Storyteller Spotlight: Nancy Francese
Nancy Francese represented Team 70s at our Holiday '24 show! She closed the night in formidable fashion, moving us all to (heartfelt and hopeful!) tears as she shared the story of her life and love with her husband.
Nancy taught English, Journalism and Developmental Reading for 25 years at Freehold Township High School, retiring in 2011. She also taught Creative Writing and Developmental Reading at Ocean County College and Brookdale Community College for eight years. Nancy has had three memoir pieces published in Bright Flash Literary Review, Sad Girls Literary Magazine and The Dewdrop. Currently she is working on her first draft of a book length memoir about her experiences living on a farm in Ohio, attending college as a single mom, and her teaching career. She lives in Red Bank, is an avid golfer and can often be seen with her grandchildren at Crazee’s.
What’s the best (or maybe, worst?!) advice you’ve ever received?
Worst advice ever given to me on my first day of teaching high school by an “experienced” teacher: Your students will never trust you. They have a fraternity that you will never be a part of. It’s you vs them. On my second day of teaching I decided I would never be that teacher!
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Reach for the brass ring - always.
What’s something that always brings you back to yourself when life feels chaotic?
Being at the ocean calms my soul.
What’s a belief or mindset shift that changed your life?
Going through a difficult divorce, I realized that I didn’t want to come to the end of my life and find that I hadn’t lived my life.
What surprised you most about telling your story on stage?”
How much I was reliving the story as I read it.
What advice might you give to a first-time storyteller?
Go for it!
If your younger self could see you now, what would they be most surprised by?
That I am in fact living my life and not at the end of someone else’s.
What’s a fun fact about you that most people don’t know?
That I know the words to an Indian rain dance. I just can’t remember if it is to bring the rains or stop them!
What’s a book, movie, or TV show you’ve rewatched or reread multiple times, and why?
Out of Africa. I was completely mesmerized by Meryl Streep’s portrayal of the life of Isak Dinesen. She was definitely her own woman.