19 October Wednesday, 10am
20 October Thursday, 3pm
21 October Friday, 7pm
This program takes its name from an unpublished essay Thordis Niela Simonsen wrote in October 2012—almost 10 years ago to the day. It focusses on a hissing viper, a sacred precinct, and an undertaking that defied comprehension as much as it defied completion.
The story is one chapter in Thordis’ decades-long relationship with her Greek village, Elika, and a roofless house that she brought back to life stone by stone by hand.
Thordis’ reading will be followed by a conversation with the audience.
venue: Museum of Authenticity Annex
address: 119-B E 1st Street, Salida CO 81201
admission: $20 cash or check
additional information & reservations [reommended]:
thordis@museumofauthenticity.org or 303.585.1783
about Thordis Niela Simonsen
Your program guide, Thordis Niela Simonsen, is both a traveler and a storyteller. Her Greek village odyssey began in earnest in 1982 when the Ella Lyman Cabot Trust awarded her a grant for documentary work in the village, Elika, where she single-handedly restored a roofless stone house used to stable sheep. Thordis learned the art of storytelling from the narrator of her first book, You May Plow Here: The Narrative of Sara Brooks, and she blended villagers’ stories with her own in her second book, Dancing Girl: Themes and Improvisations in a Greek Village Setting. Her third book, Dances in Two Worlds: A Writer-Artist’s Backstory, is composed of two personal narratives, one verbal and one visual. Dances in Two Worlds was funded in part by a grant from the John Anson Kittredge Fund and won the 2012 Colorado Book Award in creative nonfiction. Thordis has been an independent small-group travel guide in Greece since 1995. She resides in Salida, Colorado, where she founded the Museum of Authenticity: genuine encounters in art & life.
also recommended
An Odyssey of Your Own
an intensive two-day interactive workshop
guided by Thordis Niela Simonsen
dates: 22 October Saturday, 9am–4pm through 23 October Sunday, 9am–1pm
cost: $179 by 7 October, $190 after 7 October
meals not included; accommodation options on request
venue: Museum of Authenticity Annex
address: 119-B E 21st Street, Salida CO 81201
additional information & reservations [required]—
thordis@museumofauthenticity.org or 303.585.1783