The Bard’s Cloak of Tales Farewell Tour
Big announcement time.
It’s been ten years since I started doing storytelling at Renaissance Faires, the same year I completed work on my Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. A lot has happened since then. I’ve written over a dozen books. Had another child. Decided to go to grad school. Been a featured guest at multiple conventions. I’ve even suffered a mental and emotional breakdown. So, yeah, a lot has happened, and life isn’t slowing down. That first year, I performed at four faires, and I made the choice to go back to faire in order to help make ends meet while finishing my BA. It seems fitting that ten later, I am preparing to submit and defend my thesis for my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.
After some heavy thinking this weekend at the Tulare County Renaissance Festival, I’ve decided to announce that this year’s Renaissance Faire season is the Bard’s Cloak or Tales Farewell Tour.
What does “Farewell Tour” mean?
Starting in 2019, I’m going to make Renaissance Faires less of a priority, which means I’ll be performing the Bard’s Cloak of Tales show less frequently. I have a few events that I’ll keep in contact with, but for the most part, I need to scale way back.
Why?
- This last weekend, I performed at my first faire of the year, but it’s my seventh event of the year. I’ve already been across the country once, halfway across the country another time, down to Southern California, among other traveling. It’s getting so I can’t squeeze everything in.
- Every year some events don’t happen. Every year some new events pop up. Keeping track and trying to maintain something resembling a steady income is challenging.
- I’m going to be teaching. The whole point of going to grad school was so I could teach writing in college. This will make traveling far more challenging.
- Between my appearances schedule over the last two years and grad school, I’ve seriously neglected my personal writing. I feel blessed that my fans have been patient with the next installment of Tears of Rage, Halloween Jack, and Dead Weight. Above and beyond those, I have more half-finished writing projects than I can count on one, possibly both hands.
- Ultimately, I’ve reached the point when I’m making writing a priority over the storytelling show.
For the record, I am not giving up storytelling completely. I love both entertaining people with stories far too much to make a full stop. However, I will be far more selective about which events I attend, both conventions and Renaissance Faires. I may also look into promoting my own storytelling events a few times a year. So, you’ll still have the opportunity to see me from time to time, just not as frequently as in the past; because books won’t write themselves.
Thanks to all the promoters who have allowed me the privilege of entertaining their crowds over the last decade. Thanks to all the people who have come to my shows and laughed with me and at me. Especially, thank you to those of you who kept coming to the shows, again and again, who bought, read, and loved my books early on so I could grow my storytelling show into a writing career.
