Storyteller Mark Goldman

April Fools Prank Nets a Few

Last Monday (April Fools Day) I reported that I had been invited to the Beyond the Borders Storytelling Festival in Wales! There were a few (who shall go unnamed) who called or messaged congratulations to me. There were a few others who said I had them going for a few seconds or so.

The reality is that dozens, perhaps hundreds of tellers have been inundated with those email invitations and it was all a scam. The scam was to get folks to bite and then send $500 to get a U.K. Work Permit. The money would never be seen again.

I hope you all had a little laugh. The message is always clear, though: "Caveat Relator" (Storyteller Beware!). If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

This is NOT Fake News

Storytellers Glenda Bonin and Mark Goldman will be two of the presenters at this coming weekend's Rocky Mountain Storytelling Festival.

Other workshops presented by: Yvonne Healy, Maureen Korte, Julie Moss and Elaine Muray

With Performances by Laura Deal, Pam Faro, Yvonne Healy, Elaine Muray, Susan Scott-Stevens, John Stansfield, and Dave Starr, the 2018 RMS Story Slam winner

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Ireland's Liz Weir

Bagels Every Day!

When times get tough, the tough find a job. At different times in our chosen careers, we've all had "other" jobs to help us support ourselves.

Since I am NOT going to Beyond the Border in Wales and I am NOT getting paid $3000, I found a new side gig at Chompie's in Scottsdale. I'll be serving or behind the deli counter at this iconic Phoenix restaurant.

Come on in and see me (and buy something) at 9301 E. Shea, just East of the 101. They have the best challah bread and matzo ball soup ever! Pick some up for Passover which starts on Friday, April 19th.

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This Week

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AZ Storytellers Project - GROWTH

Tuesday - April 9th - 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
The Churchill
901 N. 1st St. - Phoenix

Growth is about glorious failures as much as victorious triumphs. Join The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com for stories about the little and big moments of growing up.

Emcees: Kaila White, host of azcentral's Valley 101 podcast, and Lorraine Longhi, The Republic's Scottsdale reporter.

Tellers:

Sarah Ventre

Stacy Sullivan

Jordan Pollins

Keiona Eady

Iinfo & Tickets

Storyrise - Workshop & Concert

Thursday - April 11th - 6:00 pm
Goodyear Branch Library
14455 W. Van Buren, Goodyear

6PM Workshop: Rhythm, Rest, and Reverberation: Playing with Sound in Spoken Poetry (Caleb Winebrenner)

In this workshop, we will explore the sonic aspects of poetry — and how playing with sound textures and punctuation can make our writing sing. We will look at rich examples from various styles of poetry, and then begin composing our own work based on various prompts.

7PM Outdoor Concert: Words, Sounds & Silence Tellers include Caleb Winebrenner, Sean Buvala, Karen Fincher, and others.

It's FREE!

East Valley Tellers of Tales

Saturday, April 13 ~ 10am - Noon
Scottsdale Public Library
Civic Center Drive, Scottsdale
Downstairs in the Gold Room

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.

Click here for details & info

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Coming Up

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Storyfind - STORY DIVINING

Saturday - April 20th 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

SMCC - PAC 739

Storyfind is a free monthly storytelling workshop series presented by the faculty of the SMCC Storytelling Institute.

The workshops are on the 4th Saturday afternoons of the month from 1:30 – 3:00 in PAC-739 at South Mountain Community College.

Story Divining with Marilyn Omifunke Torres –
The spiritual roots of Yoruba Storytelling!

Click here for a college map:

http://www.southmountaincc.edu/resource-maps/

FOR MORE INFORMATION

CONTACT Liz Warren

(602) 243-8026

Liz.warren@southmountaincc.edu

The Moth - BAMBOOZLED

Thursday - April 25 , 8pm - 10pm
Crescent Ballroom - Doors open at 7

Theme: BAMBOOZLED: Prepare a five-minute story about your greatest con, your Tom Sawyer moment, or the day gullibility got the best of you. That time when you managed to pull the wool over someone's eyes ... or that moment you became the mark. Hoodwinker or the hornswoggled. Scammer or the snookered. Did you get them all to paint the fence or unwittingly show up with your brushes?

Put your name in the hat, ten tellers will be selected.

*Seating is not guaranteed and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please be sure to arrive at least 10 minutes before the show. Admission is not guaranteed for late arrivals. All sales final.

$15 - Advance purchase recommended (with fees, comes to $19.50)

More info & tickets

Storyline Slam - GROW
Friday - April 26 - 7:00 pm
Changing Hands - Phoenix

Theme: GROW - It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. e. e. cummings

The lineup for The Storyline SLAM: TBA

At least two names will be drawn at the beginning of the show.

TICKET (admits one) is $6 in advance, $8 at the door

or
Online here

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Tips

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Rhyme, Rhythm and Meter

Been thinking a lot about telling stories through poetry. A lot of people don't like mixing the two genres but I do. Here's a tip from November of 2013 (and reposted about a year ago) that I believe can be useful for storytellers.

Did you ever work on a story, have it pretty much “done”, but then think, “It’s still not quite there?” It might be the language, and/or the phrasing. Here's an exercise for exploring the language of your story: Turn it into poetry, then back into prose. Don't be nervous. . .it's only an exercise.

Let’s use The Three Little Pigs, as it already has some of the existing elements of meter and rhyme.

Little pig little pig, let me in, let me in.

Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin!

First, break the story down into scenes or segments, and then turn each piece into a four-line stanza (or several). Use poetic structure, rhyme, rhythm and meter. Make it simple, but use literary/poetic license with the syntax and grammar.

Here’s an example, as the wolf goes to the house of sticks. The underlined words are stressed. Yes, it is a bit sing-song, but that’s the point of the exercise.

The wolf approached the house of sticks

With the two little pigs inside.

He could smell the scent of their porcine flesh

And was ready to eat their hides.

He disguised his voice and knocked on the door

The piglets began to squeal.

They knew the wolf was inviting them to dinner

And that they would be the meal.

Now, turn the stanzas back into sentences. Don't make it sing-song, or force the stressed syllables, but use the rhythm of the words.

The wolf approached the house of sticks, with the two little pigs inside. He could smell the scent of their porcine flesh and was ready to eat their hides. (speed up here get increasingly louder) He disguised his voice and knocked on the door. The piglets began to squeal. They knew the wolf was inviting them to dinner, (perhaps a long pause here) and that they would be the meal.

And remember that rhymes don't always have to be at the END of a sentence or phrase,

The wolf would gut the hut of sticks

With the pigs in their digs inside.

He was bent on the scent of their porcine flesh

And meant to put a dent in fresh hides.

Using rhyme, rhythm and meter can help the flow of the language, and the imagination of the listeners!

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Tidbits

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Ode to Ginger
I write poems all the time. Sometimes for specific events, sometimes, just for me. Since I talked about using poetic elements in the tip above, I thought I might share this poem about my dog. I got her in November of 2007. She was just about six months old. She was a shelter dog, my third. She is still with me and is more loving every day.

Ode to Ginger

It was the end of November,

A gray and rainy day,

With her fur all scruffy and curled.

This pup was adopted from AAWL,

And she forever changed my world.

They called her Tulip,

But she spoke to me

And said it was such a shame

That the folks at the shelter never knew that

“Ginger” was her name.

Her undercoat is ginger-spice brown

And she’s as mischievous as can be.

She climbed the doggy gate that I put up.

“Don’t fence me in, I have to be free!”

She would cock her head and stare at me.

She’d back up a few steps, as if to say,

“Hey dad, come on, let’s go outside

Or at least get a toy and let’s play.”

Her bark is deep and rather loud.

If you didn’t see her, you’d never know

That she’s really just a tiny pup;

One foot tall from head to toe.

She loves to romp, and run and play.

She’s like a little gnome.

We found each other, we both know now

She has a “forever home.”

On that last day in November

The fates stepped in

And foretold a future, yet to be.

Somehow they knew that I would rescue her

So she could rescue me!

Mark Goldman

2/9/2008

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Ongoing
Events

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******************************* THERE'S A LOT GOING ON EACH MONTH ***************************

-------------------CHECK EACH WEBSITE OR THE CALENDAR PAGE TO CONFIRM DATES AND TIMES
---------------------------------CALL TO MAKE SURE THE EVENT IS STILL ON

The Chatterbox Open Mic
Every Wednesday - 8:00 PM
Fair Trade Cafe
1020 N 1st Ave, Phoenix
https://www.facebook.com/chatterboxaz/

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

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

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

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

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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