· Catamount Arts
St. Johnsbury – 560 Railroad Community Artist and Vermont Studio Center alum Lori Lee will facilitate a story circle event titled Community Stories: Stories the Town Keeps, on Saturday, October 3rd, at the St. Johnsbury History and Heritage Center, on 421 Summer Street. The workshop is free of charge, though donations are gratefully accepted, and will begin at 10am.
In this interactive session, participants will explore how oral history preserves community. Community members are invited to join a story circle and to either read or tell something that features St. Johnsbury or their time in the community: for example, an old business, a local mystery, or people who used to live here. Each person will have 5-10 minutes (depending upon attendance) to read or tell a story. Listeners also welcome.
Community Stories: Stories the Town Keeps is free thanks to support from the Vermont Community Foundation, but space is limited, so advance registration is required. Register via the online portal at www.catamountarts.org or by calling 802-748-2600.
Lori Lee spent 25 years writing about Utah’s natural beauty and outdoor adventures before transitioning to personal narrative. She was the host and producer of the Love Your Story podcast, sharing candid interviews and conversations about living one’s best life despite myriad challenges. For eight years, the podcast featured stories about people dealing with anxiety, suicide, eating disorders, rape, abuse, and the loss of children and included interviews with athletes, Olympians, life coaches, therapists, and people who are changing the world.
Lee is a published poet, an award-winning essayist, and has an MS in Folkore with research focusing on the structure and function of personal narrative. She is the author of over 100 magazine articles and six books, including her latest, “L.I.F.E. – Living Intentional and Fearless Every Day.” Her self-help memoir, “The Messy Divine Business of Becoming,” will be published in 2028.
The 560 Railroad Community Artist program was developed by Catamount Arts in partnership with the Vermont Studio Center to bring a cohort of visiting artists to live and work in residency at 560 Railroad Street, in St. Johnsbury. The program brings visual, literary, and performing artists to St. Johnsbury for 4-6 weeks at a time to lead a variety of community engagement activities, including classes and workshops, discussions and artist talks, open studios, public art projects, performances, and more, in addition to growing their own creative practices. The 560 Railroad Community Artist program is supported in part by a grant from the Vermont Community Foundation’s Northeast Kingdom Fund.
Lori Lee’s Community Stories event is one of several community engagement events she will facilitate in St. Johnsbury during her 560 Railroad Community Artist Residency. Additional events will explore podcasting and family folklore. These events are supported in part by an Arts and Social Cohesion grant from the Vermont Community Foundation.
To learn more about Lori Lee’s residency in St. Johnsbury or about the 560 Railroad Community Artists program, including the full roster of visiting artists, visit www.catamountarts.org.