About TELLABRATION!™ TELLABRATION!™ is a worldwide benefit evening of storytelling. It creates a network of storytelling enthusiasts bonded together in spirit and is (generally) held at the same time and on the same weekend across the country, and around the world.
In 1988, storyteller J. G. Pinkerton envisioned an international event as a means of building community support for storytelling. The first event was launched by the Connecticut Storytelling Center in six locations across the state. A great success, TELLABRATION!™ extended to several other states the following year, and then, in 1990, expanded nationwide under the umbrella of the National Storytelling Network, who holds the trademark.
In 1995, for the first time, there was a TELLABRATION!™ in Japan, brought there by Japanese storyteller Masako Sueyoshi, who had been a part of TELLABRATION!™ when she lived in Connecticut for several years. By 1997, there were TELLABRATION!™ events on every continent but Antarctica.
TELLABRATION!™ is traditionally held on the Saturday night before Thanksgiving. Some events, however, may be at an alternate time during the same weekend.
If you are planning an event, make sure you use the TM character in your materials.
England - Ireland - Scotland - Summer 2018! We're gearing up for the 2018 tour! This time we're slated to visit Edinburgh, Scotland and then make our way down through northern England. We may look for Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest and then on to London and perhaps some additional shires (counties).
It's almost time to purchase the airline tickets, so if you are interested, contact Mark ASAP! (Itinerary subject to change) Click here for more info
Check That Calendar
There's a lot of storytelling going on! Get involved. Check that calendar and attend an event.
Got an event that's not listed? LET ME KNOW. My site is where most people in he Valley go to find out what's happening in the storytelling community!
Storyscope - Story Circle Wednesday - 11/8/17 at 7 PM - 9 PM AE England Building
Downtown Phoenix
Everyone has a story to tell. What’s your story about “home”? Join your neighbors and the Storyscope team – local facilitators devoted to the time-honored art of storytelling – to share your unique story and get to know more about others by bearing witness to their stories.
Story circles bring people together to explore a common theme in a spirit of equity and belonging. As each person takes a turn – sharing his or her unique lived experience and perspective – a larger, richer, more complex story emerges. Things we have in common, and real differences, can be brought to light. A story circle is a kaleidoscope of human experience – the colors and shapes we each contribute are intertwined; what’s reflected back to us is illuminating and ever-changing, with multiple dimensions, twists and turns.
- The event begins with welcoming remarks and an interpretation of the theme by a performing artist.
- Next, the group breaks into small story circles. Facilitators guide the flow from one person to another, each sharing a personal story of three minutes or so.
- Then the entire group reconvenes for reflection and a poetic or musical epilogue.
After registering, you’ll receive story prompts and storytelling tips. No storytelling experience necessary.
East Valley Tellers of Tales Saturday, November 11th ~ 10am - Noon Join us to celebrate storytelling successes.
East Valley Tellers of Tales is a Phoenix area guild of Storytellers and Storylisteners. A truly safe place to share your story! We are an affiliate of the National Storytelling Network. Come and find out what this means, and how it benefits you!
East Valley Tellers of Tales is a group that provides a safe place to hear and tell stories, to learn about stories and storytelling, and enjoy fellowship with others. We support the personal and professional development of members, preserve and promote storytelling, and provide information about storytelling opportunities and events.
Each month, our goal is to tell stories and listen to stories. Join us!
More Than Speaking - Workshop Monday - November 13th - 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
MyOffice Business Suites
14050 N 83rd Ave Suite 290, Peoria, AZ 85381
Mark your calendars for the afternoon of Monday, November14th (or Tuesday December 5th). Sean Buvala will be conducting another fantastic 3-hour workshop on More Than Speaking!
Take This Workshop and You Will be Able To:
Stop “Elevator-Speeching” and Actually Communicate,
Grow Your Business (Whatever it is),
Speak With Clarity,
Make Your Message First,
Create Compelling & Profitable Presentations,
Skyrocket Your Confidence,
Even Communicate Better with Your Family!
The fee is $97.
Sean packs so much in his workshops, and you always come away with a huge collection of skills and ideas!
AZ Storytellers Project - Food & Family Thursday - 11/16/17 - 7:00 pm
The Farm at South Mountain
As we prepare for Thanksgiving, we celebrate the best of Arizona’s rich food culture. From tamale masters to artisanal food producers to family farmers and restauranteurs, join azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic as we share stories about the dishes that inspire us and the families that developed our palates.
Emcee: Megan Finnerty, founder of the Storytellers Project and Dominic Armato, food and dining critic for The Arizona Republic
Featured tellers:
Weldon Johnson
Monica Castillo
Evan E. Roberts
Chef Samantha Saz
Jan Wichayanuparp
Sandra Scott
Tickets are $11 - Students with ID $5
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 Megan Finnerty at megan.finnerty@arizonarepublic.com.
Stories of Hospitality: From Good to Gasping. Saturday, November 18th - 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm BOONGarden
Sean Buvala will present another creative storytelling concert regarding Stories of Hospitality: From Good to Gasping. It will be an exploration of tales gleaned for the hospitality industry: hotels; restaurants; car rentals, etc...all the folks who are supposed to be "hospitable". Well, everybody actually should be hospitable to each other, but these people get paid to be that way! The good, the bad, and the gasping (or perhaps gaging) of both sides of the counter. Don't miss it!
Scheduled Tellers:
Lizbeth Congiusti, Laura Rutherford, Harriet Cole, Mark Goldman, BirdCity Poet, Doug Bland, and Sean Buvala.
I Promptly Prompt My students are about to tell Personal Stories. They panic. Some don't think they have anything to tell. Some think they have too many stories and can't decide on one. Some are just lost. Perhaps it's time to reprint an old tip about prompts.
Often, we use "prompts" to help us get started on a story, i.e., a time you were frightened; your first day of school; the day you got married. These questions are meant to prompt a story to come forth within you.
Superlatives can be an even greater trigger for stories. Once again, good stories are about taking ordinary events and finding the extraordinary in them.
Consider the following possible prompts -
What was the WORST/BEST
Date you ever went on? - Meal you ever ate? - Job you ever had? - Vacation you ever had? - Day in your life? - Person you ever knew? - Advice you ever got?
What was the MOST/LEAST
Expensive thing you ever bought for yourself. - Money you ever made? - Glamorous Job you ever had? - Confidence you ever had? - Frightened you ever were?
Here is a list of prompts I use with my students:
For each of the “prompts” below: Where were you? Who else was there? How old were you? What was your worst fear? What was your greatest hope? What hurdles did you have to overcome? How did you overcome them? What emotions did you have? Who helped you? Who stood in your way? Did you succeed or fail? What was the outcome? What changed?
A Time When I…
Think of Superlatives and Opposites…
First/Last/Best/Worst
was very, very late for something
My best/worst vacation
misjudged someone
My favorite toy
was misjudged by someone
My favorite/least favorite teacher
got turned down for a date
My first bike
got stood up
My first/last day of school
stood someone up
My first/last job
missed the plane or train
My first time/last time on an airplane
broke an arm or a leg, or some body part
My first time/last time outside of the country
broke something valuable
The best/worst gift I ever got
lost my temper
The first time/last time I ate a strange food
was embarrassed
The first time/last time I fell in love
embarrassed someone else
The first time/last time I took a dare
said “yes” to the wrong person
The first time/last time I won/lost a race
said “no” to the wrong person
The first/last time I smoked a cigarette
said “no” to the right person
The first/last time I took a road trip
said “yes” to the right person
The last time I worked at a regular job
misread a recipe
The most/least favorite place that I lived
had an “imaginary” friend
The worst punishment I ever got
Here are more ideas. Put the left and the right columns together in different ways to prompt a story:
Tallest; Smallest
Smartest; Dumbest
Poorest; Richest
Kindest; Meanest
Brightest; darkest
Best; Worst
Easiest; Hardest
Person I ever knew
Thing I ever did
Moment in my life
Relationship I ever had
Teacher I ever had
Boss I ever had
Decision I had to make
Mix and match, come up with your own lists. As an exercise, put each single, superlative on a small slip of paper into a small bowl. Write each event/action on a piece of paper and put it into another bowl. Take one from the superlative bowl, then one from the times/action bowl and craft a story based on that. Rinse and repeat!
Time Waits for No Storyteller Remember last week's TIP on regulating your time in a slam? Well, strange as it seems, recently, Donna Washington posted a blog concerning the length of your story or set at a concert. (There have been a couple of other times that Donna and I have been "in sync" - Great Minds...) Here's the beginning:
If you are part of an olio, and you are told you have seven minutes...DON'T TELL FOR MORE THAN SEVEN MINUTES!
That is easy enough to say, but it is not always easy to do, you say? Well, have no fear, here is a blog post to help.
When people organize events, they want them to run as smoothly as possible. They don't want to be too off time. If you run ten or fifteen minutes (heaven's above) beyond the time you are supposed to use, then you crunch everyone else, and you stress out the organizers.
I am not the only one who starts rethinking their stories as they realize someone in the line-up has just decided time be damned and is going on and on and on.
So, how can you make sure that you are not committing this truly abominable sin? Here are some suggestions.
------------------------------------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
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
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
- National Storytelling Network? You should be.
TELLABRATION!™ is a worldwide benefit evening of storytelling. It creates a network of storytelling enthusiasts bonded together in spirit and is (generally) held at the same time and on the same weekend across the country, and around the world.
Wednesday - 11/8/17
Saturday, November 11th ~ 10am - Noon
Monday - November 13th - 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Thursday - 11/16/17 - 7:00 pm
Saturday, November 18th - 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Remember last week's 
