The art of storytelling is fascinating to me. Who hasn’t gotten lost in a good book or been transported to another world in a movie?
I especially enjoy listening to others share their personal, real-life experiences. In fact, I just scored tickets to a Moth* StorySlam event and couldn’t be more excited! Not because I want to tell a story; but rather, I love hearing others bare their souls (if for only a few minutes).
For both the storyteller and the listener (or reader), the very act of sharing a personal story can be powerful, therapeutic, even mind blowing.
Storytelling is how we communicate our human-ness to others. Demystify the unknown and replace it with commonalities; give the listener—or reader—insight into a life they’ll never know. Make the world a little smaller, one story at a time.
Writing my monthly “On the Farm with Suzie” column in Mohawk Valley Living for 11 years has definitely been therapeutic for me. Whether I’ve shared stories about other farm women that have inspired me, the horror of a barn fire, or my baby girl going off to college, this monthly column has given me the opportunity to unload, decompress, and generally share my story—inviting the outside world onto my farm and into my living room.
Mohawk Valley Living has also given me an amazing audience, generous people that stop me at farmer’s markets and festivals, in line at the grocery store, even in traffic at a stop light to tell me how much they’ve enjoyed my stories. (Thank you!)
It is exactly because I so highly value the power of storytelling that I’ve decided to step down from writing for Mohawk Valley Living. It is time for other voices to tell the story of farming in the Mohawk Valley. There are so many other farmers with their own unique voices and important stories to tell in our area. And I am dying to hear them!
I learned recently that my eighth grade Language Arts teacher, Barb Gusick, passed away in my home state of Wisconsin this past December. She was one of my most favorite teachers of all time—funny, confident, opinionated. She challenged her students with a wide variety of reading and writing assignments and first set me on the path of storytelling.
But it was something she did outside the classroom that had its greatest effect. Unbeknownst to me, Mrs. Gusick had shared one of my essays with a student in a remedial class. Dan, a fellow classmate, was struggling in her class; reading just wasn’t his “thing”. She gave him an essay I had written on Where the Red Fern Grows, a book I adore to this day. An avid hunter and dog owner himself, Dan later told me that my essay had brought him to tears…and got him reading.
I’ve since learned it is impossible to predict when (or if) something I write will affect someone else; whether it will inspire them, cause them to think about a topic another way, or maybe appreciate our region a little bit more. All I know is it has been important to share my story and I am beyond fortunate to have had this opportunity. It has been an absolute pleasure writing for you—thank you for being here!
*If you’ve never heard of The Moth, you’re in for a treat. Google it, my friend, and listen!
**Folks missing Suzie can still find her at the Clinton Farmer’s Market every Thursday during the summer season. You can also sign up for their farm’s newsletter at anotherjonesfamilyfarm.com