Name: Margie Connolly - The First Time I Saw Light by Raven Narratives
Duration: 12 min 26 s
Description: Margie describes her time as an anthropologist in Alaska and the remarkable woman she met there who survived the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918.

Margie describes her time as an anthropologist in Alaska and the remarkable woman she met there who survived the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918.

Margie Connolly - The First Time I Saw Light

Tamara describes her time in North Africa studying music and dance, and how her experiences there led to a profound personal transformation.

She told her story at the Raven Narratives events in late February and early March 2025 when the theme was “trees - rocks - birds”.

Tamara is a Colorado-born mountain lover and music anthropologist, and the world's leading expert in an Algerian ritual healing tradition that nobody has ever heard of. From the melodramatic age of five, she was determined to become "a famous composer" which, indeed, materialized into advanced degrees in music composition and writing music for modern dance and film in her twenties. Fed up with studying dead, European White guys (i.e. Beethoven and the like), her rhythmic curiosity led her to study music in West and North Africa where she has spent more than 20 years conducting extensive musical and anthropological fieldwork on both sides of the Sahara Desert with Sufi communities (a branch of transcendental Islam). Now a senior researcher in mental health and healing across cultures (still a part-time musician), she has held academic posts in the US, UK, Germany, and Algeria and has published widely on musically-induced trance phenomena.

Join us for two Raven Narratives SLAM storytelling events when the theme will be “mistakes” on Friday, June 20th, at the Fenceline Cider in Mancos, and on Saturday, June 21st, at the Ska Brewing in Durango. Storytelling SLAM events feature stories told by audience members, so bring your “mistakes” story and you might get a chance to share it on the stage! Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook for the latest information on ticket sales and more.


Tamara Turner - Trance Dancing

Lindsay describes her attempts at raising chickens and ducks, and how she had to acquire some new skills in managing her flock.

She told her story at the Raven Narratives events in late February and early March 2025 when the theme was “trees - rocks - birds”.

Originally from rural eastern Canada, Lindsay has worked professionally in environmental science and accounting, but her heart is in exploring the human experience through process-oriented visual art that uses human bodies as printmaking tools. She is driven by the desire to find and expand the edges of her capacity for… everything. She currently enjoys living in Durango, Colorado with her sassy, smart, and hilarious almost-grown children. She has been affectionately described as half hippie, half redneck. Said description was accompanied by a picture of a lifted VW van.

Join us for two Raven Narratives SLAM storytelling events when the theme will be “mistakes” on Friday, June 20th, at the Fenceline Cider in Mancos, and on Saturday, June 21st, at the Ska Brewing in Durango. Storytelling SLAM events feature stories told by audience members, so bring your “mistakes” story and you might get a chance to share it on the stage! Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook for the latest information on ticket sales and more.


Lindsay Mark - Trading Chickens For Ducks

M Waldron told her story at the Raven Narratives on the Sunflower Theatre stage in September 2025 when the theme was "secrets".

M is a poet, performer, explorer, baker, knitter, and geologist. Her one woman show, The Letter C, premiered at The Sunflower Theatre in April 2025 and her book of poetry by the same title is available to purchase. When she isn’t knitting or baking you can find her tenderly descending local trails on her mountain bike.

M Waldron

Dave Butler told his story at the Raven Narratives on the Sunflower Theatre stage in September 2025 when the theme was "secrets".

Dave has been a world traveler and a lover of the obscure and unusual. His creative interests include large, interesting and sometimes difficult projects along with historical research. Vintage equipment, and repurposing space in old homes and buildings are something he enjoys. He also loves deeply serious and funny conversations throughout his southwest community.


Dave Butler

Aaron Thomas told his story at the Raven Narratives on the Sunflower Theatre stage in September 2025 when the theme was "secrets".

Aaron is a psychotherapist, meditation teacher, and creator of the Authentic Relating Lab – a space for practicing real human connection. He’s passionate about human potential and believes our relationships are where we grow the most.  Off the clock, he’s usually exploring the San Juan Mountains, pursuing his own version of whole-hearted living. 

Aaron Thomas

TJ Zark told their story at the Raven Narratives on the Sunflower Theatre stage in September 2025 when the theme was "secrets".

TJ is a gender-awkward, people-focused, they/them/her creative residing in Southwest Colorado, near a small arts town with two agreeable horses, a dog that wiggles, one that worms, and more friends than one human can count.  Their work as a storyteller holds a cohesive theme, expressed in multiple mediums: music, painting, and the written word, all weaving together the threads of who we are as humans and life in a rural landscape, while striving to be the best versions of ourselves as we inhabit this planet together.

TJ Zark

Mark Little told his story at the Raven Narratives on the Sunflower Theatre stage in September 2025 when the theme was "secrets".

Mark has done many things. Mark loves cats and sunsets. Mark is unsure about people. Mark tries to make the world a better place by saying things to people in the drive thru at the bank.  That’s it. Mark is a simple man.

Mark Little

Dr. Heidi Steltzer told her story at the Raven Narratives on the Sunflower Theatre stage in September 2025 when the theme was "secrets".

Heidi is a scientist, theologian, and mystic who recently founded the Center for Earth Theology in Cortez, Colorado. She's a scientist who wanted to save the world, a mystic who shows up at church, a speaker and writer who values connection. She's a forever student and spiritual teacher with a PhD in ecosystem science, 30 years experience in high mountain ecology, and is now getting a master's degree in religious studies.

Heidi Steltzer

Robin Mugwort Brodsky told her story at the Raven Narratives on the Sunflower Theatre stage in September 2025 when the theme was "secrets".

When Mugwort is not meandering the globe, she can be found (or not) wandering the canyons of the southwest in search of springs, ancient junipers and petroglyphs. Robin holds a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology and has worked in Outdoor Education and Wilderness Therapy. She's just published her first book, "Confessions of a Lazy Cyclist".

Robin Mugwort Brodsky

Robin Wolthausen told his story at the Raven Narratives on the Sunflower Theatre stage in September 2025 when the theme was "secrets".

Robin is a lover of nature, beauty, corn, community, our bodies, soccer, and cold beers on the front stoop on a scorching August day after working all day. He cooks some mean ribs and is tired of therapy but still does it. He used to own alpacas and wants to sell you some rugs made of their fleece. Robin runs men's groups, retreats, and generally helps himself and others sort through the complexity of what it means to be a man. 

Margie Connolly - The First Time I Saw Light

Raven Narratives

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