Reclamation: The Fempire Strikes Back

Women give voice to the things we aren't supposed to talk about.

BUY TICKETS FOR RECLAMATION HERE!
This 90 minute show is an unapologetic exploration of womanhood through storytelling and stand-up comedy.

During this time when women’s rights, voices, and truth are often suppressed, supporting female-run productions and performances is an act of resistance. Join these dynamic writers and comedians on Thursday, August 15th at 7 pm at Muse in Lafayette. Seats are limited, so buy early and save $10 with promo code: FEMPIRE.

Tickets here.

Connect and write with me!

• Sign up for Writing Divorce, an intimate small group workshop for writers of all levels to process and explore elements of divorce we aren’t supposed to talk or write about. Space is limited; learn more and enroll here.

• Interested in being part of a small, weekly therapeutic writing circle, either in person or virtually? Fill out this interest survey to receive more info and share your preferences—no commitment!

• Join us for another 3-week Writing our Eras creative writing workshop, beginning August 12th! Learn more here.

• Grab your tickets for Reclamation: The Fempire Strikes Back here.

I have such a complicated relationship with the word “unapologetic.” I’ve often described myself as “apologetically unapologetic,” and that’s kind of the best I can do. When you are a recovering Midwest Good Girl, you’re served up politeness and people-pleasing alongside your loose meat sandwich, and the result is a lifetime of accidentally belching up apologies. Followed by an apology for the belching itself. I even wrote a satire piece for the Belladonna Comedy called, I Apologize For My Memoir, but was it *really* satire. . .?

Disclaimers, permission-seeking, and apologies. . . ahhh the holy trinity of the reformed nice girl. For over a decade I’ve been writing openly and honestly about all kinds of things we aren’t supposed to talk about. Back when I was in the Code Brown Naptime trenches of motherhood, I mainly focused on maternal identity and ambivalence. Now I’ve moved on to even more taboo subjects: divorce, relationships, and perimenopause.

When I started producing Listen To Your Mother in 2016, it was really important to me to curate a set of stories that did not glorify or sugarcoat motherhood. The last thing women need is another tone-deaf proclamation from moms who “wouldn’t have it any other way,” after pulling a muscle in their back whilst fishing craisin-speckled feces out of the bathtub. I wanted women reading raw, real, revolutionary stories about what it means to be a mother and to have a mother.

And in the past year, I’ve expanded my subject matter to reflect where I’m at in my own life. My oldest child leaves for college in two short weeks; my youngest becomes a teenager shortly thereafter. Nobody is shitting in the bathtub anymore (generally speaking) and nobody wants clever anecdotes about that time they had the worst sleepover birthday party ever spewed onto the internet. It’s time to move on, to diversify, as they say in the finance world. (Is that true? You guys, I have no idea.)

For the past year as I’ve been podcasting, finishing my memoir, and performing in / producing comedy shows, it’s been so refreshing to explore topics aside from motherhood for a change, but I find that no matter what I’m writing or talking about, there’s still a common thread: the shit we aren’t supposed to say out loud.

I LOVE talking about that stuff. From neurodivergence to therapy to midlife to single motherhood, I would so much rather share openly than stick to more refined subject matter. Women are so often encouraged not to be honest when it comes to discussing our bodies, fertility, relationships, careers, sex lives, and motherhood experiences. We are supposed to play nice in the sandbox when encountering bullshit co-parenting dynamics, thinly veiled misogyny, and sexism in the workplace; people will call us “crazy / bitch / too sensitive / a Karen / over-reactive / drama queens” if we are honest.

Well, fuck that.

On August 15th, Zoe Rogers and I are teaming up to bring you a dynamic lineup of badass women telling it like it is when it comes to aging, body image, sexuality, motherhood, relationships, reproductive rights, menopause, and more. With four storytellers and four stand-up comics, this 90-minute show is brimming with women saying all those things we aren’t supposed to say out loud, OUT LOUD.

We are hoping to present the Reclamation series regularly, and if you are a writer or stand-up comic who is interested in participating in the future, please come to our first show on Thursday, August 15th so you have an idea what we are looking for, and then stay tuned for more opportunities!

Seats are limited, as this is an intimate venue, so buy tickets ASAP here.

Now, meet the incredible ladies taking the stage next week:

Eunice Brownlee has spent her life telling stories across many mediums. As a multi-passionate creative, she’s used photography, marketing, writing, and public speaking to connect her message to the world. Because the heart of building community begins with sharing stories, Eunice uses her stories to connect, heal, and inspire change. Eunice spends time teaching others the craft of story in her speaking and writing practice. She has coached speakers in telling their stories with WomanSpeak and TEDxFolsom. When she’s not using her voice, she can be found seeking her next passport stamp and drinking wine. 

Heather Gray FDN-P is a hilarious stand-up comedian who transforms life’s chaos into comedy gold. As a Functional Practitioner battling Lyme Disease, she finds the funny in the everyday “shit show” of her life. When she’s not on stage, she’s inspiring, educating, and entertaining as an author and podcast host. Get ready to laugh and be uplifted by her unique blend of wit and wisdom!

Gabby Gutierrez-Reed is a comedian, writer, actor, and filmmaker in Denver, Colorado. She’s been in High Plains Comedy Festival, 10,000 Laughs Festival, and Limestone Comedy Fest. 

Ellen Nordberg is a freelance writer and storyteller who has performed her stand-up comedy and essays in Moms Unhinged, the Listen to Your Mother Show, the Narrators, and the Boulder Story Collective. Her essays have been published in the LA Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, the Denver Post, the Huffington Post, and 5280 magazine. Her works have been featured by Stories on Stage. Ellen lives in Louisville where she teaches water aerobics and collects cat towers.

Stacy Pedersen has almost died several times, was raised by hippie parents, and has accidentally blown the button off her pants on more than one occasion. She recently won first place out of comedians in “Colorado’s Got Talent” and appears in many commercials. She is a national speaker and likes to speak to organizations of all types for the simple fact she gets to stay in hotels, and hotels have housekeepers. She also suffers from terrible stage fright.

Jenn Yee is a writer, comedian, friend, and mother. Jenn found storytelling and comedy in mid-life and performs along the Front Range, appearing in the casts of Moms Unhinged Comedy, Story Collective Boulder, Listen To Your Mother, and The Matriarchy Presents. This summer Jenn made her debut outside the continental U.S. in Juneau, Alaska. Learn more about performances, writing, and other creative work at jennyee.me.

Stephanie Sprenger is a writer, producer, podcaster, and stand-up comic. Her work has been published in O Magazine, The Washington Post, Brain, Child Magazine, Cosmopolitan.com, the Huffington Post, Mutha Magazine, the Belladonna Comedy, and Scary Mommy. She is co-host of the Mother Plus Podcast and co-editor of Midstory Magazine. Stephanie writes about the intersection of midlife, single motherhood, and neurodivergence on Substack at The Reclamation Era. She lives with her tween and teen daughters and two clingy rescue dogs, and runs on coffee and Taylor Swift. Stephanie is working on a memoir. 

Zoe Rogers gets inspiration and sleep deprivation from her three awesome kids, who make sure life is never dull or quiet. She has been featured on Nickmom.com, Disney Babble Up Late, Edinburgh Fringe, Laugh Factory, Jimmy Kimmel's Comedy Club, Laughing Skull Comedy Festival and was chosen to host and perform in the CSCLA Gilda Gala. She is the creator of Boulder Comedy Festival.

Can’t wait to see you next week at The Muse Performance Space in Lafayette on Thursday, August 15th at 7:00 pm!

Grab tickets here!

XOXO,
Steph

Connect and write with me!

• Sign up for Writing Divorce, an intimate small group workshop for writers of all levels to process and explore elements of divorce we aren’t supposed to talk or write about. Space is limited; learn more and enroll here.

• Join us for another 3-week Writing our Eras creative writing workshop, beginning August 12th! Learn more here.

• Interested in being part of a small, weekly therapeutic writing circle, either in person or virtually? Fill out this interest survey to receive more info and share your preferences—no commitment!

• Grab your tickets for Reclamation: The Fempire Strikes Back here.

• Upgrade your subscription this month for only $30/annually to receive access to bonus content.