Monday, March 17, 2014

Pickwick's Special: A Winter's Tale at The Red Door


Yesterday evening, this Pickwickian braved the lingering deep freeze and headed over to the cozy space of The Red Door for this season's final "A Winter's Tale". The love/brain child of Michelle Moon and our in-house nose, Steve Johnson, this intimate reading session provides a platform for local performers/writers/folks-who-think to stand before a room and tell an unscripted tale. The evening's theme was "Rites of Passage" and being in attendance felt suspiciously like a rite of passage, in and of itself. Sitting and listening to stories that ranged from the hilarious to the heartwrenching, and all introspective and necessary, I was reunited with the human need to listen and tell and my heart was filled.


Kevin Baringer on being a huggy, closet Hulk
I spoke with Steve Johnson about what inspired this meeting of hearts. 

Why did you start A Winter's Tale?


AWT came about because of a perfect storm that developed between Michelle and I wanting to provide the local arts scene something to do in the worst part of the year, weather-wise. Winter is always a time when people tend to stay in and "mole up" and we wanted to create a kind of fireside for people to warm themselves with. No better way than storytelling! It was really just a silly idea we just talked about doing until Karen Marzloff, Founding Editor at The Wire Magazine (and our AWT sponsor) heard about it in passing and jumped in to help promote it to a wider audience. Someone we knew in the scene was friends with Cresta Smith, manager at the Red Door (and our host for AWT), so a meeting was arranged. Sundays are traditionally not big nights for the Red Door in the early evening, so it was an easy choice for her to make to test-drive this storytelling idea in front of an actual audience.


So we set some dates aside from January - March back in 2010, and with support from The Wire, were able to get an audience interested. I used my arts connections to find eight performers to get on stage, and the rest is now a Seacoast tradition.



Full house!
Explain a little bit about the power of telling a story.

I think the power in telling a story comes from the fact that people NEED to tell them. We're social beings and always are processing our experiences internally as we go through life. Part of that process is the need to reach out and connect and reassure ourselves we're not alone in the joys and trials of our lives. So getting together at an agreed place and creating a safe, welcoming environment to share our experiences is absolutely built-in to who we are as human beings. Whether it's a church, sporting event, or just telling stories to each other, we've been doing it since we stood upright and began cooking up seared mastodon nachos.



Dawne Shand speaks about one stern & wonderful mama!
Do you have any specific moments from the Portsmouth sessions that stand out for you?

Standout moments from the entire run? For me, just watching people who would otherwise swear up and down that they're shy and "don't have any stories worth telling" get up on our stage and talk about deep, sometimes even traumatic or seismic that they've been through and own their journeys with them. We've had memoirs from people performing at AWT, writing groups begun, even other storytelling groups form from out of the audience and performing acts. AWT has been an enormous catalyst for personal empowerment and creative projects.


And for me, that's why I loved doing it all these years: just that gorgeous, defining moment when people hear about the show or see it and adopt it as their own. We've had numerous performers do multiple events and audience members who've never missed a single show- in FOUR YEARS!



Thanking the audience for a good run
 Is there anything else that you would like to share with the Pickwickians?

Anything I can do as a creative artist myself to create a space for people to share and learn about themselves and their strengths, I will do. It's beautiful to see our show mean so much to so many different people and create such a long-lasting community feeling. It's the best thing I've ever been a part of doing on stage.



Just about my favorite couple...
Let me in there!
Thank you so much, Steve and Michelle, for bringing your passion and creativity to the Seacoast! We are sorry to see this particular venture go down to Salem for the years to come (I'll be making the drive!), but are sure to see many incarnations of it spring up in our fair city. Ideas have no expiration date, after all.
One more evening with plaid and neutrals on this most fitting of farewells to the season
My companion, photographer and wonder, Christopher D'Amore and I stepped back out into the brisk air as different animals. The cold seemed more tolerable and the quiet, cobbled streets were suffused with the pale light of winter's final full moon. There was no sound but the echoes of experience- no feeling but warmth.


"You're never going to kill storytelling, because it's built into the human plan. We come with it."
- Margaret Atwood

Monday, March 10, 2014

Spring Summoning

Spring Summoning

Spring Summoning by pickwickstyle

If you're anything like us, you wake up with your fingers crossed for spring. In an effort to summon the season, I've been dwelling on springy, sunny things in the shop. Here is a handful of them to aid your own day-dreaming!

Barr Co. White Flower Candle - $24
I was glad to bury the musks and woodsy scents of fall and winter in favor of this light, fresh candle. It burns merrily away on my bureau. I look forward to the days (oh, so near!) when I can open the windows and have the breeze toss this lovely scent about. The Hobnail candles are wonderful- soy, all-natural, and they burn at least 100 hours- can't beat it!

The Complete Novels of Jane Austen - $30
Something about the stories of Jane Austen fits the season perfectly. The roses of Pemberley, cotton skirts swinging low in the dewy grass, fresh white handkerchiefs, the rolling English countryside- I've just talked myself into wanting a Regency vacation! Curl up with this tome in the window seat and look up every so often to watch the flowers grow.

Emma Bridgewater Woodpecker Mug - $36
This porcelain mug has been hand-painted in Stoke-on-Trent, England. You can count on its sweet greens and yellows to never fade as the years wear-on. Pair it with a nice herbal tea- I think it's high-time for chamomile, lavender, and fruit loose-leaf to make it back into the rotation.

"Library of Flowers" Field & Flowers Eau de Parfum - $48
This perfume is the perfect transition scent, with its apricot top note, honey blossom heart, and wildflower mix at the base! Light, sweet, clean, and made in America.

"Northern Lights" Taper in New Leaf - $2
It's amazing how effective changing up a few household colors can be as a mood lifter. Mix these spring green tapers with a dusky rose or coral for a refreshing table setting.

"Besame" Portrait Pink Lipstick - $20
I'm a merlot lip girl, but even I'm feeling the pull towards pretty in pink shades as the days struggle to rise above freezing and this one is knock-out. Paired with a light cotton sweater in white or a buttery yellow? Ooh, the style seed has been planted. You may just see something very similar to those color combos on this blog pretty soon.

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If you see anything you love but can't come in to purchase, send me an e-mail at thistlejones@gmail.com and let's chat! I would love to help get it to your door!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Tuscan and Beyond: Julep Cooks Up a Heart-Healthy Storm!

Our resident wonder, Julep, is really the most remarkable of cooks, on top of being a top notch shopkeeper. Some people just have all of the talent. And, like any fairy godmother, she believes in using her abilities for good. This past Friday, as a part of American Heart Month, she was hosted by THRIVE Gym for Women in Exeter as part of a "Tuscan and Beyond" evening. There, she held a cooking class that taught 20+ lovely ladies how to bring out the best of the flavor and nutrition in great dishes such as Farro Salad, Mango Salsa (swoon), Root Vegetable Pizza (any leftovers, Julep?), and Bul Go Ki, better known as Korean Barbecue. Julep kindly supplied me with one of the recipes and I rushed home and made it last night!

Can you spot the Maldon Salt Flakes?
Root Vegetable Pizza
1 sweet potato (microwaved 7 min. & sliced into 1/2" slices)
1 sweet onion (sliced)
2 carrots (sliced in half long ways & cut into 3-4" pieces)
1 Parsnip (sliced in half long ways & cut into 3-4" pieces)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs melted butter with 1 tsp garlic powder & pinch of salt
1 large pizza crust
1 cup ricotta cheese or mozzarrella

1. Preheat oven to 400 (or as specified on pizza dough). Bake dough until crust is done.
2. Place all vegetables in a baking dish, sprinkle lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar. Mix well and bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.
3. Remove from oven, using a pastry bush, lightly coat pizza crust with garlic butter.
4. Arrange vegetables. Add cheese and place in 450 degree oven until cheese melts.

Julep complimented her amazing flavors with a different kind of amazing taste- aesthetic! She served her dishes on our new Maker's Mark dinnerware- the clean ivory platters with their little vintage stamp details look good against any colorful meal!
Platter - $75 at Pickwick's Mercantile
Side-plate - $18 at Pickwick's Mercantile
Regular Plate - $22.50 at Pickwick's Mercantile
To add a little color into the mix she also used one beautiful Main Lion platter, hand-painted in Italy. We can't get over the lush colors and details on these porcelain pieces of dinnerware. The Italians obviously do things right. 
The Mane Lion dinnerware - $120-$200 at Pickwick's!
Come in and chat up Julep about her adventures in cooking and we'll set you up with some basics to make any evening of healthy entertainment, delicious and beautiful!
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Can't come in to snag these treats for your special someones? 
That's alright! Send me an e-mail at thistlejones@gmail.com to order
and we will make sure they arrive, wrapped and ready on your doorstep!