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Local woman encourages spontaneity, even if that
means table dancing
DC Stanfa's new memoir, "The Art of Table Dancing: Escapades of
an Irreverent Woman" (Orange Frazer Press, $14.95), isn't about
that kind of table dancing. Rather, the Anderson Township
resident says the title is a metaphor for her attitude on life - to
deal with whatever is thrown at you by doing something spontaneous
and entertaining. (A scam that involved her and her friends telling
guys on the beach that they were talent scouts for GQ landed her on
a "Jerry Springer Show" episode about revenge in the early 1990s.)
Stanfa, 46, is a sales executive by day.
Why a memoir: I had a lot of stories that friends would always
ask me to tell and retell because they were unbelievable but true.
After I got divorced, I had some time on my hands when my daughter
was with her dad, and I just tried to be a little more productive
instead of always going to the bar and doing the wild things that I
did when I was in my 20s.
On the controversy surrounding memoirs: I did not go to an
imaginary prison like James Frey. I went to a real Catholic school
(in Toledo). The only thing that I really take license (with) is I
re-create dialogue.
My influences are: Erma Bombeck. My mom used to cut out her
columns and put them on her refrigerator. From a pure comic
standpoint, Ellen DeGeneres has most recently been a great
influence. I also love Carl Hiaason and Kurt Vonnegut.
How Catholic grade school shaped my life: As hard as I seem to be
on the Catholic Church in the first chapter, I really have to thank
the nuns. They helped create my rebellion.
Because of the book: I'm developing a self-esteem workshop for
teenage girls. I suffered from low self-esteem in high school and
was depressed and sometimes even suicidal. I want to introduce them
to some highly successful people who don't fit the commercial model
stereotype.
How I have fun: It's been a little over a month since I last
danced on a bar, which was on vacation in Cancun. But there'll be
more of that at the Anderson Township Pub.
Lauren Bishop
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