Showtime!

Performance Live at https://themedium.art/ For all of you out of state, the evening will be live-streamed on: https://www.youtube.com/@JamesYaleArt

On the third anniversary of the James Yale Legacy Project, I invite you to join us for an unforgettable evening where stories come alive and imagination takes center stage. Inspired by Rayaak, the powerful painting by James Yale, this unique storytelling event celebrates creativity, connection, and the many ways art can spark conversation and inspire new perspectives.

Eight Creative Storytellers have been chosen from across the US for the finale performance on stage hosted by Kyle Kellams from KUAF NPR. Whether you’re stepping onto the stage or taking a seat in the audience, you’ll experience an atmosphere filled with imagination, laughter, reflection, and community. Expect many surprises!

Joanie Patterson

Spoken word – Forest Magic

I have loved fairy tales since childhood. I love nature so much that I earned a PhD in Ecology. For me this painting combines both of these. Although I have a degree in science, I perceive forests as magical. I thought a long while about the painting, and how to bring my ideas to life in a story. When I came to enter my story I saw essays and poetry mentioned, but not stories. As stories were mentioned elsewhere, I thought it would be okay to enter my story, and I like the way a story invites the reader to experience ideas through the characters.

Lee LeMarch

Screenplay – Rayaak’s Offering

My name is Lee LaMarche, and I moved here to Northwest Arkansas seven years ago with my wife Hillary, and was able to pursue my dream of screenwriting.  I was very proud to be a part of this James Yale legacy project and to give my interpretation of the Rayaak painting. For me, looking at the painting was like stepping into a new world created by someone with a deep understanding of fantasy worlds. Therefore, my interpretation was along the same lines. I saw Rayaak, a majestic creature, being so close to this young woman that I knew their connection had to be something special, something spiritual. That being said, I am a screenwriter first and so that led me to write the first scene of what I saw as a script encompassing the world of six wood maeves, sisters in nature, whose purpose in their short lives is to tend to the unicorns and teach them about the world.  It felt like this one girl couldn’t be the only one of her kind and so I brought her into the world and then introduced her to her sisters.

Deuce Black

Spoken Word – Rayaak

Hello! My name is Dustin “Deuce” Black, and I’m an NWA-native software engineer. I was so excited the moment I saw the poster for this contest in a window in downtown Rogers. I was born in Johnson and lived the first several years of my life in NWA, but then moved away to Pennsylvania for a while. When I graduated high school and it came time to go to college, I was reminded of Fayetteville, a place with all the natural beauty in the world, not to mention a support system of extended family members still in the area if I needed them, so I came back and attended the U of A. I may have completed a degree in computer science, but creative writing has always been a passion of mine. I took two writing workshop classes as electives during my degree, and some friends and I now host a local biweekly writing workshop/meetup. I love working on smaller projects while I slowly chisel away at my long-term novel project, so the Creative Storytelling Invitational was a perfect opportunity for me to do just that. I used my 500 words on a flash fiction piece, and tried my best to make every detail of Mr. Yale’s painting important in the story, and I think I’ve ended up with a fun interpretation. Please enjoy!

Mariya (Masha)Kurbatova

Poem – Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Hello! My name is Mariya Kurbatova, and I’m a student at the University of Arkansas. I was so delighted to be introduced to the work of James Yale through this contest! It’s been so enriching and inspiring to learn about his life, his work, and the hearts he’s touched.

I have entered a submission of my poem “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”.