We were lucky enough to just miss the frigid weather that might have impacted our winter EXperience with the theme “Night Out.” The dynamic emcee duo of Alea and John welcomed the crowd with good energy and laughter. Freight 38 is an intimate setting with flickering candles, low lighting, and gold wrapped mirrors that give a mystical, relaxing atmosphere that you hardly want to leave.

The event featured three curated tellers from the community to share their Night Out story. Jason Hillman, a prolific speaker, stand up comic, writer, director, photographer, podcaster, and all around creator, kicked off our event with a hilarious story reminiscing the start of the COVID pandemic and its impact on his comedy career. He brought excitement and energy to the stage and aimed to make the audience giggle. Success.

DJ Gemini Gilly followed, sharing her story of experiencing racism as a student at UW-Madison and desperately wanting to drop out. From those difficult times, Gilly found her drive for creating brave spaces for folks to come together and enjoy themselves, which led to her chasing her dream of becoming a DJ. Gilly’s story reminded us that degrees and jobs mean little when they aren’t making you happy or uplifting others around you.

Our third featured teller was Karen Valentine, a beloved drag queen and philanthropist in Milwaukee. Her story highlighted her love for drag as an expression of self, an escape, and a way to just have fun! Karen embodies silliness and being the most fascinating in the room and we love her for it.

Karen Valentine graces the Ex Fabula stage

A lovely addition to the stories shared were thoughtfully curated games for the audience. Tables played Never Have I Ever. My table shared scandalous travel stories and personal stories of work, love, and life. While nervous due to the on-the-spot nature, I found myself warming up to the game and sharing more than I intended. I connected with my table and felt closer to them after hearing what they had to share.

Stories from the audience filled us with gut-aching laughter and disbelief. Gracing the stage that evening were Des Constantineau , Monica Thomas, and Wayne Hickson. The diverse group of stories highlighted silliness, ingenuity, and good times on a night out.

Thank you to Freight 38 for hosting our intimate event. Shout out to our featured tellers for sharing their unique stories on our community stage. And always, bravo to our brave audience for sharing stories and UltraShorts. Ex Fabula is always honored to have you in our space.