Indiana University East and Morrisson-Reeves Public Library are proud to announce a storytelling series featuring award-winning actor, writer, and storyteller Jennie Kiffmeyer. Kiffmeyer will discuss the storytelling process and her one-woman show, Rivertown Dispatch, at 6 p.m. on Monday, September 24, in the Community Room, located in Whitewater Hall at IU East. Kiffmeyer will then perform Rivertown Dispatch at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 2, at the Morrisson-Reeves Public Library. Both events are free and open to the general public; no registration is required.

The series is featured as part of the “One Book, Many Voices” project at IU East and is supported in part by Mindful Explorations, courtesy of the William H. and Jean R. Reller Endowment.

Katherine Frank, dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, said the series emerged out of discussions about the “One Book, Many Voices” project and demonstrates the type of partnership that can be fostered through such a project.

“When we all sat down and started discussing plans already in place for programming during the coming year at our separate organizations, we recognized ways of featuring connections between planned events,” Frank said. “These connections not only allow people more opportunities to attend events, but also for those people particularly interested in certain topics, issues, or events, a series allows for more exposure and deeper understanding. Furthermore, the focus of this series on storytelling is perfectly aligned with the focus of the ‘One Book, Many Voices’ project.”

Rivertown Dispatch is a one-woman show that celebrates the power of storytelling in our lives. Told from the point of view of Mary, the publisher of a small town newspaper, the piece chronicles a series of discoveries in the fictional town of Rivertown, Ind. During the 50-minute performance, the audience hears such stories as that of a forgotten grave, a secret trove of poems and Mary’s own epiphany about her life’s calling.

About her involvement in the series, Kiffmeyer said, “I am honored to be a part of this series. I hope that by sharing my stories, I can encourage other Richmond residents to create and share stories of their own.”

Rivertown Dispatch was developed with support from a Frank Basile Emerging Stories Fellowship from Storytelling Arts of Indiana. Kiffmeyer premiered the show in Indianapolis in November 2010. She received a 2011-2012 Indiana Artist Award from the Indiana Arts Commission to tour the show regionally.

Kiffmeyer was a contributor to WMUB-FM, winning national and regional awards for her commentaries from the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Ohio Associated Press. As a storyteller, past venues include the Washington (D.C.) Folk Festival, the National Cathedral, Indiana Historical Society, and Richmond Civic Theatre.

For more information contact Katherine Frank at kpfrank@iue.edu or 765-973-8219.