Submitted by the Lopez Library.

Persephone Rising, A Night of Ecological Storytelling will be held on Saturday, Nov. 19, 6-8 p.m., Fireside at the Lopez Library. This will be an evening of storytelling by Lopez Library Community Alchemist, Nikyta Palmisani, and revered Lopez Island Storyteller, Ed Sheridan. There will be a special guest appearance by longtime Lopez Library favorite, Rosie Sumner.

Sheridan has been gracing audiences of all ages with captivating storytelling for many years. As Ed grew up, he had a mother who loved to read folktales, and later as a parent, he continued the tradition and read and made up stories to share with his children. Ed began telling stories in elementary schools 25 years ago. It was a revelation when Ed started telling stories to adults here on Lopez Island. They were equally responsive, and in many cases, the stories were the same as the ones he told at the elementary schools. Ed realized there is a deep and ancient connection between people and stories, no matter how old they are. Stories teach us about life.

Palmisani’s storytelling is part of a larger body of work within the Boundary Project out of Oxford University, an arts-based consortium of artists and scientists working at the intersections of art, biodiversity and climate change. She has revisioned the ancient Persephone myth adding a modern and mycological perspective.

For the Boundary Project, Palmisani is joined by Lopez artist Juniper Blomberg, who has been drawing on her ancestral reservoirs to tell stories through textiles and embroidery. With Blomberg and many Lopezians’ help, Palmisani has hand-carded and felted local islands wool, and needle-felted story and image onto wearable art. She will be wearing these “storied garments” for her storytelling.

To RSVP for this event, please email nikyta@lopezlibrary.org.