A Green Tailed Monkey Story

by Cynthia Wands

Artwork by Cynthia Wands

I loved this story by Karen Zacarias – it seems to resonate with my life right now.

As a writer, writing alone, and as an audience member, who doesn’t always feel included in what I’m watching onstage – I loved her story about moving about in the world, and feeling alone. 

Recently I met some friends of friends, through our early theater careers, and we traded names like collected baseball cards. We talked about actors and their personal lives and relationships and gossip from decades ago like it was a soap opera happening now.

It reminded me of how attached I’ve become to stories of the past – and how my writing tends to gravitate to some of my own mythology.

What I love about this Ted Talk – is that Karen Zacarias is not a great storyteller. She’s nervous, trips over herself, loses a word and can’t quite keep the thread of the story going.  But she’s a writer, not an actor, so there’s an authenticity that’s so heartfelt. 

I was glad to find this story today.

The Green Tailed Monkey Story by Karen Zacarias