Confabulation - Warmth in the Northlands! The cold winds were blowing outside, but inside was like sitting around the fireplace hearth with old friends!
The Northlands Storytelling Network Confabulation Conference had great tellers and workshops, and everyone exuded warmth and friendliness in the cold of Wisconsin!
At right are just some of the attendees at the Saturday night "Disco Fever" party. That's Choctaw teller Tim Tingle at the far right, and next to him is best costume winner Katie Knutson.
The Northlands group is one of the friendliest and most welcoming groups I have been with. It was an honor for me to present my workshop on Action Techniques for Story Exploration. It was well received, and many people said they were going to use some of the things they learned. How great is that? I also got something out of every workshop I attended! The concerts, slam and swaps were filled with talented and skilled tellers. It was a great conference with a warm and inviting group!
Congratulations SMCC Storytelling Graduates! Congratulations to SMCC Storytelling Institute Graduates Wendy Miller, Joan Misek, Dixie Walljasper, Maya Jones, Marian Giannatti, Eva Baker and Rosanna Fierros who have all completed their 30-credit academic certificate in storytelling!
These tellers all have great passion for the stories they tell, and they are all well skilled in the art of storytelling!
Odyssey Storytelling in Tucson Thursday, June 2nd The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress Street , Tucson
This curated Storytelling event in Tucson is in its 13th year! Six people are invited to tell ten minute, personal stories on a theme in front of an audience. The stories are not read or memorized, they are told from the life experiences and creativity of the teller
Theme: Wheels
What makes your wheels turn? Busses, cars or bikes? Ferris wheels, wheel chairs or skates? Whatever the use, or adventures that wheels bring, this important human invention keeps us going. Join us as we share 6 true stories about life as we’re rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river…
Storytellers:
Ethel Lee Miller
Kevin Chess
Carlyn Arteaga
Mary Jo Pollack
Courtney Armstead
Jeff Fearnow
Our featured non-profit for this show is BICAS (Bicycle Inter-Community Art and Salvage), a non-profit bike repair and recycling collective here in Tucson. You can learn more about BICAS and how to support their work at the show. See you there!
$8 Adults, $6 Students
Have you visited The Screening Room's fabulous concession stand? There's beer, wine, and excellent snacks. They'll even place an order for you with Empire Pizza and have it delivered to your seat. Who knew?
A workshop on creating personal stories. Sean Buvala heads the event. He will teach about the "three refractions" you need to take your personal tale from "I don't get it" to an audience-engaging "That story could change my life." Doors open at 9 am - workshop starts promptly at 930 am. No charge for the workshop but a variety of books and resources will be available for sale.
In the art and tradition of Oral Storytelling (and in the creation of any story), we have our own sea glass: the “World Tale.” That is, the collection of folktales, myths, legends and fairytales passed down through generations. These tales have been tumbled about, polished and spread throughout the earth. Just as with sea glass, what may have started as a simple on-the-spot tales have become shining flashes in our psyche. World tales have stood the test of time because they contain very specific “refractions” that touch the minds and hearts of the listeners even to this day.
Learn to craft your personal tales to have more impact and a lasting memory in the hearts and minds of your listeners. The "Sea Glass Storytelling Workshop" includes workshop, materials and is FREE!
East Valley Tellers of Tales Saturday, May 14th ~ 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 looking at ways to create outreach, new ideas for the group, plans for the future and more. Join us and lend your talent and energy to help us grow.
NOTICE: The EVTOT officers have decided to NOT meet in July and August. We would also like to devote about half of our next meetings (in May and June) to discussing the possibility of alternative formats for our monthly meetings. We have a few ideas of our own and also welcome input from others for ways that EVTOT can sustain and grow current and future members. Click here for details & info
This week's tip comes from colleague and Irish teller Yvonne Healy. Yvonne did a workshop on Family stories and I found one exercise particularly interesting and exciting. I believe it has many uses!
Quite often, people don't believe that they have done anything worth "telling" about. They feel their lives are "ordinary" vs. extraordinary. This exercise in a group, or with a person you are interviewing can put a whole new perspective on that concept. And... it forces the teller to use their creativity!
Interview a family member and have them tell you something they did. It could be something simple that they feel may not be very "interesting", but have them tell it anyway.
OR - in a group, partner up and have your partner tell you something they did that seemed extremely mundane, like putting away the dishes, or dusting the shelves.
The next step is to project yourself 5000 years into the future. What would the world be like? Now tell the story back to the family member (or partner) but tell it as a GREAT MYTH. How did that one thing that they did affect the world in the future? How might they be remembered in the folklore of the future?
A long, long, long time ago, Mary dusted the shelves in her house, and did a particularly good job. So good, in fact, that when her friend Jane came over, she noticed the excellent job Mary had done. She was also so pleased that there was no dust in the house as Jane had such bad allergies. Jane told so many people about Mary dusting the shelves and how wonderful it was, that they all decided to follow suit and do the same in their own houses. They even took it a step further and cleaned and scrubbed everything. Each time someone visited a home, they marveled at the cleanliness and vowed to clean their own homes and office spaces with great energy and pride. This spread far and wide, across the country and eventually, around the world. And that is why the earth is such a clean place today, in the year 7016!
There is great creativity in this exercise for the teller, finding a way to frame the story in a different way (and time). And there is great power in having that person hear their tale as a Great Legend, or Myth of the future!
Storytellers Project Felt Far and Wide Kudos once again to Megan Finnerty, Liz Warren and Marilyn Torres for their work on the Arizona Storytellers Project. The effects of their tireless work are felt far and wide. At last weekend's Northlands Confabulation, there were people who knew about what Megan had done here in the valley because they now have Storyteller Projects in their own communities.
The Arizona Republic's parent company, Gannett, was so pleased over the success of the project here in the valley, that they have begun similar projects across the country. When one conference attendee from Des Moines, Iowa learned that I was from Phoenix, she shared that they now have a storyteller project, and she knew that it had all started in Phoenix!
It felt good to even be associated by "geography" and I had a great sense of pride for our community and for what Megan has produced!
------------------------------------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 http://www.evtot.com
Storyfind Fourth Saturday of each month (usually - check calendar) - SMCC Storytelling Institute
A monthly workshop designed to help storytellers build community and deepen repertoire. See the Calendar
- National Storytelling Network? You should be.
The cold winds were blowing outside, but inside was like sitting around the fireplace hearth with old friends!
Congratulations to SMCC Storytelling Institute Graduates Wendy Miller, Joan Misek, Dixie Walljasper, Maya Jones, Marian Giannatti, Eva Baker and Rosanna Fierros who have all completed their 30-credit academic certificate in storytelling!
Saturday, May 14th ~ 10am - Noon
Kudos once again to Megan Finnerty, Liz Warren and Marilyn Torres for their work on the Arizona Storytellers Project. The effects of their tireless work are felt far and wide. At last weekend's Northlands Confabulation, there were people who knew about what Megan had done here in the valley because they now have Storyteller Projects in their own communities.
