Geraldine Buckley

Life After The Slammer: A journey of inspiration, insight and oddity.

For just over five years Geraldine was involved in bringing creativity, hope and inspiration into Maryland prisons and jails, first as a volunteer and then, for almost two and a half years as a chaplain at the Maryland Correctional Training Center – Maryland’s largest men’s prison.

Since then she has been catapulted into the world of professional storytelling and speaking, traveling throughout the US and as far away as New Zealand bringing programs that cause people to laugh and think. She has performed everywhere from people's living rooms to being a featured performer at the National Festival in Jonesborough, TN - the jewel in the crown of the storytelling world.

Join Geraldine as she writes about her life after hanging up her chaplain's hat and taking to the storytelling road.

Wednesday

Jun232010

The Journey Begins!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at 11:39AM

Since leaving my position of Protestant Chaplain at the Maryland Correctional Training Center in January 2010 I have plunged into the deliciously different world of storytelling rekindling a passion that was too often put on the back burner during my prison years.

I discovered SpeakeasyDC – an award-winning Washington DC biographical storytelling club and made up for lost time by exploring their web site, watching dozens of their archived videos of past open mike participants then joining them onstage or in the audience as often as possible.

I told stories at February and May's true storytelling sessions as well as taking part in their productions for Washington DC’s Big Read and their first Fathers Day event on June 18th: Who’s Your Daddy? Stories about men, masculinity and fatherhood – a culmination of their inaugural advanced storytelling workshop.

At the May SpeakeasyDC open mike I met the very kind, very funny, highly talented, Kim Weitkamp - a professional, national storyteller who told the first story of the evening to great acclaim. This is what she wrote after hearing me tell a tale later that evening about being bored in paradise…

“I first heard Geraldine tell when I was in D.C. Halfway through I looked at all the other tellers and said, “Where the heck has she been hiding?!” They felt the same way.”

Kim told me I could have told that story on any national stage, graciously took me under her wing saying I was a hidden treasure (which of course made me swoon with delight!) and has opened doors for me in the storytelling world at large – for which I am extremely grateful – and still a little stunned.

God is so full of delicious surprises – and meeting Kim was one of them. It always amazes me what He has up His sleeve, besides the everlasting arm!

So now, on July 25^th, I am recording my first album of stories, Destination? Slammer! Tales of life and laughter and I have been booked for the Southern Ohio Storytelling Festival in Chillicothe, Ohio from September 10-11 2010 (www.southernohiostoryfest.com) – which I am looking forward to immensely.

I am telling stories anywhere and everywhere and I am meeting storytellers of all kinds – surely the most delightful people in the world!

In the days and weeks ahead I will be looking at the world of storytelling through fresh eyes – eyes of wonder and thankfulness – as well as sharing my thoughts on creativity and the quirkiness of life. I would love to have you join me on this journey of inspiration, insight and oddity.

Geraldine |