For this show, adjacent to Valentine’s Day, we wanted to illustrate and celebrate the increasing variety of modern love. Fortunately, we were able to take advantage of something new in First Parish’s sanctuary – built-in video projectors. The large and vivid screens were made possible in large part by a donation from the proceeds of Voices on the Green. In this show, the screens were put to immediate good use: almost all of the speakers not only told their favorite love story, they showed us brilliant pictures of the ones they loved. It was great.
The screens were put to immediate good use. Marshall Wilensky told his story of meeting a woman and falling in love with her entirely online. When they finally agreed to meet in person, Marshall greeted her at the airport’s baggage claim, dropped to one knee, and proposed on the spot. While it was the first time they had ever been together live, Marshall shared the first picture she sent of herself (see right), That told a lot.
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Katharine Rose grew up attending First Parish Church and participated in the Sunday school and youth group. Currently, she is a primary care doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston where she takes care of patients, teaches residents and medical students, and, as an Associate Medical Director, tries to improve the practice of primary care. Like her father, she loves hearing stories about how people met and got engaged.
Katie O’Hare Gibson
Storyteller
Katie O’Hare Gibson has been a member of First Parish Lexington for 10 years, and currently serves as co-chair of the Board. In her professional life she is an educator in the Lexington Public Schools. Aside from caring for her family, she devotes her time to bringing more peace and love into the world through working for racial justice.
Regie O’Hare Gibson
Storyteller
Literary performer and educator, Regie Gibson, a former National Poetry Slam Champion, has been featured on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, On Point, Radio Boston, and other NPR programs. Regie has performed at several TED X events and has been nominated for a Boston Emmy. He’s received the Walker Scholarship for Poetry from the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, The YMCA Writer’s Fellowship, a Massachusetts Cultural Council Award, and a Lexington Education Foundation Grant. He is a recipient of a 2017 Brother Thomas Fellowship from The Boston Foundation.
Tom Daley
Storyteller
Tom Daley teaches poetry and memoir writing at Lexington Community Education. In September 2018, he will offer a class on the poetry of Emily Dickinson through OWLL of Lexington. The course will include a performance of his one-man play, Every Broom and Bridget—Emily Dickinson and Her Irish Servants. His book, House You Cannot Reach—Poems in the Voice of My Mother and Other Poems, is available from FutureCycle Press.
Allison Posey
Expert Speaker
Allison Posey is a curriculum and design specialist at CAST, a Massachusetts non-profit that works to incorporate research from brain science to design learning environments and materials that meet the needs of all learners. Her first book — Engaging the Brain: design learning environments that tap into the power of emotion — is now available everywhere.
Chris Hess
Storyteller
Chris Hess is the least employed person in a Lexington household that includes his wife Jennifer and daughters Sophie and Sky. He sings in the First Parish choir and hopes to be a mediocre pianist someday. Realizing that his kids’ schooling has ignored entire categories of information relevant to successful adulting, Chris is starting a vlog called “The Awesome Room: Pro Tips for Grownups” at theawesomeroom.com.
Al Jacobson
Storyteller
Al Jacobson was a long-time member of First Parish Lexington who had career paths in academics, policy research, banking, and management consulting. Unfortunately, this story (actually a remembrance and an appeal) was one of Al’s last public presentations before he died. Please see the “In Memoriam” section under Previous Shows to learn more about Al.
There is no one-word description for what Don White does. He’s an award-winning singer/songwriter, a comedian, an author, and a storyteller. He’s been bringing audiences to laughter and tears for thirty years, released nine CDs, three live DVDs, and a book, Memoirs of a C Student. His latest album is More Alive, available now at donwhite.net and nimbitmusic.com/donwhite