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JULY 4-10, 2021 WHAT'S UP! 3 Stories Unite Us 'Homegrown Tales' returns to Eureka Springs BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette I f you know Zeek Taylor as an artist, you've already experienced him as a storyteller. Often — almost always — his paintings have a quirky little narrative: "Even though her friends warned her not to date clowns, aerialist Earlina Pitts could not resist the charisma of Duncan Barnhart" says the tiny tale associated with a painting of a chimp in a bright costume, swinging on an old-fashioned rope-and-board swing with a smaller chimp in her arms, all surrounded by circus-themed details. "I think I've always been a storyteller at heart, but never one brave enough to tell a tale in a public setting," Taylor admits. "That changed after I was asked to be a special guest on the 'Tin Roof Series' of the 'Tales From the South' radio show. Besides an interview conducted by the emcee and a Q&A segment from a live audience, I was asked to read a true short story on air. It went well. The story was heard by 130 million listeners around the world! "Previous to that experience, I had been writing true short stories and sharing them on Facebook. While that was fulfilling, I found there was something rewarding about reading stories aloud to an audience, and hearing their applause. It felt like the stories were brought to life." Along the way, Taylor met Sandra Spotts, also a "Tales From the South" veteran, and together they mourned the loss of the National Public Radio show and brainstormed a smaller local replacement. "We both missed the opportunity to share true stories written by Southerners who lived them," Taylor says. "We wanted to keep the tradition of verbal storytelling alive, and we thought Eureka Springs would be the perfect place to continue that art. Brews, a popular local coffee shop and beer bar, provided us with the perfect setting to perform in front of a live audience." "Homegrown Tales" was born in September 2019, and Spotts and Taylor produced seven monthly shows before the pandemic closed down almost all live entertainment. They squeezed in the March 2020 show, then "put everything on hold." "John Rankine, co-owner of Brews, called me and asked if we were ready and willing to resume the show," Taylor explains of the upcoming production. "Most pandemic imposed restrictions had been lifted, and many folks had been vaccinated. We both thought it was safe to start again. 'Homegrown Tales' will be the first live performance event held at Brews post-pandemic shutdown!" Spotts wrote in high school and minored in English in college but didn't come to storytelling until she was about 60. She says the stories a community tells itself "matter so much." "We are at risk of losing our collective and personal histories if we do not take the time to listen and to tell," says Spotts, who is now a full- time artist living in Eureka Springs. "The more layers of history we collect, the more texture our lives have and the more understanding we gain. We can look at data for a community's information, but the humor, the poignancy, the individual experiences are what make the human experience worthwhile. That reflects back the uniqueness of when and where we live. The stories add color fields between the black and white lines." Joining Taylor and Spotts for the return to Brews will be Al Larson, who says he will read his "very short story, 'Bareback Riding,' … the story of his employment as an actor in the Great Passion Play nearly 50 years ago," and Eureka Springs' favorite daughter, Crescent Dragonwagon. FAQ 'Homegrown Tales' WHEN — 6 p.m. July 7 WHERE — Brews, 2 Pine St. in Eureka Springs COST — Free INFO — Email Zeek Taylor at zeek.taylor@ cox.net BONUS — Guest musi- cian for the July show will be singer/song- writer Kurt Hunter. The live show will be recorded by Kfresh Productions and will air online July 9. EUREKA SPRINGS See Tales Page 4 Sandra Spotts and Zeek Taylor, both veteran storytellers themselves, created "Homegrown Tales," a storytelling evening in Eureka Springs, in 2019. They hosted seven monthly shows before the pandemic put everything on hold. The event returns July 7 at Brews. (Courtesy Photo)