Alexandra Martin | Entertainment Editor

There didn’t appear to be an ounce of tension in the room of Dallas’s Pressed Wine and Coffee Bar on Sept. 30. Maybe it was the soft, warm bread and hummus platters or maybe, just maybe, it was the libations of wine delivered by the staff in the hall that kept the crowd preoccupied while waiting for the night’s entertainment to begin.

Portland Story Theater paid a visit to Dallas for the third annual Dallas Storyteller Festival. The festival is a week-long event full of assorted stories for all ages, workshops and, my favorite, charming recollections of youth.

One such story, told by Beth Rogers entitled “Angels” was a tale recalling her childhood and the trials she experienced being legally blind and attending a public school. After many years, Rogers was fortunate enough to have a teacher who took her under their wing. Now, as an adult, she is able to give back to society as a teacher and provide the same guidance and understanding for her students.

Another narrative, titled “Irish,” dictated by Lynn Duddy, was a chronicle beginning with Saint Patrick and the uncertainty regarding whether or not he was indeed of Irish descent. Duddy delves into the history of Saint Patrick and his everlasting influence on Ireland, despite his genealogy. She effortlessly links times of old with modernity regaling the tale of her upbringing: being put up for adoption and growing up in an Irish family. This was a story of acceptance and belonging to a family or society, like Saint Patrick, despite where life may have started.

Portland Story Theater was founded by Lynn Duddy and Lawrence Howard to be a place where creative minds gather to share their true recollections of growth, opposition, acceptance and the encounters people have throughout a lifetime.

If you missed out on this opportunity, Portland Story Theater holds shows on the first Friday of every month at 3333 NE 15th Avenue in Portland.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu