SOUTH DEERFIELD — If you have a story to pitch for Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture’s “Field Notes: An Evening of Storytelling” event, the nonprofit wants to hear from you.
Selected storytellers will share true stories based on personal experiences with local food or farming in western Massachusetts. Anyone with a story to tell about growing, cooking, selling or eating local food will be considered.
“Field Notes,” which will be held virtually this year, shines a light on the many ways local food and farming impacts lives, in big and small ways, across the region, according to CISA Communications Manager Claire Morenon. The event was originally organized by CISA as a way of humanizing farmers and food workers beyond their appearances at farmers markets.
Previous stories have included a farmer’s guide to catching would-be pumpkin thieves, and a single mother’s struggle with food insecurity before her life was changed by a farm share.
Two years ago, Danny Botkin of Laughing Dog Farm in Gill told the story of how he raised three orphaned baby goats in his home before introducing them to the farm. Right away, the goats who had learned to live in a house seemed to influence the behavior of the goats who had always been in the barn.
“The entire herd turned tame, and stayed that way,” Botkin recounted. “It was as if they collectively decided, ‘We want some of that.’ They taught us the importance of early imprinting and bonding with all of our critters.”
“Field Notes” has been held at the Academy of Music in Northampton in front of a live audience in previous years, but because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it will be held virtually.
“This year, for everyone’s health and safety, most activities will be held virtually,” Morenon said. “Storytellers will practice together through online workshops, and while they’ll still perform on stage in May, the audience will be just their peers and a film crew, masked and socially distanced.”
She said the recorded video will be shown to the public in June. All performers will have the opportunity to workshop their stories and learn performance techniques with a professional storyteller ahead of the show. There will be a $125 stipend for participating, and those who need to pay for child care to participate will receive an additional stipend.
CISA will work to provide interpretation for those who are most comfortable speaking Spanish. A verbal translation of the final performance will also be available for Spanish-speaking audience members.
Pitch your story for “Field Notes” in writing on CISA’s website at buylocalfood.org. You can also call 413-247-4153 and leave your name, contact information and a brief outline or idea of what your story would cover. Final selections will be made after March 19.
Or, contact CISA Communications Coordinator Jacob Nelson at jacob@buylocalfood.org with any questions or for help generating ideas.