Articles

by Csenge Zalka What is a MythOff? I’ll let the creator of the idea, Clare Muireann Murphy answer this one: “MythOff is an evening of mythology where the audience chooses the winners. It can pit Norse myth against the Irish, or Persian against Chinese. There are two or three rounds, and each round has a […]

When I first found The Orchard I fell in love with its setting of rolling hills, trees, and artists’ sculptures. I knew it would be perfect for storytelling, which I began in 2013 along with my new friend, Bob Reiser. The chickens, the “Square Gazebo” and the Apple Store all attract gatherings of apple pickers,

By Katie Knutson Although it is impossible to put a numerical value on the art or experience of storytelling, if you are going to work as a storyteller, you have to charge for your performances. Even many experienced storytellers wrestle with the appropriate fees for their art. For a new teller, this can be a

by Megan Finnerty That’s a big promise. But that’s what my how-to workshop at the 2014 National Storytelling Conference promises: a way for you to make your community more awesome with little to no money and just the help of a few friends. Across the country, live storytelling nights are proliferating in restaurants, bars and

It was one of those meetings where they’ve agreed to speak with you about your “consulting,” but they weren’t really sold that somebody local could help them. I handed a small packet of information to each of the two folks I was meeting for lunch. On top of each packet was a copy of my

by Rachel Nelson As the fates would allow, I was born into a family that gave me an old-fashioned apprenticeship in the profession of music. While still a baby, I rested on one of two pianos in a studio where my parents were rehearsing a 2-piano version of Rachmoninoff’s Second Piano Concerto. As a toddler,

by Pam Faro You probably had to be there… Raising a quizzical eyebrow, she speaks with feigned ignorance and asks the oh-so-pregnant-with-meaning question: “Now, Pam…What are you a Master of?” I take my cue…spread open my hands, raise eyes upward, and with a voice exuding a beatific awareness of the numinous, I answer in a

By Regina Ress I learned how to tell stories while substitute teaching in the New York City public schools. Talk about boot camp! I was often working with “at risk” children, many of whom were…shall we say…deeply disengaged from the classroom activities. When I began to bring in stories… not read them, but tell them…my

by Liz Weir I have lived in Northern Ireland all my life. The first 18 years or so were uneventful. I was lucky enough to grow up in a house where stories were told. Many were about my family’s adventures in India during the late 1930’s when my father was a career soldier and of

By Katie Knutson Are you ready to dive into the world of school residencies? If so, here are a few tips that will make the walk to the diving board and the plunge a little less shocking. There are two major models for residencies that I use: the pre-packaged residency and the co-created residency. They