Articles

by Chris Sutton The sesquicentennial (a word I love to say but cannot spell) has been an incredible, unmatched experience for me. The 150th anniversary of the American Civil War started in 2011 and ends this year, 2015. Hundreds and hundreds of reenactments, ceremonies and assemblies have taken place over the last four years to […]

by Robin Bady Once upon a time, my love affair with the canons of world fairy and folk tales was easy. I simply told the stories -of faraway princesses, kings and magical creatures, of transformations, possibilities, journeys, struggles, hope, and courage – and found the magic and justice within. But as the world around us

by Kevin Cordi, Ph.D. As a storyteller and story crafter, how often have you been working on a story and been blocked in your thinking? When you were stuck, were you alone? This is often the standard practice of the storyteller. We reside in empty rooms, cradled at a desk, writing our ideas to create

by Jane Stenson How often we tell ourselves that the stories we live by and tell, define who we are…I believe that! I also believe that the tools we use or avoid, embrace or discard define who we are as much as those stories. If I tell a folktale, the accumulated wisdom of the culture

By Celine O’Malley “Ay Dios! Mira el pajaro!” (My God! Look at the bird!) The words flew out of my mouth as I stared out into the audience of the Delfus Bar in Lima, Peru. I was performing, in front of strangers, in Spanish! The moment that thought flew through my mind, my Spanish vocabulary

by Carrie Sue Ayvar Magical words. Each summer at my grandparents’ house, my Grandma Selma would ask us, “Where would you like to go today?” Then she would utter those magical words and we would be off – to Europe, Africa, South America and beyond! She taught us that we could travel around the world,

By Katie Knutson Many Storytellers, especially those who work with children, talk about doing residencies. Often we forget that newer tellers might not know what we are talking about. This is especially confusing when the term “Artist Residency” means two very different things. A School or Arts Learning Residency In my experience, when most storytellers

by Bob Reiser Me? Tell a funny story in public?! I could die out there!!!” That’s what folks say. Whether you call yourself humorist, raconteur or comic storyteller you may die many times – This is your chance to learn to live like a cat. I died in nineteen eighty. My friends and I were

by Mary Margaret Stories keep us alive, in more ways than one. They bring us back to ourselves, our desires, our needs and possibilities as humans living in this strange yet significant world. As I continue the journey of self-discovery in 2015, I continue to ask questions about what it means to be a 20-something

by Norah Dooley and Carolyn Stearns This link to a Wikipedia description of storytelling festivals for those who don’t know about them and to create conversation about them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storytelling_festival How can we have more storytelling festivals added to the Wikipedia listing? It is as easy as 1,2,3. Wikipedia is only as good as the people