Perhaps a tip, perhaps just an observation.
While on the Storytelling England/Ireland Tour recently, I had an epiphany, of sorts. One of my expectations for both last year's and this year's tour was that we would all gather at the end of the day and share stories. Favorite personal or traditional stories, or just stories from our day of adventure. It never seemed to happen that way. Most of the time, we met for dinner and reminisced and laughed about what we had experienced that day with each other. Afterwards, we were all too tired to tell or pay attention to any formal stories.
This year, there were a few times when we each went in different directions, and then, during dinner, we related what had happened. But they were mostly anecdotes again, and not formal stories.
However, on our last full day in Dublin, we gathered in the morning to hear some stories that had been delayed for one reason or another. We found a quiet spot in the hotel lobby with comfortable chairs for us all. We were all fresh, rested and ready to hear and appreciate each other's stories. So, next year I will try to schedule more stories at the beginning of the day vs. hoping we will have time and energy at the end of the day.
When we did hear stories, we applauded and told the teller we liked or loved their story. But I realized that in a small group like ours, we needed a little more (my own feelings here). I believe we needed some appreciations. Not only to round out the experience for both teller and listeners, but as a small "teaching" portion of the tour. Appreciations always give us an opportunity to hear what others liked and why. Agreeing (or tacit disagreeing) allow us to make choices regarding how we might use language, techniques, etc. to our own advantage when telling.
We actually told more stories on this tour than last year. Perhaps that was because we had more tellers vs. students. What was truly exciting were those times when we spontaneously stopped and told stories to each other. On the first train ride, we had a car all to ourselves, so, naturally, we turned it into a storytelling car. And on our one hike, the magical forest provided a great setting for traditional tales!
So, when planning events, make sure, when you can, that you start with stories. Don't wait till your time or energy runs out.
- National Storytelling Network? You should be.
Well, not really. The Valley is actually bustin' out with summer heat! May 29th was Memorial Day, traditionally signaling the beginning of summer. In Phoenix, that's quite true. The forecast for today is 109 degrees! Yes, we are into triple digits.
Saturday, June 5th ~ 10am - Noon
Sometimes we need to be reminded. I know I do. As I get older (yes, I am old) I tend to forget things more often. Long-term and short-term memory are both affected.
