Reflections, Stage Time & Purple 78

My grip slackened for what seemed like the tenth time, and my pen rolled off the smooth paper onto the mattress. StageTime & Wine had only just begun, but I had already discovered how difficult taking notes at my final Stage Time would be. More and more, I found I wanted to listen without pausing to scribble down a moment or a turn of phrase.

Eventually, I just gave up, settled back into the pillow, and contented myself with listening. It’s funny, what you remember without notes. You remember people’s nervousness in front of the microphone, because it reflects your own, and because you join the crowd eagerly in helping that nervousness dissipate. You remember the sound of someone’s voice,and the sentiment behind the song rather than the specific lyrics. You remember the theme of a story, the sense of a moment, the feeling of a night rather than a title or a name or a progression.

That night, Holly’s clear, resonant voice carried us through a musical recovering from heartbreak. Joyce’s light exuberance interwove with the strumming on her ukelele as she and a friend sang a few songs. Max’s incisive playfulness trickled through the audience, popping pockets of laughter in the crowd as he read a new piece of writing. Simmo’s easy-going demeanor was quickly overtaken by the strength of his voice. After he finished, the audience called him back for a rendition of “House of the Rising Sun”. Channy’s surprise drag performance of “Don’t Stop me Now” delighted us all.

Midway through the night, I decided to go up for my third and final time. I rarely share at Stage Time, preferring to write about and talk with those who do, but I felt compelled to speak at my last. Over the months of volunteering with the Red Room, it had expanded from event to platform; platform to community; community to family. Being a part of Red Room added an experience to my life that expands and metamorphosed from month to month in such a way that it is impossible to summarize. The volunteers who lift up Red Room and who build it, are such a diverse group of loving individuals, and I’m grateful to have known them. All I can say is this, if you have attended a Red Room event, take a moment to speak with the volunteers and, maybe, if you have a few hours every month, volunteer yourself. It will be worth your time.

Leah List is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan’s Political Science and International Studies program. She is an aspiring writer, researcher, human rights advocate and a believer in the importance of storytelling. She is also a volunteer at the Red Room.