PETERBOROUGH STORYTELLERS CELEBRATES 

WORLD STORYTELLING DAY 2013

 On March 20^th we will be co-hosting an evening of story sharing that will explore this year’s theme of Fortune and Fate: Inspiring Tales From Around The World. Our partner will be Speaker’s Bureau the New Canadians Centre here in Peterborough.

If you will be in the Peterborough area on the 20^th, we would love to see you at the Auditorium of the Public Library on Aylmer Street. The stories start being told shortly after 7pm and will continue until just after 9pm. Admission is free and there will be munchies and other refreshments served.

We are grateful to the Storytellers of Canada for a World Storytelling Day grant to help meet the costs of hosting this event.

Here is the scheduled program of stories you will hear at Fortune and Fate.

The legend of Rozafa Castle as told by Naser

This is an Albanian folk tale about three brothers who set about building the Rozafa castle. They work all day, but the walls fall down at night. They meet a clever old man who advises them to sacrifice someone so that the walls would stand.

BIG MAN DRUM as told by Diana

"Big Man Drum" is a variation on a Chinese folk tale. Its theme of mistaken identity is also found in tales from other countries. An African djembe will be used during the performance, making this an international story experience. 

A creation StorY as told by Sharon

A Maori creation story from Aotearoa, New Zealand that depicts an indigenous telling of how the world came into being through the separation of Sky Father and Earth Mother.  

 THE HEALER told by Don

Based on a true story told to Don by a British missionary surgeon. In remote north-central India during the mid-60’s, a mysterious man draws thousands to his meetings where he preaches and heals. A life-long sceptic of such healing, the doctor investigates and is dismayed at what he discovers.

THE CURIOUS GIRL as told by Rita

The curious girl goes to see a witch. The witch turns her into a red bird and tells her that to be free she must find a story to tell the witch that she has not heard before. The bird/girl searches the world for such a story. Masks will be used.

THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION AND LAND OF MAGIC as told by Adli

Review of a personal life journey in the land of one of the most ancient civilizations in the world, and how this ancient advanced civilization retreated leaving one of the richest countries by all means poor and very dangerous to be in.  

THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR as told by Betty

Among the oldest stories of fate and fortune in the Western literature are the Greek myths.  In the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, notice how character and the caprices of the gods, affect the fate of Theseus and Minos.

 A meeting of Chance as told by Kemi

She is from Sudan. He is from Edinborough. As fate would have it, they met at a restaurant and that meeting opened up a world of unexpected for them. 

THOMAS THE RHYMER as told by Angelica

‘Thomas the Rhymer’ chronicles the adventure of a Scottish bard, who went to fairyland and returned.  He was given a magic apple by the Fairies Queen, which gives him the gift of prophesy.  Some of his prophesies are still remembered.

If you would like to know more about any of the stories on our 2013 event program or more about our speakers, please email us at peterboroughstorytellers@cogeco.ca. 

MORE GOLDEN NUGGETS OF STORYTELLING WISDOM

A popular website for speakers and those newbies wanting to be speakers is www.mannerofspeaking.com. Edited by John Zimmel, there are many video links and synopses that are a treasure trove of ideas and quotes for an aspiring storyteller.

From a TEDTalk by Andrew Stanton, a director and screenwriter at Pixar and most notably the key guy for the movies Toy Story and Finding Nemo, Zimmel summarized a number of key takeaway points about storytelling from Stanton’s talk. Below, I have chosen a few that I think are particularly relevant for readers and browsers of Tales and Tips.

§  Storytelling is knowing that everything you’re saying, from your first sentence to your last, is leading to a single goal and ideally confirming some truth that deepens our understanding of who we are as humans.
§  We all want affirmation that our lives have meaning, and there is no stronger affirmation than when we connect through stories.
§  The greatest story commandment is to make the audience care –emotionally, intellectually, aesthetically.
§  A good story makes a promise that it will lead you somewhere worthwhile.
§  Don’t give the audience the answer ‘4’. Give them ‘2 + 2’ and let them work it out for themselves.
§  You need to craft your story so that it builds anticipation. Drama is anticipation mixed with uncertainty.
§  Storytelling has guidelines, not hard and fast rules.
§  Here’s the big question: Can you invoke wonder in your audience? Wonder is honest, innocent and can’t be artificially invoked.
§  The best stories infuse an audience with wonder.
§  The ability (of the storyteller) to instill wonder in others, to hold them for a brief moment and make them surrender to wonder, is one of the greatest gifts one person can give another.
§  When developing your stories, use what you know. It doesn’t always mean plot or fact. It means capturing a truth from your experience and expressing values you personally feel deep down to your core.

And…to finish this Golden Nuggets post with a quote adapted very liberally from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

‘All great storytellers were bad storytellers at first’

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN 2012! 

To everyone who has visited our Tales and Tips blog regularly in 2012, please know that the members of the Planning Group of Peterborough Storytellers are delighted at your continuing support. Your comments about the articles and stories that we post here are sincerely appreciated. 

Our commitment to you in 2013 is to continue to develop our Tales and Tips blog so that it will be one of your regular 'must visit' sites when you are looking on the web for helpful information, creative stories and ideas that will expand your interest and skills in storytelling.

From the 2012 Planning Group members of Peterborough Storytellers: Angelica, Betty, Diana, Rita, Hermione and myself.   

Best wishes in 2013 wherever in the cyber world you may be!   

Don

RECOMMENDED STORYTELLING BOOKS FOR YOUR LIBRARY

Members of the Planning Group of Peterborough Storytellers recommend these books, cd’s and other sources of inspiration for your storytelling activities in 2013. While we are suggesting you can find these books with on-line suppliers like Chapters-Indigo in Canada and Amazon in the United States, check out your favourite local book store first or your community library!

v  Favourite Folktales From Around The World

By Jane Yolen.

Yolen is a prolific author of many story books for kids of all ages. Favourite Folktales, published in 1988 is a popular collection of over 160 stories of varying length from over forty cultures and traditions that lend themselves well to telling. Published by Pantheon it can be ordered from www.chapters.indigo.ca. Approximate cost is $17 Cdn.

v  In The Ever After – Fairy Tales and The Second Half of Life

By Dr. Allan Chinen.

The final part of a successful triology by Chinen exploring the three stages of life, this book contains 16 wonderful, short tales about elders that you could easily add to your telling repertoire. One reviewer describes this book as ‘simply a delightful read, highly informative.’ One of the members of Peterborough Storytellers told a story from this book about a year ago and it was an instant hit with the audience. Published by Chiron Publications in 1989 and now hard to find, your best bet is to get it from www.amazon.com. Approximate cost is $25 Cdn.

v Suddenly They Heard Footsteps – Storytelling For The Twenty-First Century

By Dan Yashinsky

A classic book by Canada’s best known storyteller and pioneer. Every teller must have this book in their active library. Not only is it chock full of wonderful stories from many genres, but Yashinsky engagingly shares his ideas and experiences about the renewal of the art of storytelling in our modern age. One reviewer describes this book as follows: ‘if the word awesome had not been rendered meaningless by trendiness, it would be the adjective for this book. As it is, spell-binding will do.’ Published by Knopf Canada in 2004, you can find it in most bookstores but it’s also available from www.chapters.indigo.ca or www.amazon.com. Approximate cost is $25 Cdn.

If you are a fan of ghost stories, check out Yashinsky’s Ghostwise, published in 2006. Available from www.amazon.com for $15 Cdn.

v  The Healing Heart – Families

Edited by Allison Cox and David Albert

This is an interesting book that you won’t find on many storytellers’ recommended lists but it’s one of our favourites. The Healing Heart is packed with folk tales, personal stories, games, songs and many other helpful materials that storytellers can use to promote resiliency, healthful behaviours, self-esteem and mutual respect. 

A reviewer writes: ‘this labour of love weaves magical connections. If newscasters were to read aloud to their listeners one of the stories from this treasury each night for 1,001 nights, we would all lose our fear and be healed, recapturing real security in our homeland.’ Published by New Society in 2003, it’s in your local bookstore but also available from either www.chapters.indigo.ca or www.amazon.com. Approximate cost is $27 Cdn.

There is a companion book to Families that you may also find helpful. It’s called The Healing Heart – Communities which would also be a rich source of great stories suitable for telling and talking about with groups. 

v  The Dreamer Awakes

By Alice Kane

In her recommendation for this book, one of our storytelling group writes: ‘My hands-down favourite. (Kane’s) choices are unerringly excellent – every story has a good plot, interesting and often imperfect characters and almost always a transformative event that drives home a universal truth. The stories are folk and fairy tales and they stand the test of time’. An on-line reviewer remarks: ‘Astonishing, gorgeous storytelling’. 

Alice Kane is one of Canada’s most cherished and accomplished tellers and you just have to check out this book. And there is lots more about one of Canada’s most distinguished educators and storytellers on the internet. The Dreamer Awakes is published in 1995 by Broadview Press It is still available at both www.chapters.indigo.ca and www.amazon.com. Price varies from $30 Cdn to $45 Am.

v  Elders From Canada’s Storytelling Community

Available from Storysave at Word Press.

This is a unique collection of the recorded voices and performances of ten of Canada’s elders of storytelling. You must check out this amazing archival resource. On the site you can click and listen to any of the tellers and you can order some of their cd’s. This is special service collection offered by Storytellers of Canada (www.storytellers-conteurs.ca) through www.storysave.wordpress.com. 

You can also go the SC-CC webpage and explore the many links to discover other stories and tellers. If you go to the section ‘Member Organizations’, then visit some of the sites for storytelling groups across Canada, each one will have further links to local tellers and lots of stories just waiting for you to learn and tell them in your own community.

v  Storytelling Toronto

www.storytellingtoronto.org

One of the oldest and largest storytelling groups in Canada, Storytelling Toronto is definitely a ‘must visit’ site on the internet. Not only does ST offer skill building courses for beginners and masters, but their site will also link you to many professional tellers. Of particular interest to some members of Peterborough Storytellers, is ‘Pippin’, the quarterly newsletter of the group. It has been published for eighteen years, so you will have lots of archived on-line editions to browse for ideas, stories and articles about the craft of storytelling. And it’s free! Click the 'Newsletter' button.

And In Conclusion...

For storytellers in search of a special story to tell, regardless of the genre you prefer, the internet is surely among the two or three next best things to come along since people first gathered around a campfire on a dark night!

WHEN THE CHILDREN TELL YOU STORIES

“My dear sweet little Billy Goats, there is not enough sweet green grass on this side of the river. Let us cross the Troll’s bridge to the other side of the river to eat the sweet green grass there.”

These are the words I said to the nursery school children as we began our end of the year performance of The Three Billy Goats Gruff. As their teacher, I played the role of the mother Billy Goat and they played my little ‘Kids’. In coaching them to perform I would have one instruction, Stay with the Story.

What a happiness there was for both teacher and child when we could tell a story together. These plays were grand tellings. They took place before an audience of proud parents. Afterwards, the children bowed with smiles and the parents smiled with claps.

The Small Stories

But un-grand tellings produced equal happiness in me. For instance, I would often tell stories using felt pieces at group time. Then I would let the children use the pieces to tell their own versions of the story. I remember once telling the story of the Three Little Pigs and having a four year old boy who often got into trouble saying at the end, “but the wolf was really a good wolf.”

Free Form Story telling

Creating opportunities for the children to make free form stories with toys was an important part of their free play time. I would say, ‘let’s make up a story’.

‘Once upon a time’ and then the children would choose a toy and the story would begin. I would prompt them saying, ‘What happened next?’ or ‘How will it end?’ For younger children I would contribute parts of the story content and we would work out the story together.

The Achievement

There is a feeling of achievement for human beings in creating and telling stories. Perhaps in the old times, stories kept us alive. You might have shared a wolf story to have the child steer clear of wolves. Now, stories keep both adult and child alive in another way. They speak to balancing our emotions and our hopes and dreams. This balancing is particularly important for young children who have limited ability to use logic to think and plan. But all of us are young children in certain parts of our psyche.

Six years ago I retired from teaching young children. It was a difficult time in my life and often in my mind I would repeat the beginning words of the Billy Goats Gruff play:

“My dear sweet little Billy Goats there is not enough sweet green grass on this side of the river. Let us cross the troll bridge to the other side of the river to eat the sweet green grass there.”

The image of the children and I in our Billy Goat ears and tails crossing the Troll’s bridge to get the sweet green grass would instruct me with hope of nourishment and fine places to come. I would remember myself and the children smiling and bowing and then I would feel glad.

Author: Rita Grimaldi (A member of Peterborough Storytellers)

COMING SOON...

We are putting together a post of our favourite sources for told stories from all genres. It will appear here by December 21st. You won't be disappointed at our recommendations. Check back then. 

If you have a favourite source for your stories, please send us a note at peterboroughstorytellers@cogeco.ca. Tell us the name of your book or cd, publisher, date of publication or release and give us a brief recommendation blurb about why you like it.

INTRODUCING MARNI GILLARD

Peterborough Storytellers is delighted to introduce you to American storyteller Marni Gillard.  Marni is a popular professional teller whose range of stories and genres is immense. 

As the curator of our Tales and Tips blog and a friend of Marni's, I am pleased she has given us permission to post this recent interview. Marni shares how her family's tradition of telling stories influenced her as an elementary school teacher, deepening her skills and interest in the transformative power of a story well told. Eventually, she left classroom teaching to develop a consulting practice focused on fostering the skills of storytelling among teachers and students alike. At present, Marni has an active practice as a professional teller and educator based from her home in upper New York state. You can learn more about Marni and order cd's and books from her website, www.marnigillard.com. 

 Marni tells a short Irish tale at the end of this interview. Fionn's "The Music of What Happens" is taken from James Stephens' Traditional Irish Fairy Tales.

Here is the You Tube link to Marni's interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EplB8YGL8dk&feature=youtu.be

Copy the link address and paste it into your browser. Click Search. On the net there are many other links to the work of Marni, so take some time to check out more about this delightful teller.

THE RED ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

Quite a few years ago, I was wandering around a large suburban mall on a slow Wednesday afternoon. I had no particular destination in mind but I thought the food court might be a good place to hang out and watch the mall crowd push on by, so that’s where I headed.

You see, it was the first day of December and the mall was teeming with those annoyingly eager early Christmas shoppers. You know the type. They love to get you involved in an apparently casual conversation about shopping for gifts and once you admit that you haven’t even started yet, they smile in a condescending way and loudly tell you and everyone else within a hundred yards that they’re all finished. Well, by the looks of it, these folks were out in force that day, heavily laden down with gaily coloured bags, humming barely recognizable versions of Silent Night or god forbid, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.

It was while I was sipping from a warm can of Diet Coke and munching on a cold French fry that I noticed him. Over in the corner, in the shadow of a tall scraggly artificial Christmas tree that seemed to only have about half of its slowly blinking lights actually working. Maybe it’s because I’ve read so many spy novels over the years, but I very quickly realized that he was pretending to read a large mall flyer but was actually watching me. This is one of the oldest spy tricks in the world and I had a brief moment of annoyance that if he wanted to spy on me, he could at least show me some respect by using a more sophisticated technique like James Bond would undoubtedly use in a similar situation.

I tried looking in another direction but using the reflection off the nearby HMV store window, I could see him making notes on a piece of paper and watching me even more intently. I was getting a bit unsettled by what could only be called ‘surveillance’, so I got up and headed purposely down toward the Sears store. I paused in front of Laura Secord and pretended to consider what type of dark chocolate I was going to buy. A quick, furtive glance confirmed my growing unease that he was following me, also pretending to be window shopping but really keeping me clearly in sight.

Over the next half hour, I lead him on quite a tour of the mall. I even tried spending some time in the Victoria Secret outlet, admiring but of course, not touching, the lacy bras and panties. He didn’t follow me into the store and disappeared. When I could finally stand the withering stares and obvious whisperings of the VS sales clerks no more, I stood as tall as I could and looking straight ahead, walked confidently out of the store, winking knowingly to the manager who had been slowly working her way toward me with a rather large looking fellow who seemed as awkwardly out of place among the lingerie as I did.

No sign of my stalker who I had started calling Darth Vader in my mind. I strode off for a brief pit stop at the Men’s Washroom before I headed out into the mall parking lot. Standing at the urinal, I was congratulating myself on how I had given Darth the slip. But then there he was, standing at the last urinal at the very end of the row, smiling at me while he looked after business.

OK, this had now gotten too weird and I quickly zipped up, washed my hands and headed for the exit. I decided that I would go to the Mall Security desk, report Darth and let them handle it while I made my escape out of the mall and into my car.

I was about thirty feet from the Security desk, when Darth came in unexpectedly from my right and tapped me on the shoulder. ‘Excuse me, sir’, he rasped, ‘Can I speak to you privately for a moment?’ He now had a firm grip on my sleeve and was expertly guiding me away from the Security desk toward a cluster of four chairs and a table covered with a scattering of McDonald’s wrappers and spilled ketchup.

‘Now look here, Mister, get your bloody hands off me. You’ve been following me around here for almost an hour and I am getting very annoyed’. I thought that I had managed to spit that out with a fair degree of malice and threat in my voice.

But Darth persisted. ‘I have a business proposition for you. One I think you will be very interested in hearing about if you just give me a few minutes. I’m not a stalker. I’m not a weirdo. I work here in the mall as a Human Resources advisor’. And with that he pulled out a red and green lanyard from under his jacket at the end of which was his photo ID. ‘James O’Connor’, he said holding out his hand. ‘And what can I do for you, James?’ I replied with as much frosty cool as I could muster.

‘I think you would make a great Mall Santa’, enthused James, a wide Cheshire cat smile now firmly in place. ‘Your white beard is great, you have a Santa type voice the kids would love and given that little hide ‘n seek tour you just took me on around the mall, your patience must be amazing. They’re the perfect qualities for our Santa’. He paused for a breath and then resumed. ‘The pay is great and we could work out the hours that fit best with whatever it is you do in real life’. Then as an apparent afterthought which he hoped would be the deal closer, he blurted out, ‘We even supply the red suit, belt, hat, bells and black boots!’

Well I would be less than honest with you if I didn’t say that James’ offer to become that year’s Mall Santa was quite flattering. I had immediate visions of me tucked comfortably into the big red velvet chair, looking elegant in the red suit, warmly welcoming little tykes onto my lap and gently comforting the ones who could only stand and cry. Maybe I could even write a best-selling book about my Mall Santa experience. 

But my own two kids were still little and believed without any reservations that Santa was a real, jolly old man who came down the living room chimney, ate the cookies, drank the milk, filled their stockings and left piles of presents under and around the tree. And of course, Santa always took the carrot as a snack for Rudolph who was impatiently waiting up on the roof.

I declined James’ offer as politely as I could and apologizing for behaving like an ignorant dork for my earlier behaviour and comments, quickly made my way out into the mall and disappeared into the throngs of early shoppers.

Every year in early December, I find myself wondering what would have happened if I had taken the road less travelled and become the Mall Santa. Maybe now that I am retired, I should give it a try. I just know that I’d look really great in that red suit!

Written by Don Herald (A member of Peterborough Storytellers)

CHRISTMAS EVE IN HOLLAND

Some years ago a friend of mine asked me to play my harp at her mother’s memorial service, which took place in an artist co-op, both her parents having been artists.  Her father, a surrealist Dutch painter had died the year before, and now her mother, an actress and singer was having her own memorial service.  I remember this service as being something of an ordeal because it lasted about two and a half hours, with every artist and performer in the building feeling they had to make a contribution. 

However, there was one thing that touched me deeply, and that was a reading from one of her mother’s memoirs. It chronicled their last Christmas Eve in Holland before the end of World War Two.  Just going by my memory, it would have read something like this.

Christmas Eve arrived and found us all cold and very hungry.  There was very little food in the house and every stick of furniture had been burned – it was our only source of heat and only means for cooking food.  The only thing we had not been able to bring ourselves to burn was the old piano that stood in the parlour.

Nevertheless, we did manage to find a few sticks of something that had not yet been burned, and we lit a small fire to boil water for a few cups of tea.  Somewhere we had scrounged up a tea-bag – possibly it had been saved for a special occasion.

I had a hard time getting my husband Henry out of bed.  Not only was he weak from lack of food, but the bed was the only place that was still reasonably warm.  However, after some prodding and nagging he grudgingly got dressed and came to the parlor to have his tea. 

How grateful we were that the old piano was still standing. We gathered around it and my sister began to play the old Christmas carols.  At first our voices were weak, but gradually we found the strength to sing them with the passion and enthusiasm that they deserved.  Despite our cold and our hunger, some of the magic of Christmas transformed and lifted our spirits that night.  Surely God would end this nightmare that we had been forced to live through.  Never before had I been so moved, singing the old carols that proclaimed peace on earth and love for all mankind.

And then suddenly, outside somewhere a grenade or bomb exploded.  We all dived onto the floor and covered our heads with our hands – there was no furniture to hide under.   All of us lay there shocked and terrified – except my sister.  As in a trance or daze, she had continued playing the piano, uninterrupted by the explosion.  When we recovered our senses, we all began to laugh hysterically.

Little did we know that the Canadian army had covered strategic territory that night, and that our liberators were only miles away.  Within a few months the war was over for us.   

  

I guess that story always moves me deeply, because my own parents lived through that war – except they were on the other side.  They were Germans, yet the horrors of the war were just as terrible for them.  I’m sure they too would have gathered around singing carols on Christmas Eve just like that Dutch family. 

How lucky our generation is, that we have never had to go through the nightmare of a world war.

Author is Angelica Ottwell (A member of Peterborough Storytellers)

MY FIRST STORY TELLING EXPERIENCE

I was first introduced to Story Telling by a friend.  I had never heard of adult story telling before.  I asked her if I had to do or say anything and she assured me I just had to sit there and listen.  I am good at that, so I went with her.

 

The person that was in charge that evening gave us all a piece of paper with a short story on it. She told us to partner with someone we didn't know and after spending a few minutes reading the story, we had to tell it to our partner.  I looked over at my friend and she looked as startled as I was.  I thought, of course I can do this as the person who was my partner was smiling and quite friendly.  After this exercise the leader said alright we are going to go around the circle and each tell their little story!!  I looked at my friend again, only this time I had a look of terror on my face.  I thought Oh no!!! I only want to sit here and listen.  Everyone else took their turn, so I did the best I could, very thankful when it was over.  My friend, who knows me well, said she thought I was going to bolt for the door, which is exactly what I felt like doing.  However, I stayed, and thoroughly enjoyed the remainder of the evening and have not missed a story telling night since.

I took Rita Grimaldi’s Story Telling Workshop, and found it very helpful.  Our stories were critiqued but in a very safe and encouraging way, and positive suggestions given.  We were all there to learn how to tell a story, so it was a very comfortable, friendly and non- judgmental atmosphere in which to learn.  This was most important to me, because if it had been otherwise, I probably would not have come back.

I also went to the Biblical Story Telling weekend at St. John's Anglican Church in October.  We were given a story in one of the workshops and asked to read it and then tell it to a partner.  This time, it was my friend I was partnered with, so I was totally comfortable.  After reading it over, I told first.  When I finished telling the story, my friend advised me that we didn't need to tell the entire story, only the first part! After that I thought to myself, I think I can do this story telling thing!

I decided for my first story, to tell one I was familiar with, hence The Birth that I told on November 21.  I typed it in large print and divided it up into sections.  As suggested, I read it several times and then learned one section at a time.  I practiced it multiple times, as again I was told when you learn your story really well, it helps with the nervousness.  Whenever I had the chance I practiced on my friends and family.  I feel that story is now in my long term memory, and hopefully I will always remember my first story.

 

I was quite nervous before I started to tell, but the nerves settled down as I continued. It was quite exciting for me to step so very far out of my comfort zone and actually stand up in front of people and tell a story. I never thought I would have the courage to do that. The positive feedback I received was most encouraging, and makes me want to learn and tell another story!  I think I am hooked!   My feeling is that if I can do it, then anyone can!!

Thank you to the seasoned story tellers that gave me such encouragement and help.  I can see that Story Telling is an exciting skill to develop.

Author: Sylvia M (A member of Peterborough Storytellers)