vocal instructor. On stage, she was most recently seen as Columbia in The Rocky Horror Picture Show Live right here at the Wilma and as Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods at the Missoula Community Theatre. She was recently voted Missoula’s Best Actor in the Missoulian’s “Best of Missoula 2022” contest. She would like to thank her mom, Lisa, and Miles for their support!

Next up is Regina O’Brien. Regina was unable to afford housing and was living in a tipi in the desert. Living in a tipi causes one to notice so many little things that others might miss. Regina calls her story “Little Things Aren’t Little.”

Regina O’Brien put herself through college, working a montage of odd jobs for eleven years.  She graduated with two bachelor’s degrees, and eventually got a career with the federal government. After years of seeing people staying in positions they hated so they could have a secure retirement, having that security bled out by illness, death, or catastrophe, and feeling stressed out and ineffective in her own job, she quit. She got rid of everything that did not fit into her midsize pickup and started driving. Regina has been living around the edges of mainstream society ever since. Regina is a relative newcomer to Montana, and currently lives in Potomac and works in Missoula as a massage therapist.

Closing out this episode of the podcast, Jeremy N. Smith, in 7th grade,  walks around his teacher’s desk all day. The lessons he learned that day has lasted 30+ years. Jeremy calls his story “One Thousand Times”.

Jeremy N. Smith is a journalist, podcaster, and author. He has written for The Atlantic, Discover, Slate, and the New York Times, among other outlets, and he and his work have been featured by CNN, NPR, NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, and Wired.

Jeremy is from Evanston, Illinois, but has lived the last 20 years in Missoula—except for last year, when he spent a family year abroad with his wife Crissie and daughter Rasa in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico.

His latest interest is skateboarding, and he is looking for someone to help teach him how to ollie.

Learn more and make contact at jeremynsmith.com.

Four storytellers share their true personal story on the theme “It’s the Little Things”. Their stories were recorded live in-person in front of a sold-out crowd on December 15, 2022 at The Wilma in Missoula, MT.

Our first story comes to us from Ean Kessler. Ean wrestles with himself and his relationship to his father, whom he barely knows. Ean calls his story “Shaken Ground”.

Ean Miles Kessler is a playwright, theater artist, and storyteller, originally hailing from the East Coast.  A recent transplant to Montana, Ean relocated to Missoula to enroll in Wild-2-Ride Academy, a mustang ranch and equine program, where he learned the process of gentling wild horses.  He’s proud to be a level 6 graduate of that program and thrilled to be sharing his story tonight.  Currently, Ean is working on a debut novel.

Our next storyteller is Hannah Harvey. Hannah finds herself with more than she bargained for when she moved in with her then-boyfriend and the rest of his family ends up moving in with them. A big storm washes an injured frog into the yard and everything begins to change. Hannah calls her story “Frog Rescue”.

Hannah Harvey is an artist and person living in Missoula. Originally from Helena, she is a University of Montana graduate. If you’ve ever visited the Missoula Art Museum, you may recognize her as the face behind the front desk. When she’s not at work, she can be found painting, drinking hot cocoa at Break, and looking for creepy crawlies.

In our next story, Lori Chase wins the housing lottery when she is selected as someone who can place an offer on a house. Now she has to navigate all of the twists and turns involved in financing a house in Missoula, MT. Lori calls her story “Adventures in Home Buying”.

Lori Chase has two almost-adult children, two cats, and two jobs. She teaches yoga and works for GatherBoard, AKA MissoulaEvents.net (the best community event calendar in Missoula, and also a long-time sponsor of Tell Us Something). In her free time, she likes to do all the outdoor things, and dance the Argentine tango.

The final story comes to us from Tell Us Something Executive Director Marc Moss recounts his journey growing Tell Us Something and making the big leap and becoming a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. He calls his story “Journey”.

Marc Moss has been cultivating personal storytelling in Missoula since 2011 with the 501(c)3 non-profit organization Tell Us Something. He brings his expertise in storytelling to recruiting storytellers and to the story coaching workshops that he requires of each storyteller before each Tell Us Something event. He lives on Missoula’s Historic Northside with his wife Joyce and their perpetual kitten Ziggy.

This episode of the podcast was recorded in front of a live audience on July 8, 2010 at The PEAS Farm in Missoula, MT at an event that predates Tell Us Something.  Missoula residents Jeremy N. Smith and Josh Slotnick hosted the event, which they called “Eat our Words”. 5 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Leaving Home”. 

Jeremy Smith recently reached out to me because one of those storytellers recently passed away.

John Engen has graced the Tell Us Something stage twice, and Jeremy suggested that it would be a nice way to honor him to share this story too. John recounts all of the addresses he called home during his time in Missoula and what he learned at each place.

John Engen was born October 27, 1964 in Missoula, MT. During his 57 years on this planet, John touched the lives of many people as a journalist, friend, businessman, Mayor, and all-around great human. He died August 15, 2022 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. 

Listen to more of John’s stories here.

Click here to read John Engen’s obituary.

Thank you to Jeremy N. Smith and Josh Slotnick for providing the audio for this episode of the Tell Us Something podcast. Thanks too, John, wherever you are now.

I remember this “Eat our Words” event as the first time that I experienced true personal storytelling live in-person as a performance. The evening was special, held outdoors at Missoula’s beautiful PEAS Farm on a warm July evening among an intimate crowd sitting on haybales and engaging with each other as community. I am grateful to Jeremy and Josh for the opportunity to share this story from Eat Our Words.

This episode of the podcast was recorded in front of a live audience on August 31, 2022 in Black Rock City at Center Camp at the Burning Man event. 5 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Waking Dreams”. Today we hear from three of those storytellers.

Jack Butler was raised in Kentucky, and found the outdoors and forests to be a great playground. He developed a love of reading at an early age and would lose himself in the adventures and stories. Jack spent 6 years in the military after high school and then another 25 years bouncing around the world as a merchant marine on ships. Jack’s first burn was in 2016, and it began a process of opening his eyes to another world, a different life. 

Jack Butler is the author of two books, Into the Dust – The Virgin – A Burning Man Story and Racing to the Dawn. You can find jack at his website, jacklyonsauthor.com.

Click here to listen to an excerpt from his book.

In our next story, after a long overnight shift patrolling Black Rock City, Ranger Sasquatch is tasked with delivering an exciting message. In the days before cell service on the Playa, Ranger Sasquatch must find his intended recipient the old fashioned way – by interacting with his fellow citizens in a story that we call “Special Delivery”.

Ranger Sasquatch has been a ranger since 2000 and has seen and experienced so many singular things, events and people in his life, which , he thinks, is the point of it all.  Sasquatch is also one of the DJs at Radio Electra, 89.5 on your dusty FM dial.

Rounding out this edition of the Tell Us Something podcast, Missoula resident Katie Condon shares her psychic journey of love with us in a story that we call “Discovery”.

Katie Condon is a humanitarian at heart. She believes in the connection of all things. Katie is a lover of art and the simple beautiful things this life has to offer. 2022 was her first visit to Black Rock City.

Four storytellers share their true personal story on the theme “Letting Go”. Their stories were recorded live in-person in front of over 900 listeners on September 27, 2022 at The Dennison in Missoula, MT.

Our first story comes to us from Kate Wilburn. Kate loves wood and woodworking. She learned the craft of timber framing 40 years ago, collected materials for a timber frame house, hauled them around for 30 years, and is now ready to let them go. Kate calls her story “Dovetail: A Love Story”.

Kate Wilburn cherishes wild land and is keenly aware of legacy across generations. Her life’s terrain is diverse: from engineering and carpentry to single parenting, permaculture design and teaching. She’s found in Missoula a place to show the beauty and practicality of living simply, of creating an urban yard that is a vibrant ecosystem of perennial food for people, birds, bees and other wild things all at the same time. She seeks green wildness and a neighborhood like a village, even in the city! Kate continues, “In her late 20’s, Kate turned away from the corporate-career-hearth of her time to “Renaissance engineering”– problem-solving grounded on the land– demonstrating and seeking sustainable human life & livelihood.

Parenting in her 40’s made personal her inquiry: how to come through to a kinder & sweeter future than the one we seem aimed for? Teaching middle school then too, Kate saw how physical examples with hands-on learning make the most impact.

Kate arrived in Missoula in 2022, keenly aware of legacy across generations. Kate is committed to standing as an elder deepening into service, alongside and behind all the younger ones. Kate endeavors to stand as an Earth-protector and as a settler-ally to her Indigenous neighbors.

Kate wants regenerative community for each of us. Kate aims to embody simplicity, sustainability and the safeguarding of precious resources. Kate teaches, paints, writes & remains in inquiry. Kate advocates for political & cultural leaders, energy policies and technologies that support social equity, the health of the planet, all species, and future generations. You can find Kate on Instagram.

Working 3rd shift at a late-night copy shop, Marc Moss met all kinds of people. He generally made a connection with most of them, until a regular customer, very grumpy, presented a challenge for him. Marc Calls his story “3rd Shift”.

Marc Moss the Executive Director of the non-profit organization Tell Us Something. He recently hosted a Tell Us Something event at Burning Man, where he’s  literally walked through fire with his life-partner Joyce. They live together on Missoula’s historic Northside with their perpetual kitten Ziggy.

In our next story, Amy McAllister’s dad dies 2 weeks after her mother dies. Amy visits his body in the funeral home and the funeral director assures her that the body he has prepared for her is indeed her father’s in a story that we call, “That’s Not My Dad!”

Amy McAllister comes from a strong and loving family and has lived  in Missoula for 45 years. Amy loves the variety of events offered in Missoula. She was a schoolteacher for 32 years.

Bringing us home in  this episode of the Tell Us Something podcast, Rachel Goo-en, on a trip to New York City with her family and some of their international friends, visits a fancy ballet at The Met after eating pizza.

Rachel calls her story “When Letting Go Stops the Show”.

Rachel Gooen hails from the gorgeous lush state of NJ in a county where there were more cows than people. This is perhaps why it took her so long to learn the art of being cultured. She’s lived in Missoula for 25 years and loves playing in the mountains and rivers of Montana with her partner Jeremy and their pups, along with all of her dear friends in Missoula. She socializes for a living, because she is a “social” worker. You can find Rachel on Instagram.