2018 Historical-Hysterical Storytelling Tour - New Itinerary! Anyone can come along! - Not just for storytellers!
For the last two summers, I have taken several students and colleagues to England on our Historical-Hysterical Storytelling Tour. The first year was 10 days, all in England. This past summer, it was 11 days and we included Dublin, Ireland. This coming summer, in 2018, I have planned a very ambitious route!
14 days on the ground, visiting these sights:
Dublin - The home of Guinness Beer - and a few other historical venues
Edinburgh - The capitol of Scotland and one-time home to Robert Louis Stevenson, author of many stories, including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Nottingham - The home of Robin Hood, Earl of Locksley, near Sherwood Forest
Canterbury - the site of Canterbury Tales
London - Steeped with stories of its history and culture
Salisbury - Home of Salisbury Cathedral, with the tallest spire in Europe
Stonehenge - The ancient formation of spiritual stones
Seven cities and over twenty different venues that will surely delight us with stories of old and inspire us to create anew. I hope you will join me for this great story-adventure! (Itinerary subject to change, we may opt for Brussels & Dunkirk over Edinburgh)
Total estimated cost will be about $2849.00 - So start saving today!
Stories on the Outskirts of Ableism: A Storytelling Workshop on Giving Voice to Disability Friday - February 23 - 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Rio Salado College
FREE - LIMITED TO 60 PARTICIPANTS
Dont Miss This! - Kevin is AMAZING!
Walking a mile in anyone else’s shoes is easier said than done, especially if it is an ill fit or in any way involves sequined stilettos—and snow. Any difficulty with understanding, communication, and empathy is further compounded by the divide of disability. Those who are “temporarily able-bodied” and those who are not have very different perspectives. Storytelling, however, can help mitigate that experiential alienation. Towards that end, this workshop will deploy “tried and true” storytelling techniques—but with an emphasis on disability as source material. When telling a personal story, how do we recall the details hidden in our past? There will be an app for that.
Other components of the toolkit include creating imagery, working with humor, crafting dialogue, and such other elements that transform an experience into a story as "the invitation," where storytellers develop trust and enter into a conversation with their audiences. Professional Storyteller Kevin Kling will break down and analyze some of his own stories and then work with enrollees’ personal stories.
The first two hours of the workshop will be lecture/group exercise-based. The third hour will culminate in a showcase of selected participants’ works. (A videotape of personal “stories in progress” for enrollees who want to tell their stories will need to be sent to: keith.anderson@mesacc.edu by noon on February 16 for approval and selection. The stories should be between five and ten minutes long.) Enrollment will be limited to 60, divided equally between faculty, staff, students, and community members.
Kevin Kling in a Free Concert Friday - February 23rd - 7:00 pm - 8:15 PM FREE Red Mountain Campus - RAP Center 7110 E McKellips Rd, Mesa, AZ 85215
Kevin is one of the funniest storytellers I know. His skill at crafting language is unparalleled! You will laugh, you will cry, you will enjoy. DON'T MISS HIM!
Kevin Kling is a well-known playwright and storyteller, and his commentaries can be heard on NPR’s All Things Considered. His plays and adaptations have been performed around the world. He lives in Minneapolis.
Kevin Kling, best known for his popular commentaries on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and his storytelling stage shows like Tales from the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log, delivers hilarious, often tender stories. Kling’s autobiographical tales are as enchanting as they are true to life: hopping freight trains, getting hit by lightning, performing his banned play in Czechoslovakia, growing up in Minnesota, and eating things before knowing what they are.
Kevin was born with a congenital birth defect — his left arm is about three-quarters the size of his right arm, and his left hand has no wrist or thumb. In 2001 Kevin was in a motorcycle accident and suffered brachial plexus injury (BPI). The brachial plexus nerves in his right arm were pulled completely out of their sockets. Currently, he has partial use of his left arm and cannot use his right arm at all.
GCC STUDENTS:Watch this video and then respond in the comment section at the bottom of this page - at least TWO paragraphs about "How did Kevin make you feel?" and "What parts of himself did Kevin use to make you feel that way?" Possible 15 points. As always, before 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
Jim May Coming to Tucson! Saturday, March 3 - 9:30 a.m.
Unscrewed Theater, 3244 E Speedway
Tucson
Learn About the Art of Storytelling from Jim May, Master Storyteller and Award Winning Author
Tellers of Tales in Tucson is thrilled to be included on Jim May’s 2018 book tour. You will laugh, cry and be enchanted listening to the stories and experiences Jim May shares in his workshop. Jim is an expert when it comes to weaving a memorable story, and he is able to artfully share his philosophy about why we need stories to connect with each other now more than ever before.
TOT memberts: Free
Non-Members: Suggested donation of $5
Jim May’s book, Trail Guide For a Crooked Heart, has won a prestigious Anne Izard library award from the Westchester NY Library Foundation, as well as World Storytelling Award from the journal by the same name. His new chapter book for middle readers will be released this spring, The Further Adventures of The Boo Baby Girl (and her sidekick, Bootsie the bilingual cattle herding Chihuahua).
What Story Did I Tell Last Month at the Open Mic?
There are many open mics in the Valley right now. Kim Porter has collected lots of information and I am about to update the calendar and ongoing listings at the bottom of the Newsletter. I'll do my best to have all the information in one place, Who, What, When, Where and How.
In that vein, I thought this would be a good time to revisit the Storytellers' Database website.
When I began to tell stories, I was telling at so many different places that, often, I couldn't remember what story I told at what venue, and when. I needed and wanted a system to keep track of all my stories, and when and where I told them. I didn't want to tell the same story at the same venue twice in a row.
Some folks are "old school" and use a notebook to keep track of when, where and what they told. Some use WORD to keep track. Others might use Excel so they can sort and categorize the info. I wanted something more robust.
I developed a database program to accomplish that task. I created it ONLINE, so I could access it from any computer or phone with an Internet connection. Then I decided to share it with the storytelling community!
The purpose is to provide storytellers with:
- A method of compiling and tracking stories
- The ability to track dates and places (and fees) where they have told
- The ability to plan a program of stories
In 2012, I revamped the entire system, made it easier to use and added video tutorials. You can watch the short (1-4 minute) videos and be up and running in twenty minutes or less. You can even try out the program online and see if you like it before actually signing up for an account. I have over 120 tellers using the system right now.
If you are a seasoned teller, you most likely have your own method of keeping track of all your gigs and stories. But you might want to give my system the once-over. And for new tellers or students, I think this is the perfect solution. Liz Warren, Director of the Storytelling Institute at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, highly recommends it to all her students. There are some tools to aid in crafting your stories too, like the online Story Prep Sheet.
Oh yeah. . . and by the way. . .IT'S FREE. . .FREE. . .FREE!
Storytelling and Spoken Word...Not So Far Apart Some of you have gone to Poetry Slams or perhaps seen Spoken Word on the internet. I have even posted several Spoken Word Performances from Sarah Kay, Taylor Mali and Micaela Blei.
Colleague, friend and fantabulous spoken word artist, Tomas visited my class. The first thing he told the students was, "Every poem has to have a story, a through-line." WOW, I was so pleased that everything he spoke of about poetry and spoken word is what I had been telling my class all along about storytelling!
Last Saturday, Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye, who have traveled all over the globe performing, did a concert and workshop at ASU. To meet them and see them perform live was an incredible treat!
After the concert, they did a 90-minute workshop on how to create, craft and tell (sound familiar at all?) a spoken word poem. They started with this question: Name three things that you know to be true (about you). This is a prompt for a personal poem (story).
Example: One thing I know to be true is that I love to teach storytelling.
Then, pick one of those three things and begin to describe it with sensory details: what does it SOUND like?
Practicing their stories in pairs sounds like the excitement and laughter of children on the playground
What does it LOOK like?
The student jumps up from her seat with a smile from ear to ear and shares with me what she discovered over the weekend about storytelling. The strobe lights over her head are flashing like she's a rock star...she is!
What does it TASTE like?
The students are responding with great questions and answers. Each response is as satisfying as every bite of the most delicious cake and delectable frosting I have ever had!
And so on...
Then, they had us put a sound and a movement (voice and gestures) to one word from those descriptions.
Try this for a story and see what happens...I think you'll be surprised!
------------------------------------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
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.
NSN National Storytelling Summit
Things have calmed down a bit from last week's hectic shcedule. This week, there is Chatterbox on Wednesday, but not much else.
Rio Salado College
Saturday, March 3 - 9:30 a.m. 
Some of you have gone to Poetry Slams or perhaps seen Spoken Word on the internet. I have even posted several Spoken Word Performances from Sarah Kay, Taylor Mali and Micaela Blei.
