An exciting week and month for storytellers in Arizona! First off, today marks the 300th issue of my Newsletter! That's not quite six years. Yes, 300 Mondays, up early and trying to get it together by mid-morning for posting. Regular readers will know that I have been late several mornings and have even missed a Monday morning or two and not posted until the afternoon, or even Tuesday, occasionally. But, for the most part, I have delivered the news, events, tips and tidbits, faithfully, for the last six years.
Many of you know that the first two years of tips were turned into my book, Storytelling Tips: Creating, Crafting and Telling Stories, Published by friend and colleague Ted Parkhurst of Parkhurst Brothers. The book is available from the publisher, Amazon, or for locals, directly from me - at a discount!
Thanks to all my readers, and a special thanks to those who respond in the comment section below, or E-mail me about what they liked in the Newsletter. I love hearing from you all, near or far!
Congratulations to Mij Byram of Florida, who guessed that today was issue 300. She gets a free hour of coaching!
Second: I am super excited that some of my favorite people are presenting here this month!
On Wednesday evening, this week, my friends from Playback Theatre will be performing in Peoria (see listing below). Playback is where a "teller" is chosen from the audience to "tell" a personal story that is then "played back" to them and the audience in a unique, creative, improvisational style. In addition to their improvisational skills, the actors in this troop have incredible insight that helps them honor the teller's story in a humorous but very gentle way. It's a must see if you are available.
On Saturday of this week, Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye are coming to ASU to teach a masterclass and host a spoken word open mic. Sarah stole my heart when I first saw her video of If I Should Have a Daughter. (see video below). What an amazing crafter and teller! She and Phil have travelled all over the world to present and teach spoken word artistry.
Plus, one of the funniest tellers I know, Kevin Kling will be here on Friday, February 3rd to lead a workshop and then present a concert (see listings below).
Call for Proposals - Kansas City, Here I Come NSN National Storytelling Summit
July 24-31, 2018
Kansas City Marriott, Country Club Plaza
Kansas City, Missouri
Theme: Communities, Conflicts, and Transformational Stories
PostSecret: The Show Tuesday - February 6th - 7:30 Piper Repertory Theatre Mesa Arts Center
Tickets - $46
This looks interesting!
PostSecret: The Show* is an immersive, poignant journey through the humor and humanity of personal stories we keep to ourselves, and on rare occasions, share with others. Images, videos, three actors and a guitarist guide the audience through crowd-sourced narratives revealing true stories behind secrets. See the secrets that brought hundreds of millions to the Post Secret blog, which became six best-selling books.
With the bravery of RENT and the surprising honesty of The Vagina Monologues, PostSecret: The Show is a breakthrough in audience sourced storytelling that reaches beyond the confines of the stage, reminding audiences that secrets can be both walls and bridges.
*This presentation may contain adult language not necessarily suitable for all ages.
Playback Theatre February 7th at 7:30PM McMillin Theater Theatre Works Peoria Center for the Performing Arts
10580 N. 83rd Drive
Peoria, AZ 85345
I HIGHLY RECCOMEND this marvelous troup.
I will be there!
You are in for a treat!
A night of participatory theatre and storytelling!
Playback Theatre is an interactive theatre performance in which audience members tell stories from their lives and then watch them be brought to artistic life through music, movement, and theatre. Together, audiences and performers reflect the diversity of human experience and celebrate our common humanity. Please join us for an evening of theatre and storytelling!
General Admission Tickets $10
For ADA seating please call the Box Office at (623)815-7930.
AZ Storytellers Project - Romance - or Not Thursday - February 8th - TWO SHOWS Early 6:30 pm
Late 8:30 pm Changing Hannds Phoenix
Dating in the digital age can be exhausting, exhilarating and downright crazy. Join The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com as we explore stories about dating apps, true love and everything in between.
Featured tellers:
Omotayo Talabi
Raquel Gonzales
Manuel McCormack
More TBA
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 info@storytellersproject.com.
East Valley Tellers of Tales NOTICE: This weekend is the Parada Del Sol. Traffic will be tight as the parade comes down Scottsdale Road. Also, parking will be at a premium. One can cross Scottsdale Road at Camelback, or South of Goldwater. To make sure, here is the street closure info.
Saturday, Febrary 10th ~ 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, listen to stories and celebrate. Join us!
Lunch Note: After the meeting, many of us gather for lunch. We invite all attendees to join us at Randy's Restaurant, NW Corner of Hayden & Chapparal in the Safeway Center.
Masterclass & Open Mic
Hey, ARIZONA! The AMAZING Sarah Kay & Phil Kaye are coming to Arizona State University on February 10! They are spending the day performing and teaching workshops, all of which are FREE & Open to the Public as part of their Storytelling for Change event! They will kick off the day with a spoken word performance over lunch, and then They will be teaching two masterclass workshops (the workshops have limited space, so make sure to sign up ASAP if you want to join them)!
If you've never seen them, they are truly spectacular! Here is Sara's iconic "If I Should Have A Daughter" (the first 3.5 minutes of this TED talk).
All sessions will take place on the 2nd Floor of the Memorial Union, starting with the performance in the Ventana Ballroom at 12:30pm. Check-in begins at 11:30. After the workshops, they will also close the day with an open mic starting at 5 PM!
FREE - But limited to the FIRST 50 who register
GCC STUDENTS: Watch this Sarah Kay Video (just the first 3.5 minutes, then write at least TWO paragraphs IN THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW ON THIS PAGE of your thoughts and reflections on the content and her presentation. Possible 10 Points - BEFORE 2PM Tuesday!
Stories on the Outskirts of Ableism: A Storytelling Workshop on Giving Voice to Disability Friday - February 23 - 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Rio Salado College
FREE - LIMITED TO 60 PARTICIPANTS
Dont Miss This! - Kevin is AMAZING!
Walking a mile in anyone else’s shoes is easier said than done, especially if it is an ill fit or in any way involves sequined stilettos—and snow. Any difficulty with understanding, communication, and empathy is further compounded by the divide of disability. Those who are “temporarily able-bodied” and those who are not have very different perspectives. Storytelling, however, can help mitigate that experiential alienation. Towards that end, this workshop will deploy “tried and true” storytelling techniques—but with an emphasis on disability as source material. When telling a personal story, how do we recall the details hidden in our past? There will be an app for that.
Other components of the toolkit include creating imagery, working with humor, crafting dialogue, and such other elements that transform an experience into a story as "the invitation," where storytellers develop trust and enter into a conversation with their audiences. Professional Storyteller Kevin Kling will break down and analyze some of his own stories and then work with enrollees’ personal stories.
The first two hours of the workshop will be lecture/group exercise-based. The third hour will culminate in a showcase of selected participants’ works. (A videotape of personal “stories in progress” for enrollees who want to tell their stories will need to be sent to: keith.anderson@mesacc.edu by noon on February 16 for approval and selection. The stories should be between five and ten minutes long.) Enrollment will be limited to 60, divided equally between faculty, staff, students, and community members.
Kevin Kling in a Free Concert Friday - February 23rd - 7:00 pm - 8:15 PM FREE Red Mountain Campus - RAP Center 7110 E McKellips Rd, Mesa, AZ 85215
Kevin is one of the funniest storytellers I know. His skill at crafting language is unparalleled! You will laugh, you will cry, you will enjoy. DON'T MISS HIM!
Kevin Kling is a well-known playwright and storyteller, and his commentaries can be heard on NPR’s All Things Considered. His plays and adaptations have been performed around the world. He lives in Minneapolis.
Kevin Kling, best known for his popular commentaries on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and his storytelling stage shows like Tales from the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log, delivers hilarious, often tender stories. Kling’s autobiographical tales are as enchanting as they are true to life: hopping freight trains, getting hit by lightning, performing his banned play in Czechoslovakia, growing up in Minnesota, and eating things before knowing what they are.
Kevin was born with a congenital birth defect — his left arm is about three-quarters the size of his right arm, and his left hand has no wrist or thumb. In 2001 Kevin was in a motorcycle accident and suffered brachial plexus injury (BPI). The brachial plexus nerves in his right arm were pulled completely out of their sockets. Currently, he has partial use of his left arm and cannot use his right arm at all.
My FIRST Tip in the Newsletter Dig out a photograph you have. Could be old; new; of you or a friend; or a place you visited. Or it could be a photo/image from a book, or an illustration you like, or any image.
Write down who and what you see in the picture, everything.
Write down who or what may be there, but is not visible in the picture.
Describe What is happening RIGHT NOW in the picture.
Describe what happened BEFORE the photo was taken.
Describe what happened AFTER the photo was taken.
Somewhere in step 3, 4 or 5, SOMETHING NEEDS TO HAVE CHANGED.
You should now have a beginning, middle and end...a story.
And YES, there is a story to this photograph. Ask me about Winnie-The-Pooh and Nana!
Origin: A variation of Cathy Ward’s lesson plan, “What Do You See? Visual Literacy and Story Structure” found in Sherry Norfolk & Jane Stenson's book, Literacy Development in the Storytelling Classroom, Libraries Unlimited, 2009.
"Transforming Power," February 6th,7:00pm at Eclipse Chocolate Bar and Bistro, South Park
NOTE: THIS IS A TUESDAY. Event outdoors on patio. Dress warmly or bring a blanket. Happy Hour all night ($5 beer and wine)
Fred Laskowski hosts with OJ Mozon, Mindy Donner, Sarah Saulter, and Eric Tauber at Eclipse Chocolate, 2145 Fern Street, telling traditional folktales, literary works and original stories. 7:00 - 9:00, Suggested donation $5 Event flyer .pdf
'First Wednesday" will return to normal day of the week on March 7th, indoors at Eclipse
Rebecca is being forced out of her lease. A GoFundMe campaign is underway to help her relocate. Please consider donating. Link to donation page
Black History Month Events presented by the Black Storytellers of San Diego (BSSD)
February 10th, "Black and Brown United for Freedom," 12:30pm, San Marcos Library
With Ollis Mozon and Almena Mozon, 2 Civic Center Drive, San Marcos, 92069. Information: (760) 891-3000, FREE
February 18th, "Loteria Images in Stories and Songs," 2:00pm, Mingei International Musuem, Balboa Park
Presented by BSSD Ensemble, 1439 El Prado, San Diego, 92101, Information:https://mingei.org
February 21st, "Stories for the Preschooler," 10:30am, Lemon Grove Branch Library, Lemon Grove
Presented by Ester M. Anthony-Thomas 3001 School Ln., Lemon Grove, 91945, Information: (619) 463-9819 FREE
February 22nd, "Follow the Drinking Gourd," 4:00pm, Lyceum Theater, Horton Plaza
With Dr. T. Ford and the BSSD Ensemble, includes screening of the film, "Wlhen We Could Fly," 79 Horton Plaza, San Diego, 92101, Lyceum box office: (619) 544-1000
February 25th, "Black History Month Stories and Songs," 9:00am, New Life Baptist Church, Spring Valley
David Novak, "A Telling Experience," February 22nd, 6:30pm, Salvation Army Kroc Center
David Novak returns to San Diego for one performance only. A "Family Arts and Literacy Event," Salvation Army Kroc Center, 6845 University Ave, San Diego, 92115, FREEDavid's website
Workshop with David Novak, "What's in a Word," February 24th 10:00am, Kroc Center
A two hour workshop conducted by David Novak, Salvation Army Krock Center, 6845 University Ave, San Diego, 92115 $15 for Storytellers of San Diego members and "Arts for Learning" artists. General public $20."Arts for Leaning" contact information
Harlynne Geisler, February 21st, 10:30am, "Preschool Stories and a Craft," University Community Library
Every 3rd Wedneday, 4155 Governor Dr., San Diego, (858) 552-1655, FREE Harlynne's website
SAVE THE DATE: 8th Annual San Diego Storytelling Festival, March 17th, Encinitas Public Library, 10:00am- 6:00pm
For children, families and adults, with storytelling concerts, workshops, open mic, FREE
------------------------------------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
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.
NSN National Storytelling Summit
Tuesday - February 6th - 7:30
February 7th at 7:30PM 
Thursday - February 8th - TWO SHOWS
Rio Salado College
Dig out a photograph you have. Could be old; new; of you or a friend; or a place you visited. Or it could be a photo/image from a book, or an illustration you like, or any image.
"Transforming Power," February 6th,7:00pm at Eclipse Chocolate Bar and Bistro, South Park
Black History Month Events presented by the Black Storytellers of San Diego (BSSD)
Harlynne Geisler, February 21st, 10:30am, "Preschool Stories and a Craft," University Community Library
SAVE THE DATE: 8th Annual San Diego Storytelling Festival, March 17th, Encinitas Public Library, 10:00am- 6:00pm 
