The Bonkers Brit
I am a Brit who moved from England to live in California in 2008 to marry my soulmate, after not seeing him for over 30 years.
It’s a funny story. In fact, I wrote a book about it. Find out more here.
After writing my memoir, I became a Storyteller. I perform funny, true, personal stories around the world. In March 2020, I co-founded Six Feet Apart Productions with fellow storyteller and comedian, Regina Stoops. More details can be found here.
As an Author, I have been published in a few award-winning anthologies. You can find more details here.
I started a Podcast: The Bonkers Brit. I talk about random nonsense that I find funny, interesting or embarrassing. More information can be found here.
Love Reunited
Part One of a longer story told at The Marsh in San Francisco about how I reunited with my high school sweetheart after not seeing him for over 30 years.
Never Again, Moth GrandSlam
My Moth GrandSlam performance at The Castro Theater in San Francisco in 2022 on the theme of “Never Again.”
Storyteller
I tell humorous, mostly true, personal stories, but have recently been enjoying telling braided stories and tall tales. My audiences vary from 50 to over 2000 and my stories range from five minutes in length to one hour. I also teach workshops on storytelling.
I have been a GrandSlam finalist at The Moth, the National Storytelling Festival, National Storytelling Network, and West Side Stories. I was a featured teller at the 2021 and 2024 Women’s Storytelling Festivals in Virginia, and the 2023 Sacramento Valley Storytelling Festival, and the 2024 St Louis Storytelling Festival in MO. I am one of the main organizers of the renowned Bay Area Storytelling Festival, CA and am a Board Member of the Storytelling Association of California. I was a recipient of the NSN Nancy Duncan Scholarship in 2021.
I have performed stories on The Risk! Podcast, MLK Library in DC, Better Said Than Done, Good Liar’s Club, Moonshine Stories, The Naked Truth, Redwood Nights, The Grapevine, The Marsh, San Francisco Folk Festival, Litquake, Lit Crawl, and Listen to Your Mother, among others. I have also presented two longer Fringe performances for the National Storytelling Network.
Below are links to some examples of my stories:
Fat is new Fabulous. True story told at the NSN conference, Seattle WA
As winner of the National Storytelling Network Oracle Award, I told a story about how I discovered a surprising new benefit to being pregnant.
Sofa, So Bad. Tall Tale told at Trek Winery, Novato CA
This is a tall tale told at an in-person event produced by Six Feet Apart Productions, featuring Bil Lepp, Brandon Spars, Regina Stoops and myself with emcee Corey Rosen.
Memoir/Mr Right From The Start
I started writing at the insistent request of a friend of mine in England. She used to give me Reiki massages and channelled “non-physical beings” who wouldn’t shut up until I agreed to write, so you can blame them! (You may not believe in non-physical so, in which case, I just had a very bossy friend!)
Mr Right From The Start is a humorous memoir about how a forty-something single mother of two kids reunites with her childhood sweetheart after a thirty-year separation, only to find him living on the opposite side of the world in California. Claire first met Bug at boarding school in England when she was thirteen years old. As an innocent schoolgirl, she was in awe of the cool, rule-breaking Bug, and crawled through a hole he made in the school fence to meet in secret. He was her first boyfriend, her first kiss, her first love.
Thirty years later, she rediscovers Bug on a school reunion website and sends a careless, drunken email, never imagining it would ignite a passionate rekindling of the old flames. During an intensely romantic, transatlantic courtship, every bit as tumultuous as the ocean that separates them, nothing is as it seems. From reuniting outside a supermarket of all places, to the first time they make love, to the first time their families meet, the only thing Claire can guarantee is that it will not be as she planned. As she hurtles from one hilarious situation to another, she starts to ask why Bug seems to be smitten and whether his rock-like love can withstand her disastrous birthday treats, an entire evening of laughing about his penis and the worst sexy talk he has ever heard.
Bug’s unconditional love pushes Claire to her limits, but helps her find her true self and gain confidence in her body and her sexuality, as they both come to terms with ghosts from their pasts. But can their love withstand the onslaught of terrible teenage tantrums, hostile family members, a nasty nickname of The Black Deathwatch Beetle and midlife menopausal body issues. Will their love be enough for them to take the leap of faith needed to merge their unruly families in order to be together?
Podcast
I started a Podcast: The Bonkers Brit. I talk about random nonsense that I find funny, interesting or embarrassing. I have guests and tell funny stories. Take a listen – you will end up knowing far too much personal information about me and my family and friends. (Currently paused to allow time for storytelling.)
Episodes can be found here.
Books
As a writer, I co-founded a writing group called Write on Mamas! which had over 60 members worldwide and published two anthologies. I have been published in the following anthologies:
She’s Got This! Essays on Standing Strong and Moving On
2019 San Francisco Book Festival Award Winner and 2019 Kindle Book Awards Finalist:
Bold and unapologetic, the essays featured in this powerful collection exemplify strength and resilience as these 46 writers--published authors as well as fresh voices--take their truths public. Filled with hope, humor, and determination, these stories tackle love, loss, friendship, identity, and parenthood. She's Got This is their anthem, one that will resonate with women everywhere.
Nothing But The Truth So Help Me God – Transitions
From becoming a mother to dealing with religion, recovery from disease and addiction to starting a business, this new anthology of essays and art sheds light on all the times along our evolution when changes shake us up and make us who we are. 73 Women on Life’s Transitions features work from NY Times best-selling authors Kelly Corrigan and Gabrielle Bernstein, notable trailblazers like Belva Davis and Rita Henley Jensen, esteemed businesswomen like Janet Hanson and social entrepreneurs like Megan Calhoun
Reviews
“Read this book if you want to feel like you're catching up with an old friend.”
- Jennifer Siebel Newsom, CEO of The Representation Project, Filmmaker, Mother, and Second Lady of California
“[This] is a testament to what is possible when we show up for our sisters.”
-Eve Ensler, playwright, performer, and activist
“[This series shows] women change each other's lives just by being there for one another.”
-Arianna Huffington
“[This series] captures the spirit of the personal as political and will inspire the reader to find her own voice.”
-Katherine Spillar, executive editor, Ms. Magazine
Mamas Write: 29 Tales of Truth, Wit, and Grit
In Mamas Write: 29 Tales of Truth, Wit, and Grit, twenty-four moms (and one dad) share stories from their lives as writers and parents. Essays range from finding one’s calling as a writer through adopting a toddler; a tribute to a dying wife; an account of a premature birth; raising a transgender child; the joys of sharing a favorite childhood book. In a concluding interview, authors share funny and heartfelt responses to questions such as:
“How does a busy parent make time for writing?”
“Why do you write, and where?”
“What writing books inspire you?”
and “What holds you back from writing?”