Do Tell!

APRIL 4, 2024, 7 PM

*Hensel Phelps Theatre, UCCC*
Our six outstanding speakers, all connected to Greeley, will take to the stage to share their stories about surprises, resilience, shame, hope, inspiration, culture and... even knighthood! Afterward, everyone in the audience is invited to enjoy a dessert reception with the speakers.

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Meet the 2024 Speakers

Dr. Karen Barton

***How a Senator and a Shipwreck Taught me Rafet Njort in the Face of Tragedy***
In 2016, I had an opportunity to visit the nation of Senegal as part of a fellowship program founded by Senator J. William Fulbright. In the southern wetlands of Casamance, I learned about the greatest maritime disaster in African history, the Joola shipwreck, and was tasked with telling this story to American audiences. This journey altered not only my professional life, but it changed the way I view our planet.
**Dr. Karen Barton** is a Professor of Geography, GIS and Sustainability at the University of Northern Colorado and the author of “Africa’s Joola Shipwreck,” a story about the 1,863 people who died during a ferry disaster off the coast of Senegal in 2002. Dr. Barton is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and The Explorers Club, a Fulbright Scholar, and a proud owner of a classic, Halcyon 250 motorcycle, crafted in Goshen, Indiana. Learn more about her on her website: www.karenbarton.org.

Susan Bromley

***Motherhood: Lost and Gained***
It was 1964 and the beginning of the women's liberation movement when both birth control and abortion were still illegal. I got pregnant and gave up my child for adoption. My journey after being united has been a roller coaster challenging my sense of motherhood.
**Susan Bromley** has worked as a social worker in the Denver Health System, an undergraduate psychology professor at the University of Northern Colorado and a clinical psychologist at Kaiser Permanente and in her private practice. She also volunteers through her church. She is a founding member of Zonta Club of Greeley, an international organization that empowers women and children. She is grateful for her daughter, stepdaughter, four grandchildren and her cat.

Dana Buckingham

***Wilding Resilience***
Every summer, like the swallows, some of my friends migrate to a small, very remote Alaskan town to operate a flight tour business. At a particularly difficult moment in my life they needed some extra help so, along with a rabble of wilderness guides, I flew north with them. It was an experience that stripped me down and taught me resilience.
**Dana Buckingham’s** career, much like her art, looks more like a collage. Originally from the rural town of Hayden, Colorado, Dana studied fine art in L.A., earning a BFA in drawing and painting. The urge to integrate a patchwork of experiences comes naturally to her as a descendant in a long lineage of quilters: She has worked as a picture book illustrator, art teacher, marketer and now a mother. To see more of her work visit her website DabbleDallyDraw.com or find her on instagram @DabbleDallyDraw.

Travis Krause

***How Forgetting My Name Taught Me Who I Am***
A brain injury and a beautiful statue taught me who I am. Through adversity and beauty I have learned why I am on this planet, what to do about it and who I can help.
**Travis Krause** has spent over 20 years creating art in a variety of media and styles. Over many years, he has worked with major public artists and has completed numerous commissions around the world. This includes subject matter that reflects his love of nature. In between creating art and his teaching career, including two decades with District 6, Travis has led art education workshops around the globe. Find him at TravisKrausestudios.com.

Dr. Melanie Peffer

***To Catch a Rainbow: A Tale of Infertility and Hope***
In many cultural traditions, rainbows are symbols of hope and renewal. A rainbow baby is one who is born after a previous pregnancy loss. In my talk, I share my tale of recurrent pregnancy loss and the roller coaster of my pregnancy with my rainbow baby. I share what I learned on the journey and ideas for how to support others during pregnancy loss and for those who choose to become pregnant again after loss.
**Dr. Melanie Peffer** is an author and teaching assistant professor and research scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder. She received her PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Pittsburgh and completed a postdoctoral appointment in learning sciences from Georgia State University. She researches how people learn and understand science. She is the author of “Biology Everywhere: How the science of life matters to everyday life.” She also gave a TED talk about these ideas. She wrote a spin-off children’s book, on the river, as the High Plains Library District’s Writer in Residence in 2021. She lives in Greeley with her husband and two children.

**Luluya Tekle**

***Pearl In Sea***
Luluya Tekle means “Pearl in Sea”. Through peace and silence, through violence and fear, the pearl remains. Through my battles and my triumphs, I remain. The light of the pearl is incandescent. There is no midnight, no squall, that can dim the light held by the pearl. The endless rippling light glows within my decisions and, through my service to others, spills out into the world around me.“Pearl in Sea” is more than my name. It is a call back to my culture, back to my roots.
**Luluya Tekle** is a senior, poet and student body president at Greeley Central High School. She is passionate about using poetry to help her understand the world. Much of her poetry explores her identity as a Black woman.
After graduation, she hopes to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and Journalism and use it to run her own publishing company to support Black writers. Find her on Instagram @photographybyluluya.

Hear About Their Stories

Greeley Voices That Inspire

Join us for our annual event celebrating storytelling from friends, neighbors, and community members! These stories are not the work of professional presenters but are based upon the experiences of local “everyday people” who have been selected through an audition process to tell their story. The selected storytellers offer an array of topics with personal and unique experiences that have had an important impact on the storyteller’s life. Some of the stories are funny, others enlightening or inspirational, and most are touching.

Do Tell! Writers Workshop

Are you intrigued or interested in telling your story but don’t know where to start? Watch a recording of our recent Writers Workshop that highlights the makings of a good story, presentation tips, as well as a summary of the process we use during the Do Tell! production schedule.

A recording of the Do Tell! Writers workshop presented at the LINC on December 4, 2023.