If you’ve read even a few of my writings (books, blogs, newsletters) you know I’m really big on storytelling. The truth is, our brains are wired for stories. Science is now proving what life experience has always shown: we feel before we think. It’s stories that attract us, stories that help us learn the most, stories that get us to buy, or click, or act.

Meet Nimisha Ladva.  Nimisha is an award-winning Master Storyteller. But she wasn’t always. Once she was a frightened, confused, insecure little immigrant child in England. How she got from that little girl to where she is today is the subject of many of her stories.

Are you familiar with Veggie Tales, the kids’ cartoon? There’s a funny line Larry the Cucumber said to Bob the Tomato once, after they heard a story: “I laughed, I cried, it moved me, Bob.” That’s what a good storyteller can do, and that’s what Nimisha does.

I was recently invited to hear Nimisha tell her story at First Person Arts in Philadelphia on Tuesday, November 15, and I wanted to pass it on to all my readers. First Person Arts (FPA) is a performing arts organization in Philadelphia dedicated to a mission: “Everyone has a story to tell, and sharing these stories connects us with each other and the world.”

It’s a great opportunity not only to learn more about the power of storytelling, but to be moved by the personal story of a terrific lady.

Here’s what the website says about her production, Uninvited Girl: An Immigrant Story: “A wardrobe malfunction, an arrest, and an impossible romance: for one immigrant, the hardest journey begins after she arrives in her new country. In this one-woman show by author and award-winning storyteller Nimisha Ladva, get ready to experience what happens when the rules of “where you’re from” and “where you want to be” compete and collapse in humorous, humbling, and dangerous ways.”

I hope you are able to come. If you see me feel free to say hello. In the meantime, enjoy this great example of her storytelling:

Nimisha Ladva: “Thanks a Lot”