The Narrators

Today’s story comes from Matt Zambrano. Matt is a performer and poet, formerly from Colorado, who currently resides in New York City with is his wife and his cat. Matt told this story live from his apartment, through a web cam, up to a satellite, then back to a Zoom window in front of a live but virtual audience on 16 December 2020. This was the last story told at The Narrators in 2020 and felt li...

A special super-sized episode on the theme "Don't I Know You?" since we couldn't do a live show in April. Featuring three stories from Megan Sound, Nikki Fleming, and Bethany Roinestad, all recorded from their respective homes. Outro music by Denver's own Beau Beverage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So, last month our 10th anniversary live show was cancelled due to the coronavirus, our live show for April has also been cancelled, and we let the podcast go silent for a month. The Narrators is a storytelling show, but what we’re really trying to do is build empathy and compassion for our fellow humans, and right now, that’s what we’re all doing—putting our empathy to the test and isolating ours...

Your next storyteller is Adam Burke. Adam is a standup comedian from Chicago (by way of Australia and Ireland) and a regular panelist on NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. Adam shared this story during a special edition of The Narrators at High Plains Comedy Festival last September. The theme of the show was “Bomb.”   A special thanks to TANX for the outro music in this episode. You can subscribe and...

Your next storyteller is Aries Reyes. Aries is a Denver-based storyteller who has performed all over Denver and Washington, DC. They’re also an emcee and can often be found hoisted on top of chairs, toasting births, and facilitating low-stakes competitions. This was their first time sharing a story at The Narrators; the theme of the evening was “Over the Top.” A special thanks to TIQ TOK for the o...

Your next storyteller is a thrift-store evangelist who has a crush on Abraham Lincoln. A long-time favorite of the show, this is Laura Bond. This one’s from our archives—Laura shared this story about adventures with her brother and one chance encounter with the late Vic Chesnutt all the way back in December 2015; the theme of the evening was "Siblings."   A special thanks to Knuckle Pups for the o...

Your next storyteller is an Enneagram Type 1 who says he’s obsessed with stories about extremists. A long-time supporter of the show, this is our friend, Jacob McWilliams. Jake shared this story on 18 September 2019; the theme of the evening was "Tools." A special thanks to Mega Gem for the outro music in this episode! You can subscribe and listen to The Narrators for free wherever you get your po...

Your next storyteller calls herself a whiskey-soaked ghost story who’s developing a cough. We call her one of our all-time favorites—this is Kelly Attaway. Kelly shared this story on 21 August 2019; the theme of the evening was "Transplant." A special thanks to PHIE for the outro music in this episode! You can subscribe and listen to The Narrators for free wherever you get your podcasts. Browse ou...

Episode 206: Your next story comes from musician, educator, activist, and Flobots co-founder, Stephen Brackett. Stephen shared this story on 18 September 2019; the theme of the evening was "Tools." A special thanks to Milk Blossoms for the outro music in this episode! You can subscribe and listen to The Narrators for free wherever you get your podcasts. Browse our archives for past episodes or att...

Episode 205: Your next storyteller is artist and comedian Kira MagCalen. Kira is the creator of Turbulent Flow, a digital repository for all of her creative work, including the incredible illustration that she recently made for our podcast cover art. You should find and follow her on Instagram too; check out her "Honest Monsters" series. This was Kira's first time sharing a story at The Narrators....

Episode 204: Today’s story comes from long-time supporter of The Narrators, the founder of From the Hip Photo, our friend, Danny de Zayas. Danny shared this story on 17 July 2019; the theme of the evening was "Burn." Special thanks to Kyle James Hauser for the outro music in this episode. You can subscribe and listen to The Narrators for free wherever you get your podcasts. Browse our archives for...

Episode 203: Your next storyteller is author and screenwriter Kornblum Katz. Kornblum shared this story on 17 April 2019; the theme of the evening was "Nailing It."  Special thanks to Horse Girl for the outro music in this episode. You can subscribe and listen to The Narrators for free wherever you get your podcasts. Browse our archives for past episodes or attend one of our live shows, which take...

Episode 202: This week's story comes from comedian and first-time storyteller Kate Strobel. Kate shared this childhood story of tall tales gone too far on 16 October 2019; the theme of the evening was "Fake."  Special thanks to PHIE for the outro music in this episode.  You can subscribe and listen to The Narrators for free wherever you get your podcasts. Browse our archives for past episodes or a...

Your next storyteller is Chris Garcia. Chris is a standup comedian, writer, and the host of WNYC's Scattered, hands down one of the best podcasts of 2019. Chris shared this story—about his early days of doing standup comedy, enthusiastic eSport tech bros, World of Warcraft fans in Atlantic City, and t-shirt cannons—as part of The Narrators' special show at High Plains Comedy Festival. His story wa...

Episode 200: Today we're going to do something a little different—to celebrate reaching 200 episodes, we're paying tribute to one of the people who has made all of this possible, our producer, Sydney Crain. Ron sat down with Sydney just before our live show last week, during the middle of a huge rainstorm, to ask about her favorite stories and memories from her time with the show. In this episode,...

Episode 199: Your next story comes from one of our all-time favorite storytellers, Steven Burge. The theme of the evening was "Burn." For the latest information about our upcoming events please check our Facebook page. A very special thanks to Jobless, who provided the outro music for this episode. As always, you can subscribe, rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about yo...

Episode 198: This story comes from the author of The Struggle for Soy, Megan Sound. Megan shared this story about parenting—and all the hopes and fears that go with it—live on 19 June 2019 in Denver. The theme of the evening was "Framed." For the latest information about our upcoming events please check our Facebook page. A very special thanks to Cities of Earth, who provided the outro music for t...

Episode 197: This story comes actor and Buntport Theater co-founder Brian Colonna. He told this story live at our 9th anniversary show on 20 March 2019 at Buntport Theater. The theme of the evening was "Growing." For the latest information about that special show or any of our events, please check our Facebook page. A very special thanks to Nathan Hall, who provided the outro music for this episod...

Episode 196: This story comes from seamstress and disruptor extraordinaire, Rae Moore. She told this story live on 15 May 2019 at Buntport Theater. The theme of the evening was "Alter Egos." For the latest information about that special show or any of our events, please check our Facebook page. A very special thanks to Tanx, who provided the outro music for this episode. As always, you can subscri...

Episode 195: Today's story comes from our darling founder, Andrew Orvedahl. Andrew recently moved back to Denver and it has been so wonderful to have him sharing stories again. His story was recorded at our 9th anniversary show back in March of this year. Enjoy! For the latest information about our live shows or special events, please check our Facebook page. A very special thanks to SPELLS, who p...

Episode 194: This story comes from one of our favorite storytellers, Kelly Attaway. She told this story live on 18 October 2017 at Buntport Theater. The theme of the show was "In the Dark." For the latest information about our live shows or special events, please check our Facebook page. A very special thanks to Jobless, who provided the outro music for this episode. As always, you can subscribe,...

Episode 193: To celebrate her victory last month on the 11th season of RuPaul's Drag Race, we're bringing you a previously unpublished story from Denver's drag darling, Yvie Oddly. Yvie shared this story with The Narrators back in November 2017, as part of a special show we hosted for the Denver Film Festival. This is Yvie before Ru—an artist on the brink of big fame and international attention—sp...

Episode 192: In honor of Denver Zine Fest this weekend, here's a story from Brian Flynn at Denver Zine Fest last year. Brian is a standup comedian and host of the alternate-history podcast The Revisionists. Brian's story was told live on 24 June 2017 at the McNichols Building in Civic Center Park. The theme of that special show was "Rejected." For the latest information about our live shows or spe...

Episode 191: In honor of Father's Day, we dug one of our favorites out of the vault. Our producer Sydney Crain told this story live on 15 February 2017. The theme of the evening was "Red-Handed." For the latest information about our live shows or special events, please check our Facebook page. A very special thanks to Mega Gem, who provided the outro music for this episode. As always, you can subs...

Episode 190: Jackie Hay has been creating artwork for the Narrators for years but graced the stage for the first time when she shared this story about her beloved pup Samir. Jackie's story was recorded live on 21 November 2018. The theme of the evening was "Fight or Flight." A very special thanks to Jobless, who provided the outro music for this episode. Jackie is their drummer! As always, you can...