the iliad

Part One: Zeus' Wild Daughter 

Friday, March 14th, 7:30-9 PM
The Cherry Artspace, 102 Cherry Street, Ithaca

Storytelling by Jay Leeming
Music by the Calliope Chorus

$10-20 suggested donation,
​no one turned away

The great epic of the ancient world re-imagined not simply as a war story but as a vast tapestry involving goddesses, Titans, a sea-dragon and--of course--the wayward daughter of the Lord of Lightning himself. ​

the mahabharata
​(online)

Twelve online sessions to be held Wednesdays from 5-6 PM EST and beginning January 15th

Join me for an in-depth experience of the Mahabharata epic involving storytelling, visualization and discussion. Recordings of these sessions will be available on a weekly basis to all participants.  

You can register for these sessions by becoming a member of my Patreon community (at any level) here.​

​TBD May 3rd, Cherry Artspace, Ithaca
​

P A S T   E V E N T S

the mahabharata

The great epic of India presented in three parts

January 25th, February 1st, and February 8th​
All performances from 7:30 - 9 PM, Saturdays
The Cherry Artspace, 102 Cherry Street, Ithaca

Storytelling by Jay Leeming
Music by the Calliope Chorus

"Everything in the Mahabharata is also found somewhere else. What is not found in the Mahabharata is nowhere." --Vyasa​

the epic
​of finn macool

Friday, 11/8, 7:00-8:30 (Part One)
Friday, 11/15, 7:00-8:30 (Part Two)
​
The Three Bears, 7175 North Main St., Ovid
Music by the Calliope Chorus

The stories of the Irish hero Finn MacCool invite us into a dazzling wilderness of wizards, goddesses, and fire-breathing monsters in which Finn and his band of warriors must defend Ireland not only with their swords but with the arts of poetry and magic. These stories awaken us to a universe where mythic action makes the land and even the briefest moment can be a doorway into worlds unknown.

the epic of gilgamesh (online event)

​Yorkshire Storytelling Festival (UK)
Wednesday, November 6th
​2:30-4:00 PM EST (online)
Free tickets are available here

What happens when all-powerful king Gilgamesh is challenged by a hair-covered beast-man sent by the gods to teach him wisdom? Environmental devastation, fighting in the streets and a journey to the underworld in search of eternal life all follow—of course! Come hearken to this 4,000-year-old myth that’s as fresh as today’s headlines, in which humans wrestle with natural disaster, magic and the gods through the rambunctious power of live storytelling.

ceridwen's Cauldron: stories from the welsh mabinogion

Saturday, October 12th, 7:30-9:00
​Cherry Artspace, 102 Cherry Street, Ithaca
$10-20 suggested donation

Note: there are no advanced ticket sales for this event as admission is donation-based.

​The Mabinogion is a forest of widening spells, a book of dream-songs, a spoken map to a territory comprising both the seen and the unseen. These stories bring alive a world in which humans exist in perpetual relationship to the Otherworld, and in which human and non-human forces must nourish each other if both are to flourish.

THE ODYSSEY
PRESENTED IN THREE PARTS

February 9th, 16th and 23rd, 2024
​The Three Bears, 7175 North Main St., Ovid, NY
Music by the Calliope Chorus
​
Come explore the fierce and beautiful sea-tale of the Odyssey, that 3,000-year-old epic filled with angry sea-gods, giant cannibals, and floating cities in which the homesick warrior Odysseus must be schooled by trouble and failure until at last he is wise enough to return home. 

Admission is free but registration is recommended at [email protected]

stories from
​"one thousand
and one nights"

Friday, April 19th, 7:30 - 9 PM
The Cherry Artspace, 102 Cherry Street, Ithaca

Storytelling by Jay Leeming
Music by the Calliope Chorus
​
Come enter the labyrinthine story-world of One Thousand and One Nights, in which the courageous woman Scheherazade confronts an evil king through the power of storytelling, bringing to life a world of magic fish, evil spirits and epic journeys which are themselves dazzling riffs on the issues of power, gender, and right action in the world.

THE HANDLESS MAIDEN

Friday, March 15th, 7:00-8:30
Saturday, March 16th, 7:00-8:30
Cherry Artspace, 102 Cherry Street, Ithaca
Music by the Calliope Chorus
$10-20 suggested donation

"Mythic reception" and exploration of the story to follow Saturday's performance

This violent yet beautiful story explores issues of powerlessness, trauma and renewal through images which speak to us all. Found in over one hundred versions worldwide, it mirrors much of the trouble of the world even as it affirms the healing capacities inherent in us and in nature. 
​

Please note that this story is most suitable for those over fifteen years of age.

STORYTELLING COMMUNITY

Join my Patreon community to receive podcast episodes directly to your inbox as well as free admission to online storytelling events and classes.