tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12850092024-01-29T00:30:04.696-08:00Breaking the EggsPerformance Storytelling in the 21st CenturyTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.comBlogger154125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-77287064078235559122017-07-10T22:20:00.000-07:002017-07-10T22:20:35.249-07:00Audio Reflections of #NSNStoryCon 2017<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftim.ereneta%2Fvideos%2F10154753858398297%2F&show_text=1&width=400" width="400" height="286" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true"></iframe>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-81005272552590391012017-07-05T08:53:00.000-07:002017-07-05T08:53:30.774-07:002017 National Storytelling Conference via social media (Storify)<div class="storify"><iframe src="//storify.com/tereneta/nsnstorycon2017/embed" width="100%" height="750" frameborder="no" allowtransparency="true"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/tereneta/nsnstorycon2017.js"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/tereneta/nsnstorycon2017" target="_blank">View the story "2017 National Storytelling Conference" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-61877873009878469512016-10-12T15:49:00.003-07:002016-10-12T15:49:40.480-07:00Got a Library story to tell? Timpfest wants to know!As seen as on Instagram:<br />
<a href="http://timpfest.org/" target="_blank">The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival</a> (September 2017) is inviting submissions for their New Voice Showcase!<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLebEgRBmKE/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Timp Tell: A New Voice Showcase This is your opportunity to join other professional voices from near and far that have graced our stages. To be considered as one of only five performers selected for Timp Tell 2017, submit your favorite 10-minute #TheLibrary story by November 1, 2016. The five selected tellers for Timp Tell 2017 will receive two adult weekend passes and the winning teller will share the stage with Donald Davis on Saturday afternoon. Link temporarily in our profile or on our website: timpfest.org/storytelling-events. #timpfest17</a></div>
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A photo posted by Timpanogos Storytelling (@timpfest) on <time datetime="2016-10-12T19:55:20+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 12, 2016 at 12:55pm PDT</time></div>
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<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-84201642792296227252015-10-29T09:36:00.002-07:002015-10-29T10:00:46.339-07:00To Boo or Not to Boo?Last weekend, I was the featured storyteller at a local Halloween parade. I took the job despite initial reservations, namely that a) the crowd would be very young children, and b) my scary story repertoire (I've got a good half dozen creepy tales) has never scared anyone, of any age. I thought about turning it down (<a href="http://truestorieshonestlies.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-telling-life-knowing-when-to-say-no.html">Laura Packer has a great post on saying "no" to gigs over on her blog this week</a>), but thought it would be a good chance to brush up on some tales I had not told in a while.<br />
<br />
Upon accepting the gig, I learned that it would essentially be street performance: outdoors, on the sidewalk, with pedestrian and automobile traffic to contend with. <br />
<br />
Inwardly, I smiled. Street performance is a challenge. I've done my share of outdoor street tellings, trying to draw in a crowd. It's hard work. But it's the kind of challenge I enjoy.<br />
<br />
The site had a very good sound system, so my voice would be amplified. Great! There were haybales arranged out of the way of pedestrians, so that the audience would not be distracted. Great!<br />
<br />
The event started, a good crowd had arrived, families with children between the ages of 0 and 7. A terrific musician started things off with a Halloween song. And then...<br />
<br />
everyone left to parade down the street, to trick or treat at local businesses, and visit the fire truck and pumpkin patch down the road.<br />
<br />
No one remained in the audience area but the sound guy and the volunteers staffing the info table. <br />
<br />
My turn. Showtime!<br />
<br />
The microphone helped. I drew out my introduction, to let people know something was happening, that a Halloween story was about to happen. And as I finally hit "Once... upon... a... time..." I managed to attract the attention of two parents with a toddler in their arms. They actually came and sat down.<br />
<br />
By this time I had already launched into my version of the Red, Red Lips (here's <a href="https://youtu.be/roGcGfUAe6k">Donna Washington's version</a>)... which is a lot of fun, but it's not really appropriate for an 18-month old.<br />
<br />
It's much better for 4 to 7 year olds. But I did not have those.<br />
<br />
I aimed this one at the parents, and when, halfway through, I snagged the attention of some passing-by 8 and 9 year olds, I drew them in.<br />
<br />
Ah, stopping pedestrians. Stop one, stop two, and soon people will break their stride, slow, turn their head to see what's going on. And soon: an audience.<br />
<br />
A few more toddlers. I launched into a version of Betty Van Witsen's "Cheese, Peas, and Chocolate Pudding," adding some Halloween references into it. This is a much better story for little ones (and surprisingly good at luring more passersby).<br />
<br />
As the afternoon went, on the crowd grew. Kids returned from their parading, and the musician and I traded 15 minute sets for the kids enjoying their candy as they sat on the hay bales.<br />
<br />
And as I watched the kids, dressed as superheroes and princesses and animals, and as the musician and I sang songs and told stories about skeletons and brains and bats and spiders, I wondered why?<br />
<br />
The kids are happy dressing in costume. They are delighted to get treats. Why, then, are we so insistent that Halloween is about scary, creepy things? It's a little early (developmentally speaking) to be introducing them to mortality, and death. Heck, why are we even teaching them to fear witches? (Full disclosure: when telling to children at Halloween, I only include stories where witches are helpful wise women. How could I not? All the little witches in my audience had taffeta and pink sequins and fabulous green and black couture)<br />
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Thankfully, just a few days later Pam Faro had an answer for me: <a href="http://storycrossings.com/2015/10/27/why-tell-ghost-stories/">Why Tell Ghost Stories?</a><br />
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For me, I really enjoyed this Halloween gig. It had a friendly family vibe. I skipped all my <a href="http://everything2.com/title/jump+story">jump tales</a> and helped the kids celebrate dressing up and learning about what makes things spooky. (I could get a solid ten minutes of material on this topic... in my fantasies I become a standup comic for second graders. Whenever I try to get my own kids to laugh, and fail, I let them know that my material would have 7 year olds falling out of their seats with laughter)Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-63964547840592575872015-09-25T10:55:00.001-07:002015-09-25T10:57:19.662-07:00Finding a Storyteller in the Bay Area, Part Two<p>Last month, <a href="http://storytelling.blogspot.com/2015/08/bay-area-storytellers-how-do-i-find.html">I wrote about trying to search for storytellers in the Bay Area</a>, and how my frustration led to the creation of a Pinterest board.</P><p>Looks like Milly Frastley had the same idea over on <a href="http://list.ly/list/WAj-bay-area-storytellers">Listly</a>. Has anyone else tried this for their region? Listly allows you to embed entire lists, so here is Milly's complete list of storytellers in the Bay Area:</p><br />
<div style='text-align:left' id='ly_wrap_WAj'><strong id='ly_wrap_WAj_t' style='display:block;margin:10px 0 4px'><a href="//list.ly/list/WAj-bay-area-storytellers", title="Bay Area Storytellers" target="_blank"> Bay Area Storytellers</a></strong><script type='text/javascript' src='https://list.ly/plugin/show?list=WAj&layout=full&show_header=true&show_author=true&show_tools=true&show_sharing=true&per_page=25'></script><div class='ly_wrap_f' style='padding:4px 0 10px'>View more <a href='http://list.ly/' target='_blank'>lists</a> from <a href="http://list.ly/Mfrast", target="_blank"> Milly Frastley</a></div></div><br />
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-40082110390133136612015-08-29T17:29:00.000-07:002015-08-29T17:29:07.949-07:00Bay Area Storytellers: How Do I Find Them All?I live in the "Bay Area," a nine county region of 7 million people and several major cities, lots of universities, and major businesses, that ring the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays in Northern California. This area has plenty of storytelling talent, including lots of professional storytellers. <br />
<br />
But, try and find a comprehensive listing, and you will be out of luck.<br />
<br />
Search engines aren't much help, not because they are not smart, but because, by and large, the storytellers of the Bay Area (like storytellers anywhere else) who offer their services via online directories or their own websites don't use the "Bay Area" to distinguish their service area. They may list their city of residence, they may include a list of venues (which could be national or international in scope), or neglect to include any geographic information at all.<br />
<br />
There is a regional storytelling association, the <a href="http://storysaac.org/">Storytelling Association of California</a> which posts a <a href="http://www.storysaac.org/find-storytellers.html">list of storytellers</a>, but having a listing there is a benefit of membership, and not everyone keeps their membership up, and there are no geographic limits on who gets assigned there.<br />
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<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Pinterest-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Pinterest-logo.png" width="200" /></a></div>
So, to help with online visibility, I made a Pinterest board of <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/tereneta/san-francisco-bay-area-storytellers/">Bay Area storytellers</a>.<br />
<br />
I like Pinterest as a visual scrapbook. I use it a lot to collect visual inspiration.<br />
<br />
It's not a perfect tool for a Bay Area storyteller list. For example, not every storyteller has compelling visual imagery on their website, and everyone has different size photos. So the visual representation is not in any way fair. And I can't organize the page, not alphabetically, or any other way. I'm also not sure that search engines crawl Pinterest (if you're not signed up for Pinterest, it's not easy to even see the page).<br />
<br />
Still, I appreciate l that we have tools like Pinterest, so that if I complain that I can't find all of the Bay Area's professional storytellers in one place, I can do something about it.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/tereneta/san-francisco-bay-area-storytellers/">Need to find a storyteller in the Bay Area?</a> <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/tereneta/san-francisco-bay-area-storytellers/">My Pinterest board may help.</a><br />
<br />
(And if you have suggestions for making a Pinterest page more useful, let me know in the comments here)<br />
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<br />Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-70413921374818937212014-03-08T14:36:00.002-08:002016-10-07T11:39:32.636-07:00"My" Stories are Your Stories<span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently, after an evening of telling ancient folktales to adults, I heard two comments from listeners:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span> </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I needed to hear that chilling folktale about the mother who couldn't bear to see her daughter marry a snake. It allowed me to look at my own emotions about my own daughter's engagement in a new light."</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Tim, I love that you tell the old folktales and fairy tales. Because those are <i>my</i> stories."</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">These comments remind me of why I stick to my preferred genre, despite its relative lack of popularity on stage.</span></span><br />
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Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-47723183782151940792014-01-29T06:39:00.003-08:002014-01-29T06:39:35.143-08:00Of trolls<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="239" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jotulloch/11281242754/player/a8cafbf084" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="320"></iframe> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Closeup of the Troll,</i> photo by jotulloch, used under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en">creative commons license</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I recently had the honor of being one of three storytellers asked to tell a story about a piece of local folklore: the troll that <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Bay-Bridge-s-mysterious-protector-out-of-hiding-4958376.php">guarded the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge for 24 years</a> after the Loma Prieta earthquake, on display at a local museum.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of the other storytellers, Kirk Waller, asked me if I had ever created a story around an object before, and I said no. I had certainly told stories in museums before, but always fairy tales and folk tales that aligned with the exhibits on display, no originally created work. But then, upon further reflection, I had to admit: </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0HVIrduoz8A/UrdNuSOihLI/AAAAAAAAAps/JJeO2E5aZi4/s1600/troll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0HVIrduoz8A/UrdNuSOihLI/AAAAAAAAAps/JJeO2E5aZi4/s320/troll.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floyd, a troll, on campus in Evanston, Illinois</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The very <i>first</i> story I ever told when I began my storytelling journey was, in fact, an original tale about a troll. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">When I was introduced to the art of storytelling in a literature class in college, my professor asked us to learn a story to tell at a local elementary school. Though most of my fellow students learned folktales to tell, I happened to have my own troll, and when I showed it to my teacher she immediately said, "you have to bring your troll and tell the children a story about him." </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why did I have a troll? I had spent much of my free time in dormitory with one of my buddies who had a <a href="http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Simple_Screamer.html?id=lPOE9vINOUgC">how-to book on building monsters</a> out of papier m</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="st">âché</span>. With coat hangers, newspaper, white glue, a discarded tablecloth, some modeling clay, and paint, he and I created a three-foot tall blue troll. We named him Floyd, and he promptly ended up having his own adventures at college. (Lesson learned: if you leave a three-foot tall blue troll out where other college students can interact with it, they will. And he might be gone for days or weeks at a time)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">For my class assignment, I crafted a tale about a lonely monster who lived under a bridge (in fact, the Golden Gate Bridge). I don't recall exactly how the story went, although I recall using Ray Bradbury's 1951 short story "The Fog Horn" (aka "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms") as inspiration, but had a happy ending when the lonely troll found community with the monsters in residence at Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects house then located in Marin County, just north of the bridge.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W_m6N4C5aNo/UrdNwJ6tvjI/AAAAAAAAAp0/gzpetrECuVg/s1600/troll-bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W_m6N4C5aNo/UrdNwJ6tvjI/AAAAAAAAAp0/gzpetrECuVg/s400/troll-bridge.jpg" height="400" width="285" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over the next few years I created a handful of other trolls, using the same paper and cloth </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">m</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="st">âché technique. Some I gave away as gifts. Two smaller ones, have stayed with me, and currently keep watch over my basement. (It may not be the most practical way to keep goats away... but it works! We've never had billy goats enter our house).</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="st"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="st">Sadly, Floyd and I parted about twenty years ago. I was out of the country, participating in <a href="http://www.fringetheatre.ca/festival.php">North America's oldest and largest Fringe Festival</a>, and upon my return, Floyd was gone.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="st"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="st">The large dumpster outside of my rented house might have had something to do with it (I'd been evicted), but though I dove in and recovered many personal items from the dumpster, Floyd was not among them. I like to think he wandered off in search of a new home, and that he found a new bridge to call his own.</span></span></span>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-58741756969400778742013-06-10T18:13:00.000-07:002013-06-20T18:14:53.571-07:00Breaking Storytelling Down, A to ZWhen I first learned about storytelling a quarter century ago, I figured, "Well, I'll learn some stories, and if I tell them, I'll be a storyteller."<br />
<br />
Yes and no. True, anyone can tell a story. But storytelling is an art, and to develop that art, you not only need practice, but an awareness of many elements that make up the storytelling process and go into performance.<br />
<br />
Over at <a href="http://truestorieshonestlies.blogspot.com/">True Stories, Honest Lies</a>, storyteller Laura Packer spent the month of May blogging about the art and craft of storytelling in an alphabetical fashion, from A to Z.<i> (Darn it, why didn't I think of that first?)</i><br />
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Laura's observations are always thoughtful, so if you're interested in the art of storytelling (as a storyteller or as a fan of the art form), her posts are worth a read:<br />
<br />
Rather than list 26 links here, I'll point you to her summary pages:<br />
<a href="http://truestorieshonestlies.blogspot.com/2013/05/storytelling-alphabet-e.html">index for A through E</a><br />
<a href="http://truestorieshonestlies.blogspot.com/2013/05/storytelling-alphabet-f-j.html">index for F through J</a><br />
<a href="http://truestorieshonestlies.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-storytelling-alphabet-k-p.html">index for K through P</a> <br />
<a href="http://truestorieshonestlies.blogspot.com/2013/06/as-you-know-i-decided-to-blog.html">index for Q through Z</a><br />
<br />
Not only do I enjoy Laura's writing, but there are a couple of posts that I'm still thinking about with regards to issues that I need to improve in my own work.<br />
<br />
My favorite? <a href="http://truestorieshonestlies.blogspot.com/2013/05/f-is-forfun.html">F is for Fun</a>. Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-88941304787993073962013-04-09T23:16:00.000-07:002015-07-16T22:36:30.276-07:00Shout Out: “Bawdy Storytelling” Turns Six<style>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/queer_visions/8505405400/in/album-72157632845809661/" title="BAWDY_02.16.2013_SCANDALOUS_BLYTHEBALDWIN-2"><img alt="BAWDY_02.16.2013_SCANDALOUS_BLYTHEBALDWIN-2" height="320" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8529/8505405400_e1b700ae1c_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blythe Baldwin tells a story <br />
at Bawdy's Sixth Anniversary Show<br />
<i>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/queer_visions/">Queerly Yours</a></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt;"> As I walked into San Francisco’s Verdi Club on a recent Saturday night, every single one of the 300 seats in the venue was full; it was standing room only for a night of storytelling.</span>
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt;">There was an excited buzz in the air, helped along by a live DJ and the Club’s full bar. If you had been there, you would certainly have recognized the familiar conventions of a traditional storytelling event: the friendly emcee with a Southern accent welcoming “y’all,” an opening song referencing several fairy tale characters; and then the stories on stage: a story about dealing with parents; a story about a challenging first day on the job; a memoir of a journey to self-discovery, love, and family; and a tale of “how we first met.”</span>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt;"> The fact that Swedish public television had a camera crew to cover this event might have been your first clue that this would not be your ordinary night of true stories.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt;"> The second clue might be in the details: those stories I mentioned about parents, work, love and meeting also happen to involve, respectively: a gynecological exam, prostitution, transsexuality, and animal role play and fetishism. </span>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt;"> And that was just the first half of the show.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt;"> Welcome to <a href="http://www.bawdystorytelling.com/">Bawdy Storytelling</a>, the nation’s original live storytelling series featuring true stories about human sexuality. </span>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt;"> Dixie De La Tour, the show’s producer, founder, and emcee, started Bawdy Storytelling six years ago. It was originally an informal story swap, a coffee klatsch for her friends in San Francisco’s vibrant sex-positive community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> But as audience interest from others grew, “I started curating the storytellers,” says De La Tour. “I could get more people to come if they could see in the program that they themselves weren’t on the bill.”</span>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> As a producer, much of De La Tour’s time is spent recruiting storytellers. Apart from a handful of professional authors, poets, stand-up comics, and storytellers who appear on the Bawdy stage, most of the time she gets ordinary people to tell their stories. There’s no shortage of “real people” in San Francisco who have an interesting sex life. </span>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bawdy Storytelling Founder Dixie De La Tour</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/queer_visions/">Queerly Yours</a></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Once she finds a willing storyteller, then it’s coaching time: De La Tour works with her tellers to hone the story down to its essence, cutting away asides and dead ends, and encouraging her tellers to focus not on a polished monologue that you might hear at The Moth, but on telling as if you were at a party sharing your best story with friends. She has them make a visual map of their story, a story board, to help with structure. Finally, the six tellers featured at a particular event come together for a rehearsal. During the actual show, De La Tour remains onstage with her tellers, to give them support (the tellers might very well be uninhibited when it comes to sexuality, but even the uninhibited can be afraid of public speaking) and to provide a friendly face to tell to (the stage lighting makes it difficult to see the seated audience).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> By and large, the tellers play to a receptive audience. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> But depending on your comfort level with the subject of sex, the show may not be for you. As an audience member, you will hear intimate details of the performers’ sex lives, told live, in public, with words you may not be accustomed to hearing spoken aloud in public. (The level of profanity varies from teller to teller, but given the subject matter, the language is always colorful and often graphic). The images and situations that come up in the stories can be edgy, even shocking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> But the goal of Bawdy has never been titillation. It’s about celebrating sexuality, in all its diversity, through storytelling. (Admittedly, that pitch does not sell as many tickets as the tagline, “The Moth for Pervs,” quoted from an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">LA Weekly</i> review).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span>
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> It’s often the case that audience members might hear about experiences that they may never have conceived were possible. De La Tour likes the idea of expanding people’s perceptions. “My hope is that an audience member may hear about an experience, maybe something they’ve never imagined, and they get interested, and they can go up and talk to that storyteller and find out more.” (Indeed, at the show I attended, I saw several curious audience members at intermission pepper one of the storytellers with questions about the leather-clad “human puppy” that she had on leash that night).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Mosa Maxwell-Smith, a storyteller and improviser from Oakland, described listening to stories at Bawdy in this way: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"I can be a very judgemental person. I can't imagine having anything in common with some people when I first meet them, but then I hear their stories and—wow—my mind is blown! I love it when a story shatters my preconceptions and allows me to feel deeply connected to someone I otherwise might not have ever known."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> As for the future of Bawdy, De La Tour continues to recruit storytellers. She has added a “Bawdy Slam” night as a way to encourage more people to share their stories. She’s recently inaugurated a Bawdy series in Los Angeles, and is working on BawdyTalks (TEDTalks for the sex-positive community).</span>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I asked Blythe Baldwin, a slam poet and visual artist from San Francisco who has performed at Bawdy many times, to sum up its significance to the community: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"The importance of Bawdy, as a storyteller and an audience member, is that it offers catharsis in an area that many of us keep secret of out of shame or fear. When you tell a story, you speak truth to life, and when you own your sexual experiences you own the very thing that makes you human: your wishes, your desires, and your capacity to love. Bawdy brings people together through all of that."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Learn about upcoming Bawdy Storytelling shows at <a href="http://www.bawdystorytelling.com/">www.bawdystorytelling.com</a>.</span></div>
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Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-24055294255739373852012-08-19T23:35:00.000-07:002013-04-15T15:19:06.305-07:00Conference Reflections: Liz Nichols<style>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qWlzF2lE69g/UBIz_R2wqYI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/J0fXEmDSf-E/s1600/LizasJaguar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Liz with Painted Face" border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qWlzF2lE69g/UBIz_R2wqYI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/J0fXEmDSf-E/s200/LizasJaguar.jpg" title="Liz as Jaguar" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why does Liz look like<br />
Jaguar? Keep reading!</td></tr>
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<i>Liz Nichols got lost in the 398 (Folklore & Mythology) section of the public library at age ten, and hasn't found her way out yet! Liz is a professional storyteller, educator & Certified Laughter Leader, and was a presenter at the 2012 National Storytelling Conference, sharing her work as a TimeSlips™ facilitator, a creative storytelling method for people with dementia or memory loss. You can learn more about Liz's storytelling at her website, <a href="http://www.liznichols.net/">www.liznichols.net</a>.</i><br />
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I have been to 4 NSN Conferences over the past 15 years and enjoyed each in its own way. Of course it’s great to reconnect with folks and feel continuity, but for me discovering something or someone new and different is always the highlight.<br />
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At this year’s Conference one thing that was new to me was the programming of swaps and fringe performances concurrent with the workshop sessions. The idea of missing a workshop to attend a swap or fringe was tough for me, but I did it several times, and on Saturday afternoon I hit the jackpot. I’d already picked up “gig postcards” for various Fringes (just that self-promotional practice felt like the wider theater arts world permeating the storyteller atmosphere), and I couldn’t resist the sight of Christopher Agostino in the hotel hallway outside his session space, prepping the biggest, most colorful, most artsy box of face paints I’ve ever seen. When I heard the NYC accent from my hometown, that clinched it.<br />
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The show was called <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Before Cave Walls... The Story on Our Skin”. </b>Here’s what Christopher’s website (<a href="http://www.agostinoarts.com/">http://www.agostinoarts.com</a> ) says about what he does:</div>
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<b>Agostino & Co. Performing Arts</b> presents exciting, innovative performances and entertainment for family audiences. We employ storytelling, movement, clowning, masks and costumes, sound and text, and "Transformation! Facepainting" to create original theatre which is both thought-provoking and entertaining for schools, theatres and events. Our "Transformation! Artists" are regularly seen at events and parties throughout the New York area turning thousands of people each year into fantastic works of art.</div>
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About 25–30 of us sat mesmerized as he started with a lecture/demo on the human history of self-transformation through mask and body art, calling up volunteer after volunteer to be painted as he talked. Then he wove several stories in, some traditional and some in a folktale mode that he and his kids had created – and he used us as his canvas to show characters like jaguar, snake and lizard, and settings like tropical island and African savannah.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lkGSfZ6X1Q0/UBIynYwv2RI/AAAAAAAAAbI/CwGQAWALPck/s1600/Agostino+@NSN.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Participants in Agostino's Fringe Show" border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lkGSfZ6X1Q0/UBIynYwv2RI/AAAAAAAAAbI/CwGQAWALPck/s400/Agostino+@NSN.JPG" title="Conference Goers Transformed" width="400" /></a></div>
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While the performance itself was terrific, even more fun was the way those of us who volunteered became an instant family of sorts. Some of us decided to go to dinner together at a nearby restaurant, where we got lots of stares and some great conversations. Even Charlotte Blake Alston got up on stage for her Oracle Award presentation duties in her face paint, and at the reception that followed it was surreal to chat and sip wine, slipping in and out of the awareness that people seeing me were actually seeing Jaguar instead.<br />
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The larger importance of all this for me boiled down to a couple of insights:</div>
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1)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>That it took an “oddball” experience for me to make a very special connection with a group of people who didn’t know each other at all before the conference. It transcended the usual categories we fall into.</div>
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2)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>The value of truly opening up our storytelling world to allies and friends with different backgrounds and identities – those for whom “storyteller” is a secondary aspect of their art and work.<br />
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Christopher told us that he had not been sure he would be welcome—he wouldn’t have come except that his Fringe application had been picked out of the hat. I’m glad to say he got a great response. It was an example of what Bill Harley talked about in his very thought-provoking closing address—that for the broader world, storytelling may be better recognized and valued as a “seed art” than stand-alone. And that rather than always complaining about that, we should see it as a positive, as a bridge.
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<br />Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-17808636115936087482012-07-24T09:58:00.002-07:002012-07-24T09:58:57.442-07:00Shout Out: JustStories Online Storytelling Festival August 1, 2, and 3, 2012I've known about the diversity work of <a href="http://www.susanohalloran.com/" target="_blank">Susan O'Halloran</a> and Angels Studio in Chicago for many years, and was delighted to see that this year, they will hold their annual storytelling festival online. Susan sent along this announcement:<br />
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Join us for the first ever <b>JustStories Online Storytelling Festival August 1, 2 & 3</b> – a free Facebook event. Every hour from 8 am to midnight (CDT) a new video will post on the JustStories Facebook Page (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/juststories">www.Facebook.com/juststories</a>)—stories that can help heal our racial and ethnic divides. Over 70 humorous, heartwarming and thought provoking stories by 43 professional story artists! You can comment, ask questions and share your stories, too. Storytelling + Facebook = a worldwide FUN and RESPECTFUL conversation that celebrates our differences and all that connects us. <br /><br />Please share this invitation with all your friends so they, too, can have a front row seat to the JustStories Online Festival right in the comfort of their homes! Anyone can view the Festival at any time at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/juststories">www.facebook.com/juststories</a>, but with a Facebook user name and password you can comment, ask questions, and share your stories, too. (You don’t have to fill out a full profile and you can cancel the account after the Festival.) <br /><br />Full schedule and story descriptions at: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/juststories/app_186981981345123">http://www.facebook.com/juststories/app_186981981345123</a></blockquote>
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Sue also noted:</div>
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Often you hear leaders declare “It’s time to have a national conversation on race”. But how do we do that without causing more division and hard feelings?<br /><br />One of the best ways to reflect on difficult issues is through the use of shared stories. Stories can be entertaining, engaging and emotionally touching. When you hear other people’s stories you realize how unique each person and each group is as well as all we have in common. When we’re able to walk in each other’s shoes, even for a few minutes, the stranger becomes a friend.<br /><br />For the last nine years, the JustStories Storytelling Festival has been a live storytelling event in the Chicago area, a co-production of Angels Studio, a communications ministry of The Society of the Divine Word and O’Halloran Diversity Productions. But this year for its 10th anniversary the festival is going to the web in hopes of reaching an even bigger audience with stories that can heal our racial and ethnic divides. Think of it – on the internet there are no geographic boundaries or time limitations. This storytelling festival about inclusivity can now include everyone!</blockquote>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-60358803717152875282012-07-20T23:48:00.005-07:002012-07-20T23:49:39.158-07:002012 Post-Conference Reflections Across the Interwebs<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.storynet.org/conference/images/conf12logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="NSN Conference Logo" border="0" src="http://www.storynet.org/conference/images/conf12logo.jpg" title="2012 NSN Conference Logo" /></a></td></tr>
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You can find more reflections from attendees of the 2012 National Storytelling Conference—it was just 3 weeks ago—if you know where to look. This week, I've been reading accounts from three members of the storytelling tribe who made the recent journey to Cincinnati:<br />
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The Storytelling Adventures of Red Phoenix (<a href="http://www.redphoenixstory.com/blog/?p=39" target="_blank">link</a>)<br />
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Lois Sprengnether Keel posted her<a href="http://www.storytellingresearchlois.com/2012/07/nsn-2012-conference.html" target="_blank"> conference experiences</a> on her blog, Storytelling + Research = LoiS, as well as photos of photos of earlier conferences taken by the late storyteller Mark Wilson (<a href="http://www.storytellingresearchlois.com/2012/07/storytellers-as-viewed-by-mark.html" target="_blank">link)</a><br />
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Fauxklore's livejournal site (<a href="http://fauxklore.livejournal.com/273711.html" target="_blank">link</a>)Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-60986898568794890492012-07-14T08:08:00.002-07:002012-07-16T09:42:21.242-07:00Conference Reflections: An Open Letter from Camille Born<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ALbrUwx2LA8/UAGJyGKTRKI/AAAAAAAAAa0/URp5lmurHUo/s1600/camille_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="storyteller Camille Born" border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ALbrUwx2LA8/UAGJyGKTRKI/AAAAAAAAAa0/URp5lmurHUo/s200/camille_small.jpg" title="" width="178" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: navy;">Camille Born (Mahomet, Illinois) became a professional storyteller when she realized that her skills in telling personal anecdotes, sharing historical tidbits and giving her younger brother a life-long fear of closets could all be put together in a career. She was delighted, at age 50, to finally find out “what she wanted to be when she grew up”. Besides telling folk tales, she writes original historical stories for performance. </span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: navy;">Learn more about Camille at her website: <a href="http://couldbeworsestories.com/">http://couldbeworsestories.com/</a></span></i></div>
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An Open Letter to My Storytelling Guild and Storytellers Everywhere:</div>
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This is a cool idea: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notifications%23%21/StoriesInTheStreets/info%20">https://www.facebook.com/notifications#!/StoriesInTheStreets/info</a> by Andrea Lovett of Massachusetts.</div>
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And now, I am stepping onto my soapbox. (you've been warned)</div>
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Lots of times, as individual storytellers and as a guild, we lament about being asked to appear at events where the crowd is "just passing by." We want a seated crowd, good sound, etc. etc. etc. All the keynote speakers at the 2012 National Storytelling Conference talked about the need to build our audience—and to do it in whatever way we can; even for free. (not all of the comments in the keynotes were cheered by the audience). From young audience members will come future audience members and future tellers. We need to spread the word about storytelling to the public in general, to as many people as we can, in order to grow our audiences for future gigs—paid, "free-will" or otherwise.</div>
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To grow storytelling—and of course, get more work for all of us—we need to be bringing stories to people wherever they are. If there's a good idea out there, we should replicate it. I bet we even all have good ideas of our own. Yes, we all have done free work and really want to be paid. Me too. To get paid, we need people to show up. How can we expect people to show up to concerts—especially adults—if people don't know what storytelling is?? I did tell stories at the Champaign Farmer's Market last summer... and maybe only to one family each time, and maybe only 2–5 minutes stories, but it did spread the word. I did have a follow up visit from someone who heard me there. I did hand out brochures to adults passing by who said, "I never thought I would be so interested in a fairy tale." What I did was spread the word about—gave people a taste of—storytelling. Maybe some of those people showed up at your events. Who knows?</div>
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Telling at a farmer's market, or on the steps of the courthouse, or at an event when people are just passing by isn't "the best" for us, or for showing off our profession. If the goal is spreading the power of Story, however, those type of opportunities shouldn't be missed—especially if the reason for missing is "that's not how it should be done." Below, see the picture and post from Massachusetts teller <a href="http://http//www.storybug.net" target="_blank">Karen Chace</a> who with two other tellers<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1285009" name="_GoBack"></a> told to lines of people waiting to get into a park!</div>
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When next we gather—or perhaps at a meeting just to discuss possible events—I would like us to consider some "out of the box" functions. Why? because of all the above reasons and because: 2 years ago, I appeared as part of 40North's [Champaign County IL] Arts Council program in downtown Champaign, telling in the evening on a street corner. And then I told them, "y'know, telling to people just walking by doesn't work for storytelling..." and I've never been asked back. And now I see that there's art performances on the street corners of downtown Champaign every Friday night this summer: dance, fire breathing, magic, music, spoken word. Maybe if I hadn't been so rigid about "what storytelling needs" I would have been asked to participate this summer.</div>
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We all make our own choices, and do what we see is best for our careers, and our profession. I'm committed to jumping out of the storytelling box more often. Just call me Jack.</div>
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NEXT STEP: A guild in France is telling stories poolside this summer! What "out-of-traditional-storytelling box" places have you told at? Have you ever "taken it to the streets"? Where might you tell next?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3s4aNB-FpTs/T_9jNcaZfNI/AAAAAAAAAao/nai6wf1GBDU/s1600/karen_chace_fbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3s4aNB-FpTs/T_9jNcaZfNI/AAAAAAAAAao/nai6wf1GBDU/s1600/karen_chace_fbook.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot of Karen Chace's Facebook page used by permission. Photo copyright 2012 by Andrea Lovett, used by permission.</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-9756873193809506452012-07-10T17:00:00.000-07:002012-07-10T17:00:04.953-07:00Conference Reflections: Lorna MacDonald Czarnota<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/688592550/lorna_chin_twit_reasonably_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/688592550/lorna_chin_twit_reasonably_small.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">Lorna MacDonald Czarnota is a professional storyteller based in Buffalo, New York, who specializes </span> in healing story. She </span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">is the founder
and Executive Director of Crossroads Story
Center, Inc, a not-for-profit reaching at-risk youth
through storytelling. <span style="color: white;">In 2006, the</span></span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: small;">
National Storytelling Network honored Lorna with an Oracle Award for exemplary leadership and
service and significant contributions to community
through storytelling. </span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: black;">The following post originally appeared on Facebook. It is reprinted here with Lorna's permission.</span></i></span></h6>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: black;">Follow Lorna on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/storylornamac/">@StoryLornaMac</a>, and learn more about Lorna at her website, </span></i><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><i><a href="http://www.storyhavenstudio.com/%20">http://www.storyhavenstudio.com/ </a></i></span></span></h6>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"> <b><span style="font-size: large;">Reflecting on Bill Harley's keynote address</span></b></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"> <br />
I came to storytelling to share my stories and started by familiarizing
myself with its history. I spent years studying this art and how it was
used for entertainment, education, spiritually, for dissemination of
knowledge and as a means for keeping the culture of a people. I told
stories in all those ways.<br /> <br /> I came to a deep understanding of
the art of storytelling and how story is structured, as well as the
significance of the storyteller in a community, small and large. I was
called to story for healing and like others, I continue to learn.<br /> <br />
In the beginning, I believed I would only be successful as a
storyteller if I was recognizable on the "big" stage. Yet venues like
Jonesborough and others continued to elude me. I wondered if I would
ever be successful and at times thought about quitting. But there came a
day when I asked this, with somewhat of a whine, to two of the
storytellers who had the frustratingly recognizable name I thought I
could not achieve. Those two tellers were <a href="http://www.davidholt.com/">David Holt</a> and <a href="http://www.jimmaystoryteller.com/">Jim May</a>. I was a
shadow, a speck compared to them and I found it frustrating. I cannot
remember their exact words to me but I know when they were finished I
left feeling like I had received a beat-down. They didn't give me the
coddling I had expected, and thank goodness! That moment, and a little
more ripening on the vine, changed how I viewed myself and my work, and
in turn it changed how others saw me. That was years ago but this past
weekend, Bill Harley's keynote took me to the next level of
understanding the significance.<br /> <br /> In a nutshell, Bill said we
made a mistake when we allowed our art to become synonymous with
Jonesborough and the big stage. He said telling to 1000 people in a tent
isn't storytelling (by definition of intimacy). He said "Important
things happen at the edges." He meant that about our art, that
storytelling is at the edge or fringe of our society's ideals, but I
think it also connects with what we do as "applied" storytellers -
tellers using the art not only to entertain but specifically to educate,
heal and enhance spirituality.<br /> <br /> Like any good story, I imagine
others took away a different message from Bill's keynote. And like any
good story, it touched us where we needed to be touched. I guess I
needed to hear once more that what I do is as important, if not more so,
than what happens on a stage in a tent with 1000 people. How as a
storyteller, I can listen as well as I tell and still make a difference
in this world. I can tell to one lady in an elevator or listen to a
dying friend's story, or sit in a room with five struggling teens, and
have the world call me a storyteller. I can be proud of what I do,
continue to marvel at the power of this thing called story, and know I
have been successful. I have believed for a long time that once you give
yourself to story, you serve it more than it serves you. You are the
story, live and work in it, becoming so much a part of it that you
cannot imagine doing anything else in your life. You realize story is
all around you, you can not escape it nor do you want to.<br /> <br /> Thank
you <a href="http://www.billharley.com/">Bill Harley</a>. Thank you <a href="http://www.storynet.org/">National Storytelling Network</a>. And thank you
to my fellow storytellers. Let's keep moving forward!</span></span></h6>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-49985353801802712522012-07-09T22:15:00.003-07:002012-07-09T22:15:54.217-07:00Conference Musings: An Open InvitationAlas, my schedule this year has not permitted me to attend any storytelling conferences-- although if you follow <a href="https://twitter.com/tereneta">my Twitter feed</a> you may have noticed me plugging <a href="http://www.lanes.org/about-sharing-the-fire">Sharing the Fire</a> in March, <a href="http://www.northlands.net/conference/index.html">Northlands Storytelling Conference</a> in April, the <a href="http://www.tejasstorytelling.com/conference/index.html">Tejas Storytelling Conference</a> in early June, and the <a href="http://www.storynet.org/conference/">National Storytelling Conference</a> at the very end of June. In my experience, attending a conference like these is a rewarding opportunity to immerse oneself in the tribe of storytellers, to share ideas with fellow artists, to geek out on the minutia of the storytelling art.<br />
<br />
If you had a chance to attend, and were inspired, perplexed, challenged, or refreshed, you are welcome to share your reflections here in a guest post.<br />
<br />
<a href="mailto:tim.ereneta+eggs@gmail.com">Drop me a line</a> and we'll schedule you.<br />
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In the meantime, check out a few reflections on the National Storytelling Conference from <a href="http://lanesrepct.blogspot.com/2012/06/national-storytelling-conference.html">Carolyn Stearns over at LANES/CT Stories+Storytellers</a>, the always eloquent <a href="http://www.truestorieshonestlies.blogspot.com/2012/06/when-stories-find-us.html">Laura Packer at True Stories, Honest Lies</a>, and <a href="http://memoirsareus.com/2012/07/04/stories-to-tell/">dlmar, The Memoir Writer</a>. <br />
<br />
OMG. <a href="http://www.storytelling.org/Niemi/">Loren Niemi</a> has started a blog. Why didn't I get the memo? <a href="http://lorenniemi.blogspot.com/2012/07/cincinnati-commentaries.html">Read his reflections on the National Storytelling Conference, "The Cincinnati Commentaries," here.</a>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-2781900373438189642012-01-19T00:08:00.000-08:002012-01-19T00:14:13.388-08:002012 International Storytelling Conference<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/34830551?portrait=0" width="450" height="253" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe><br /><br />April 7, in Istanbul, in case you were wondering. <a href="http://www.storytellingconf.org/">Link</a>.<br /><br />Pop quiz: what's this conference preview missing?Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-63399038360952117372012-01-09T22:56:00.000-08:002012-01-09T23:47:52.556-08:00The Year AheadWith 2012 still young, I thought I'd set my sights on the year ahead.<br /><br />As usual, I've got some traditional folktales that I'm working on. And I'm one of many local storyellers learning part of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalevala">Kalevala</a> for a day-long telling of this Finnish epic, hosted by our muse <a href="http://sonic.net/%7Ecfair/epicday.html">Cathryn Fairlee</a>. I'm looking forward to getting to hear such an old story from the oral tradition told live, and if that weren't enough, this year <a href="http://goingdeepstories.com/">Going Deep</a>, the Long Traditional Story Retreat, is coming to my neighborhood! (I don't think that I can attend the retreat, but oh boy will I be there for the stories.)<br /><br />I'm looking at possible telling far afield, but I don't think a Fringe Festival is in the cards for me this year. Instead, I might try a mini-tour in combination with a family vacation.<br /><br />And I'm pledging to spend more time this year producing and curating content, rather than just consuming it. So, look for more blog posts here, as well as continuing efforts at my Tumblr sites: <a href="http://storylabx.tumblr.com/">Story Lab X</a> and <a href="http://storytellingpics.tumblr.com/">Storytelling Looks Like This</a>.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />An audience member once asked me if I created my own material, and I confessed that much of my repertoire was ancient. But every once in a while, inspiration pokes its little head out of the compost heap, and sprouts.<br /><br />Here are three seeds. I wonder if any of them will grow?<br /><br />1. A character voice: A few nights ago while driving home, I tuned in a syndicated radio program whose host had a unique voice, very atypical for radio. So unusual, I started to speak aloud to myself, and play with sound production, in an effort to recreate the sound of his voice. I couldn't quite match the vocal quality I was trying to isolate, but the exercise reminded me of the variety of characterization possible... and created a challenge. The voice I'm aiming for could be quite comic. However, if I do it wrong, it could come across as mean-spirited mockery.<br /><br />(I don't do extreme character voices in my performances. But that voice I heard really intrigued me.)<br /><br />2. The second seed is a visual image. Not an image from a story, but an image of a storyteller. Only, a storyteller not dressed in what you expect a storyteller to dress like.<br /><br />Do you dress up on stage? Do you have a storytelling outfit? Or even a costume?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bb3n9xscqRA/TwvpmqJZLgI/AAAAAAAAAWY/tNHYQhVPtCU/s1600/dinner_jacket.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bb3n9xscqRA/TwvpmqJZLgI/AAAAAAAAAWY/tNHYQhVPtCU/s320/dinner_jacket.jpg" alt="has this guy got a story to tell!" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695903004098113026" border="0" /></a>I have a storyteller costume, though I don't use it all the time (I'll use it in <a href="http://www.timereneta.com/1349.html">my Fringe show</a>). When I don't wear the costume, I do think about what I'm going to wear when I tell. Certain clothes allow me to slide into my storytelling persona more easily.<br /><br />But I'm really intrigued about the kind of stories that might come from a storyteller in this outfit.<br /><br />It's a chicken and egg question. I don't have an outfit like this. Do the stories come first, then the outfit? Or if I get the outfit, will the stories come?<br /><br /><br />3. A song: this one has crawled straight into my heart, and evokes so many stories for me.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WG9bJ5qmxWg?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="199" width="250"></iframe><br /><br />Happy 2012, everyone!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-33476346484781759802011-12-31T23:01:00.000-08:002012-01-01T23:04:10.281-08:00Gratitude, 2011Gratitude for my clients, who asked me to tell stories.<br /><br />Gratitude for the audience, who gave me their attention and listened to the stories.<br /><br />Gratitude for my colleagues, who encouraged, listened, shared, told, coached, confessed, questioned, nudged, and cheered.<br /><br />Here's to a new year filled with stories.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-48751395483670404742011-07-10T22:33:00.000-07:002011-07-10T23:01:41.223-07:00Origin StoriesThere were stretches of my childhood when I was really interested in comic books-- but not obsessed. I never <span style="font-style: italic;">had</span> to read any particular title, and my ragtag hand-me-down collection mostly had science fiction and war comics. I didn't follow any one superhero.<br /><br />But there were anthologies of comics at the local branch of our public library that I would read again and again-- these were the ones that told the origins of the superheroes: the stories of how they became who they were. I read about Peter Parker getting bitten by a radioactive spider, and Bruce Wayne seeing his parents killed by a mugger, and Bruce Banner being exposed to gamma radiation. I'm sure I read many more stories about Spiderman and Batman and the Hulk, stories with fantastic adventures and incredible supervillains, but I recall few images or scenes from them.<br /><br />But these characters' respective "creation myths" --I can still recall them decades later.<br /><br />I've been thinking about this lately, because a few weeks ago someone asked me how I became a storyteller, and I told them my origin story:<br /><br /><blockquote>When I was a freshman in college, I took a children's literature class. And one day the professor told us we would be starting a unit on oral literature, and we had a guest storyteller (an upperclassman) who was there to tell us a story. So he began to tell us a traditional ghost story. Now I was a theatre major at the time, and I could see that this person at the front of the room didn't have any stage presence. Wasn't using a memorized script. <span style="font-style: italic;">What could I possibly learn from this guy?</span> I thought.<br />But there, in a classroom, under bright fluorescent lighting, in the middle of the day, as he told us the story, the class grew hushed. We were all caught up in the experience. And when the ending came, that storyteller scared the living daylights out of us.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">There's something to this storytelling</span>, I thought. And so, a few years later in my college career, when <a href="http://www.communication.northwestern.edu/faculty/?PID=RivesCollins&type=alpha">Rives Collins</a> started offering a storytelling class, I knew I would be taking it.<br /></blockquote><br />I asked on Twitter, and I'll ask again now: do you have an origin story? What called you into storytelling?Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-71451992335276835162011-06-26T22:00:00.000-07:002011-06-26T23:06:40.813-07:00Farewell, Little Darlings: More Meaning, Less WordsTwo years ago I performed a story inspired by Jack and the Beanstalk-- a <a href="http://vimeo.com/8549832">monologue from the Giant</a>. I enjoyed creating that piece, but have not had an opportunity to tell it since that time. I will have some opportunities soon.<br /><br />As I have been bringing the story back into the forefront of my consciousness, I realize that I need to operate. The performance captured on video, that's a beta version of the story. A preview of things to come. It's only now, two years later, that I'm carving out the time and energy to shape the finishing details of the story.<br /><br />I called in an outside ear. I hired <a href="http://web.mac.com/NancyDonoval/iWeb/CDD6F20F-4BD6-48E1-A0A1-865A7B81D5EE/Nancy%20Donoval%20Home.html">storyteller and story coach Nancy Donoval</a> to do a dramaturgical intervention. I asked her a few specific questions I had about how the story comes across, what worked for her as an audience member, what didn't. (Yes, she's just one person, but I first met Nancy when she was a theatre director and I was an actor and I trust her critical eye/ear).<br /><br />I took pages of notes from our conversation, and promptly laid them aside to let the feedback sink in. (No, really, I was thinking about her comments. I wasn't just putting off the necessary and uncomfortable work of editing).<br /><br />Coincidentally, a few days later, <a href="http://www.sue-black.com/">storyteller Sue Black of Illinois</a> shared her process of winnowing down a favorite story of hers to fit a venue's particular requirements. She took the challenge of bringing a "finished story" (13 minutes, 38 seconds) to where it could fit under ten minutes. "Shave three minutes?" I thought. "Ouch!"<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">She got it down to 8 minutes 50 seconds.</span><br /><br />And then she challenged me to do the same.<br /><br />Not just me... but all of us storytellers. Challenged us to a simple exercise. Take a story and pare it down:<br /><br /><blockquote><div>Consider everything. Get rid of your ‘little darlings’. Throw away what you think is just too cute and everyone ‘must’ hear or their lives won’t be complete.</div> <div>Delete, delete, delete and still maintain the essence of the story.</div> <div>You’ll grow with the experience.</div> <div>Your story will be better.</div> <div>And your listeners will be glad you did.</div></blockquote><div>Sue went beyond just sharing the news and issuing the challenge: she has posted the before and after texts of each version of the story.<br /><br />Take a look:<br /><a href="http://sueblack1.wordpress.com/2011/06/10/a-story-challenge-more-meaning-with-fewer-words/">Sue Black's A Storytelling Challenge - More Meaning with Fewer Words</a><br />Sue's "<a href="http://sueblack1.wordpress.com/2011/06/10/a-story-challenge-more-meaning-with-fewer-words-before/">Before</a>"<br />Sue's "<a href="http://sueblack1.wordpress.com/2011/06/10/a-story-challenge-more-meaning-with-fewer-words-after/">After</a>"<br /><br />See what you think. Did Sue's trimming improve the story?<br /><br />I can see how the trimmed version is cleaner. Neater. Oh, but having read the earlier version, there are a couple of details I miss. A couple of Sue's 'little darlings.'<br /><br />I'll admit: I have 'little darling' issues of my own. In college I wrote a one-act play (staged twice, at two different universities) that was a satirical allegory filled with jokes, puns, and arbitrary character choices. Clocking in at one hour and five minutes, it was thirty minutes too long, although at the time I would have denied it. A teacher of mine that I held in high esteem wanted to know when I was going to stop hiding what I wanted to say behind joke after joke and just say it. I never rewrote the play because for years I couldn't bring myself to take out the parts that amused me so much when I first included them.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/byoogle/2357558439/" title="Scissors by byoogle, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2382/2357558439_821cef89fc_m.jpg" alt="Scissors" align="right" height="180" width="240" /></a>And now, as I turn my editor's eye and ear to my Giant's story, with the aim of tightening it up, and shortening how long it takes to tell, I ask myself, "what does the story need?"<br /><br />And I can see that some of the very 'little darlings' that inspired the story to begin with are going to have to go.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span>There are also a few questions that Nancy raised about the story. Questions left unanswered. Some of them, I want left that way. But some of them, I don't want the audience to be thinking about-- so I need to <span style="font-style: italic;">add</span> information to the story.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/byoogle/"></a></span><br /></div>What's your experience with trimming the fat? And getting rid of your 'little darlings?'<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Photo credit: Scissors, by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/byoogle/">Brian Kennish</a></span><br /></div> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-75461845804936147302011-06-25T07:57:00.000-07:002011-06-25T08:01:48.058-07:00UPDATED - Twitter for Storytellers: Try It on Saturdays#StorytellerSaturday is out. #StorySat is in.<br /><br />(Since Twitter only allows you 140 characters in each tweet, we found that shortening the hashtag by 11 characters made it much easier to use)<br /><br />NOTE: the hashtag is not case-sensitive. Doesn't mAtTeR wHiCH letTERS you capiTALIZe.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-6709888693328695052011-05-26T22:04:00.000-07:002011-10-10T21:47:00.382-07:00Twitter for Storytellers: Try It on Saturdays<span style="font-style:italic;">NOTE: this post was updated June 25, 2011</span><br /><br />I was using one of those services that analyzes your followers on Twitter. As it was parsing the activity of the 458 names of people who follow me (and are thus nominally interested in what I have to say), I read the instructions that suggested that I look closely at the bottom of the list. If I found Twitter accounts that hadn't posted anything, or hadn't posted since the day they signed up, and that did not have many followers, these could be trouble: automated spam bots.<br /><br />I looked at my list, and lo and behold, there were dozens of accounts that hadn't posted anything, or hadn't posted since the day they signed up, and who didn't have many followers.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/svartling/3638204140/" title="Twitter logo by svartling, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3379/3638204140_e955a8f4a3_m.jpg" alt="Twitter logo" align="left" height="240" width="240" /></a><br />Funny thing, though. They weren't spam bots. They were storytellers. (I recognized their names from conferences, festivals, the Storytell list, and Facebook.)<br /><br />I get it. The value of Twitter is not immediately obvious, especially to a pre-mobile phone and pre-digital generation. So this post is a call to reluctant storytellers to try out Twitter again, with baby steps.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Storytelling</span> magazine has been running a primer on how to use Twitter, provided by <a href="http://www.slashcoleman.com/">Slash Coleman</a>. He's got a version of it on his blog, <a href="http://twentyonehour.blogspot.com/2011/03/twitter-love-q-with-slash-coleman.html">here</a>.<br /><br />And even if Slash's crash course on @ and # still doesn't make much sense, I'm going to suggest that you try out Twitter again just one day a week. It can be any day, but, if you can manage it, try it on Saturday.<br /><br />Here's why: Storyteller Paula Reed Nancarrow (<a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/prnancarrow">@prnancarrow</a>, on Twitter) of Minnesota has come up with a hashtag #storytellerSaturday for storytellers and storytelling fans. That is, every Saturday, there will be a (growing) number of people posting links and comments on storytelling in an effort to connect with other storytellers. They will add "#storytellerSaturday" to their message simply to label it so that storytellers can find it.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">UPDATE: to save room (Twitter has a 140 character limit), #storytellerSaturday has been deprecated in favor of #storySat</span><br /><br />(#storySat is an obvious analogy to other Twitter traditions, including #followfriday and #teacherTuesday)<br /><br />There is an active hashtag #storytelling-- unfortunately, there's a lot of noise, as competing interest groups use it, mostly corporate/business storytelling types, but also brand marketers, and those who want to talk about transmedia stories, journalism, and screenwriting-- and not just in English. I've seen the hashtag used in French, Spanish, and Portuguese tweets. And what's with all the tweets in Dutch? Isn't there a word for storytelling in the Dutch language?<br /><br />So dip your foot into the Twitter waters. Saturday. Go to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/">Twitter.com</a>. You don't have to have an account. If you have account, log in.<br />In either case, use the search box (or from <a href="http://search.twitter.com/">search.twitter.com</a>) and enter: #StorySat<br />and see what and who comes up.<br /><br />Want to join in the conversation? Feel free to reply to any of the tweets (if you've got an account).<br />Follow the people you find there. Or, post your own 140 character message (you'll need to add the phrase <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">#storySat</span> to your post, so you really only will have 120 characters to get your message across).<br /><br />You may want to check in several times during the day. There are only a handful of people using the hashtag right now, so it won't be a fast, dynamic scroll of information.<br /><br />You could also check in on Sunday, and get a complete list of tagged tweets posted the day before.<br /><br />Baby steps.<br /><br />----<br />And if you are on Twitter, and know what you're doing? Start using <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">#storySat</span>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-51117278846322720782011-03-25T13:58:00.000-07:002011-03-25T14:20:19.802-07:00How many storytellers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?<blockquote>How many storytellers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?</blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimncris/2397524922/" title="Light bulb Outtake by kimncris, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3219/2397524922_5be31d22d4.jpg" alt="Light bulb Outtake" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br /><blockquote>Two: one to screw it almost all the way in and the other to give it a surprising twist at the end.<br /></blockquote><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Posted recently to the <a href="http://www.storynet.org/storytell.html">Storytell Discussion list</a> by Florida storyteller </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.patnease.com/">Pat Nease</a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > (reprinted here with her permission).<br /><br />Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimncris/">Kim'n'Cris Knight</a></span>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1285009.post-2497233869822434192011-03-20T23:00:00.000-07:002011-03-21T00:11:18.197-07:00The Problem of Keeping Dry<object width="425" height="349"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/NvZwet5U9dk?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/NvZwet5U9dk?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="349"></embed></object><br /><br />A Nasruddin story, for World Storytelling DayTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15432302620700328040noreply@blogger.com0