#StorytellerSaturday is out. #StorySat is in.
(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)
NOTE: the hashtag is not case-sensitive. Doesn't mAtTeR wHiCH letTERS you capiTALIZe.
Showing posts with label twitter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label twitter. Show all posts
May 26, 2011
Twitter for Storytellers: Try It on Saturdays
NOTE: this post was updated June 25, 2011
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.
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.
Funny thing, though. They weren't spam bots. They were storytellers. (I recognized their names from conferences, festivals, the Storytell list, and Facebook.)
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.
Storytelling magazine has been running a primer on how to use Twitter, provided by Slash Coleman. He's got a version of it on his blog, here.
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.
Here's why: Storyteller Paula Reed Nancarrow (@prnancarrow, 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.
UPDATE: to save room (Twitter has a 140 character limit), #storytellerSaturday has been deprecated in favor of #storySat
(#storySat is an obvious analogy to other Twitter traditions, including #followfriday and #teacherTuesday)
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?
So dip your foot into the Twitter waters. Saturday. Go to Twitter.com. You don't have to have an account. If you have account, log in.
In either case, use the search box (or from search.twitter.com) and enter: #StorySat
and see what and who comes up.
Want to join in the conversation? Feel free to reply to any of the tweets (if you've got an account).
Follow the people you find there. Or, post your own 140 character message (you'll need to add the phrase #storySat to your post, so you really only will have 120 characters to get your message across).
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.
You could also check in on Sunday, and get a complete list of tagged tweets posted the day before.
Baby steps.
----
And if you are on Twitter, and know what you're doing? Start using #storySat
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.
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.
Funny thing, though. They weren't spam bots. They were storytellers. (I recognized their names from conferences, festivals, the Storytell list, and Facebook.)
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.
Storytelling magazine has been running a primer on how to use Twitter, provided by Slash Coleman. He's got a version of it on his blog, here.
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.
Here's why: Storyteller Paula Reed Nancarrow (@prnancarrow, 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.
UPDATE: to save room (Twitter has a 140 character limit), #storytellerSaturday has been deprecated in favor of #storySat
(#storySat is an obvious analogy to other Twitter traditions, including #followfriday and #teacherTuesday)
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?
So dip your foot into the Twitter waters. Saturday. Go to Twitter.com. You don't have to have an account. If you have account, log in.
In either case, use the search box (or from search.twitter.com) and enter: #StorySat
and see what and who comes up.
Want to join in the conversation? Feel free to reply to any of the tweets (if you've got an account).
Follow the people you find there. Or, post your own 140 character message (you'll need to add the phrase #storySat to your post, so you really only will have 120 characters to get your message across).
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.
You could also check in on Sunday, and get a complete list of tagged tweets posted the day before.
Baby steps.
----
And if you are on Twitter, and know what you're doing? Start using #storySat
April 19, 2010
Noted Recently (April 19, 2010)
- The Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival, which ran April 9-11 in Southeastern Missouri, seems to be the first storytelling Festival that had live tweeting for the entire event. Stephanie Lynch, the Director of PR and Marketing for the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, muses on the Twitter feed here, but more interesting is the feed itself: http://twitter.com/capesf --when you get to the bottom click on "more" to get earlier posts.
- Millicent, former storytelling blogger, seems to have moved on to content aggregation over at Netvibes: Tonsil: the Itinerant Storytelling Listener's Portal.
- And this, from Tuesday's Guardian:
"There's nothing quite as fun and exhausting as an improvised story marathon that covers everything from murderous children to wizards in forests."
More here:
And on the Thousandth Night... (don't miss the gallery, and view some video clips)
Photo courtesy Kristof Van Landschoot
October 07, 2009
National Storytelling Festival Wrap Up, Part 1: Twitter
Well, I wasn't there this year, at the 37th Annual National Storytelling Festival, held each year in Jonesborough, Tennessee, the first weekend in October.
However, I knew from last year, that it was possible to follow the weekend vicariously, through Twitter. This year, I tuned into the tweets of @Storyconnect (the official twitter account of the International Storytelling Center that hosts the event), and various attendees, and a performer or two, including Ellouise Schoettler, a wonderful storyteller out of Maryland that I know from several worlds (the storytelling circuit, the blogging world, and Fringe Festivals), who was making her debut at the Festival this year.
And while the 140 character limit of Twitter can't help but fail to express the feeling of a three-day storytelling lovefest, there were some nice glimpses over the weekend of the festival's spirit:
Some of the Twitter users even managed a "tweetup" on Saturday morning (photo here)
Tweeter @LeeRosen's frustration with the Festival's policy on electronic devices is understandable, but that didn't stop several tweeters from snapping photos with their cell phones (I found pics of Sheila Kay Adams, Donald Davis, and Kathryn Windham via Twitter... well, most of the pic is row upon row of audience in folding chairs while at the far side of the tent was a tiny human being. If you say that little speck is Sheila, I'll believe you).
Meanwhile, over at @focusonthecloud, Matt Harris was actually twittering quotes from storytellers in near real-time. (Maybe Festival staff and tent volunteers aren't on the lookout for active Blackberries?) Not a substitute for hearing the whole story, but Matt was capturing some nice turns of phrase from these orators. And, if, like me, you've heard some of these tellers before, the tweets evoke the sound of their voices. So I appreciate what Matt was doing.
If I had been there? I would have found a way to post, but probably not during the performances. As much as I like to share the experience online, when it comes to performances, I'm there to experience the storytelling trance. The tweets can come later.
However, I knew from last year, that it was possible to follow the weekend vicariously, through Twitter. This year, I tuned into the tweets of @Storyconnect (the official twitter account of the International Storytelling Center that hosts the event), and various attendees, and a performer or two, including Ellouise Schoettler, a wonderful storyteller out of Maryland that I know from several worlds (the storytelling circuit, the blogging world, and Fringe Festivals), who was making her debut at the Festival this year.
And while the 140 character limit of Twitter can't help but fail to express the feeling of a three-day storytelling lovefest, there were some nice glimpses over the weekend of the festival's spirit:
@BuckPCreacy Ah I am here. . . Tell me some story 5:11 PM Oct 1st
@MargaretMeyers: Nat'l Story Night has a nature all its own. Stories so touching, audience in tune. 9:28 PM Oct 1st
@Storyconnect: A beautiful morning in J-borough. Watching families & excited festival-goers pin on their calico "tickets." Tellers, your audience awaits! 6:30 AM Oct 2nd
@Djeliba: I got up early to do my ritual of visiting the stage. There are people seated in the audience 2 hours before performances begin! Wow! 7:31 AM Oct 2nd
@iBelin: "There are no fairy godmothers in my story 'cause women stand on their own two feet where I come from." Gay Ducey #Storytelling 11:35AM Oct 2nd
@Storyconnect: Kathryn Windham, on being Southern: "We are not embarrassed by our peculiarities. We chart 'em out & tell stories about them!" 12:26 PM Oct 2nd
@LeeRosen: National Storytelling Festival totally doesn't get social media. Photos, videos, and device use prohibited. Fail. 12:51 PM Oct 2nd
@DavidJoeMiller: //// If you're in Jonesborough right now, stay out of Boo Alley after night fall. Legend has it that ....................... 4:26 PM Oct 2nd
@Djeliba: Just finished my performance (1,200) people in the audience. What an amazing experience! 5:12PM Oct 2nd
@Ellouisestory: Please excuse me. I am still glowing from my first time on a Jonesborough stage at Exchange Place. #storytelling 9:30 PM Oct 2nd
@MargaretMeyers: Watching Eric Wolf around town at #storytelling festival doing interviews. Waiting to hear what he does with them. 9:31 PM Oct 2nd
@LeeRosen: Awake and getting ready for big day of stories. Jonesborough will be packed today. 4:21 AM Oct 3rd
@VeronicaMcG: Crammed like a sardine in a tent w/ 1000 other people at the Natl Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tn., & loving every min of it. 6:53 AM Oct 3rd
@focusonthecloud: I've travelled the south looking for ghost stories & have only found 2 evil ghosts. Thats a lot better than the humans I've met. - Kathryn 8:44 AM Oct 3rd
@focusonthecloud: So there we were a catholic priest, a baptist pastor and a methodist minister flying thru the air with no punchline in sight. - Bill Lepp 1:32 PM Oct 3rd
@DianaBaldwin: At the National Storytelling Festival- the first real social media. Amazing, captivating stories, and absolutely zero backnoise. 3:54PM Oct 3rd
@Storyconnect: Irish scary stories never fail to terrify-- I am now afraid of cairns, bath water, pokers, & cake. You might not want to know why. 6:13 PM Oct 3rd
@Consultdoc: Had a great time at the Intl Storytelling Festival. Fun to get a little old school and laugh out loud. Highly reccommend it. 7:03 PM Oct 3rd
@DianaBaldwin: @storylaura just finished the ghost stories segment. Did you go? Amazing & under the perfect moon... 7:14 PM Oct 3rd
@Ellouisestory: listening to the train passing through early in the morning. Its the music of storytelling here in Jonesboro. 5:02 AM Oct 4th
@Storyconnect: A tent full of of thousands just sang three songs in four-part harmony. That's it's own kind of magic! 7:23 AM Oct 4th
@Storyconnect: Bil Lepp vs. mountain lion. Any takers on the bet? 12:17 PM Oct 4th
@SlashColeman: is back from Jonesborough....ahhhhh. 4:40 AM Oct 5th
Some of the Twitter users even managed a "tweetup" on Saturday morning (photo here)
Tweeter @LeeRosen's frustration with the Festival's policy on electronic devices is understandable, but that didn't stop several tweeters from snapping photos with their cell phones (I found pics of Sheila Kay Adams, Donald Davis, and Kathryn Windham via Twitter... well, most of the pic is row upon row of audience in folding chairs while at the far side of the tent was a tiny human being. If you say that little speck is Sheila, I'll believe you).
Meanwhile, over at @focusonthecloud, Matt Harris was actually twittering quotes from storytellers in near real-time. (Maybe Festival staff and tent volunteers aren't on the lookout for active Blackberries?) Not a substitute for hearing the whole story, but Matt was capturing some nice turns of phrase from these orators. And, if, like me, you've heard some of these tellers before, the tweets evoke the sound of their voices. So I appreciate what Matt was doing.
If I had been there? I would have found a way to post, but probably not during the performances. As much as I like to share the experience online, when it comes to performances, I'm there to experience the storytelling trance. The tweets can come later.
September 05, 2009
Tweets (and TV) from Timp Fest
Who was tweeting from this week's Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in Orem, Utah?
Nice to see a storytelling festival get some buzz on Twitter. I know of two key Festival supporters who are also on Twitter regularly that surprisingly did not tweet from the ground (I suppose they were too busy).
Now if the Festival can just figure out to do with their blog ;-)
====
Oh, and I found this TV coverage from KTVX 4 in Salt Lake City, featuring storyteller Donald Davis-- which smartly aired a few days before the Festival:
- @OremLibrary
- @froztfreez
- @ChamberEast
- @Buzzbooster
- @jdwhiting
- @petit_elefant
- @chericem
- @EvonneSell
- @squirrelyTONKS
- @justinhackworth
- @BryanMangum
- @docguy
- @jmaxwilson
- @danothemanov
- @MindyGledhill
- @oldgoatwasatch
- @kruckenb
- @jdub79
- @storytellerbug
- @entropal
Nice to see a storytelling festival get some buzz on Twitter. I know of two key Festival supporters who are also on Twitter regularly that surprisingly did not tweet from the ground (I suppose they were too busy).
Now if the Festival can just figure out to do with their blog ;-)
====
Oh, and I found this TV coverage from KTVX 4 in Salt Lake City, featuring storyteller Donald Davis-- which smartly aired a few days before the Festival:
April 29, 2009
Call for Tellers: 13th International Storytelling Festival, Iran
(via Twitter)
"Storytellers to narrate Persian tales in English at Iranian festival"
The International Storytelling festival is open to foreign tellers, and this year specifically encourages tales to be told in English. Last year the theme was Quranic tales, but this year it seems epic tales (with Iranian themes) are sought.
I think the festival will take place in December around the solstice (I can't read Farsi, so that's a guess). It did last year, when the festival was held in Isfahan and the international guest list included Georgiana Keable of Norway, American storyteller by way of the Netherlands Mary Sue Siegel, and Angela Knowles from Scotland.
(I can't give this Festival credit for being the first to send out a call for storytellers via Twitter, since the announcement came via the Mehr News Agency, and some of the Iranian blogs picked it up, and from there into the Twitterstream... nevertheless, I'm quite delighted that there are now tools available that make it possible for a Festival far away to get the word to an interested party some seven thousand five hundred miles away.)
"Storytellers to narrate Persian tales in English at Iranian festival"
The International Storytelling festival is open to foreign tellers, and this year specifically encourages tales to be told in English. Last year the theme was Quranic tales, but this year it seems epic tales (with Iranian themes) are sought.
I think the festival will take place in December around the solstice (I can't read Farsi, so that's a guess). It did last year, when the festival was held in Isfahan and the international guest list included Georgiana Keable of Norway, American storyteller by way of the Netherlands Mary Sue Siegel, and Angela Knowles from Scotland.
(I can't give this Festival credit for being the first to send out a call for storytellers via Twitter, since the announcement came via the Mehr News Agency, and some of the Iranian blogs picked it up, and from there into the Twitterstream... nevertheless, I'm quite delighted that there are now tools available that make it possible for a Festival far away to get the word to an interested party some seven thousand five hundred miles away.)
April 24, 2009
Almost Live Tweeting from Northlands Storytelling Conference
I'm at the Northlands Storytelling Network conference this weekend in Green Lake, Wisconsin. Got at least 3 folks on Twitter here.
In case you want to follow along this weekend on Twitter: link
(Wireless interenet from the conference center lobby and dining room... not from the breakout sessions, so there won't be much tweeting in real time. I suspect we won't be texting on our cell phones in the interactive workshops.)
Photos on Flickr, thanks to Dale Jarvis. More as weekend progresses.
In case you want to follow along this weekend on Twitter: link
(Wireless interenet from the conference center lobby and dining room... not from the breakout sessions, so there won't be much tweeting in real time. I suspect we won't be texting on our cell phones in the interactive workshops.)
Photos on Flickr, thanks to Dale Jarvis. More as weekend progresses.
March 24, 2009
Condensed Thoughts
Came across this question on Twitter on Sunday morning.
So I just had to respond to @ContentedCopy, who had asked it. (She later confessed that she posted this question strategically, as a way to start a conversation. Heh. It worked.)
My reply:
What was surprising was that the limitation of Twitter, that is, that my posts can't exceed 140 characters, actually managed to clarify my thoughts.
I'm reposting our conversation here (with Carol's gracious permission), so you can see this abbreviated exchange of ideas. The # you see is a hashtag-- we're essentially bookmarking these posts (so that later, we, or anyone else interested in storytelling could search on "#storytelling" to find key entries).
Carol (@ContentedCopy) responded to me:
Leave a comment if you'd like to sprout one of these seeds.
So I just had to respond to @ContentedCopy, who had asked it. (She later confessed that she posted this question strategically, as a way to start a conversation. Heh. It worked.)My reply:
Is breathing still relevant? Storytelling is always relevant, recognition of that fact waxes and wanes over time.Twitter limits such responses to 140 characters. But soon I had a flurry of "tweets" --exchanging ideas with someone 2500 miles away. That wasn't surprising, as I've been using the Web for 15 years, and know that it shrinks geographic distances.
What was surprising was that the limitation of Twitter, that is, that my posts can't exceed 140 characters, actually managed to clarify my thoughts.
I'm reposting our conversation here (with Carol's gracious permission), so you can see this abbreviated exchange of ideas. The # you see is a hashtag-- we're essentially bookmarking these posts (so that later, we, or anyone else interested in storytelling could search on "#storytelling" to find key entries).
Carol (@ContentedCopy) responded to me:
agree 100%. Given your bkground, and mine, are we moving into a new model of storytelling? Esp. via soc media etc?
Me: media gives us tools to connect and collaborate and engage. Re-inventing storytelling: no. Marketing: yes and how.
Carol had another response to my post about relevancy:
So why then are storytelling festivals so hard to get audience #'s out to? How do you make it inviting to joeblo?Carol: #storytelling what is the right way to market a festival? Very curious now!Me: For 30 years, storytelling festivals have been telling the wrong story about #storytelling. Great talent, lousy marketing.
Carol: We're having a Frog Storytelling Festival this yr, with green issues too. Boomers make up our largest audienceMe:
First step: forget the epic journey myth and hold events close to where people live. #storytellingfestivals
Audiences prefer genres (in dance, theatre, music, art, movies). Why do #storytellingfestivals offer smorgasboard every time?
I don't know the marketing secret, but #storytelling as -antidote to hectic pace of modern life- no longer the right messageI elected to re-post our conversation here not only as an example of how Twitter made me focus my thoughts on a storytelling issue into concise points, but to leave these here as seeds for future conversations.
#storytelling as relief from modern life = message for boomers. Younger generation likes constant connection afforded by tech
How many music concerts/ series/ festivals market the idea of "music"? Zero. They market the talent. #storytellingfestivals
#storytelling festival marketing: Q: Who would enjoy this event? Answer: everyone. That's not a message that grows audiences.
Leave a comment if you'd like to sprout one of these seeds.
March 09, 2009
Storytelling with Twitter? I don't think so.
Question: is Twitter, the social messaging utility, a good platform for storytelling?
Short Answer: No.
Not that I heard anyone say it was. But with Twitter being the "in" tool this year, and storytellers jumping in, I wanted to add my two cents.
Do I use Twitter? Yes. I appreciate its functionality for those times when I need to be connected in real time. I'm impressed that its fans have been able to build online relationships despite the tools built in limitations, namely, the 140 character limit for each message.
I don't see these two primary features (real-time messaging, and limited length) as essential to storytelling.
That there's a tool, ie Twitter, that lets me receive messages in real-time from friends, relations, colleagues, celebrities, politicians, and NASA missions is cool. I like being connected, being reminded on these people-- those that I have a relationship with in real life, well, it helps "grease the wheel" of that relationship during that time when we're not in contact. But Twitter is about the "what I'm doing now" not about "remember when we..." or "once upon a time."
Could you use Twitter to tell a story? Yes, of course. But it's an inelegant tool.
(I'll grant that when it comes to stories for journalism, however, Twitter is useful as a tool for gathering information of stories-as-they-happen, as events in San Diego, Mumbai, and the Hudson River have shown us)
But in terms of spinning narratives: using Twitter is like selecting a toothpick to paint on a canvas that's meant to fill a room.
Partly it's the 140 character limit. Now, Flash fiction is nothing new. Storytellers from Vishnu Sarma to Aesop to Jesus were using the short short form long before the publishing world took a shine to very short tales in the 1990s. Setting limits, even arbitrary ones, can prompt some very creative output, so I can see the appeal of using Twitter to share these mini works of fiction.
Some of my favorites:
Two writers in particular, I've found, who use Twitter to write nanofiction. I would categorize their work as character sketches and platforms --more seeds of stories that could be than actual beginning-middle-end kernels, but sometimes worth a look:
@arjunbasu
@nickwarren (I especially like Nick's use of first person, since it plays within the Twitterverse milieu nicely)
Smith Magazine, home of the six word story, set the bar higher (or tighter, I guess. You can fit a lot more than 6 words on Twitter). It's difficult to pull off a good six-word story, so you have to wade through a lot of dross to find the gems, and then, there's not so much a haiku feeling as a "wish they served dinner instead of hors d'oeuvres"... still, Twitter seems an excellent channel for them to utilize: @smithmag
Portland Story Theater sneaks around the limitations of length and genre with a serial format:
@pdxstorytheater
Do you follow anyone on Twitter that is creating interesting stories? Post them in the comments!
(And just so we're clear: "creating interesting stories" does NOT mean "promoting their business" (story-based or otherwise)
-----
So maybe you're not looking for Twitter to deliver bite-sized stories. Maybe you just think it'd be cool (for this year anyway) to receive real-time messages from working storytellers. In that case, here are some current storytellers with active or semi-active Twitter accounts:
(Yes, I left out a bunch of "organizational narrative" and "corporate storytellers" who are very active on Twitter. That's by design. They've got their own blogs. When the day comes that they tell a story around a campfire, then I'll add them to my list here.)
Short Answer: No.
Not that I heard anyone say it was. But with Twitter being the "in" tool this year, and storytellers jumping in, I wanted to add my two cents.
Do I use Twitter? Yes. I appreciate its functionality for those times when I need to be connected in real time. I'm impressed that its fans have been able to build online relationships despite the tools built in limitations, namely, the 140 character limit for each message.
I don't see these two primary features (real-time messaging, and limited length) as essential to storytelling.
That there's a tool, ie Twitter, that lets me receive messages in real-time from friends, relations, colleagues, celebrities, politicians, and NASA missions is cool. I like being connected, being reminded on these people-- those that I have a relationship with in real life, well, it helps "grease the wheel" of that relationship during that time when we're not in contact. But Twitter is about the "what I'm doing now" not about "remember when we..." or "once upon a time."
Could you use Twitter to tell a story? Yes, of course. But it's an inelegant tool.
(I'll grant that when it comes to stories for journalism, however, Twitter is useful as a tool for gathering information of stories-as-they-happen, as events in San Diego, Mumbai, and the Hudson River have shown us)
But in terms of spinning narratives: using Twitter is like selecting a toothpick to paint on a canvas that's meant to fill a room.
Partly it's the 140 character limit. Now, Flash fiction is nothing new. Storytellers from Vishnu Sarma to Aesop to Jesus were using the short short form long before the publishing world took a shine to very short tales in the 1990s. Setting limits, even arbitrary ones, can prompt some very creative output, so I can see the appeal of using Twitter to share these mini works of fiction.
Some of my favorites:
This bit of magical realism/spy novel and this melodrama from David Vanadia.
This retelling of a fable from Jerrold Connors.
Two writers in particular, I've found, who use Twitter to write nanofiction. I would categorize their work as character sketches and platforms --more seeds of stories that could be than actual beginning-middle-end kernels, but sometimes worth a look:
@arjunbasu
@nickwarren (I especially like Nick's use of first person, since it plays within the Twitterverse milieu nicely)
Smith Magazine, home of the six word story, set the bar higher (or tighter, I guess. You can fit a lot more than 6 words on Twitter). It's difficult to pull off a good six-word story, so you have to wade through a lot of dross to find the gems, and then, there's not so much a haiku feeling as a "wish they served dinner instead of hors d'oeuvres"... still, Twitter seems an excellent channel for them to utilize: @smithmag
Portland Story Theater sneaks around the limitations of length and genre with a serial format:
@pdxstorytheater
Do you follow anyone on Twitter that is creating interesting stories? Post them in the comments!
(And just so we're clear: "creating interesting stories" does NOT mean "promoting their business" (story-based or otherwise)
-----
So maybe you're not looking for Twitter to deliver bite-sized stories. Maybe you just think it'd be cool (for this year anyway) to receive real-time messages from working storytellers. In that case, here are some current storytellers with active or semi-active Twitter accounts:
Baba the Storyteller: @Djeliba
Hope Baugh: @Hope_Baugh
Karol Brown: @Browntones
Buck P Creacy: @BuckPCreacy
Lynn Duddy: @storywoman
EthNohTec: @ethnohtec
Tim Ereneta: @tereneta
Stephen Hollen: @mountainstories
Sean Buvala: @storyteller
Terry Free: @TerryFree
Rachel Hedman: @StorytellingAdv
Priscilla Howe: @priscillahowe
Dale Jarvis: @DaleJarvis
Carol Knarr: @ckanrr
Debra Olson-Tolar: @storytolar
Laura Packer: @storylaura
Ellouise Schoettler: @ellouisestory
Tim Sheppard: @TimSheppard
Dianne de las Casas: @storyconnection
BZ Smith: @bzsmith
Teresa Clark: @teresaclark
Limor Shiponi: @Storyteling
David Vanadia @Vanadia
Eric Wolf: @Ericwolf2
(Yes, I left out a bunch of "organizational narrative" and "corporate storytellers" who are very active on Twitter. That's by design. They've got their own blogs. When the day comes that they tell a story around a campfire, then I'll add them to my list here.)
January 01, 2009
India Storytelling Tour 2008, Twitter roundup
Just realized that it's hard to point people to Twitter info after the fact, so I'm cutting and pasting my tweets from the Tharisanam India Storytelling tour here. Dates don't exactly correspond to our tour stops... I didn't tweet live, but posted these in batches from internet cafes. I've reversed the order here, because Twitter, like a blog, has the earliest posts are on the bottom. Instead, these are chronological., so start at the top and work your way down.
#
Things you don't want to hear from your HR manager 24 hours before you leave for India: "What leave of absence?" 10:22 AM Oct 30th
#
Good thing all my clothes for India are on the clothesline. The forecast: no rain until tomorrow. Wrong. Guess who came early? 3:10 PM Oct 30th
#
Heading off for India. 8:21 AM Oct 31st, 2008
#
Door to door: my house in Berkeley to hotel in Chennai, 30 hours. Got about five hours of sleep in there. Still, beats going by horseback. Nov 2nd, 2008
#
Hotel is a favorite of locals for wedding receptions. It's Sunday, and everyone is dressed to celebrate. Nov 2nd, 2008
#
Masala dosa is a good breakfast, if spicy... but I just passed a donut shop on the way to the internet cafe. I'm torn. Nov 2nd, 2008
#
Oh, by the way, I'm typing this from the future. I'm 13 hours ahead of California time. No jet packs yet, but lots of auto rickshaws. Nov 2nd, 2008
#
Hanging out with storytellers (12 american, 1 Indian) in Chennai, India. More later. Nov 2nd, 2008
#
Enjoying the afterglow of a sunrise workout on the Bay of Bengal with the Laughter Club of Marina Beach. http://tr.im/s40 Nov 3rd, 2008
#
Nothing like traditional Tamil lamentation (oppari) to balance out the day's laughter quotient. Nov 5th, 2008
#
Whoa. The bats in Chennai are larger than the cats back home in Berkeley. Nov 5th, 2008
#
Tuesday night storytelling contest in Nocchikuppam: totally fascinating. Nov 5th, 2008
#
Travel nurse got me paranoid about infectious disease. She didn't know the biggest health risk in Chennai is attempting crossing the street! Nov 5th, 2008
#
The cure for Mallarone-induced insomnia: Kingfisher beer! Nov 5th, 2008
#
One very happy busload of tourists on Dr. Radikrishnan Rd in Chennai this morning when we learned via Blackberry that McCain conceded. Nov 5th, 2008
# Auspicious day for weddings. Not so auspicious if your hotel room is next to the reception hall. Nov 5th, 2008
#
Off to more adventures. Nov 5th, 2008
#
Learned about indigenous tribes of India from our host, Hindu marriage from our translator, and the Mahabharata from a Texan in a sari. Nov 6th, 2008
#
Oops. Not a sari. The other thing... my guide is going to scold me for getting it wrong. Again. Nov 6th, 2008
#
5 days in. I ask a tour buddy when "lord of the flies" sets in. She notes we arrive in the jungle in two days. Nov 6th, 2008
#
Half of our group are retirees. I hear they're the first to go savage once we lose the air conditioning and the coffee. Nov 6th, 2008
#
We may not all come back. Nov 6th, 2008
#
Nothing like practicing a song with a master theatre artist while massacring his language. Nov 8th, 2008
#
Watching comedians work without understanding their language... a master class in pace, posture, and audience control. Nov 8th, 2008
#
As if live music, epic storytelling, and performance theory wasn't enough-- food, glorious South Indian food! Nov 8th, 2008
#
Hindu temples aren't my thing. My thing: taking pictures of American tourists taking pictures of Hindu temples. Nov 8th, 2008
#
Planting saplings at an herbal medicine nursery in rural Tamil Nadu. Nov 8th, 2008
#
Best way to revive a gaggle of storytellers who've been on a bus for too long: Kingfisher Beer! Nov 8th, 2008
#
Sitting in shade of a tree in rural India, listening to stories from tribal elders. Nov 10th, 2008
#
Yes I paid too much for those souvenirs. Yes I got suckered 'cause I'm a foreigner. But I got a story out of it. Nov 11th, 2008
#
The cross-cultural miscommunication in restaurants here is delightfully comical, until it happens to your dinner. Nov 12th, 2008
#
You can fit 15 storytellers in a double room if they are determined enough to swap stories. Nov 12th, 2008
#
Wed: shadow puppet workshop. Puppets whacking each other with clubs is funny in any language. Nov 14th, 2008
#
Thurs: Pizza Hut! Nov 14th, 2008
#
Thurs: master class in gesture, narrative in contemporary Indian dance from http://www.anitaratnam.com/ , including the Ramayana in 7 min Nov 14th, 2008
#
The heady fragrance of my LOVIN EGO deodorant (Indian brand) tempered by the DEET insect repellanant Nov 14th, 2008
#
Fri: 2 gigs in Chennai-- I get the rough one, but the tour rocks the house @ Alliance Francaise of Madras Nov 14th, 2008
#
Sat: end of tour. Jeff B and I set out to see India on our own Nov 14th, 2008
#
Autorickshaws in Chennai : autorickshaws in Delhi :: Asteroids : Sinistar. Nov 16th, 2008
(analogy explained here)
#
Hey storytellers-- Jeff and I made it to the site of Indraprastha, the legendary city built by the Pandavas in the Mahabharata. Nov 18th, 2008
#
Sadly, there's a modern city of 12 million people built directly over it, so there's nothing left of it to see. Nov 18th, 2008
---(end storytelling stuff... more travel adventures in India below)---
#
Maila Kofta, where have you been all my life? Nov 18th, 2008
#
No Bharatnatyam for us. Instead: treated to one of Delhi's infamous traffic jams. Nov 18th, 2008
#
Mmmmm. Thunderbolt beer. Better than Kingfisher. Nov 18th, 2008
#
Puzzling over six-story Hanuman near our hotel. http://tinyurl.com/55oo7a Nov 18th, 2008
#
Set Blade Runner in a hot climate and set the architecture back six centuries: Delhi. Nov 18th, 2008
#
Amazing Mughal architecture in Delhi. But we are missing the stories. Nov 18th, 2008
#
Mind-blowing walk through the narrow alleyways of Old Delhi. Stumbled into the wholesale bangle bazaar, dodging pushcarts and motorcycles. Nov 18th, 2008
#
As storytellers far from home, Jeff and I are delighted to chat with affable English speaking locals. Turns out-- they all own shops. Nov 18th, 2008
#
You'd think after falling for the friendly local/shopkeeper gambit six times, we'd avoid #7.... You'd be wrong. Nov 18th, 2008
#
Can't wait to leave Delhi and see if teenagers outside the city limits are as enamored of acid wash jeans and designer label shirts. Nov 18th, 2008
#
That our train ticket number nor our names match those on the passenger list on the Kerala express does not faze the conductor. Off to Agra! Nov 18th, 2008
#
Coincidentally, we share a berth with a German man whose knowledge of corporate storytelling far exceeds our own. Nov 18th, 2008
#
Swapping stories with fellow travellers to while away the hours in a train berth. A welcome break from sightseeing and bargaining! Nov 18th, 2008
The Red Fort in Delhi was impressive. The Fort here in Agra-- jaw dropping. Friendly guide happy to tell us stories. Nov 18th, 2008
Guide, friendly, self-taught, and quite knowledgeable, tells us he'd like to show us a special rug emporium. Jeff does a spit take Nov 18th, 2008
Off to bed early to catch sunrise at the taj mahal. More later. Nov 18th, 2008
Overcast at Taj Mahal. Still worth the trip. Words can't describe its magnificence. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Thursday: exhausting. Up at 5:30am, didn't reach hotel in Jaipur until midnight. That our guide brought us to THREE emporiums didn't help. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Amazing Race moment in Rajasthan: it's dark, we haven't eaten in 9 hours, & our driver has no idea where the train station is. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Beautiful hotel in Jaipur (nicest so far): manager tells us that autorickshaws = guaranteed detour to souvenir shops. Nov 19th, 2008
#
My bargaining skills stink. Especially when the shopkeeper lived in Berkeley for 8 years and we hit it off immediately. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Bharatpur: two Rajasthani families (English vocabulary: hello, mother, son, father, family, USA) find Jeff and I fascinating. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Thurs: No dinner. Jeff shrewdly suggest I wait until my last night here before sampling samosas cooked from a vendor on the train platform. Nov 19th, 2008
#
And by samosa vendor I don't mean snack bar. Instead: guy with a pushcart, propane tank, pot of oil, tongs, and a stack of homemade snacks. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Bharatpur: Three computer hardware engineers ask us about salaries in the US; their jaws hit the train platform. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Wishing we'd arranged to meet storytellers in Rajasthan. I'm sightseed out. Dreading the inevitable rush of souvenir wallahs. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Thursday OK. Audiotour of city palace keeps hucksters at bay. Also drowns out shouts of tour guides for German, French and Japanese tourists. Nov 20th, 2008
#
Best hotel yet: hot water, warm toast, and on TV: Amazing Race Asia. Nov 20th, 2008
#
Probably should have skipped that episode of Nat'l Geographic Extreme on TV-- "Air Crash Investigations" the day before I fly home. Nov 20th, 2008
#
Friday plan: 4 sights/sites in Jaipur, then start the 30 hour journey home via Delhi and Hong Kong. Nov 20th, 2008
#
Ajmer: now that's a fort! Finally see the appeal of marble palaces. Also: snake charmer with cobra. Cliche, but everyone gawks. Nov 21st, 2008
#
Autorickshaws in Jaipur: slower than Delhi, but variable pavement makes it the bone-jarringest, rip-roarin'est ride in the West. Nov 21st, 2008
#
Feel sorry for new arrivals at New Delhi train station who have to face the mob of taxi drivers clamoring for your business. Nov 21st, 2008
#
New Delhi airport: WTF? What kind of international terminal doesn't carry the Indian edition of People magazine? Nov 21st, 2008
#
Delhi airport: Thomas Cook says I don't have enough rupees to convert back to dollars, I should spend it at duty free shop, beyond security. Nov 21st, 2008
#
Delhi airport: Duty Free Shop says we don't accept rupees, only dollars. Try to spend my last rupees on India's famous ciabatta panini. Nov 21st, 2008
#
Back home and thrilled to be so. Feel like crap, but nothing a lot of sleep won't cure Nov 22nd, 2008
#
Things you don't want to hear from your HR manager 24 hours before you leave for India: "What leave of absence?" 10:22 AM Oct 30th
#
Good thing all my clothes for India are on the clothesline. The forecast: no rain until tomorrow. Wrong. Guess who came early? 3:10 PM Oct 30th
#
Heading off for India. 8:21 AM Oct 31st, 2008
#
Door to door: my house in Berkeley to hotel in Chennai, 30 hours. Got about five hours of sleep in there. Still, beats going by horseback. Nov 2nd, 2008
#
Hotel is a favorite of locals for wedding receptions. It's Sunday, and everyone is dressed to celebrate. Nov 2nd, 2008
#
Masala dosa is a good breakfast, if spicy... but I just passed a donut shop on the way to the internet cafe. I'm torn. Nov 2nd, 2008
#
Oh, by the way, I'm typing this from the future. I'm 13 hours ahead of California time. No jet packs yet, but lots of auto rickshaws. Nov 2nd, 2008
#
Hanging out with storytellers (12 american, 1 Indian) in Chennai, India. More later. Nov 2nd, 2008
#
Enjoying the afterglow of a sunrise workout on the Bay of Bengal with the Laughter Club of Marina Beach. http://tr.im/s40 Nov 3rd, 2008
#
Nothing like traditional Tamil lamentation (oppari) to balance out the day's laughter quotient. Nov 5th, 2008
#
Whoa. The bats in Chennai are larger than the cats back home in Berkeley. Nov 5th, 2008
#
Tuesday night storytelling contest in Nocchikuppam: totally fascinating. Nov 5th, 2008
#
Travel nurse got me paranoid about infectious disease. She didn't know the biggest health risk in Chennai is attempting crossing the street! Nov 5th, 2008
#
The cure for Mallarone-induced insomnia: Kingfisher beer! Nov 5th, 2008
#
One very happy busload of tourists on Dr. Radikrishnan Rd in Chennai this morning when we learned via Blackberry that McCain conceded. Nov 5th, 2008
# Auspicious day for weddings. Not so auspicious if your hotel room is next to the reception hall. Nov 5th, 2008
#
Off to more adventures. Nov 5th, 2008
#
Learned about indigenous tribes of India from our host, Hindu marriage from our translator, and the Mahabharata from a Texan in a sari. Nov 6th, 2008
#
Oops. Not a sari. The other thing... my guide is going to scold me for getting it wrong. Again. Nov 6th, 2008
#
5 days in. I ask a tour buddy when "lord of the flies" sets in. She notes we arrive in the jungle in two days. Nov 6th, 2008
#
Half of our group are retirees. I hear they're the first to go savage once we lose the air conditioning and the coffee. Nov 6th, 2008
#
We may not all come back. Nov 6th, 2008
#
Nothing like practicing a song with a master theatre artist while massacring his language. Nov 8th, 2008
#
Watching comedians work without understanding their language... a master class in pace, posture, and audience control. Nov 8th, 2008
#
As if live music, epic storytelling, and performance theory wasn't enough-- food, glorious South Indian food! Nov 8th, 2008
#
Hindu temples aren't my thing. My thing: taking pictures of American tourists taking pictures of Hindu temples. Nov 8th, 2008
#
Planting saplings at an herbal medicine nursery in rural Tamil Nadu. Nov 8th, 2008
#
Best way to revive a gaggle of storytellers who've been on a bus for too long: Kingfisher Beer! Nov 8th, 2008
#
Sitting in shade of a tree in rural India, listening to stories from tribal elders. Nov 10th, 2008
#
Yes I paid too much for those souvenirs. Yes I got suckered 'cause I'm a foreigner. But I got a story out of it. Nov 11th, 2008
#
The cross-cultural miscommunication in restaurants here is delightfully comical, until it happens to your dinner. Nov 12th, 2008
#
You can fit 15 storytellers in a double room if they are determined enough to swap stories. Nov 12th, 2008
#
Wed: shadow puppet workshop. Puppets whacking each other with clubs is funny in any language. Nov 14th, 2008
#
Thurs: Pizza Hut! Nov 14th, 2008
#
Thurs: master class in gesture, narrative in contemporary Indian dance from http://www.anitaratnam.com/ , including the Ramayana in 7 min Nov 14th, 2008
#
The heady fragrance of my LOVIN EGO deodorant (Indian brand) tempered by the DEET insect repellanant Nov 14th, 2008
#
Fri: 2 gigs in Chennai-- I get the rough one, but the tour rocks the house @ Alliance Francaise of Madras Nov 14th, 2008
#
Sat: end of tour. Jeff B and I set out to see India on our own Nov 14th, 2008
#
Autorickshaws in Chennai : autorickshaws in Delhi :: Asteroids : Sinistar. Nov 16th, 2008
(analogy explained here)
#
Hey storytellers-- Jeff and I made it to the site of Indraprastha, the legendary city built by the Pandavas in the Mahabharata. Nov 18th, 2008
#
Sadly, there's a modern city of 12 million people built directly over it, so there's nothing left of it to see. Nov 18th, 2008
---(end storytelling stuff... more travel adventures in India below)---
#
Maila Kofta, where have you been all my life? Nov 18th, 2008
#
No Bharatnatyam for us. Instead: treated to one of Delhi's infamous traffic jams. Nov 18th, 2008
#
Mmmmm. Thunderbolt beer. Better than Kingfisher. Nov 18th, 2008
#
Puzzling over six-story Hanuman near our hotel. http://tinyurl.com/55oo7a Nov 18th, 2008
#
Set Blade Runner in a hot climate and set the architecture back six centuries: Delhi. Nov 18th, 2008
#
Amazing Mughal architecture in Delhi. But we are missing the stories. Nov 18th, 2008
#
Mind-blowing walk through the narrow alleyways of Old Delhi. Stumbled into the wholesale bangle bazaar, dodging pushcarts and motorcycles. Nov 18th, 2008
#
As storytellers far from home, Jeff and I are delighted to chat with affable English speaking locals. Turns out-- they all own shops. Nov 18th, 2008
#
You'd think after falling for the friendly local/shopkeeper gambit six times, we'd avoid #7.... You'd be wrong. Nov 18th, 2008
#
Can't wait to leave Delhi and see if teenagers outside the city limits are as enamored of acid wash jeans and designer label shirts. Nov 18th, 2008
#
That our train ticket number nor our names match those on the passenger list on the Kerala express does not faze the conductor. Off to Agra! Nov 18th, 2008
#
Coincidentally, we share a berth with a German man whose knowledge of corporate storytelling far exceeds our own. Nov 18th, 2008
#
Swapping stories with fellow travellers to while away the hours in a train berth. A welcome break from sightseeing and bargaining! Nov 18th, 2008
The Red Fort in Delhi was impressive. The Fort here in Agra-- jaw dropping. Friendly guide happy to tell us stories. Nov 18th, 2008
Guide, friendly, self-taught, and quite knowledgeable, tells us he'd like to show us a special rug emporium. Jeff does a spit take Nov 18th, 2008
Off to bed early to catch sunrise at the taj mahal. More later. Nov 18th, 2008
Overcast at Taj Mahal. Still worth the trip. Words can't describe its magnificence. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Thursday: exhausting. Up at 5:30am, didn't reach hotel in Jaipur until midnight. That our guide brought us to THREE emporiums didn't help. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Amazing Race moment in Rajasthan: it's dark, we haven't eaten in 9 hours, & our driver has no idea where the train station is. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Beautiful hotel in Jaipur (nicest so far): manager tells us that autorickshaws = guaranteed detour to souvenir shops. Nov 19th, 2008
#
My bargaining skills stink. Especially when the shopkeeper lived in Berkeley for 8 years and we hit it off immediately. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Bharatpur: two Rajasthani families (English vocabulary: hello, mother, son, father, family, USA) find Jeff and I fascinating. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Thurs: No dinner. Jeff shrewdly suggest I wait until my last night here before sampling samosas cooked from a vendor on the train platform. Nov 19th, 2008
#
And by samosa vendor I don't mean snack bar. Instead: guy with a pushcart, propane tank, pot of oil, tongs, and a stack of homemade snacks. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Bharatpur: Three computer hardware engineers ask us about salaries in the US; their jaws hit the train platform. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Wishing we'd arranged to meet storytellers in Rajasthan. I'm sightseed out. Dreading the inevitable rush of souvenir wallahs. Nov 19th, 2008
#
Thursday OK. Audiotour of city palace keeps hucksters at bay. Also drowns out shouts of tour guides for German, French and Japanese tourists. Nov 20th, 2008
#
Best hotel yet: hot water, warm toast, and on TV: Amazing Race Asia. Nov 20th, 2008
#
Probably should have skipped that episode of Nat'l Geographic Extreme on TV-- "Air Crash Investigations" the day before I fly home. Nov 20th, 2008
#
Friday plan: 4 sights/sites in Jaipur, then start the 30 hour journey home via Delhi and Hong Kong. Nov 20th, 2008
#
Ajmer: now that's a fort! Finally see the appeal of marble palaces. Also: snake charmer with cobra. Cliche, but everyone gawks. Nov 21st, 2008
#
Autorickshaws in Jaipur: slower than Delhi, but variable pavement makes it the bone-jarringest, rip-roarin'est ride in the West. Nov 21st, 2008
#
Feel sorry for new arrivals at New Delhi train station who have to face the mob of taxi drivers clamoring for your business. Nov 21st, 2008
#
New Delhi airport: WTF? What kind of international terminal doesn't carry the Indian edition of People magazine? Nov 21st, 2008
#
Delhi airport: Thomas Cook says I don't have enough rupees to convert back to dollars, I should spend it at duty free shop, beyond security. Nov 21st, 2008
#
Delhi airport: Duty Free Shop says we don't accept rupees, only dollars. Try to spend my last rupees on India's famous ciabatta panini. Nov 21st, 2008
#
Back home and thrilled to be so. Feel like crap, but nothing a lot of sleep won't cure Nov 22nd, 2008
October 03, 2008
Tweets from the National Storytelling Festival
It's doubtful that anyone in Jonesborough will be blogging the National Storytelling Festival live. However, there are a number of people reporting in via Twitter... the "microblogging" service that lets you post VERY short blog entries from your mobile phone.
Read reports from the Festival at:
http://twitter.com/darwee
http://twitter.com/LeeRosen
http://twitter.com/jhjones
http://twitter.com/coreymayfield (posting photos, too!)
http://twitter.com/adammayfield
I don't know any of these people, but they are publicly posting these updates.
These folks are in or near Jonesborough, but so far they're not posting:
http://twitter.com/darkscape
http://twitter.com/shoestring
http://twitter.com/justloriann
To watch a live feed of Twitter posts, visit
http://www.monitter.com
On the web page, you'll see three columns, each with the header "monitter" (or you might see "apple" "iphone" "mac").
Type directly over those headers. Replace the headers by typing "Jonesborough" in one, "National Storytelling Festival" in the next, and "storytelling" in the third. (This last isn't the best, but I can't think of another keyword)
Read reports from the Festival at:
http://twitter.com/darwee
http://twitter.com/LeeRosen
http://twitter.com/jhjones
http://twitter.com/coreymayfield (posting photos, too!)
http://twitter.com/adammayfield
I don't know any of these people, but they are publicly posting these updates.
These folks are in or near Jonesborough, but so far they're not posting:
http://twitter.com/darkscape
http://twitter.com/shoestring
http://twitter.com/justloriann
To watch a live feed of Twitter posts, visit
http://www.monitter.com
On the web page, you'll see three columns, each with the header "monitter" (or you might see "apple" "iphone" "mac").
Type directly over those headers. Replace the headers by typing "Jonesborough" in one, "National Storytelling Festival" in the next, and "storytelling" in the third. (This last isn't the best, but I can't think of another keyword)
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