On February 22, 2003, Susan Chiavelli and Karin delaPena spoke to Fran Halpern on KCLU's "Beyond Words" radio show from the porch of Karin's home.

Karin offered the history of Speaking of Stories (speakingofstories.org), which was begun in 1995 by Steven Gilbar after he fell in love with New York City's "Selected Shorts" and wanted to bring the idea of actors reading stories to Santa Barbara. Karin was invited to be a reader that first season, and not long after she became artistic director of Speaking of Stories.

These performances began at the Center Stage Theater, with seating for 15O. When the audience outgrew that venue, they moved to the Victoria Theater with double the seating. When double performances could no longer satisfy the demand, they moved to the larger Lobero Theater, Speaking of Stories' current home.

Well-rehearsed actors reading fine literature gives adults the chance to be read to as they might have been as a child. The programs offer both classic and contemporary stories with an attention to having stories from many cultures.

According to Karin, the audience is transported, via an actor's presentation of the written word, to the "deliciousness of their own minds in the company of several hundred other people sitting in the theater with them."

Karin explained that well-known actors are convinced to read at Speaking of Stories through the love of language. Most actors enjoy being the only person on stage and having the privilege of sharing written material in a dramatic format that embodies the voice of a narrator as well as all the characters‚ voices. It's a dynamic experience, and it brings back the feeling that the stage is a sacred place. According to Karin, the actors invariably exit with an intoxicated look, happy from the connection they made with the audience through their reading.

In response to Fran Halpern's question, "What exactly does an artistic director do?" Karin said that at first she wore every hat. Gradually she passed jobs on to others in the organization. Now as artistic director she chooses stories, selects and directs actors, stages the shows, including music.

This is Karin's eighth season as artistic director, although she will be passing this hat on to another talented (soon to be named) individual at the end of this season. Karin has plans for other creative endeavors, while still being an enthusiastic supporter of the performance and educational outreach programs that have been created by the people at Speaking of Stories.

Susan Chiavelli, an author whose story was read at Speaking of Stories in December, was described by Fran Halpern as a "legend" for her devotion to writing and marketing her short fiction.

Susan's story "Winter Oranges" was chosen for the Speaking of Stories holiday program after being published as the winner in a fiction contest. When the story was read in the theater, Susan described it as a thrilling and surreal moment for her. It was a great honor to have her story selected to be read on the same program as a work by Dylan Thomas. Susan felt it was fitting that this story was first read on a California stage, as the character in her story dreams of moving from the rainy and cold Pacific Northwest to sunny California, the land of winter oranges.

Susan is sometimes published in journals whose subscription base is less than the seating capacity of the Lobero. Such publication, while exciting, can feel like throwing your work into a dark, silent cave. You get no feedback. In contrast, sitting in a theater with a live audience and hearing 700 people respond to your work with laughter and applause is a unique experience. She was pleased the actress, Vicki Patik, was able to bring out the story's dark humor. Susan admits that, like much fiction, her work does have an autobiographical element. Her stories sometimes reflect events of her life and sometimes not.

On February 22, Fran Halpern also talked with three mystery/crime authors who were having a great time at their book signing at San Francisco Mystery Bookstore. More information on this tour at www2.robertaisleib.com/tour.htm

Deborah Donnelly, Roberta Isleib and Libby Fisher Hellmann will all be appearing at the Left Coast Crime 2003 Conference at the Hilton Pasadena beginning February 27. This trio is having fun traveling together and promoting their books as a team. More information on this conference at leftcoastcrime2003.com