Season six of Juneau\u2019s live storytelling forum is starting next month without one of its original creators. Amanda Compton stepped down from the Mudrooms organizational board.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere comes a time when something close to your heart can\u2019t become itself when it\u2019s being too closely attended. It was a lot of work for me and I think that community and other board members involved will make it sustainable,\u201d Compton said on the phone Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy with the way it\u2019s gone and would prefer to leave feeling satisfied with the work I\u2019ve contributed and with its current reception,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n
Mudrooms usually fills up Northern Light United Church with about 300 people. The monthly event between September and May showcases seven people telling seven-minute personal stories on a certain theme.<\/p>\n
Compton modeled Mudrooms after Arctic Entries, a storytelling forum from her hometown of Anchorage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt such a magnetizing vulnerability from hearing stories of strangers\u2019 lives. It was an emotional high,\u201d she said. \u201cI believe there\u2019s an inherent risk and sacrifice and benefit that can be obtained through exposing vulnerability. Whether that\u2019s asking someone out, falling in love or having a child \u2014 I think all of those intimate veins and threads of life require vulnerability and I think that\u2019s how we grow.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Compton moved to Juneau in spring 2011, she enlisted friend Alida Bus to help start Mudrooms. Initially, it was just Compton and Bus working on the event, but it quickly spread to a community effort.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe evolution was fantastic from Alida and I just together running around town texting Travis Smith who owns The Rookery if we could host it there; texting each other back and forth, \u2018I got a third storyteller;\u2019 I took an html course to learn about websites; creating the website and finding someone, Pat Race, to help us host it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Soon, Marc Wheeler joined to help with audio recording, KTOO volunteered to host the recordings and let Mudrooms use its equipment to edit it, and Steve SueWing stepped in to help with the Facebook page.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll these people just naturally stepped into various positions that facilitated the growth of the program,\u201d Compton said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think that a lot of the pain that can be associated with just sheer time working in volunteer organizations was completely mitigated by the wholesome embrace of the community, as if they were waiting for something like this,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
[Video: Gov. Bill Walker at Mudrooms<\/a>]<\/p>\n Besides feeding the soul and building connections, Mudrooms also raises money for local causes. Since its first Mudrooms in November 2011, the event has raised over $60,000. This season\u2019s proceeds are going to the Zach Gordon Youth Center and the Polaris House. Funds raised from one event will go to sponsoring a year of This American Life on KTOO.<\/p>\n Season six themes are Cheechako, Skeletons in the Closet, Family Matters, What\u2019s Cooking, Letting Go, Up in the Air, Rude Awakenings, Smokin\u2019, and Subsistence and Survival. The first event is Sept. 14.<\/p>\n Besides being co-founder and co-host, Compton has taken the Mudrooms stage to share a story on her fear of earthworms. She wants to do another one, \u201ca more meaningful piece,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Compton encourages others to tell their stories.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s been pretty clear that it\u2019s an accepting environment. I don\u2019t think you\u2019re going to lose any street cred if you have a hard time or you\u2019re struggling on stage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Compton now looks forward to being an audience member of Mudrooms, but she will miss \u201cbeing an organizational member of something that was part of the pulse of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n And, of course, she\u2019ll miss the connections she made volunteering for Mudrooms on a regular basis.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be coordinating that event, you can\u2019t help but be involved with a lot of great people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Contact reporter Lisa Phu at 523-2246 and lisa.phu@juneauempire.com.<\/p>\n Read more news:<\/strong><\/p>\n Superintendent: Controversial bill won’t hinder sex ed in Juneau schools<\/a><\/p>\n Down in the dumps: Airport closes lavatory dumpsite after surprise FDA inspection<\/a><\/p>\n