Midlife Monologues™ Presented by Hot in Charleston Celebrates Third Year of Transformative Storytelling for 1,000 Women Across Generations

Award-winning authors, actors and singers express the aching beauty, ruptures and potential for rebirth along the arc of a woman’s life

CHARLESTON, S.C., Nov. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Midlife Monologues™ Presented by Hot in Charleston, the groundbreaking multi-genre artistic ensemble of award-winning authors, musicians and creatives, will launch its third year of transformative storytelling before 1,000 women at the Charleston Music Hall on March 12, 2025. PURE Theatre and Buxton Books of Charleston are key partners in the event. Tickets are available at https://www.midlife-monologues.com/

Originated and produced by Kerri Devine, founder of Hot in Charleston — an online community on midlife, motherhood and menopause — Midlife Monologues™ features nationally-renowned literary and cross-genre artists in soul-sustaining storytelling on the arc of a woman’s life. The event builds upon last year’s Midlife Monologues^™ — two sold-out shows bringing audiences to their feet at PURE Theatre — and World Menopause Day Charleston 2022, that first recognized the power of literary expression in women’s mental and physical wellness.

Midlife Monologues^™ 2025 features Kate Baer, a Number One New York Times-bestselling author and poet; Mary Laura Philpott, NPR and New York Times list-topping memoirist; Tara Stringfellow, “Read with Jenna” bestselling author; Abi Carter, singer-songwriter and 2024 American Idol winner; Kelley Jakle, actor and singer-songwriter; Quiana Parler, two-time Grammy-winning vocalist; Hayes Warner, pop star and People Magazine Emerging Artist to Watch; Sharon Graci, PURE Theatre co-founder and award-winning director; Joy Vandervort Cobb, noted stage and voice actor; Stephanie Hunt, lifestyle author, journalist and community leader; Maria White, award-winning potter, filmmaker and health advocate, and Kerri Devine, an award-winning essayist. PURE ensemble actors will also appear in the show.

Inspired by memoirist, Patricia Hampl’s mantra, “You tell me your story, and somehow, I get mine,” Midlife Monologues™, part play, part pep-rally, is designed to inspire women to confront uncertainty, loss and new beginnings with wisdom, self-compassion and the support of their family and community.

“Charleston is part of the national conversation on the complex challenges of midlife, and we at Buxton Books are proud to be part of this groundswell of literary and artistic expression,” said Polly Buxton, owner of Buxton Books, the nationally-respected independent bookstore in Charleston.

“Our mission is to ignite dialogue and contribute to the exchange of ideas, aspirations, and inspirations of our community. We are pleased to work with Hot in Charleston to bring Midlife Monologues to the stage for the second year,” Graci said.

Devine’s belief that storytelling has a role to play in fostering feelings of empathy and connection is increasingly supported by the medical community. “Hearing from others going through similar challenges, whether physical, emotional or relational, can help women feel more supported, particularly in the postpartum and menopause phases,” said Constance Guille, MD, MSCR, at MUSC Health and speaker at World Menopause Day Charleston on October 18, 2022, on the effects of menopause and peri-menopause on women’s mental and behavioral health.

Held at the Gibbes Museum, that event featured national authors and Charleston physicians, marrying the healing effect of literary expression with the medical and mental health expertise women in midlife need.

“My goal has always been to help all women feel seen and supported in their life’s journey. Acknowledging midlife in all its aching beauty, with its ruptures and potential for rebirth, must be part of the stories we share as we navigate our own path and support the women coming next,” said Devine.

Proceeds from this show will go to women’s health, to help fund adolescent mental health through The Jed Foundation, postpartum support through Postpartum Support Charleston and Mugs for Moms, and menopause education through Menopause Mandate US.

Drawing on decades as a F500 executive, ghostwriter, and coach, @HotinCharleston and the groundbreaking Midlife Monologues^™ are part of a national shift underway that is reshaping the cultural conversation on midlife. A Menopause Mandate Advocate, Devine holds an MFA from Queens U.; and received two awards from Southern literary groups.

https://puretheatre.org/

kerridevine.com

https://www.buxtonbooks.com/

Media Contact:

Lynthia Romney

[email protected]

SOURCE Hot in Charleston