On Saturday, March 11th at 2 PM, enjoy an afternoon of storytelling as DVAA welcomes Yarnslingers to the Salon. The program will celebrate Women’s History Month by presenting a selection of stories on the subject of “female.” Always enlivening and never dull, Yarnslingers was founded in 2012 by writer/musician Ramona Jan who believes that “Everyone has a story…or two” and encourages people from all walks of life to spin their
spellbinding tales.
2023 Salon Series: Yarnslingers
Yarnslingers (n.) people who tell fantastic stories.
Dedicated to the art and craft of story, Yarnslingers was founded in 2012 by writer/musician Ramona Jan. She believes that, “Everyone has a story…or two,” and encourages people from all walks of life to spin their spellbinding tales.
The writers of Yarnslingers have presented their stories in the villages in Upstate New York extending from Narrowsburg to Long Eddy. Venues which have hosted Yarnslingers include the Rock Valley Schoolhouse, the Tusten Theater, Bethel Woods, and the public libraries of Callicoon, Tusten, and Cochecton, as well as cafes and taverns in the Upper Delaware River area.
Although participants in Yarnslingers change periodically, the focus remains consistent
and steadfast—to create opportunities for experienced and novice memoirists to write
and present true, first–person stories that engage and inspire audiences and foster self–
expression while strengthening the empathic power of communities.
Yarnslingers celebrates Women’s History month by presenting a selection of stories on
the subject of “female.” The interpretation of the assignment, as always, was left to the
writers’ discretion.
About the Yarnslingers
Willow Baum lives in Callicoon and, aside from writing memoirs also writes creative non-fiction with themes of connection, freedom, and loss. As an end-of-life doula, educator, and founder of Friend for the End, she aims to bring more peace and purpose to those moving through, or planning for, an end-of-life transition.
Isabel Braverman is a journalist, writer, editor, dancer, teacher, choreographer, and cat enthusiast. She lives in Narrowsburg with her husband Tim, and, more importantly, their cat Iggy. She enjoys cooking but not cleaning.
Bill Fellenberg was born in post-war Yokohama to an American GI and a Japanese shop girl. He’s completing his memoir, Sayonara Cowboy, a coming-of-age story about a boy navigating his way as an outsider in Japan, then in America.
Bill’s poetry and prose have appeared in The Orchards Poetry Journal, Clementine Unbound, The Narrowsburg Gazette, and other publications. He and his wife
Donna live in the Pennsylvania woods under the spell of their cats, Bella and Carmine.
Penelope Ghartey has lived in Canada, Switzerland, France, Ghana, Toronto, Vancouver, Philadelphia, New York City, Callicoon, and now Damascus, PA. After many years teaching English and French at various colleges and universities,
she spends time writing, reading, and visiting with family. She is currently in the process of setting up a Memoir Workshop with Western Sullivan Public Library.
Ramona Jan has been the volunteer Director of Yarnslingers for over ten years. Formerly the Special Section Editor for The River Reporter’s Our Country Home,
Jan is currently the Tuesday columnist for the Sullivan County Democrat with Ramona’s Ramblings. She is the author of two books, Bon Jovi: Runaway Superstars and Meet the OOAKs.
MacKenzie Kell, founder and teacher of the monologue writing series If Truth be Told, has taught Creative Writing at the college level and in private schools. A storyteller at heart, she is currently writing a script for a television series. Her goal
is to take her self-discovery, life experience, and love for writing and share it with the greater community so that they, too, can explore their voices, their stories, and personal growth
Kiki Reginato is an NYC native who moved to the Catskills during the pandemic. When not telling stories, she is the Senior Director of e-commerce for Vox Media/New York Magazine, which in laymen’s terms, means that she works in
marketing. She is an obsessive home renovator and antiques-purchaser, as well as a fancy dress enthusiast. She can most frequently be found trying to convince her husband to watch a show about teens who solve a murder.
Rev. Glenn of Trees (aka Passiona du’Bois) is an Inter-Faith Minister whose “dessertation” was on Laughter as a Sacrament. Healing artist, visual alchemist, and former co-host for WJFF Radio’s Bodhi-Talk, the Rev is also a “creativity
consultant,” who offers encounters in Life Appreciation, Releasing your Inner Bozo, and The Photograph as Poetry. His calling as “Light Worker” for Mother Earth, allows him to stay in his current habitat as a hermit.
Greg Triggs is a creative director whose clients include Tableau, Slack & Disney. A regular contributor to The River Reporter and WJFF, his second novel, That Which Makes Us Stronger, was released by Redhawk Publications in 2022. He lives in Narrowsburg, NY, and is a member of the Tusten Town Board.
Pamela Zaitchick, a resident of Sullivan County for fifty-four years, has been a Respiratory Therapist, an RN at SUNY Sullivan, Miss Sunshine the Clown, and presently is in a program to become a Spiritual Guide. She and her husband, Arnie,
have just completed a six-week trip to Florida in a converted camper van.
About the Salon Series
This February, Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA) once again opens the doors of Krause Recital Hall for an enriching 2023 Salon Series. In the grand tradition of the “Salon,” DVAA invites the community to experience, learn, participate, and exchange ideas with artists, musicians, and storytellers. This 6-part series will take place on select weekends from February through April and is entirely FREE.
