PORT ANGELES — Margo McLoughlin will entertain and inspire listeners with an evening of varied stories as the featured teller at the free Story Swap at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
The gathering will be in the Carver Room of the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St.
McLoughlin will tell a selection of stories, including “The Virtuous Elephant-King” [a Buddhist teaching tale], plus “The Committee,” the story of the founding of a worldwide organization.
Two personal stories will round out the evening, “Theme Song” and “Melda,” the first about finding a theme song for one’s life, and the second about a remarkable woman who lived in the Comox Valley and whose dedication to the environment made a difference across the whole of the province.
Expect to hear some otherworldly music as part of the storytelling evening. McLoughlin will bring her hang, a metal drum that resembles a small UFO, according to organizers.
McLoughlin grew up on the west coast of Canada, studied theater and history at McGill University in Montreal, volunteered as a teacher in Nigeria and worked as a puppeteer at the Campbell River Museum on Vancouver Island.
She completed a master’s degree at the Divinity School at Harvard, where she studied Sanskrit and Pali. With her knowledge of these ancient languages of India, she translated Buddhist stories.
McLoughlin has collected more than 200 folktales from world cultures on the theme of generosity. She traveled to Mississippi to co-facilitate community retreats with social justice groups, drawing on the power of story to open conversations and build relationships.
Currently, McLoughlin is a board member of the British Columbia Association for Living Mindfully and leads retreats and classes with the Victoria Insight Meditation Society. She translates, adapts and performs stories from the Buddhist tradition, as well as historical tales from the BC Coast and world tales of giving and receiving.
McLoughlin also is currently building a repertoire of stories about individuals whose long-range vision and commitment to the environment have changed the world.
After a short refreshment break, there will be an open mic session for anyone to step up and share a short tale.
The nonprofit Story People of Clallam County is dedicated to bringing all forms of live storytelling to the North Olympic Peninsula. Information about public events and group membership is on the web at www.ClallamStory People.org.
The Story People of Clallam County hosts story swaps the third Tuesday of the month.
To find out more, visit their website or contact board President Erran Sharpe at 360-460-6594.
