Storyteller Mark Goldman

Happy MLK Day

It was 54 years ago that Martin Luther King gave this famous speach. It is extremely unfortunate that, In so many ways, it seems even more relevent today. What are the stories that we can tell, that might lead us all into a different world?

"...they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

Top of page

This Week

View/Make
Comments

Storytelling Secrets

Workshop with Dan Hull
Thursday - Jan 19th - Changing Hands Tempe

The founder of TheStoryline.org, a Phoenix storytelling collective, presents a workshop on live, first-person storytelling.

Through a series of simple exercises, Dan Hoen Hull can help ease potential anxiety and take you from page to stage, exploring the steps to craft a sincere narrative, and an engaging performance.

WORKSHOP DETAILS
Cost: $25.
Register online or call 602.274.0067

Info & Registration

The Donald is Coming!

NO - NOT THAT ONE! OUR DONALD!
Friday, January 20
Saturday, January 21

Great news from Liz Warren and SMCC - Donald Davis is coming for a concert and workshop next week!

Storytellers - don't miss the chance to see Donald in concert and observe a Master Storyteller at work. And you will learn even MORE in his Saturday workshop. This is a great chance to learn from someone who has been telling stories all his life! And it's priced right too!

Friday, January 20: Evening Performance 7:00 pm, South Mountain Community College, Performance Hall, Free and open to the public. (Donation requested)

From Memory to Story

Saturday, January 21: 9:00 – 3:00 - From Memory to Story

The SMCC Storytelling Institute invites you to join master storyteller and teacher Donald Davis for a full-day workshop on finding stories that you didn’t know you had and turning them into stories. Donald will lead us in an experience to tap memory and to shape personal and family-based stories. You will learn:

Techniques for accessing memory for stories and story elements
Strategies for crafting effective stories
Tactics for telling to capture stories in heartfelt and meaningful ways

South Mountain Community Library, Community Room. Cost is $50

Coffee and snacks provided. There will be a lunch break. Bring your own, or there are many lunch places nearby.

Contact Liz Warren to reserve your space. liz.warren@southmountaincc.edu, 602-243-8026.

Top of page

Coming Up

View/Make
Comments

Arizona Storytellers: Estamos Aqui

Tuesday - January 31th - 7:00 pm
SMCC Performance Hall

Join azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic as we celebrate the rich traditions of Latino-American culture through a night of stories on school, work, friendship and family in the Valley.

Featured Storytellers:
Nate Romero
Bob Ortega
Marilyn Torres
Yovanni Flores
Michelle Tacubando

Become a subscriber: All Arizona Republic and azcentral subscribers receive a complimentary, gourmet brownie from Fairytale Brownies at check-in. Click here to learn about other great subscriber perks.

Accessibility Note: If you require ASL Interpretation Services for this event or a future Storytellers event, or if you require accommodations related to mobility or seating, contact Alexus Rhone at arhone@gannett.com.

Info & Tickets

Top of page

Tips

View/Make
Comments

What If?

I am always trying to "think in story." I try to be a "constant observer" of the world around me to see how things might fit into a story, while at the same time, having a "sense of wonder". I am constantly wondering, "What if..." I recently realized that scientists often use the same "What if..." premise to test out a hypothesis.

In that vein, here's a reprint of a tip from March/2014 - then read the Tidbit below for some enlightening thoughts!

Last week, Sean Buvala produced a fantastic concert in Avondale, One Story, Many Tellers. Five tellers told different (and distinct) versions of their images of Beauty and the Beast. All the stories were quite marvelous. One teller, Elly Reidy had a slightly different slant with her story. In the Q & A afterwards, she shared with the group that she is always looking for the "back story" and asking herself "What if?" She asked herself, "What if Beauty and the Beast were already married before the curse was placed?" The result was a very powerful story!

The magic of asking ourselves "What if?" has limitless possibilities.

What if...the characters were all animals, instead of humans?
What if...the characters were all humans, instead of animals?
What if...this was on another planet?
What if...this took place 1000 years ago...1000 years in the future?
What if...the genders were reversed...or all men...or all women?
What if...there were no police?
What if...we only saw ourselves through the eyes of our lover...or our enemy?
What if...all the characters were blind...or deaf...or deaf and blind?
What if...the punishment for every crime, even jay-walking, was death?
What if...all the characters spoke in a language that none of the listeners understood?
What if...we heard what each character was saying...and what they were feeling?
What if...insert your own questions here.

Okay, your turn. - Start asking the questions!

Top of page

Tidbits

View/Make
Comments

I Talk to the Trees...

Do you remember the film, Avatar? The Na'Vi had the "Tree of Souls" that was connected to all the spirits of their ancestors. It was connected to all of life. That movie came out just eight years ago in 2009.

Did you ever wonder, "What if the trees could talk? What if they could talk to each other?" That "What if..." can be inspirational and crucial to a story. In Mikku and the Trees, the trees talk to Mikku, first begging him not to destroy them. Collectively, they chant to him, "If you take care of us, we'll take care of you!"

Is that such a far-fetched idea in real life? Here's the interesting part, that "What if..." was also the inspiration for an experiment to find out if the trees really DID talk to each other...or at least communicate in some way.

Suzanne Simard is a professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia. Her work demonstrated that the complex, symbiotic networks in our forests mimic our own neural and social networks. She has thirty years of experience studying the forests of Canada. Twenty-five years ago, she discovered that trees use underground fungi networks to communicate and share resources. Even different species of trees share resources and nutrients, and protect each other, vs. fighting to be the strongest survivor.

Click on her TED talk at right to watch a fascinating presentation, and perhaps an inspiration for James Cameron, or other folks using "What if..." as a starting point for a story.

Top of page

Ongoing
Events

View/Make
Comments

------------------------------------THERE'S A LOT GOING ON EACH MONTH
-------------------CHECK EACH WEBSITE OR CALENDAR TO CONFIRM DATES AND TIMES
---------------------------------CALL TO MAKE SURE THE EVENT IS STILL ON

Infuse Open Mic
Second Sunday of each month - Phoenix
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Infuse-Open-Mic/137811162925031

Pink Slip Open Mic
Every Monday at 8 pm - PHOENIX
https://www.facebook.com/events/488551851312946/

Chatterbox Open Mic
Every Wednesday at 8 pm - PHOENIX
http://thestoryline.org/chatterbox

FStorytellers - Female Story Tellers - Tucson
Usually sometime during the first week of the month - but check their website) at 7 pm - TUCSON
http://www.fstorytellers.com/index.html

Odyssey Storytelling
First Thursday of each month (usually but check calendar) - TUCSON
http://odysseystorytelling.com/

Storyline
Third Friday (usually) of each month - PHOENIX
http://thestoryline.org/

Tucson Tellers of Tales - Storytellers Guild
First Saturday of each month (except July and August) - Tucson
https://www.facebook.com/TucsonTellersofTales

West Side Story Tellers - Storytellers Guild
First Saturday of each month - GLENDALE *NO meetings in July & August
http://westsidestorytellers.weebly.com

East Valley Tellers of Tales -Storytellers Guild
Second Saturday of each month - SCOTTSDALE - *NO meetings in July & August
http://www.evtot.com

Storyfind
Fourth Saturday of each month (usually - check calendar) - *NO meetings in June & July
SMCC Storytelling Institute
A monthly workshop designed to help storytellers build community and deepen repertoire.
See the Calendar

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL MONTHLY CALANDAR

Top of page

All Newsletter content ©Mark Goldman
Got some news or information you would like to get out to the storytelling community?
Contact Mark Goldman -x602-390-3858x - Mark@Storytellermark.com