Get to Work: Telling Your Story
Saturday, March 21 | 10am–3pm
WORKSHOP

This daylong workshop, led by master storyteller Terry Wolfisch Cole, founder and producer of Tell Me Another events, introduces participants to the art of personal storytelling. Through lecture, writing exercises, and small-group feedback, participants learn how to choose, structure, and share their own stories of work. The day concludes with a practice performance where participants can present their stories to each other in a supportive environment.

So What Do You Do?: Work Stories Live
Friday, May 1 | Doors: 6pm | Show: 7pm
LIVE PERFORMANCE

Oftentimes when meeting someone new, one of the first questions asked is, "So what do you do?" Of course, the question really means "What do you do for work?" Terry Wolfisch Cole, Moth GRANDSlam champion and founder/producer of Tell Me Another storytelling events, curates an evening of live storytelling inspired by our mural:  tales of the work we do, the work we've done, and what our work reveals about us. Experienced storytellers and newbies drawn from our community will create a moving, funny and unique evening certain to make us reflect on the role of work in our lives.

Women of the American Revolution
Sunday, April 26 | 1–3pm
HISTORY TALK

Historian Hamish Lutris presents a fascinating illustrated talk on some of the women who played significant and often-hidden roles in the American Revolution.

Sponsored by Brooks-Green Woods Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.

History After Hours
Inundated: Connecticut's Great Flood of 1955
Friday, August 7 | 5-7 pm
FILM, TALK, and EXHIBIT

Learn about the devastating 1955 flood and its profound impact on workers, industries, and communities in the northwest corner of Connecticut. The program features a documentary film screening and talk by historian Hamish Lutris. Additionally, a month-long exhibit of photographs and artifacts on display from area historical societies and libraries invites audiences to consider how environmental events shape the nature of work and resilience.

History After Hours
The Guys: One-Act Play presented by Herstory Theater
Friday, September 11 | 5–7pm
LIVE PERFORMANCE

One of the first plays written immediately after September 11, playwright Anne Nelson’s one-act play is a sensitive examination of loss, connection, and the power of language.

In the wake of the September 11 attacks, New York City fire captain Nick has the monumental task of writing eulogies for eight of his men who were killed. Unable to adequately put his memories and sentiments into words, he enlists the help of Joan, a news editor and former journalist. Nick and Joan come from completely different worlds and, were it not for the attacks, never would have met. United through tragedy, Nick and Joan discover a shared humanity as they craft poignant remembrances of “the guys”.

Herstory Theater, founded by Virginia Wolf in Farmington, CT, focuses most often in telling the stories of little known women in history, but also takes on other projects with important (or fun) stories to tell.  Learn more at www.herstorytheater.com.

Who Were The Wobblies?: Hidden Labor History
Friday, September 18 | 5–7pm
FILM and TALK

This program highlights the story of the Industrial Workers of the World (the “Wobblies”) and their seismic role in labor history. The Wobblies solicited new union members among the most discriminated-against groups of the workforce: unskilled workers, non-whites, immigrants, women, and migrant workers who were barred from the American Federation of Labor, which tended to support white, male, skilled workers. The I.W.W. hoped to create "one big union" through which workers would own the means of production and distribution. Historian Hamish Lutris and author/activist Steve Thornton will lead the discussion following the screening of The Wobblies.

History After Hours
The Civilian Conservation Corps: Putting Depression-Era Men to Work
Friday, October 16 | 5–7pm
FILM and TALK

This daylong program explores the work of the national Civilian Conservation Corps, which operated twenty-one camps across Connecticut towns, state parks, and forests during the Great Depression. Historian Hamish Lutris and author Marty Podskoch will lead a lecture, film screening, and Q&A. This program highlights how government initiatives transformed both the landscape and the livelihoods of workers. The following morning Hamish will lead a family-friendly hike in People’s State Forest to view nearby examples of CCC workmanship firsthand (details forthcoming).

Part of American Mural Project's America250 programming, supported by CT Humanities and America250 | Connecticut Affiliate.