At the Threshold of Care
A Story Sharing Gathering for Care Partners & Advocates
An evening of stories courageously shared by caregivers, interwoven with live music and poetry.
An intimate evening honoring the real, lived experience of caregiving. Thursday, September 17, 2026, The Threshold Center welcomes six storytellers who have been working with Artist-in-Residence and storyteller Salaam Green to shape personal narratives of caring for a child, elder, partner, neighbor, or chosen family member.
The evening weaves together live storytelling, music, and poetry to hold space for caregiving in all its dimensions — the unseen labor, the grief, the humor, the grace, in a setting that values authenticity over performance.
Come listen, witness, and reflect on the sacred work of caring for one another. Following the stories, Salaam Green will facilitate a conversation with the caregivers and attendees.
Hosted by The Threshold Center & the Vestavia Hills Arts Council.
Sponsored in part by Restore, a Memory Loss Ministry at Vestavia Methodist
Thursday September 17th
6pm - 6:30 Reception
6:30 - 8 Program
Led by: Salaam Green
Music PROVIDED BY Sarah Dennis
A collaboration with the Vestavia Hills Arts Council.
Generously sponsored in part by Restore: A Memory Loss Ministry of Vestavia Methodist
Salaam Green
Salaam is the inaugural Poet Laureate of Birmingham, Alabama (2024–2026).
She is a native of Greensboro and the founder of The Literary Healing Arts. Green is a storyteller and healer, a Kellogg Foundation Racial Healing Facilitator, and an Alabama Humanities Foundation Road Scholar.
She holds an English degree from the University of Montevallo and a Master's in Early Childhood Education from the University of North Dakota. She has held residencies at UAB, Auburn University, and the former Wallace Plantation in Harpersville, Alabama.
With over 16 years of experience, she uses poetry to create healing spaces rooted in Southern history and resilience.
Green is the author of The Other Revival, a collection of poems released in June 2025. The Other Revival reclaims the Southern revival as a space for truth-telling and healing through oral tradition. The book emphasizes that vital archives reside in people—in their voices, memories, and willingness to pass stories on.
Learn more about Salaam at Salaamgreen.com
Sarah Nordland Dennis will provide the music for the evening.
Sarah Nordlund Dennis grew up in Birmingham, AL, studying violin with Jeffrey Flaniken and Patrick Rafferty. She entered the University of Alabama early and graduated Summa Cum Laude with honors at age nineteen. There she was named the 2001-02 Presser Scholar. She went on to study with Paul Kantor at the Aspen Music Festival and Cleveland Institute of Music, earning a Master’s Degree in Violin Performance. She has appeared as a soloist with the Tuscaloosa Symphony and National Repertory Orchestras. In 2004, Nordlund Dennis won a position with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, where she performed for two years. After a year performing and teaching in New York, NY, and Sarasota, FL, including the Opus 118 Harlem School of Music and the Sarasota Opera, Nordlund Dennis joined the Alabama Symphony in 2007.
