LANES is now accepting proposals for the 2017 Sharing the Fire Conference - Voices Across Borders: Creating Connections.
Barriers, real or imagined, separate us by nationality, culture, race, age, sex, ability, language, finances, and more. This conference will explore the many ways stories can reach across borders, help people listen to others, and make powerful changes possible.
Thedeadline for submission of workshop and intensive proposals is midnight (EDT), Monday, October 10.
Myth Mob Tuesday, September 20th - 6 pm
Goddess-in-Chief to the 4th Power
They're b-a-a-ck - The Myth Mob! Liz WarrenMarilyn TorresSule Greg C. Wilson and Harriet Cole bring Mythic shenanigans to the South Mountain Community College Performance Hall September 20 at 6:00 pm as they explore unexpected aspects of the feminine divine.
Storyfind This Saturday - September 24th from 1:00 – 4:00 in PAC 740.
Storyfind is a monthly workshop designed to help storytellers build community and deepen repertoire. Each session will start with a short reception to welcome new participants to the community.
And search through the VAST collection of story books from around the world. The books are only available during these storyfind sessions. You can't take them home, but you may find some great treasures!
Come network with many valley storytellers and participate in this month's workshop.
Greek & Roman Myth Throw Down
Friday, October 7th
SMCC Performance Hall
PREPARE YOURSELVES - PREPARE YOUR STORIES
Gods and Goddesses, Titans, love, infidelity, monster offspring, anger, wrath, revenge, and sometimes a bit of magic!
Be part of the fun! Join everyone at South Mountain Community College as twenty-six storytelling students from the many Community College storytelling classes in Maricopa County share their three-minute versions of Greek and Roman Myths. The audience will vote on the best stories.
Then, on Monday, October 10th, the top seven will tell their full versions for Myth Informed Classic Moves.
Arizona Storytellers - A Hard Days Night - Work Stories Friday - October 7th - 7pm
Heard Museum
Join azcentral.com, The Arizona Republic and Alliance Bank of Arizona for a night of workplace mishaps, customer service nightmares, and unexpected days on the job. Prepare to laugh, learn and relate as tellers share their workplace stories.
Emcee: Megan Finnerty, founder of the Storytellers Project
Featured tellers:
Thomas Sharp
Anna Darian
Seth Conaway
Josh Shore
Charley Edsitty
Laura Hemmenway
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 Alexus Rhone at arhone@gannett.com.
NOTE: This is a First Friday event at the Heard Museum - Steele Auditorium. Admission to the museum is free. But you must buy a ticket to attend the storytelling. We anticipate tickets will sell out.
Start with CAN! Last week in the Tidbits section, I posted a Ted talk by a blind man who can "see" using echo-location. He CAN navigate the world by himself. In the podcast from NPR's Invisibilia, he talks about how, often, sighted people who want to help, are the biggest detriment to blind people. Not that we shouldn't help or assist those in need, but make sure we don't ASSUME that they CAN'T do things for themselves. This was a big eye-opener (pun intended) for me. And here are some ways to utilize the concept:
In my class at GCC this semester, I have a student in a wheelchair who has multiple physical challenges. He approached me and stated that he wants to go on the England trip this year. I had two DISTINCT REACTIONS - One was - OMG how could I take this man on the trip. What are his limitations in traveling, especially in a foreign country? How much work would it be to assist him at every turn on the trip? My second reaction was, How great it would be to have this bright and funny storyteller on the trip, and how much fun would he have? So I set up a meeting with him and his fiancé to discuss the logistics of the trip.
I was fortunate enough to have listened to the podcast before we met. If I hadn't I probably would have focused on the CAN'TS and asked him, "What are your limitations?" Instead, I said, "Let's start from the aspect of what you CAN do? What are your abilities?" He not only told me what he could do, he showed me! He jumped out of and back into his wheelchair. He showed me how he can maneuver. He is quite able to navigate many situations both in and out of his wheelchair. His fiancé also assured me that she would be there to assist him with things that might be difficult.
I am well aware that I have no experience with assisting a handicapped person on a trip such as this, but I am educating myself, and going with a mindset of CAN.
What if we approached our storytelling like that? In the past, I have looked at the negative side of things. I didn't feel comfortable with Myths. I didn't know any, there were too many difficult names to remember, too many twists and turns in the stories. But what if I started from CAN? I CAN tell stories of heroes and triumph. I love to tell stories of love and betrayal. I CAN tell stories of power struggles between the week and the strong. Hmmm...aren't all those things contained in myths and legends? I believe so.
When approaching storytelling, or any other challenge, if one leads with I CAN, one usually ends up with I WILL and I DID!
New Glasses for Color Blind
And while we are on the subject of blind people, here's a bit of technology that now helps those with color blindness!
My uncle was color blind and told us he was taught that a stoplight has red at the top and green at the bottom, that's the only way he knew the colors - and when to stop!
There's a company that has recently developed a new kind of lens for glasses that allow color blind people to SEE color! The Enchroma company has created glasses that enhance color perception by separating light into its primary color components before they reach the eye. Up to 300 million people world-wide are affected by red-green color vision deficiency, also known as color blindness.
------------------------------------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 - *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.
Tuesday, September 20th - 6 pm
This Saturday - September 24th from 1:00 – 4:00 in PAC 740.
Friday - October 7th - 7pm
Mark Your calendars for the Full Moon Nights at South Mountain Environmental Education Center!
Last week in the 
