The Nameless Club
A history of storytelling revived in Western New York
Author’s note: The contents of this essay are hyperlocal, but may provide some inspiration to those seeking community at this time. Please listen to the audio for more about the event itself. Cheers!
So here’s the story.
My husband, Chip, and I first heard about William Pryor Letchworth’s “Nameless Club” at a lecture given by Letchworth State Park environmental educator Conrad Baker at Three Falls Cider in Castile last year. Conrad said the club was comprised of friends and writers Mr. Letchworth would invite to his home at Glen Iris to read literature and poetry.
Right then, as Conrad continued his talk, Chip texted our resident arts and entertainment expert Josh Rice to tell him about the club. Later, we all talked about adopting our own modern-day Nameless Club, beginning a new storytelling tradition right in Mr. Letchworth’s backyard.
It finally happened the first Friday of March at Theater at 37 on Main Street in Perry.
About 20 or so people gathered in the theater for the new Nameless Club’s first meeting. Anyone who wanted to tell a story was invited to step up to the mic and do so. The event was inspired, in part, by storytelling events like The Moth, but we wanted to keep it as casual as we could. Participants were asked to share true, personal stories and to try to keep them around five minutes long.
What unfolded exceeded our expectations.
Over the next hour or so, about a dozen people gave the audience a peek into meaningful moments in their lives through story — the tales were heartfelt, touching, funny, harrowing, inspiring, and they all played into the night’s theme of resilience.
In a time dominated by screens and short attention spans, something about this very ancient practice of humans gathering to tell stories felt new. It also felt very comforting.
As we filed out of the theater, one thing was clear: we had to do it again.
We’ll of course keep you posted on the next meeting of The Nameless Club. We very much hope you’ll join us.
This essay originally appeared in my column in the March 13, 2025 edition of the Perry Herald in Perry, NY.
I would love to come to something like this, I have so many stories to tell.