Confabulation (Confabulation)

Season 4 of the Confabulation podcast is back with a fresh batch of stories, interviews with storytellers, and just enough chatter to keep it all rolling.

The first episode features two storytellers from our Signs and Symbols show at the Centaur Theatre, Montreal in May 2022.

Julia Haney  is an artist, designer and movement enthusiast currently based in Montreal. She tries to see the humour in life's more turbulent moments, because as Stephen Hawking noted, "life would be tragic if it weren't funny."
Leigh Kinch-Pedrosa is a long time confabulator, lover of books, and baseball-obsessed Montrealer.

Visit our YouTube channel for more stories @confabulationstories
Stay in the loop with all of our upcoming live shows by subscribing to our newsletter www.confabulation.ca   And if you see a theme that inspires a story, pitch it here!

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal and the Canada Council for the Arts for their continued support.

Produced and hosted : Matt Goldberg and Deb Vanslet
Post production: Deb Vanslet

Theme song: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water.
Additional music : Epidemic Sound

Season 4, Episode 2 features Maryam Ganni telling a story at the Centaur Theatre in Montreal,  in March 2022. It was our first live show in two years, and what a thrill it was to be back in front of a live audience. Maryam's story is a study in courage, humility and humour. Stay tuned for the conversation afterwards between Maryam and Deb about what it means to be a storyteller.

Maryam Ganni is a motivational speaker and disability advocate. Her background as a professional makeup artist inspires her with not only her storytelling, but also her life in general, in which she enjoys drawing outside the lines.
For more about Maryam : www.facebook.com/seewithmaryam

Visit our YouTube channel for more stories @confabulationstories
Stay in the loop with all of our upcoming live shows by subscribing to our newsletter www.confabulation.ca   And if you see a theme that inspires a story, pitch it here!

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal and the Canada Council for the Arts for their continued support.

Produced and hosted : Matt Goldberg and Deb Vanslet
Post production: Deb Vanslet

Theme song: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water.
Additional music : Epidemic Sound

This episode, Déjà Vu, explores just how personal that feeling of familiarity really is through two stories from our live show.

These two fantastic storytellers, Taylor Tower and Nathan Elliott, graced the Confabulation stage at the Mainline Theatre in April 2022.

Taylor Tower is  a storyteller and communications professional based in Montreal. Her work has appeared on Public Radio Remix and CBC's WireTap with Jonathan Goldstein.

Nathan Elliott writes fiction and nonfiction, teaches literature in colleges and universities, and provides a bit of commercial editing. He grew up in the United States, and he has spent time in Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Georgia, and Newfoundland; today he lives in Montréal with his spouse and child.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more stories told live on various stages around town  @confabulationstories

Stay in the loop with all of our upcoming live shows by subscribing to our newsletter www.confabulation.ca   And if you see a theme that inspires a story, pitch it here!

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montréal and the Canada Council for the Arts for their continued support.

Produced and hosted : Matt Goldberg and Deb Vanslet
Post production: Deb Vanslet

Theme song: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water.
Additional music : Epidemic Sound

It's all in how you look at it, where you're standing, or just who you are. In this episode, we'll hear a story by Michele Luchs, and then talk to her about perspective and what it means to get at a truth -- not the whole truth, just one of so many.

Michele Luchs is a storyteller, media-literacy specialist, teacher trainer and curriculum writer. She is a producer at Confabulation, where she also teaches StoryLab, Confabulation’s storytelling workshop.

And here's another perspective: watch Michele tell the story at our March 2023 show at the Phi Centre here

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more stories  @confabulationstories

Stay in the loop with all of our upcoming live shows by subscribing to our newsletter www.confabulation.ca   And if you see a theme that inspires a story, pitch it here!

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montréal and the Canada Council for the Arts for their continued support.

Produced and hosted : Matt Goldberg and Deb Vanslet
Post production: Deb Vanslet

Theme song: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water.
Additional music : Epidemic Sound

This episode features a story by, and an interview with, Gracia Dyer Jalea about channelling the stories of our ancestors. 

Gracia is an award-winning change leader, founder, and mother of twins. Her work as an artist and researcher focuses on transnational learning and storytelling as a means for community building, connection, and personal and social transformation. Gracia has a podcast called Meet Me in the Square, which you can find on various platforms.

Gracia told this story live on the Centaur stage in May 2022.
You can watch it here

And while you're doing that, please subscribe to our YouTube channel for more stories  @confabulationstories

Stay in the loop with all of our upcoming live shows by subscribing to our newsletter www.confabulation.ca   And if you see a theme that inspires a story, pitch it here!

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montréal and the Canada Council for the Arts for their continued support.

Produced and hosted : Matt Goldberg and Deb Vanslet
Post production: Deb Vanslet

Theme song: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water.
Additional music : Epidemic Sound

This episode features a story by, and an interview with, Keith Serry. The story is from our Summer Love event — and Keith uses this theme to reflect not on romantic love, but that temporary, fleeting feeling of a youthful moment.

Keith Serry is a father, husband, performer, teacher, producer, host, journalist, and, when called upon, lawyer based in Montreal.

Since 2020, Keith has produced and hosted The Volume Knob (www.volumeknob.net), a podcast where some of North America's most talented storytellers share stories about the way music makes us feel.

Keith told this story live on the Centaur stage in September 2022.
You can watch it here

And while you're doing that, please subscribe to our YouTube channel for more stories  @confabulationstories

Stay in the loop with all of our upcoming live shows by subscribing to our newsletter www.confabulation.ca   And if you see a theme that inspires a story, pitch it here!

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montréal and the Canada Council for the Arts for their continued support.

Produced and hosted : Matt Goldberg and Deb Vanslet
Post production: Deb Vanslet 

This episode  features Juliana Léveillé-Trudel, host and producer of Enfabulation, a French-language storytelling show in Montreal. Juliana also produces the Enfabulation podcast. Her featured story was told live on the Mainline Theatre stage in 2017.

From June 22, 2023 to February 16, 2024, six Enfabulation shows will be part of the CAM on Tour program, a program that has been spreading the arts across the island of Montreal for 40 years.

For a schedule of Enfabulation's summer tour, check out www.enfabulation.ca or go to their FB page.
Check out their podcast, wherever you do your listening.

For more stories, please subscribe to our YouTube channel @confabulationstories

Stay in the loop with all of our upcoming live shows by subscribing to our newsletter www.confabulation.ca   And if you see a theme that inspires a story, pitch it here!

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montréal and the Canada Council for the Arts for their continued support.

Produced and hosted : Matt Goldberg and Deb Vanslet
Post production: Deb Vanslet 

This episode features a story by Lea Beddia from our Good Date/Bad Date show in March 2022 at the Centaur Theatre in Montreal. Stay tuned after the story for an interview with Lea about, among other things, the intersection of her writing life and her storytelling life.

Lea is a high school teacher and the author of two young adult novels. She is a compulsive reader and coffee drinker, and loves stories of family and childhood. You can follow her on social media and check out  her website at www.leabeddia.com

For more stories, please subscribe to our YouTube channel @confabulationstories

Stay in the loop with all of our upcoming live shows by subscribing to our newsletter www.confabulation.ca   New themes for a new season will be announced this summer!

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montréal and the Canada Council for the Arts for their continued support.

Produced and hosted : Matt Goldberg and Deb Vanslet
Post production: Deb Vanslet 

Stories: quick as we can tell them!
Our annual Shortest Story extravaganza took place at the Centaur Theatre on January 13, 2023
Follow along, guess the storyteller! Here's the show order for part 1: 

1. Matt Goldberg 
2. Claire Sherwood 
3. Zahraa Chorghay 
4. Vadim Gran
5. Erica Schmidt
6. Deb VanSlet 
7. Alexia Cote 
8. Myke Wilder 
9. Johanne Cadorette 
10. Lukas Rowland
11. Johanne Pelletier 
12. Naika Joseph
13. Emma Lanza  

If you want to watch the show, you can do that right here

And while you're on our page, please subscribe to our YouTube channel for more stories  @confabulationstories

Stay in the loop with all of our upcoming live shows by subscribing to our newsletter www.confabulation.ca   We'll be announcing next season's themes later this summer.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montréal and the Canada Council for the Arts for their continued support.

Produced and hosted : Matt Goldberg and Deb Vanslet
Post production: Deb Vanslet 

Stories: quick as we can tell them!  More!
Our annual Shortest Story extravaganza took place at the Centaur Theatre on January 13, 2023
The storytellers in Part 2 are:

1. Mike Pellegrin
2. Michele Luchs 
3. Julia Haney 
4. Ariel Shirker 
5. Yigal Judah 
6. Nisha Coleman 
7. Francesca Esguerra 
8. Myriam Ennajimi 
9. Sherwin Tija 
10. Jimmy Chow
11. Amanda Perry 

If you want to watch the show, you can do that right here

And while you're on our page, please subscribe to our YouTube channel for more stories  @confabulationstories

Stay in the loop with all of our upcoming live shows by subscribing to our newsletter www.confabulation.ca   We'll be announcing next season's themes later this summer.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montréal and the Canada Council for the Arts for their continued support.

Produced and hosted : Matt Goldberg and Deb Vanslet
Post production: Deb Vanslet 

Hey Confab fans!  We're back -- with a new season of stories, true as we can tell them.

 This week, we have stories from our new co-hosts: Confabulation founder, Matt Goldberg and Montreal producer, Deb VanSlet!  The stories explore the theme of Perspectives.

Matt's story is from our October 2018 show, Awakenings; recorded at the Phi Centre, Montreal, QC.
 
Matt Goldberg is a Montreal-based comedian, writer, actor and storyteller, as well as a founder and featured performer with Uncalled For -- an award-winning Canadian sketch and improv comedy troupe, based in Montreal and Toronto.

He is also the founder and executive director of Confabulation -- a non-profit, dedicated to the art of true life storytelling, and has been the host of the Montreal Confabulation since its founding in 2010.

Matt hosts the Confabulation podcast, and has performed at Fringe Festivals and storytelling shows across Canada, as well as at special events with Centre Phi, CBC Books and Just for Laughs. He currently teaches English literature and storytelling at Vanier College, in Montreal.

Deb's story is from our January 2019 show, Rites of Passage; recorded at the Centaur Theatre, Montreal, QC.

Deb VanSlet is a Montreal videographer, storyteller and writer. 

She launched her media art career in the late 1980s with Sick World, a performance art video series. Her films How to Spot an Anorexic, Weather Permitting, Link, Twitch and Rules of the Road explore storytelling, performance and dance and have screened at festivals, and on airplanes, around the world.
 
For sixteen years, Deb produced and hosted Dykes on Mykes, a radio show at CKUT 90,3 FM. 

She was the 2015 winner of the 3Macs Carte Blanche prize for her story Self-Serve. Deb is a storyteller and producer at Confabulation.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

Confabulation is back with a new slate of stories, true as we can tell them!

In this mini-episode, we're teasing out our upcoming show in Montreal -- Confabulation: Hair. It's more than just fashion. Hair connects us to everything: cultural identity, generation, politics and so much more. We saw this theme in full effect in January 2019, with Manoosh Valipour's story from Confabulation: Rites of Passage at the Centaur Theatre.

Manoosh is a process engineer, quality management specialist and a problem-solver. Originally from Tehran, Iran, she now lives and works in Montreal at a United Nations organization. This was her first time sharing a story at Confabulation.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation. Thanks as well to Centre Phi for hosting us, and The Montreal Intercultural Storytelling Festival for welcoming us into their line-up!

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

Hey Confab fans!  

This week, we have stories from Confabulation regular Taylor Tower and first time storyteller, Christina Mignacca. Both stories explore the complex relationship between rules and identity.

Taylor's story is from our April 2019 show, Encore; recorded at the Mainline theatre, Montreal, QC.

Taylor Tower is a writer, radio producer, performer and teacher based in Montreal.

She grew up in Portland, Oregon and studied creative writing at Portland State University before moving to Montreal in 2006, where she co-produced and co-hosted Confabulation. She has performed in numerous storytelling events including Literary Death Match (Montreal), The Moth GrandSLAM (St. Paul), and The Moth MainStage (Denver). 

Her writing has been featured on CBC Radio One's WireTap with Jonathan Goldstein, nerve.com, Maisonneuve magazine, and Public Radio Remix, among others.

Christina's story is from February 2019, First Comes Love; recorded at the Phi Centre, Montreal, QC.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

Catch our upcoming live shows:
Montreal -- Confabulation: Bodies
Saturday, November 16, 2019
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Phi Centre – 407 Rue Saint-Pierre

Victoria -- Confabulation: Be Prepared
Thursday, November 21, 2019
7:30 pm - 9:45 pm
Victoria Event Centre (VEC) – 1415 Broad Street

Montreal -- Confabulation: Inheritance
Saturday, December 7, 2019
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Phi Centre – 407 Rue Saint-Pierre

This week, we're exploring two stories on one of our favourite recurring themes: Family.

We've got stories from Johanne Pelletier and Ellie Skye -- both from past December Confabulation events.

This is Ellie's first and only story with Confabulation -- we wish her all the best!

Johanne Pelletier works in communications at Concordia University in Montreal. Her work is in developing ways of promoting university research to the public and managing communications planning and training for communicators.  

She is also a coach with a focus on storytelling, working with faculty and startups. Beyond her formal work role Johanne is a writer, storyteller, amateur boxing judge (@pinkinthering) and a decoder of the Anne Lister diaries (@annelisterdiaries). She has performed her stories for Confabulation in Montreal & Toronto, The Wiggle Room and Violet Hour shows in Montreal.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

Catch our upcoming live shows:
Victoria -- Confabulation: Be Prepared
Thursday, November 21, 2019
7:30 pm - 9:45 pm
Victoria Event Centre (VEC) – 1415 Broad Street

Montreal -- Confabulation: Inheritance
Saturday, December 7, 2019
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Phi Centre – 407 Rue Saint-Pierre

This week, we're exploring three stories from our April 2019 show Acquired Taste.

We've got stories from Trevor Kjorlien, Carole Tenbrink and Nathan Elliot.

Carole Tenbrink is a Spoken Word poet and storyteller. She has performed around Montreal, Quebec and eastern Ontario for 14 years.  Carole likes to liven things up, bring verve and spirit to the audience.

Trevor Kjorlien is a freelance web designer by day, and the organizer of Plateau Astro by night. They run astronomy workshops and events in Montreal — you can learn all about them at plateauastro.com.

Nathan Elliot grew up in Idaho, was educated in Chicago worked as a professor in Georgia and Newfoundland, and now writes and lives in Montréal. He has published peer-reviewed research on the intersections of nineteenth-century British Literature and nineteenth-century science; he has published fiction and creative nonfiction in a variety of venues. He is the recipient of the 2016 NL Arts Council’s Lawrence Jackson Writers’ Award and serves as a creative nonfiction editor for The Citron Review. Currently, he is at work on a play about contingent contract faculty entitled Disposable.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

This week, we're exploring two more stories from our April 2019 show Acquired Taste, plus we're talking about the flow of a show with Confabulation producer, Michele Luchs.

Featuring stories from MP Breton and Nisha Coleman.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

Happy New Year, everybody! This week on the show, we're presenting a selection of stories from Confabulation: The Shortest Story 9 -- recorded at Mainline Theatre in March 2019!

Featuring stories from:
Matt Goldberg
Claire Sherwood
Amy Blackmore
Joyce Peralta
Benny Augello
Tessa Brown
Devon Perlmutter
BA Markus
Emma Lanza
Christian Zaelzer
Francesca Esguerra
and
John Cotrocois

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

This week, Confabulation podcast explores the theme of Trust, featuring two stories from the archives, going way back to June 2017 and April 2018, with Jeff Gandell and Jane O'Faherty.

Jane O'Faherty is an Irish-born, Montreal-based twentysomething writer. By day, she works as a communications officer at a non-profit; by night, she reads, writes and cooks voraciously. Jane's story was recorded at the April 2018 Playing Politics show at Montreal's Phi Centre. 

Jeff Gandell is a Montreal writer, singer, and teacher. He teaches true-life storytelling at Montreal Improv and literature and writing at Dawson College. He’s currently co-writing his first musical, Blind Love: A Honky Tonk Opera, premiering at the Montreal Fringe Festival in June 2020. Jeff's story was recorded at the Mainline Theatre, Montreal, in June 2017. The theme was On the Edge.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

Confabulation co-producer Francesca Esguerra joins us for this episode, where we don't exactly explore the theme of Frantic.... we just are.

Featuring stories by Francesca Esguerra and Paul Van Dyck.

Paul Van Dyck is a graduate of Queen’s University’s Specialized Studies in Stage and Screen Program, he is a writer, director, performer, producer, and sound designer based in Montreal, Toronto, and Los Angeles.  In 2001, Paul founded Rabbit in a Hat Productions in Montreal with a mandate to produce new Canadian Independent Theatre. His work has since been produced throughout Canada and around the world. Paul's story was recorded at the June 2019 Summertime show at the Mainline theatre. 

Francesca Esguerra has been writing and creating ever since she became the self-elected editor of Canadian Girl Magazine at age 8. She is a graduate of Concordia’s Literature program. Currently a co-producer for Confabulation, Francesca has performed at the Centaur Theatre, The Wiggle Room, Yarn and Ottawa’s Arts Court. Francesca's story is from January 2018 Eye of the Storm show recorded at the Centaur Theatre.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

We are gearing up for our Shortest Story X on February 29th, so to get you in the mood, here are twelve 2-minute stories from the Shortest Story 9 -- recorded at Mainline Theatre in March 2019.

Featuring stories from:
Smriti Bansal
Josh Budman
Zahraa Chorghay
Nisha Coleman
Audrey Charneaux
Johanne Pelletier
Vadim Gran
Michele Luchs
Mike Pellegrin
Eleanor Denis
Eli Varvaro
and
Ariel Shirker

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

This week's episode features two storytellers from our May 2018 collaboration with Broad Science: Maya Hey and Alex Allard.

Broad Science is an initiative dedicated to making science inclusive, engaging, and intersectional, through podcasting  — check out their work at www.broadscience.org.

Maya Hey is a Vanier scholar and doctoral candidate at Concordia University. She uses feminist theories to study fermentation.

Alex Allard is a member of the Indigenous Health Professions Program at McGill University. 

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

This week's story is about Belonging -- which is a feeling a few of us might need right about now.

Featuring a story by Emma Lanza from our October 2017 live show.


Emma Lanza is a born and bred Montrealer with a background in theatre performance and arts management. She has her Master’s degree in Library Science and currently works in the Psychology Department at Concordia University. She has performed at Confabulation, YARN, and Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids. She once saw Stephen Sondheim on 42nd Street in New York City and cried for half an hour straight.


Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

We are very happy to launch another podcast! This week's episode features two very different kinds of stories about Bodies.

Born and raised in Nairobi, Sehar Manji is a Montreal-based actor, writer, improvisor and instructor at Montreal Improv.
Her hairy story is from our live show (remember those) in October 2019 at the PHI centre.

Gina Granter is a comedian, storyteller and English teacher in Montreal. Her story is from way back on January 2016, the show was recorded at the Mainline Theatre and the theme was The Body.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

This week we're doing something a little different with our podcast. We've paired a live event recording with a tale from our Stories in Isolation series.

This episode on Loss features Mike Pellegrin x 2:  an epic story recorded live at the Phi Centre in December 2019, and another story, recorded in isolation, at home in front of his computer.

Mike Pellegrin is a Montreal storyteller, teacher and craftsman.

You can watch the video of Mike's Story in Isolation on our Facebook or Instagram pages -- as well as catch up on our whole #storiesinisolation series. You can send us your own 2-4 minute Story in Isolation to storiesinisolation@confabulation.ca.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.
Podcast production: Deb VanSlet and Stephen Trepanier

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

This week's podcast features a beautiful story by Emira Tufo about loss, escape and rebirth. The story was told before a live audience at our Families show in December 2017. Plus a bonus track! We catch up with Emira at home (where else) and talk about pandemical thinking and being--what to wear to the hardware store and recommended reading for these strange days.

Emira Tufo is a Bosnian Canadian lawyer and writer. Her essays have been featured in The Globe and Mail, the Montreal Gazette and on CBC. She is the recipient of the 2019 CBC/Quebec Writers' Federation Writer in Residence Award and is the co-author of Montreal Murmurs, a blog that chronicles the curious, the funny and furious aspects of life in Canada's most mischievous city.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet 

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

This week's podcast features a story by Smriti Bansal, recorded at our season opening show in September 2019 at the Centaur theatre. Bonus track: Matt checks in by phone with Smriti, who talks, among other things, about the silver lining of dating in the time of Covid.

Smriti Bansal is a full time communications maven, and a part time Confabulation producer. She spends her days (and some nights) creating content that empowers companies to reach the people they need to achieve their wildest dreams.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet 

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

Brief language advisory -- this week's story contains a couple of words that may not be appropriate for all audience. They're well-earned words, but still present.

This week's podcast features a story by Leigh Kinch-Pedrosa on the complexity of making medical decisions. The story was recorded November 2019 at the Phi Centre. The evening of storytelling was a collaboration with Broad Science, an initiative dedicated to making science inclusive, engaging, and intersectional, through podcasting. Learn more about them at https://www.broadscience.org.

After the storytelling, Deb talks to Leigh about how she and her family are coping in Covid times.

Leigh Kinch-Pedrosa is the marketing and communications manager for the Rebus Foundation and the former general manger of Confabulation Montreal. As a story producer and storyteller, Leigh finds creative ways to mesh the worlds of food and restaurants with contemporary autobiographical storytelling. She is the creator of Food Core/Essence Culinaire and a story producer for SOUNDBITES, both Phi Centre productions.

*During the interview Leigh referenced a story about a Haitian asylum seeker working in a long term care facility who passed away from Covid. His name is Sony Innocent. This is the news story referenced. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-low-income-inequality-covid-19-1.5570296

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet 

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

This week's podcast features a story by Kadi Diop on making a connection by disconnecting. Her story was recorded February 2020 at the Phi Centre as part of Black History Month.

Kadi Diop is the francophone education director of Montreal Improv and an improviser, community organizer, storyteller, sexology student and devoted auntie. She loves sharing her many opinions with a flair of intersectional hullabaloo. She's performed at the Ottawa Improv Festival, Black and Funny, OFF-JFL and other North American festivals and loves plain chips.

After the story stay tuned as Matt checks in with Kadi about among other things, getting comfortable with uncomfortable situations.

In the interview, Kadi mentioned an online event she moderated -- a conversation with Dr. Myrna Lashley. The event, Systemic Racism and Allyship: Moving Forward Together, was a free event, hosted by the Westhaven Community Centre. Kadi also recommends Racism Explained to My Daughter, by Tahar Ben Jelloun, as a resource for your own essential, uncomfortable conversations.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

In the wake of crisis, chaos and care, pandemic and protest: who are we ?
This week's podcast features Sara Meleika telling a story about one of the turning points in her life.
This story was recorded April 2019 at the Mainline Theatre in Montreal.

*Note: Sara mentions a Charlene Nelson at McGill University, her name is actually Charmaine Nelson.

Sara Meleika is an Egyptian improviser, storyteller, and high-school teacher. She produces and performs in Colour Outside the Lines – a show created out of a desire to see greater representation appear on Montreal’s improv stages. She is the (Anglophone) Inclusion Coordinator at Montreal Improv, co-produced Ladyfest Montreal 2017 & 2018, and co-artistic directed MPROV 2019. She has performed in MPROV, Montreal Sketchfest, Ladyfest Montreal, the Ottawa Improv Festival, Toronto’s Combustion Festival, the Big City Improv Festival and OFF-JFL/Zoofest.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

This week Confabulation podcast producer and Technical Director Stephen Trepanier co-hosts the show with Deb, AND tells a story- from way back in January 2013, when he was still a kid, jumping out of runaway shopping carts!

Stephen Trepanier is an audio engineer, podcaster, comedian, visual effects editor, and electroacoustic music composer from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and has lived in Montreal, Quebec for the last ten years. Since 2012 Stephen has been involved in the production of live theatre & dance in the city. Stephen's work as an audio engineer has been featured on television, and radio, in formats ranging from documentaries to comedy.

Stephen is registered with the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

Confabulation Montreal and Victoria are reunited (and it feels so good).
This week's podcast is co-hosted by Matt and Cassandra Tognari, a producer and storyteller from Confabulation Victoria. This episode features Cassandra's story about the timeline of a friendship, and was told in February 2020, in Victoria, B.C.

Cassandra is the co-producer, co-host, and story coach for Victoria BC's monthly Confabulation series. She has been living in Victoria for five years where she works in government communications and sits on the Board of Directors for Intrepid Theatre. 

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

It's almost September, and la rentrée this year is a complicated one. We're all adapting, or trying to. In this episode, Elizabeth Varvaro shares a story about responding and adapting to a super complex situation. It's from our October 2018 show recorded at the Phi Centre.

Elizabeth Varvaro is a writer, tarot reader, and perpetual grouch. Her first ever collection of short horror stories called EVERYONE IS DEAD is free to read at horrificwriting.wordpress.com. She sometimes tells stories at Confabulation!

This is the last show of Season 3! We'll be back in a month with lots more stories to share.

Thanks to the Conseil des Arts de Montreal for their support of Confabulation.

Podcast production: Stephen Trepanier and Deb VanSlet

Music credit: Can't Have You by Bent by Elephants from their album This is Water. You can find more of their music at https://bentbyelephantsband.bandcamp.com/

This week, we have a story from Telia Nevile, a writer, performer, photographer and poet. She told this story during our special event at the 2017 Montreal Fringe Festival. Our theme that night was On the Edge — stories of the outer limits, and beyond.
You can follow Telia on twitter here for more on her upcoming work.
We also speak to Montreal author Guillaume Morissette — definitely also follow him on twitter. His two books are The Original Face and New Tab.
We also also speak to Confabulation co-producer, Nisha Coleman. Her first book is Busker: Stories from the Streets of Paris. On Twitter, she’s @nishacoleman.
We also talk to lots of people — including Matt’s Dad, who has neither twitter nor a website, but may have an Instagram, Matt just doesn’t want to know.

This week, we have a story from Rita Chand. She told this story in Victoria in February, 2017. Our theme that night was Good Date/Bad Date — stories of hooking up, making matches …and um failing to do so
We also speak to New York-based journalist and author Emily Witt. She’s the author of Future Sex and Nollywood. She tweets as embot.
We also also spoke to Montreal filmmaker Adam Reider, who’s upcoming horror project is Woodland Grey. You can also find him, and presumably be set-up by him, on Facebook.