Stories on the Way: Stories and Poetry for Lent

Our faith is built on a collection of stories shared over generations. Jesus taught in stories. Stories are interwoven in our identities as beloved children of God.

As we make our way through the season of Lent, you are invited to join us for three evenings of sharing stories and poems on Wednesdays, February 25, March 4, and March 11.

We will begin each evening at 5:30 with a simple supper. We will close out each evening with Compline (a short night prayer service). Use the link below to let us know if you will be joining us for dinner and if you will be bringing children. The Wednesday Atrium will be available.

Please RSVP for dinner here

Each evening, we will be joined by featured storytellers and poets. You are also invited to bring your own poetry or a favorite poem to share.

Your host:

The Rev. Kelley Hudlow

Featured storytellers:



February 25 

Topic: Repentance

The Rev. Kelley Hudlow

The Rt. Rev. Kee Sloan

March 4

Topic: Mercy

The Very Rev. Richard Lawson, Bishop-elect

Beverly Brasell

Susanna Whisett

March 11 

Topic: Hope

Jamie Parris

The Rev. Dillon Green

Dr. Shanti Weiland

The Rev. Kelley Hudlow serves as the Instructor of Preaching at Bexley Seabury Seminary and as Associate Rector at All Saints in Homewood. She is a jack-of-all-trades and a master of a few. She considers herself a preacher, storyteller, and occasionally a poet.more!

The Rt. Rev. Kee Sloan served as a priest in the Episcopal Church in Mississippi and Alabama for twenty-seven years before being elected a bishop in 2008, serving as the 11th Bishop of Alabama until he retired at the end of 2020. He is the author of five books: the Jabbok trilogy, God, the Devil & Lemon Icebox Pie, and Faithful Heretic: A Novel about Pelagius.

Richard is a native of Guntersville, Alabama, and is a graduate of Auburn University, General Theological Seminary, and the University of the South’s School of Theology. He currently serves as the Dean of St. John’s Cathedral in Denver, CO, and is the Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Alabama. Richard reflects, “For me, stories are what connect us to the four gospels more than anything else. You can't know Jesus without telling a good story. You can't understand your life without telling a story about either what you've suffered, what you've been through, or the joys you've experienced. I'm fascinated by how stories work and therefore by people.”

Beverly Brasell has a B.A. in Speech and Theatre from The University of Montevallo, and an M.A. in Theatre from the University of Tennessee. She taught Speech and Theatre for 36 years with thirty-two of those years at Vestavia Hills High School. She retired in 2007. Currently she presents numerous times a year for local literary, garden, and special interest clubs. Even in this late “season” of her life, Beverly agrees with the British poet George Herbert when he said, “And now in age I bud again.”

Jamie is a marketing and communications strategist, specializing in nonprofits. His work focuses on strengthening organizations working for transformational change on behalf of marginalized communities and the environment. He sees creativity as a path to individual healing and as a way to break down barriers that divide us. He is an All Saints parishioner and serves on the Advisory Circle for the Threshold Center.

The Rev. Dillon Green is the Rector of Saint Catherine’s Episcopal Church in Chelsea, AL. A native of Florence, Alabama, he attended the University of North Alabama (UNA), where he majored in French and Spanish. He was educated for ministry at Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), ordained in the Diocese of Kansas, and has served several parishes in Kansas and Alabama. Dillon is a lover of language, an avid reader, an occasional writer, and, when inspiration strikes, an amateur poet. He enjoys spending time with his fiancé, Cody Lawyer, and their cats, Patsy, Penny, and Smokey.

Shanti Weiland recently wrote a book of poems about Star Trek: The Next Generation. Her first book, Sister Nun, was the winner of the Negative Capability Press Book Competition, judged by Amy King. Weiland received a BA in English from the University of California, Davis; MA from Northern Arizona University; and PhD. in Poetry from the University of Southern Mississippi. She teaches at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. She lives in Birmingham with her wife and pets.

Susanna Whitsett joined the staff of All Saints in 1992 as the Youth Minister and has remained a parishioner ever since. Since 2019, she has served as the Executive Director of Founders Place, a respite ministry at St. Luke’s for adults living with dementia‑related brain change and their caregivers. This June, Susanna will step into a new role as the Executive Director of The Threshold Center—an outreach initiative of St. Stephen’s dedicated to fostering connection, honoring diverse perspectives, and nurturing well‑being through programs that engage the heart, mind, and imagination. Susanna’s story grows out of deep relationships at All Saints, a heartbreaking event in our community, and an unexpected experience of healing.