<figure><figcaption> Untold Stories. A WJCT Public Media and Florida Threatre Production.(Morgan Gesell, Rain Henderson)</figcaption></figure>

Dive into the profound and unexpected journeys of four remarkable individuals in "Untold Stories: Fish Out of Water, Part 1." This episode, recorded live at the iconic Florida Theatre on August 6th, 2022, the episode encapsulates the essence of embracing one's uniqueness in unfamiliar waters.

At the heart of each episode of 'Untold Stories' is the artistic director, Barbara Colaciello from BAB'S LAB, who expertly curates narratives, provides guidance to storytellers, and hosts the live events with finesse.

Michael Jordan, a musician from St. Augustine, opens the show with his enchanting music, embodying themes of water and self-discovery. His song "Sow" resonates with the theme, narrating the poignant tale of leaving home and finding oneself in the world. Jordan's unique guitar techniques and heartfelt lyrics set a contemplative tone for the evening.

Antoinette Johnson takes us on a rollercoaster of emotions, detailing her shift from a U.S. Army veteran to a beacon of hope and support through her enterprise, TrueJoy. Her narrative is a patchwork of challenges, rejections, and eventual triumph in Jacksonville, painting a vivid picture of resilience and the unexpected joy of finding one's tribe in the least likely places.

Ana Ng's narrative weaves through continents, explorinag her layered identity as a Panamanian-Chinese American. Her story, punctuated by cultural clashes and linguistic hurdles, offers a window into the life of a multicultural individual forging her path amidst diverse worlds. Ng's tale is a colorful mosaic of struggles and triumphs, echoing the complexities of a life lived across borders.

Grant Nielson provides a refreshing perspective on embracing one's quirks in a conformist world. Growing up vegetarian in a predominantly meat-eating community, his journey is laced with humor and introspection. Nielson's experiences, from childhood misunderstandings to finding his creative niche, underline the episode's theme: there's extraordinary power in owning your uniqueness.

Transcript

Please note that the following transcript has been generated by automated technology. While efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, there may be errors, inconsistencies, or deviations from the original audio. We encourage listeners to refer to the actual podcast episode for complete and accurate content. This transcript is provided for convenience and may not fully capture the nuances of the spoken word.

David Luckin
(jazz music)
- Welcome to Untold Stories,
a production of the Florida Theater and WJCT Public Media.
Tonight's program was recorded August 6th, 2022.
The theme, fish out of water.

Barbara Colaciello
We always start off with a musical act
and tonight we have a very special guest, Michael Jordan.
Michael lives in St. Augustine, he's been here since 2011.
He's a wonderful musician.
He plays guitar in a whole different way,
so I'm not going to explain it,
you're just going to be seeing it.
He does deal with themes of water
and that was perfect for this particular theme,
fish out of water.
So please welcome Michael Jordan.
(audience applauding)

Michael Jordan
Hello.
It is my immense pleasure to be here and play for you guys.
The song is about leaving home for the first time
and being out in the world by yourself.
That can happen when you're 18,
that can happen when you're 12, 42.
It's called "Sow," as in you sow the fields.
(gentle music)
(birds chirping)
(gentle music)
(birds chirping)
(gentle music)
(birds chirping)
(gentle music)
(birds chirping)
(gentle music)
♪ When I left my home ♪
♪ As a boy on my own ♪
♪ I was alone ♪
♪ My mama said, "Son, be patient with all you can ♪
♪ To be a man, Lord, if you can." ♪
♪ And sow ♪
(gentle music)
♪ When I left my home ♪
♪ As a boy on my own ♪
♪ I was alone ♪
♪ My daddy had said, "Son, work hard with your hands ♪
♪ To be a man, Lord, if you can." ♪
♪ And sow ♪
(gentle music)
♪ When I left my home ♪
♪ As a boy on my own ♪
♪ I was alone ♪
♪ Trying to find my ♪
♪ My third eye, eye, eye, eye, eye ♪
♪ When I left my home ♪
♪ Trying to find my third eye, eye, eye, eye ♪
♪ Thought I was blind ♪
♪ 'Til I met myself in a dream where I said, "Son, ♪
♪ "Why don't you look inside? ♪
♪ "Your eyes are fine, eyes are fine." ♪
♪ And sow ♪
(gentle music)
♪ And sow the fields of love ♪
♪ And sow the fields of love ♪
♪ And sow the fields of love ♪
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you, thank you.

Barbara Colaciello
So beautiful. Thank you for starting off tonight, Michael.
Didn't that make you want to dance?
Well guess what?
I always get people up on their feet.
I think it's important that we move and we groove.
And so I was thinking, alright, you know, I always try to come up with a dance
and the theme is fish out of water.
So I have been watching videos of fishermen casting off a line. "I don't fish."
So it was really interesting because everyone has some kind of British accent
who is telling you what to do about the fish.
So we're going to get up and we're going to do the stance of casting off the line.
So everyone up.
Come on, come on. And I can see you.
So I know.
Okay, so Jeremy is going to give us some music.
Got the rod.

[music]
♪ This seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake. ♪

Barbara Colaciello
Oh, you guys are doing great.
You didn't know you were going to get an aerobic workout.
Thank you.
[applause]
Oh, they're not sitting down. They want to do more.
That was under the sea with a beat.
You don't know how long that took me to find a song for this, okay?
These are the things I do at night instead of go to bed.
So, we are going to begin the evening.
Our first storyteller is a very special person in my life.
I'm going to focus on how I meet people.
I don't know, sometime, maybe 2008, 2005, I really don't know the date.
But I--Antoinette Johnson walked into Players by the Sea
where I was going to be directing a play, Gem of the Ocean.
There were two female characters in that play, and she walked in.
One character was 29 years old.
The other one was 265 years old.
It's an August Wilson play, and that woman, Aunt Esther, embodies the history,
the African-American history in the United States.
So she comes in, of course. I have a read for the younger woman.
She actually is 28 years old.
And as she's reading, I'm looking at her face and the way she's using it and moving it,
and I just said, "Okay, can you read for Aunt Esther?"
And she said, "Well, I was going to suggest that, but I thought you'd think I'm crazy."
Anyway, she read for Aunt Esther. She became Aunt Esther.
She just was amazing.
And so tonight, when you hear her story, maybe it'll make sense, what I just told you.
Toni is a spiritual theologian. She has a company, TrueJoy,
which becomes a bridge for people that need help, and she's a special, special lady.
Please, please welcome Antoinette Johnson.
[applause]

Antoinette Johnson
Hi, everybody.
So I got to Jacksonville in 2006. I had just gotten out of the Army.
I was stationed up in Fort Stewart, Georgia, and every time I had to leave,
I would come to Jacksonville. I absolutely loved it.
One thing that I loved the most was every time I crossed the Georgia-Florida border,
it was like the sun would just come out from behind the clouds.
It was absolutely amazing. So I decided I was going to set up roots here in Jacksonville.
Well, the first three apartments I got here were on month-to-month leases,
and they were infested with everything from German cockroaches to palmettos to rats and mold.
Okay, that's different.
Then I started my job search, and it seemed like everywhere I went,
oh, no, you are, like, way too overqualified.
We think you're going to get bored here. All right.
So jobs are a little challenging.
But then I started to try to make friends, and for me, I go to the usual places,
you know, churches, local clubs, bars, salons, things like that.
I also got on a couple online dating sites, and I met nothing but swindlers, users,
and people that were in such dire financial need that they were willing to do anything to get those needs met,
including in a few cases steal from me.
So after about eight months of feeling completely rejected by this village disguised cleverly as a city,
I thought, okay, that's it, Jacksonville, I've had enough.
So I was living on Old Kings Road, and I decided, let me pack up everything,
I'm going to get out of Florida, that's it, I'm heading up to Savannah, I'm getting out of Dodge.
Pack up my car, I'm driving down University Boulevard,
I get off on the University and about an exit, and my car decides to break down.
Okay, universe, all right, you're trying to tell me something, I'm not sure what, but plan A, let me call up the family.
Hey, Auntie, yeah, my car just broke down, and, oh, no, oh, you know what, no problem, it's all good.
Next person, hey, cuz, yeah, yeah, yeah, what's going on, huh, how's Juneburg, okay, cool, cool, cool, cool.
Well, you know, my c