Who Wants Storytelling Books? I'm taking orders - No Shipping Fees!
Next week, I am off to the National Storytelling Network Conference in Richmond, Virginia. I will be able to bring back books from the conference. Many of the best books on storytelling are published by Parkhurst Brothers. Founder Ted Parkhurst (founder and former owner of August House Publishing) will be at the conference with a carload of books!
Want a great book on using storyboarding in a truly unique way to create and craft stories? Elizabeth Ellis' From Plot to Narrative is perfect! In The New Book of Plots, Loren Niemi lists all the different "plot structures" and takes you step-by-step through the process of crafting a story based on these different plots. Social Studies in the Storytelling Classroom is great for teachers who want to use narrative to teach.
Check out the Parkhurst Brothers website to learn more about the available books on storytelling. Call or E-mail me to let me know what books you would like and I will bring them back from the conference - with no shipping charges!
Let me know ASAP so I can let Ted know how many books to bring!
AZ Rep Live Storytelling Celebrates Two Years! TONIGHT
Tonight is a very special night for AZ Rep Live Storytelling Nights. Megan Finnerty has worked tirelessly for the past two years to find interesting venues and great tellers from around the valley. The two-year anniversary takes place where it all began, at La Bocca Pizzeria in Tempe.
Join Scott Dunn, Liz Warren, Mack Duncan, Blaine Light, Jeremy Smith, Robbie Sherwood, Louise Laux, Megan Finnerty and me as we share stories of those awkward moments when you were pretty sure you knew exactly what you were doing… only to realize, you’d made an unfortunate miscalculation.
The Lit Lounge - Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art Friday - July 26th
Lit Lounge - There will be writers and performers from Arizona and across the nation, sharing funny and compelling TRUE stories, fused together with live music. This Friday will feature SNL writer Cindy Caponera, actress Hilary Shepard, our own Arizona Republic contributing editor and Live Storytelling Producer Megan Finnerty and more!
This week's Lit Lounge is SOLD OUT --- But wait, there's more...
You can view a live broadcast of the show in Stage 2 at the Center.
Workshops with Sean Buvala
Sean has three more workshops scheduled in the coming weeks. There is one more Small Group Coaching session on August 6th. These sessions are a great way to get some focused coaching, and also learn from others that are being coached.
There are two Executive Speaking Training, one in August and one in September. These intensive two-day workshops are geared for anyone who has to speak to other people in any situation. Sean has trained lawyers, CEO’s, CFO’s, teachers, administrators, theater majors, sales people, pastors and ministers, college and high-school students, health-care professionals, call-center workers, miners, government workers, HR pros, marketing specialists, construction workers, “techies” and storytellers in both private coaching and public workshops.
If you know an executive, or someone who fits the profile above and could use Sean's training, pass along the information!
Just Walk Away, Renée
Most of you may not remember that song from 1966 by The Left Banke. In fact, many of you were not even born yet! I can't remember all the lyrics, but the most important words are those in the title.
Have you ever been working on a story, and you hit a wall? No matter how hard you try, you can't get past it. You sit at your desk, or at your computer and stare at a blank screen. The more you try to solve the problem, the worse it gets. You rack your brain for inspiration...but it doesn't come.
That's the time to remember the title of the song andjust walk away! The stress of trying to come up with that one great idea will overwhelm you. Our brains get locked in a loop and we can't get out of it without changing our physical demeanor. WE HAVE TO MOVE out of our current state. Walk away, go outside or into another room. Fix a snack, or drive somewhere. Take yourself away from the problem and the stress of having to perform. Once you get away from that constant focus, that's when your brain is released from it's prison, and you come up with what you need.
So even if your name isn't Renée, remember to Just Walk Away.
If you want to build a ship...
I almost didn't have a tidbit for this week's newsletter until colleague and storyteller Kim Weitkamp posted this quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
"If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."
Although not from his book, The Little Prince, this quote speaks volumes about the power of storytelling. You could give people thousands of statistics about the sea, but the only way to really teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea, is through story.
- National Storytelling Network? You should be.
