Happy Birthday Sandy Oglesby Join me in wishing Sandy Oglesby the happiest of birthdays. Sandy is one of the valley's great tellers. She rocked the room at the recent NSN Conference for the Western Showcase with her story of, "I'm not in charge."
She has told stories in a variety of settings but is our "go to" gal for stories with the little ones. She has a magic all her own that calms the young set and has them listening wide-eyed and always wanting for more.
Sandy is one of the most generous people I know. I cannot think of anytime when Sandy has ever said "no", not just to storytelling, but to anyone in need. Her heart is too big to really show you or describe, but you can feel it when you are around her, when she talks with you or gives you a hug. She is blessed with the gift of seeing the good in everyone, and responding to that.
Happy Birthday Sandy. May the joy you give to others come back ten-fold to you!
Book - Book - Book Remember this story?
A chicken goes into the library and says to the librarian, "Book, book, book!" The librarian gives him a book and watches him go. Each day, the chicken returns and says, "Book, book, book!" After many days of the same thing, the librarian follows the chicken out of the library to see what this is all about. She follows the chicken into the woods, to a small creek where she sees the chicken approach a bullfrog and lays the book down on a huge pile of the ones she brought before, right in front of the bulfrog. The frog responds, "Read it, read it, read it."
Your book (or books) can be your calling card! At three of the places I have visited in the last week, I have sold several copies of my new book.
Sean Buvala has a new Mentoring Workshop coming up in August and September - Mentoring for Self-Publishing. Sean has written and self-published many books. Publishing a book may not make you rich, but you can make a few extra bucks with it. And more importantly, it gives you credibility!
Sean knows all the ins and outs of self-publishing and will share his knowledge in this series of workshops and information.
Storytelling Classes Start August 25th The fall semester will be upon us in three weeks. Don't get left behind. Are there aspects of your storytelling you need to search out? Do you have a friend who keeps saying. "I should really take some of those classes you've been talking about"?
Now is the time!
SMCC Classes start on August 25th. AND - there are other Maricopa Community Colleges that teach The Art of Storytelling. They are all over the valley!
Check out the link below for SMCC classes, or make a new search for the CC of your choice. You will have great stories to tell!
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!
We celebrate the Valley of the Sun and the people and places that define her.
For some, Phoenix is a love it or leave it city. Others say be the change you wish to see. We hear from them all, from the trials of its suburban sprawl to the beauty of its Sonoran sunsets.
We've partnered with Visit Phoenix! to bring you a night of tellers who will also share their stories on the Visit Phoenix! blog - a first for the Storytellers Project.
Featured tellers:
Chef Aaron May, writer Meghan Krein, writer Rachel Egboro, writer Dennis Burke, storyteller Laura Rutherford, and community tellers Robert Olson and Joe Finnerty. (No relation.)
Additional information
Stories begin prompty at 7:30 p.m.
Theater-style seating for 110 is limited to first-come, first-seated basis.
Full bar available.
Total tickets available are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. This night is likely to sell out.
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer refunds on any purchased ticket.
Proceeds from this event will be used to support The Arizona Republic journalism training and education programs.
Subscriber-only benefit: Receive a free First Draft Book Bar pint glass on us! A $10 value. Subscribers will be given a ticket upon registration in person. The ticket can be exchanged at merchandise shop for glass.
I'd be Delighted! Most of us have heard the adage that, to be a good storyteller, you have to be a good listener. But what does that mean, a good listener? Doug Lipman (The Storytelling Coach) suggests that we listen delightedly. This means focusing all your attention on the teller, shutting out any drop of criticism, and staying open to the joy of the story and the teller.
In that vein, I offer the first chapter of my new book, Storytelling Tips: Creating, Crafting and Telling Stories (101 Tips). Just some shameless self-promotion. I hope it makes you want to read the other 100 tips.
Start by Listening
It's true. In order to learn about storytelling, the first thing you have to be able to do and practice is listening.
Listen to other tellers tell their stories, as many as you can. By listening and watching, you will see and hear what the good tellers do. You may also watch and hear some not-so-practiced tellers. Your job in listening is to start to understand what the great tellers do that make them great, and what mistakes many beginning tellers do that get them in trouble.
When you listen to a teller, ask yourself some questions:
How did they make me feel and how did they do that?
Did they paint a picture that I could see in my mind? How did they do that?
Did I understand the essence and the flow of the story? How did they do that?
Did the beginning engage me? How did they do that?
Did the ending come to a clear conclusion and satisfy me? How did they do that?
What parts of themselves did they use most? How can I find the best parts of me to use?
Did they lose the audience at some point? What was needed to hold the audience's attention?
Listening to as many tellers as possible will be an education in itself. If you don't like what they do, study it. Understand how you can avoid their pitfalls. If you love them, study that part too. How can you learn from that and use yourself to develop your own successful storytelling space? Listen to other kinds of speakers too. Newscasters, commentators, video bloggers, TED talk presenters, etc. What do these people do—or not do—that engages their listeners? Your answers will surely relate to the craft of telling stories.
Harriet Cole Strikes a Nerve! Valley teller and teacher Harriet Cole has written a spectacular blog about the crafting of stories. Why do we do it? What does it really mean? How do we know when to tell the right story?
Harriet tells a beautiful story and then tells us what she learned from the process. And that too is beautiful!
------------------------------------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 June, July & August Westsidestorytellers@yahoo.com
East Valley Tellers of Tales -Storytellers Guild Second Saturday of each month - SCOTTSDALE http://www.evtot.com
- National Storytelling Network? You should be.
Join me in wishing Sandy Oglesby the happiest of birthdays. Sandy is one of the valley's great tellers. She rocked the room at the recent NSN Conference for the Western Showcase with her story of, "I'm not in charge."
Remember this story?
The fall semester will be upon us in three weeks. Don't get left behind. Are there aspects of your storytelling you need to search out? Do you have a friend who keeps saying. "I should really take some of those classes you've been talking about"?
Thursday, August 7th
Saturday - August 9th ~ 10am - Noon
Most of us have heard the adage that, to be a good storyteller, you have to be a good listener. But what does that mean, a good listener? Doug Lipman (The Storytelling Coach) suggests that we listen delightedly. This means focusing all your attention on the teller, shutting out any drop of criticism, and staying open to the joy of the story and the teller.
Valley teller and teacher Harriet Cole has written a spectacular blog about the crafting of stories. Why do we do it? What does it really mean? How do we know when to tell the right story?
