Stories on Stage Davis: Scott Alumbaugh & Katherine Nolan

On Saturday, February 10, Stories on Stage Davis will present  at the Pence Gallery in downtown Davis. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the event starts at 7:30. The event is free to attend and donations are welcome at the door. 

The event will follow the series’ usual format of two stories by local authors read aloud by local actors. Copies of the authors’ books will be available for purchase and signing.

First, an excerpt from On the Pony Express Trail: One Man’s Journey to Discover History from a Different Kind of Saddle by Scott Alumbaugh will be read by a local actor (TBD). Follow Alumbaugh as he encounters twists and turns, mud and cow wallows, elation and frustration while bikepacking the Pony Express Trail. Told with a mix of humor, detailed description, and historical research, this excerpt will take you for a scenic, enjoyable, and informative ride. 

Scott Alumbaugh is the author of On the Pony Express Trail: One Man’s Journey to Discover History from a Different Kind of Saddle. His works also include: a novella, Will Kill for Food; short fiction published in StoryQuarterly, Kestrel, Hunger Mountain Review, Black Fork Review, and Meat for Tea; and non-fiction published Overland Quarterly, little somethings press, and elsewhere. Alumbaugh is an avid cyclist who has ridden numerous ultra-distance events. He was so taken with the Pony Express that at age 62 he bikepacked 1,400 miles of the trail from St. Joseph, Missouri to Salt Lake City, Utah. His journey took five weeks on a route that was mostly off-road. Scott formerly practiced business litigation in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. 

Second, a chapter from Aphrodite in Jeans by Katherine Nolan will be read by a local actor (TBD). “The Napalm Incident” takes something very private—pubic hair removal—and turns it into a relatable, hilarious, and cringe-worthy tale of self-care for all to hear. This bold narrative suggests the importance of female empowerment, of feeling good in your own body and in your relationships.

Katherine Nolan wrote Aphrodite in Jeans in 2005, after an abundance of notes, blog posts, observations, and just darn good (i.e., bad) dating stories demanded to live in one place. Katherine writes and produces for the stage and is currently working on a musical and several other plays, along with an upcoming production of Hail Poetry: The Magic and Madness of Gilbert & Sullivan which was first performed at Soka University in 2016.  She also gets obsessive about bicycles and annually tackles the 545-mile AIDS bike ride from SF to LA. Thankfully she quit her day job in tech management so she finally has time to over-commit fully. Katherine has a degree in Creative Writing from UCSC and an MFA in Film and Television Screenwriting from UCLA. She lives in LA with her husband Roger and their two cats, Franny and Zooey.

Stories on Stage Davis is a fiscally sponsored project of YoloArts, a non-profit arts organization, and is supported by the 2022 City of Davis Arts Grant (funded by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, a California Non-Profit Corporation). For more information, including previous podcast episodes and live events, go to the Stories on Stage Davis website: storiesonstagedavis.com.