By Chris Woodard

Storytellers are cracking open their personal and human tales at “In a Nutshell,” a live storytelling series where performers share true stories in front of an audience.

Co-creator of “In a Nutshell,” Amy Bee — a memoirist and book editor — says the format allows her to explore her own story in a way the page never could. 

“You have your writer voice, you have your reading voice and then you have your storytelling voice,” she says. “And all three of them are different.”

For Bee, who has battled stage fright and often viewed herself as an outsider, telling stories aloud has become a new form of self-compassion and connection. The audience plays an active role too, and that connection is part of what makes the show resonate.

We spoke with Bee about how the series came to be, what makes Sacramento a natural fit for live storytelling and how vulnerability, laughter and community can coexist on stage.

How did you get started, and how did “In a Nutshell” begin?

I’ve always kind of secretly wanted to be a storyteller. I’ve had the thought several times that I’m a writer and I’m a book editor, and I mean, I like my writing, but I always kind of had this feeling, “What would it be like if I said these stories out loud?” I almost feel like they worked better out loud. I think some of the stuff that was actually kind of a weakness in my writing, I think ends up being a strength in storytelling. 

I never really thought of it as something I could do until recently, and that came about from meeting Keith [Lowell Jensen]. I knew Keith because he’s my husband’s friend. My husband had emergency back surgery, and Keith was very, very kind to me, and he was the only person who reached out to me. Right then, I knew that he was somebody that I wanted to make my forever friend, and it kind of started from there. We started getting coffee with each other and writing stuff together. Stories seem to be a place where we overlapped, and that’s kind of how Nutshell came together.

In your view, what’s the difference between telling a story on the page and telling it live?

I’m just starting out, but I feel like there could be a place where you could get experimental, and you can be reflective in your oral storytelling. With oral storytelling, you get to be the narrator of your own perspective, and the difference is that you’re supposed to be slanted. I feel like that’s really freeing.

So, if I were writing about being 8 years old, I would be writing from the 8-year-old perspective, and there’s a lot more room for that in oral storytelling. I think that maybe it has to do with a lot of transitional words and ways that you write on paper. There’s a lot more transitional stuff that you don’t do when you’re talking to someone out loud. You have to be a little more immediate and take out those kinds of clues you’re giving to a reader. The person listening doesn’t need the same clues. They have a different set of clues needed.

What makes live storytelling feel electric and memorable? What do you hope people take away?

Connection. People think of listening as passive, but it’s not passive; it’s active. There’s this back-and-forth happening, and you can feel it. When people come out of it, at least when I come out of it, I feel really relieved and happy. I feel a reaffirmation of my humanity. They feel this sense of — even if the stories are sad or they touch on dark things — a feeling of OK-ness and camaraderie; “we’re all in this together” kind of thing. I think they also feel invigorated and excited and ready to tackle the next day, which I think is kind of cool, too.

Why is Sacramento the right place for a live storytelling series?

One of the things I love about Sacramento is that there’s a real underdog vibe here. There are a lot of cool things that come from Sacramento: great bands; great rap artists; movies and art. It can be true with storytelling too. It’s about cultivating and growing what is already brewing here.

What’s next for “In a Nutshell”?

We’re always throwing ideas around, like how we’re doing Wild Card nights now, which feature seasoned and rookie storytellers. We hope to do some kind of regional touring and eventually a storytelling festival; ideally, a campfire festival, where people literally sit around a campfire and tell stories. We also want to do events like setting up a microphone downtown and see what would happen. 

Mainly, we’re gonna keep it going and introduce as many people as we can to storytelling.

The next “In a Nutshell” event will be at The Sofia, Home of B Street Theatre, on Monday, June 30. Tickets can be purchased here. 

Editor’s note: Solving Sacramento is co-presenting the “In A Nutshell” series. 

This story was funded by the City of Sacramento’s Arts and Creative Economy Journalism Grant to Solving Sacramento. Following our journalism code of ethics and protocols, the city had no editorial influence over this story and no city official reviewed this story before it was published. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, Capital Public Radio, Hmong Daily News, Outword, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review and Sacramento Observer. Sign up for our “Sac Art Pulse” newsletter here.