, , , “Helena - 'Getting Away with It' Part 2”

Our podcast today was recorded in front of a live audience on May 9, 2019, at The Myrna Loy in Helena, MT. 8 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Getting Away With It”. Today we hear from four of those storytellers.

Aaron Parrett, along with his band of misfits, buys weed from the Deputy Sheriff in Anchorage, Alaska, then have to figure out how to get it across the Canadian border. Aaron calls his story “Dux Femina Facti”.

Aaron Parrett is a professor of English at the University of Providence. His most recent book is MAPLE & LEAD, a collection of short stories with woodcuts by Seth Roby. He also runs The Territorial Press in Helena, Montana, devoted to fine letterpress editions of hand-crafted Montana literature. Learn more about Aaron at aaronparrett.org.

Maddi Weisberg, is on a road trip with her good friend on their way to attend a mutual friend’s wedding. They barely avoid death, as a stray airborne tire smashes into their car. Maddi calls her story “The One Where They Almost Died”.


Madi Weisberg is an adventure seeker, who loves the security of a familiar routine. Born and raised in the flat suburbs of Detroit, she became enamored with the mountains during a love affair with Western North Carolina. She landed in Helena 2 1/2 years ago, wary, but eager to settle down. Now equipped with a dog, a state job, and a reduced tolerance for traffic, Helena is home.

Melissa Quale shares her tale of poor decision making in Europe. She calls her story “Stonechip in the Windscreen and other Misadventures in Ireland”.


Melissa Quale is a native Montanan who returned home about five years ago after living in Seattle, — Washington D.C., and San Francisco. It was in San Francisco that she became interested in storytelling through the Moth story slam events. Melissa is an avid traveler and seeker of adventure.

Virginia Reeves explores the difference between criminals and non-criminals, in a wild ride from Montana, to Ohio and back. She calls her story “Toast”.

Virginia Reeves teaches writing, communications, and literature at Helena College, where she also founded the Necessary Narratives program–a service that helps students identify, craft, and record their own personal stories. Learn about her project, at necessarynarratives.org.

Virginia’s first novel, Work Like Any Other, was long-listed for the 2016 Man Booker Prize, and her second novel, The Behavior of Love, was released in early May 2019.
She’s listened to many stories about criminal records and has realized that the line we draw between criminals and non-criminals, is more about timing and luck, than about actual individuals. Learn more about Virginia and her work at virginia-reeves.com.