The NSN Conference ended Sunday in Kansas City,MO. The days were quite long with many, many choices of great break out sessions and workshops.

The first concert attended was the Healing Story Alliance with wonderful, moving stories by Lani Peterson, Jamie May, Joyce Slater, Laura Packer and Milbre Burch.

Annette Simmons presented for the Stories in Organizations special interest group, focusing on emotions, taking care of your "wounded self" and letting the client do the work.

A full 5-hour session with Bill Harley on Performance Techniques reinforced many of the tipsI have posted in this newsletter. Bill's ability to be both innnocent and wise at the same time is astounding. One special piece Bill shared is that after years of telling one specific story, his understanding of "what the story's about" has changed. So nice to know that the pros don't just settle for "doing what we have always done."

Lani Peterson was amazing in her intensive on Healing Stories. More focusing on how the teller must heal themselves first. Her knowledge and understanding of storytelling and the human condition was awe inspiring.

Judith Black helped those attending to be "authentic" in their telling and presentations. Many tips and distinctions between just going with the flow and being cognizant of the audience, and responding appropriately.

Laura packer shared how to get "unstuck" with some playful exercises and interactions. Always clear, concise, sticking to the topic and on time!

The "Baseball" themed swap was fun, and somehow, the stars were aligned and my name was drawn again this year! I didn't win, or even place, but it was great fun and the crowd roared when I told about getting to "first base" with Karen Hensley of NSN (you had to be there).

My fringe performance on Saturday night at 9:45 (oi vey) went well and I was honored to have seasoned tellers Laura Packer, Laura Simms and Charlotte Blake-Alston attending along with other old and new friends. And much thanks to Elizabeth Matson for your honest feedback and kind words.

Here is the current lineup of classes:

The Art of Storytelling I

The Art of Storytelling II

The African Storytelling Tradition

Using Storytelling In Educational Settings

Using Storytelling In Healing Settings

Using Storytelling In Interpretive Setting

Using Storytelling in Advocacy Settings

Creating and Telling Personal Stories

Storytelling II Course at GCC

My Storytelling I classes at GCC are full BUT -- I am so happy to announce that this fall I will be teaching an additional class at Glendale Community College! The Art of Storytelling II will be offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5:45 pm to 7:00 pm. This is a second level class and will explore storytelling on a deeper level. We will focus on enhancing telling and language skills, developing repertoires, and defining "who you are" as a teller. Two people have signed up, we need a total of twelve to it going.

I hope you can join us for this class - you'll get 3 credits too! Contact me for more info.
 
Here's a link