The Beat

February 2025

The Chicken Sh*t Chair

salvaging The family tree - featuring laura ratke

I have a soft spot for objects with a story—and a great name.

That’s why Laura’s tale of her Chicken Sh*t Chair immediately caught my eye.

This month, you’ll learn how an old wooden chair earned its colorful name and became a symbol of love, legacy, and, yes, a few chickens.

It’s a sweet, unexpected story that just might bring a little extra joy to your day (I know I could use as much of that as possible right now).

Also in this newsletter: writing prompts to help uncover the hidden stories in your family tree.

Because every quilt, recipe, and quirky tchotchke holds history, and their stories can grow with each generation.

And don’t forget—join our next Object Diaries meetup on March 28th! Details are under Don't Miss below!

Warmly,

Lisa Weiss
​The Beat​
A Newsletter by Storybeat Studio

In this issue: ​

Spotlight Laura Ratke's Chicken Sh*t Chair Practice Writing Prompts to Fuel Your Creativity Ideas Insights from Authors & Thought Leaders Don't Miss! Show & Tell Networking: Objects and Stories from our Elders

​

Spotlight

Laura Ratke's Chicken
Sh*t Chair

​

A simple wooden chair. A California chicken coop. A legacy that spans generations.

​

When Laura posed for her engagement photos, her photographer had an unexpected idea—one that brought a wooden chair’s story full circle in the most poetic way.

​

What makes this seat special? Listen to the story of the “Chicken Sh*t Chair” and the memories it carries.

Practice

Write Grandma's Dishes Into History

In our monthly Practice section, discover writing prompts to help you transform thoughts into words on the page. ​ The objects we inherit—whether tangible or intangible—connect us to those who came before us. ​ This month’s writing practice invites you to explore those links through memory, story, and reflection. ​ Reflect on an Intergenerational Object: Is there a particular item that has been handed down to you from a parent, great grandparent, or chosen family member? If so, take a moment to not only consider what that object means to you — but the place it held in your loved one's life? What has the item witnessed over the years that it can share with you now? ​ Inanimate Inheritance: Moving beyond tangible objects, what have you “inherited” from your ancestors—traditions, recipes, values, or personality traits? Describe how these intangible legacies show up in your life. ​ Write (or Rewrite) Family Lore: Is there a favorite family story you grew up hearing? If it hasn’t already been written down, take a moment to act as a record keeper for your ancestors. And if it has been written down, why not offer a fresh take on the story? Write it from a different perspective or add details you’ve discovered as an adult. Notice how your understanding of the past expands when you look at it through new eyes.

​

Ideas

Insights from Authors & Thought Leaders
​

The world is stressing me out so I'm reading more fiction at night.

Last month, I shared a few of my learnings from Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters by Laura Vanderkam (Penguin Random House, October 11, 2022).

In Tranquility by Tuesday, Laura shared how she made time to read War and Peace one chapter at a time—all 361 of them. That's about a chapter a day.

Well, Anna Karenina had been sitting on my bookshelf for a decade, shaming me for having never read it. And, similar to War and Peace, the book has a couple hundred chapters.

So, I took Anna's tip and read Anna Karenina in about a month, just by reading a few chapters every night. It only took 48 years and a month to read Anna Karenina.

The Pevear/Volokhonsky translation is beautiful and I found it to be a page turner. Who knew? Clearly, not me.

I'd also been wanting to read Percival Everett's National Book Award-winning NYT Bestseller James, a reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. But I felt I had to re-read Huckleberry Finn first and didn't want to do it.

Inspired by Laura's approach, I read Huckleberry Finn, chapter by chapter. The experience was wildly different from my early teenage reading, and so worth it. Then I read James. If you haven't read James yet, I highly recommend it. Just try reading Huckleberry Finn first.

Also, check out this piece lauding James by John McWhorter.

What title is gathering dust on your bookshelf?

It's never too late to read what you might have read!

“With my pencil, I wrote myself into being.”
​
― Percival Everett, James

​

​

Don't Miss!

Gifts From Our Grandparents Event

What Show & Tell Networking Event When 3/28 @ 11 AM - 11:30 AM Central Where Online (Zoom) What to Bring An object that reminds you of a grandparent or elder

Register here →