Education Articles

COVID: The Storytelling Solution

One of the most striking statistics to emerge from the COVID crisis was recently published in a study led by Susan Hillis, an epidemiologist at the Center for Disease Control in the journal Pediatrics. It estimates that “For every four COVID-19 deaths, one child was left behind without a mother, father and/or a grandparent who […]

Honoring Juneteenth

By Danni Altman-Newell, Director of Operations Juneteenth recognizes the effective end of slavery in the United States. As the President signs the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act today, NSN is proud to show its respect for and honor the resilience of the Black community by including Juneteenth as an official company holiday to provide a […]

Teaching Us Wonder: Turkey embarks on cultural mission to preserve its folktales

Teaching Us Wonder: Turkey embarks on cultural mission to preserve its folktales “The oral folktales of the Anatolian plateau are a remarkable blend of storytelling motifs and traditions…” Now, an academic project is collecting and indexing stories for future generations. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/jan/08/turkey-embarks-on-cultural-mission-to-preserve-its-fairytales?fbclid=IwAR0WU9zDRwRnLnitOUpFUBx-qs8O_MNfN-ZV9jZ5OdNJGhXn7RPZgXQw2f8

The Story of Storytelling – What the hidden relationships of ancient folktales reveal about their evolution – and our own

The Story of Storytelling – What the hidden relationships of ancient folktales reveal about their evolution—and our own “Once recorded, a story has the potential to live longer and spread farther than any other creature…Stories that earn the widest audiences over the longest stretches of time are exceedingly likely to continue surviving in one form […]

Seanchaí: The storytelling keepers of Ireland’s rich folklore heritage

Seanchaí: The storytelling keepers of Ireland’s rich folklore heritage “In ancient Celtic society, bards held a position of esteem, second only to kings. Their stories and songs “were often the only historical record.” Through the years Bards evolved into seanchaís’ or storytellers who carried those stories from town to town, bringing the stories from ancient […]

Middle Ages Merlin manuscript found in Bristol University library

Middle Ages Merlin manuscript found in Bristol University library “Seven hand-written fragments were found by the University of Bristol’s special collections librarian. Specialists analysing the pieces said they contained “subtle but significant” differences from the traditional story.” https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-47062919

How Stories Connect And Persuade Us: Unleashing the Brain Power of Narrative

How Stories Connect And Persuade Us: Unleashing the Brain Power of Narrative “When you listen to a story, whatever your age, you’re transported mentally to another time and place.” Research has shown that while listening to a has proven that A growing body of brain science offers even more insight into what’s behind these experiences.” […]

How Indigenous Oral Tradition Is Guiding Archaeology and Uncovering Climate History in Alaska

How Indigenous Oral Tradition Is Guiding Archaeology and Uncovering Climate History in Alaska In south-central Alaska a chief named Łtaxda’x (EL-tax-da) once owned “a dish hewn from the horn of a giant moose.” When he died, his brothers fought over this ceremonial platter of the Raven clan. As the legend continues, one of the brothers […]

African-American folklore inspires meeting of the minds

African-American folklore inspires meeting of the minds Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr. and Maria Tatar, Harvard scholars have co-authored “The Annotated African American Folktales,” that “illuminates and celebrates a narrative spirit both intimate and expansive…” The Harvard Gazette offers this wonderful article, a conversation with Gates and Tatar as they explain how storytelling motifs are […]

Story Now Interview: Michael Reno Harrell

At the National Storytelling Network, our mission is to advance all forms of storytelling within the community through promotion, advocacy, and education.   STORY NOW! Interview Series Story Now! Now from the boardroom to the classroom, and the page to the stage, personal stories and folktales are catalysts for change in every aspect of our […]

Story Now Interview: Mike Seliger

At the National Storytelling Network, our mission is to advance all forms of storytelling within the community through promotion, advocacy, and education.   STORY NOW! Interview Series Story Now! Now from the boardroom to the classroom, and the page to the stage, personal stories and folktales are catalysts for change in every aspect of our […]

Story Now Interview: Sherry Norfolk

At the National Storytelling Network, our mission is to advance all forms of storytelling within the community through promotion, advocacy, and education.   STORY NOW! Interview Series Story Now! Now from the boardroom to the classroom, and the page to the stage, personal stories and folktales are catalysts for change in every aspect of our […]

Story Now Interview: Dr. Raymond Christian

At the National Storytelling Network, our mission is to advance all forms of storytelling within the community through promotion, advocacy, and education.   STORY NOW! Interview Series The theme of our 2019 annual conference was Story Now! Now! From the boardroom to the classroom, and the page to the stage, personal stories and folktales are […]

2020 Halloween Gala workshop: Creating Original Ghost Stories with Cynthia Rintye

Creating Original Ghost Stories with Cynthia Rintye How did I come to teach a workshop on ghost stories? Well, I certainly had no intention of becoming an expert on spooky tales or paranormal experiences. Then again, I had no intention of becoming the Queen of England, a professional Segway rider, or a teenage zombie trainer.  […]

HALLOWEEN GALA: The Adult Shows

HALLOWEEN GALA: The Adult Shows Some Reflections from JEFF GERE NSN Gala Planning Committee Alton Chung said it best: “I’m tired of going to spooky shows that are not spooky.” So here are the most twisted, supernatural, and disturbing tales we could fine. Lovers of horror, you will be pleased. Your guide on this journey […]

2020 Halloween Gala Kids Shows

HALLOWEEN GALA: The KIDS Shows Some Reflections from JEFF GERE NSN Gala Planning Committee KIDS SHOWS in the AFTERNOONS The committee agreed: start with preschool chills, and grow more scary and tense for the older kids. Oh yes, get more spooky, but be fun. I think we’ve succeeded with some really great performances here. So […]

NSN’s 2020 Halloween Gala Tellers!

The HOUR of REVELATION is HERE! The Programming Committee is thrilled to announce NSN’s 2020 Halloween Gala Tellers! Oct 30: MISCHIEF NIGHT Haunted Story Slam (6pm Central US Time) YOU! Prepare your best 5-min true personal “Haunted” story & throw your name in the hat! Storied Costume Contest (8pm Central US Time) YOU! (Again!) Don […]

Story Now Interview: Robin Kitson

At the National Storytelling Network, our mission is to advance all forms of storytelling within the community through promotion, advocacy, and education. STORY NOW! Interview Series The theme of our 2019 annual conference was Story Now! Now! From the boardroom to the classroom, and the page to the stage, personal stories and folktales are catalysts […]

Story Now Interview: Pete Griffin

At the National Storytelling Network, our mission is to advance all forms of storytelling within the community through promotion, advocacy, and education. STORY NOW! Interview Series The theme of our 2019 annual conference was Story Now! Now! From the boardroom to the classroom, and the page to the stage, personal stories and folktales are catalysts […]

Story Now Interview: Cheryl Cofield

At the National Storytelling Network, our mission is to advance all forms of storytelling within the community through promotion, advocacy, and education. STORY NOW! Interview Series The theme of our 2019 annual conference was Story Now! Now! From the boardroom to the classroom, and the page to the stage, personal stories and folktales are catalysts […]

Story Now Interview: Vera Oye Yaa-Anna

At the National Storytelling Network, our mission is to advance all forms of storytelling within the community through promotion, advocacy, and education. STORY NOW! Interview Series The theme of our 2019 annual conference was Story Now! Now! From the boardroom to the classroom, and the page to the stage, personal stories and folktales are catalysts […]

Story Now Interview: Colleen Jayne

At the National Storytelling Network, our mission is to advance all forms of storytelling within the community through promotion, advocacy, and education. STORY NOW! Interview Series The theme of our 2019 annual conference was Story Now! Now! From the boardroom to the classroom, and the page to the stage, personal stories and folktales are catalysts […]

NSN Youth YouTube Channel Submissions

The National Storytelling Network is launching a Kids YouTube Channel! With an interest in driving support for the Storyteller Relief Fund (now available for designated donations at storynet.org/donate), and in partnership with the Youth, Educators, & Storytellers Alliance SIG, NSN is collaborating with storytellers from all over the world to provide young learners with access […]

Story Now Interview: Jerome Deroy with Narativ and Jules Ryan with J Ryan Partners, Be engaged at work

At the National Storytelling Network, our mission is to advance all forms of storytelling within the community through promotion, advocacy, and education. STORY NOW! Interview Series The theme of our 2019 annual conference was Story Now! Now! From the boardroom to the classroom, and the page to the stage, personal stories and folktales are catalysts […]

Storytelling is not just entertainment. It’s a fundamental part of being human

CBC.CA   March 29, 2020 Stories let us share information in a way that creates an emotional connection. They help us to understand that information and each other, and it makes the information memorable. Because stories create an emotional connection, we can gain a deeper understanding of other people’s experiences. That not only helps us to […]

Story Now Interview: Living Proof Advocacy, Tim Cage and John Capecci

At the National Storytelling Network, our mission is to advance all forms of storytelling within the community through promotion, advocacy, and education. STORY NOW! Interview Series The theme of our 2019 annual conference was Story Now! Now! From the boardroom to the classroom, and the page to the stage, personal stories and folktales are catalysts […]

Our fiction addiction: why humans need stories

BBC.com   May 3, 2018 Today, the average adult is still thought to spend at least 6% of the waking day engrossed in fictional stories on our various screens. From an evolutionary point of view, that would be an awful lot of time and energy to expend on pure escapism, but psychologists and literary theorists have […]

Kevin Cordi

Challenges to Those Who Respond with Story – A Call Out to Storytellers

By Kevin Cordi Challenges to Those Who Respond with Story – A Call Out to Storytellers One must continually reflect when they chose to take on the ‘mantle of storyteller’ or decide to use stories in their work and daily life. For over 25 years, I work to honor this mantle. This includes not only […]

Story Now Interview: Jackie & Papa Wright, Jr. – St. Louis, Missouri

At the National Storytelling Network, our mission is to advance all forms of storytelling within the community through promotion, advocacy, and education. STORY NOW! Interview Series The theme of our 2019 annual conference was Story Now! Now! From the boardroom to the classroom, and the page to the stage, personal stories and folktales are catalysts […]

Special lunch connects refugees, Amish, and communities with storytelling

CBS 21  December 14, 2019 Lancaster City was named the 6th “Welcoming City” in the U.S. this past September. As part of the Pennsylvania Refugee Resettlement program, 401 asylum seekers now call Lancaster home. And while Lancaster has many Amish families who have lived there for many generations, there’s not a lot of mixing between […]

South Korea trains grandmothers to become professional storytellers

ABC News   December 28, 2019 To foster communication between generations and enhance social participation on the part of the elderly, The Korean Studies Institute started the storytelling granny program in 2009 to train female senior citizens to tell old tales to kindergartners. “I tell over 30 stories to children in a year. I hope they […]

South Korea trains grandmothers to become professional storytellers

ABC News | December 28, 2019 By Hakyung Kate Lee The country has launched a program to nurture female seniors as storytellers. SEOUL, South Korea — Park Jeonghee, 64, donned a traditional Korean dress embroidered with tiny flowers and sat down in front of a class of preschoolers. Children gathered around her, their eyes twinkling […]

How Storytelling Can Help Young Doctors Become More Resilient

Harvard Business Review | October 16, 2018 by Jessica Zitter, MD, MPH I recently stood in front of a group of emergency room residents at my hospital and asked an unusual question. “Has any of you ever judged your attending physician for not trying hard enough to save a patient’s life?” Then I looked around […]

The economy could use more storytellers

Marketplace | October 21, 2019 by Bennett Purser and Kai Ryssdal College degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) are seen as lucrative, reliable path to a career. But an uptick in STEM majors since the financial crisis means English majors are down 25.5%, which appears to be worrying some economic leaders. That’s because […]

The Role of the Artist in the Age of Trump

The Atlantic   December 2019 by Lin-Manuel Miranda “ll art is political. In tense, fractious times—like our current moment—all art is political. But even during those times when politics and the future of our country itself are not the source of constant worry and anxiety, art is still political. Art lives in the world, and we […]

Moved by immigration crisis, mime opens up about his journey to Maine

Portland Press Herald, Maine    September 8, 2019 As an immigrant from Brazil and a US citizen for 18 years, storyteller and mime Antonia Rocha hopes to show people there’s nothing to fear. Rocha treats his stories as bridges of understanding, and tells school kids he works with, “When you encounter something different – an […]

How To Persuade An Audience That Thinks It Knows Everything

Forbes   September 8, 2019 First, acknowledge your audience’s point of view. People aren’t ready to hear anything disagreeable until they feel heard by having their ideas repeated back to them. Second, ask your audience to take you through the process of how they came to their point of view. This will probably reveal things they […]

New Podcast from Wayne State Features Stories of Iraqi Students Studying in Detroit

WDET Detroit’s NPR Station  Sept. 4, 2019 The storytelling podcast was part of the student’s three week leadership exchange program and gives an insight into the students’ world. Twenty one Iraqi college students came to Wayne State for three weeks over the summer to learn about American culture and democracy. They were here as part of […]

Many Faces – Many Stories returns to inspire community conversation

White Bear Press, White Bear, MN  Sept. 4, 2019 For the third year, the Many Faces – Many Stories collaboration returns to build community through storytelling. After exploring the history of the many groups of people who have called the White Bear Lake area home during the previous academic year, this year’s events will invite people […]

Turns Out Storytelling Isn’t Always The Best Way to Get People to Believe Facts

ScienceAlert.com  August 25, 2019 A team of consumer psychology researchers at Northwestern University have been investigating whether stories help convince people of facts, or have the opposite effect. Three experiments suggest that storytelling makes the ‘weaker’ facts easier to swallow and the strongest arguments significantly harder. In other words, storytelling might actually dilute strong facts while […]

N.C. Black Storytellers enchant the audience at the National Black Theatre Festival

The Chronicle   August 9, 2019   Recently the N.C. Association of Black Storytellers event at the National Black Theatre Festival delighted their audience, from the  young children to the older adults. The North Carolina Association of Black Storytellers, Inc., (NCABS) a part of the National Black Storytellers Association, has the goal of keeping alive the […]

Storyteller Helps People Reconnect With Nature

Jamaica Plain Gazette  July 12, 2019 Some of storyteller Diane Edgecomb’s most popular events are her Summer solstice events with Margot Chamberlain, a Celtic harpist, at Arnold Arboretum. These events are limited to around 30 people maximum, she said. However, at this past weekend’s event, the 18th, she said they were sold out “well in […]

Teens Using the Gift of Gab for Action

Hemophilia New Today   June 21, 2019 A group of teens from a local bleeding disorders organization, HACA, (Hemophilia Association of the Capital Area, greater Washington, D.C.) , have stories to share as advocates for themselves or their siblings who have hemophilia. They worked with the StoryCorps app to bring their stories to life. StoryCorps gave them a […]

Blackfoot Oral Stories Database brought to life by ii’ taa’poh’to’p grant

UToday, University of Calgary   June 24, 2019 In the Blackfoot tradition, stories are shared as a way to document history and to teach important life lessons. Siksika Elder and Horn Society member Natóóhkitopi Fred Breaker tells us, “Our culture is centred around an oral tradition, and our people learn orally, through storytelling. The stories were […]

The Power of Sharing Stories

Uplift  March 21st, 2019 This article sites many ways in which storytelling can improve your mental health: Storytelling and our sense of self Telling happy stories improves your well being Creating stories and then acting them out helps children understand themselves storytelling is at the heart of health care examples of the healing power or […]

Program of teens’ stories focus of new book

Times Union, Albany, NY   May 24, 2019 Since 2006, Children at the Well (C@W  http://www.childrenatthewell.org ) has brought teens from the Capital Region of New York State together to share their stories. Now the group has published a book so other educators and organizations can incorporate storytelling into their worlds using the C@W method. “Our […]

Ditch the grammar and teach children storytelling instead

The Guardian May 19, 2017 Storytelling must be taught – it is more than simply an art – it is a crucial skill for life and commerce. People say children are natural storytellers, but this is not at all true, any more than it is of adults. Or rather, they are not naturally good storytellers. […]

Arts teaching could become more important than maths in tech-based future

The Stage London, UK   February 27, 2019 Researcher Andreas Schleicher, who is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading educational thinkers, said that too narrow a curriculum could also make young people less prepared for the demands of the future. He said British schools largely regard skills as inferior to knowledge, and can be […]

Children can go on space adventure in science and storytelling

Lancashire Post   February 25, 2019 A spokesman for the We Share the Same Moon event said: “Join Storyteller Cassandra Wye and Astronomer Megan Argo on an amazing science and storytelling adventure – to the Moon and back. “It celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Lunar Landing through Science and Story. “The event will start with […]

The Sacred Spell of Words: Power is language.

The New York Times   May 15, 2019 by N. Scott Momaday “In my tenure as a professor of English and American literature, it has been my good fortune to teach courses in Native American oral tradition. There is a formula in that tradition that goes: “In the beginning was the word, and it was spoken​. […]

Indiana University biologist uses his own artwork in storytelling approach to microbiology class

News at IU Bloomington      April 9, 2019 Taking advantage of his passion for art, Indiana University biologist Jake McKinlay is taking a creative approach to his advanced undergraduate course on microbial physiology and biochemistry this semester. “Humans are really wired to learn by storytelling,” McKinlay said. “Other people have done research on this, so I […]

How an Astonishing Holocaust Diary Resurfaced in America

Smithsonian Magazine    November 2018 A Polish young woman, Renia Spiegel started her diary on Jan. 31, 1939 when she was 18 years old: “… Today, my dear diary, is the beginning of our deep friendship.” Left to right: Renia in Przemysl, 1930; Renia in 1936; Renia with her best friend, Nora, in Przemysl in […]

Volunteers with an ear for stories sought

March 28, 2019  The Westminster Window, Englewood, Colorado Northglenn High School’s STEM program is looking for 14 volunteers from the community who have a knack for storytelling and the time to listen to a group of 10th graders’ tales. STEM Coordinator Leslie Foster said the volunteers will come into the school to help judge podcasts […]

Seniors took the stage at Gonzaga University’s third annual Story Slam

March 26, 2019   The Gonzaga Bulletin On March 25, Gonzaga University Story Slam presented six stories under the theme ‘loose change’ to a packed audience in Wolff Auditorium. The student speakers offered snippets of privilege, depression, danger and even a moment to reflect on bigger issues. Past storyteller GU senior, Ethan Kane from the ‘swoon’ […]

How Inuit Parents Teach Kids To Control Their Anger

March 13, 2019  NPR Back in the 1960s, a Harvard graduate student made a landmark discovery about the nature of human anger. At age 34, Jean Briggs traveled above the Arctic Circle and lived out on the tundra for 17 months. Briggs persuaded an Inuit family to “adopt” her and “try to keep her alive,” […]

Denver Launches an Office of Storytelling. Here’s the Backstory.

Westword | March 25, 2019 | by Kyle Harris What’s the story behind the Office of Storytelling? On March 21, Mayor Michael Hancock launched Denver’s Office of Storytelling, headed by the city’s new Chief Storyteller, who just happens to be a former Hancock aide. The move comes in the middle of election season, when a […]

Amplifying voices: The SEAD Project uses storytelling to capture history

MINNPost  February 21, 2019 In Southeast Asian Americans’ schools, the stories they heard from their parents and grandparents growing up were almost never noted in their history textbooks. The experiences of Southeast Asian communities are often forgotten,  particularly the history of the Vietnam War. “It seemed like, growing up, all of these stories that I heard […]

StoryCorps And TPR Invite You To Take ‘One Small Step’

Texas Public Radio  February 25, 2019 TPR is joining with StoryCorps to bring together folks on opposite sides of the political aisle to have a conversation to learn more about each other, and our hopes for the future. StoryCorps founder Dave Isay says, “Our dream, which is lofty, is to try and convince the country that […]

The Story of Storytelling

Harper’s Magazine   February 25, 2019 Anthropologist Jamie Tehrani wondered whether he could sort out the genealogy of all the “Little Red Riding Hood” variants—Aarne–Thompson–Uther type 333—with something similar to modern phylogenetics, the DNA-informed statistical method biologists use to construct evolutionary trees of living things. Replacing genes with essential narrative elements, such as type of protagonist […]

Student storytellers take the stage

The News Courier October 27, 2018 Hands sweaty, shifting back and forth between nervous feet, Jessa Usery, a sixth-grader at Elkmont High School, looked out from the stage at the Athens Storytelling Festival into a sea of young faces. She drew a deep breath, leaned into the microphone and began to spin a tale that […]

Why The Art of Speaking Should Be Taught Alongside Math and Literacy

KQED News  October 3, 2016 School 21, a public school in London has made “oracy” a primary focus of everything they do. From the earliest grades on up teachers support students to find their voice, express differing opinions politely, and challenge one another’s thinking. These are skills called for in the Common Core. Another key element of […]

Ditch the grammar and teach children storytelling instead

The Guardian, New York, NY   May 19, 2017 By Tim Lott   Writing stories is a craft that is crucial for life. And if the government insists, you can test it, measure it and use it in commerce, too A report in the Times has quoted a secondary school teacher who complained that their year […]

What does membership provide?

By Patricia Coffie What does membership provide? Payback on what you invest. When members cease to invest time and talent as well as money, organizations die. I am currently a member of a family group, two historical societies, a storytellers’ guild, a regional storytelling organization (five states and the others too), a national storytelling organization, […]

Art and storytelling event gives voice to local homeless community

The Michigan Daily, Ann Arbor, MI    November 11, 2018   The Washtenaw Housing Alliance and Shelter Association of Washtenaw County hosted the second-ever Voices of Homelessness event Friday evening in Ypsilanti, inviting community members to share their experiences with homelessness through art and storytelling. The speak-out was intended to spread awareness about homelessness and connect displaced people to […]

Job skills gain as Bridgeport tells its stories

Stamford Advocate, Stamford, CT    November 13, 2018   Podcaster Dayna Lindo wants to change the narrative of her community, Bridgeport, CT. “The podcast is dedicated to telling the untold stories of Bridgeport and humanizing our collective experience,” Lindo said. “My goal is to increase Bridgeport citizens’ pride in themselves and our city by changing […]

Effects of storytelling on the childhood brain

FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE 2018 Volume 64 Issue 3 Pages 125-132 Effects of storytelling on the childhood brain: near-infrared spectroscopic comparison with the effects of picture-book reading Miyuki Yabe, Sachie Oshima, Satoshi Eifuku, Masato Taira, Kazuto Kobayashi, Hirooki Yabe, Sin-ichi Niwa   In children, storytelling provides many psychological and educational benefits, such as enhanced imagination to help visualize spoken words, […]

Rediscovering truth – African storytellers tap into rich tradition

euroNEWS Reuters (Nairobi, Kenya)     December 17, 2018 “To have that storyteller in front of you with an audience being able to interact is something very precious that we are in danger of losing,” said Maimouna Jallow, who organised the one-day Re-Imagined Storytelling Festival in Kenya’s capital. Although written history has existed for centuries in […]

Environmental storytelling can help spread big ideas for saving the planet

The Conversation (Boston, MA)   December 21, 2018 Research has shown that using fear to promote behavioral change can be counterproductive. However, stories with positive role models, focusing on the positive outcomes of solutions, are much more likely to inspire action to solve problems. While this article refers to fictional stories, the same ideas can be using in […]

You Are a Storyteller

The Epoch Times   October 26, 2018 By Jim Weiss   “I’d like to introduce you to two friends of mine. Their names are Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.” That’s how I feel when I begin to tell a story. I consider these characters friends of mine, and I take great pleasure in introducing them to […]

Keeping art of storytelling alive

The Chronicle   November 9, 2018 By Rini Jeffers VERMILION — Since the beginning of mankind, the art of storytelling has been a tradition, a socialization, a teaching tool, entertainment and a means of keeping history alive. But it is an art that seems to be slipping away, says professional storyteller Donna Kuczynski. An Amherst resident […]

Yeager symposium features Adam Booth to talk about Appalachia

The Parthenon   October 18, 2018 By Douglas Harding World-renowned storyteller, musician and West Virginia native Adam Booth participated in a Yeager Symposium and open dialogue with Marshall University students and Huntington residents Wednesday, Oct.17 at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center Playhouse. Booth discussed Appalachian dialects and accents and how they can enhance storytelling. An […]

The power of story

Isthmus   October 18, 2018 By Catherine Capellaro Nestor Gomez says he is the last person you’d expect to see sharing personal stories in front of a large crowd. “I used to stutter badly,” says Gomez, one of 10 storytellers who will perform at the annual Moth GrandSLAM Championship on Oct. 19 at the Barrymore Theatre. “My mother […]

Here:Say brings storytellers, community together

Traverse City Record Eagle   October 12, 2018 By Brooke Kansier TRAVERSE CITY — A few minutes idling in the driveway end Matthew Soderquist’s daily commute. They’re the most gripping part of his week. The Vanderbilt resident and avid listener of “The Moth,” a storytelling radio program, can’t get enough of a good tale. It’s what drew […]

Storytelling Residencies Enhance Literacy

Storytelling Residencies Enhance Literacy Connecticut non-profit places storytellers in schools to offer interactive instruction methods that are increasingly critical for today’s young learners. By Ann Shapiro and Susie Scheyder Educators are often frustrated with the unhealthy focus on screens that constantly demand our students’ attention, while arguably shrinking their ability to pay it meaningfully elsewhere. […]

The Art – and Power – of Storytelling

EverythingBrevard.com   October 12, 2018 By Lee Nessel Storytelling is powerful. It is among our earliest forms of communication, the original encyclopedia and the first form of school. To this day, it’s how we share history, exchange ideas and stimulate our imagination. Storytelling has evolved, yet stayed the same. Surely you’ve heard about the importance of storytelling […]

Pulitzer-Prize Winning Author Speaks about Oral Tradition in Storytelling

The Dickinsonian   October 11, 2018 By Cristian Tineo Dickinson and Carlisle community members danced in a circle to the beat of a drum at the behest of Pulitzer Prize-winning author N. Scott Momaday, who gave a talk on campus about the importance of oral tradition. Momaday‘s talk on Saturday, Oct. 6 explored themes of imagination and […]

“Women Speak” Immigrant Stories: In Their Own Words

Saratoga.com Saratoga Springs, NY October 30, 2018 This month’s immigrant storytellers share one thing in common: they’re all women. Coming from different areas of the globe, with widely divergent traditions and expectations, they have all made a new life in the United States. The personal stories they’ll share tonight will reflect on how being a woman shaped […]

Kids have a howling good time at library

Port Clinton News Herald  September 10, 2018 MARBLEHEAD – The story of four aging farm animals who run away to become musicians came to life on Saturday when children got to play the parts of the animals —a rooster, cat, dog and donkey — in an interactive storytelling presentation of “The Bremen Town Musicians” at […]

‘Suitcase Stories’ Puts Resettled Refugees On Manchester Stage

New Hampshire Public Radio  September 28, 2018 A live storytelling event called “Suitcase Stories,”organized by the International Institute of New England, which resettles refugees in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, will have seven NH refugees telling their own stories. One of them, Ageth Okeny, who fled Sudan with her kids to a refugee camp in Egypt before coming […]

Storytellers gather at Storybook Garden, put on a show

The Sentinel   September 25, 2018   HANFORD — Bringing stories to life was what some volunteers and children did at the Children’s Storybook Garden Saturday. The Storybook Garden hosted its first-ever Storytelling Festival where children had the opportunity to listen and interact with several storytellers for a few hours at the garden. The Storybook Garden is […]

Kevin Cordi

Let the play resume

By Kevin Cordi Let the play resume Have you considered how valuable play is in working with stories? After doing a workshop in Maryland on play and stories, they wanted to continue the good work they started. I wrote these steps so they could consider their work. I share these with you. The best work […]

Living Books Tell Their Stories On Saturday at Fayetteville Public Library

Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette  September 7, 2018 18 local residents will be part of the first Human Library event in Northwest Arkansas, based on programs run twenty years ago in Denmark. Organizer Katherine Ganoung says that the Human Library is a chance to bring “storytelling power back to those who lived out their story every day […]

Storytelling connects children with history, families and each other

Miami Herald     August 31, 2018 Summary Few things bond a family more than shared tales and experiences. Not only is storytelling fun — who doesn’t love hearing about the good-natured scrapes a parent got into when they were their age or what life was like in the “olden” days for grandma — but the […]

How to help students own their stories and storytelling clubs

By Kevin Cordi What does ownership mean? Does it mean to truly relinquish responsibility? As an adult it is important to remember that allowing a child to “own” their work is not forgetting the importance of coaching or directing the work. Instead, it is a way to collectively work together with the child to achieve […]

‘Circle Round’ Receives $30,000 Grant From The Henry Luce Foundation

August 16, 2018 WBUR, Boston’s NPR news station, has received a $30,000 Henry Luce Foundation grant to support Circle Round, a storytelling podcast for children ages 4 to 10. The funds will support the creation of multiple episodes of the podcast’s second season. “Across centuries and geographic boundaries, traditions of storytelling have created connection, preserved history and […]

Book Review: Trail Guide for a Crooked Heart: Stories and Reflections for Life’s Journey

By Kevin Cordi Book Review: Trail Guide for a Crooked Heart: Stories and Reflections for Life’s Journey A student follows a wise philosopher for years. He wants to know all that he knows. He wants to understand how this philosopher is able to assemble complete strangers together. He desires to know how he can help […]

Our job as scientists is to find the truth. But we must also be storytellers

The Guardian     July 19, 2018 Summary How should scientists communicate their discoveries? By using stories, so says Nature magazine and  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences as well as other articles.

The danger of a single story

TEDGlobal 2009     July, 2009 Summary People and cultures are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

The Science of Storytelling

Business2Community     July 19, 2018 Summary Everyone loves stories. A good story has the power to compel others, to inspire people, even to shape the world. They can comfort, connect, transform, destroy or even heal. Everyone has a story to tell, but not everyone can tell it well. There is a science to it, though, […]

‘Born This Way’ storytelling event in northern India

Bhopal, Utter Pradesh, Northern India,     July 9, 2018 Summary Bhopal Pride at Baithak – The Art House created a safe space for people to express themselves re. their sex, gender sexuality and the difference between them. A participant Chandni said, “Defining humans is the worst thing we can do. Let’s not look at anyone with the […]

‘Stories on the Square’ returns in July

Tahlequah Daily Press,     June 30, 2018 Summary Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism is offering free, family-friendly storytelling events on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. in July. Stories on the Square attendees get free admission to the Cherokee National Supreme Court Museum, Cherokee National Prison Museum, John Ross Museum and Sequoyah’s Cabin Museum after the program. Click […]

Storytelling event connects community across cultures

Moab Sun News,     June 28, 2018 Summary Five local storytellers share diverse performances at Moab Valley Multicultural Center’s (MVMC) brand-new event “Dialogues of Diversity: Multicultural Stories of Strength.” Each will share their stories of ‘being new’ — coming to Moab or the United States from a foreign country. “I hope that their stories offer […]

Ten Ways Storytellers Can Help Each Other

By Kevin Cordi Ten Ways Storytellers Can Help Each Other Create a legacy for tomorrow. People are hungry for stories. It is part of our very being. Storytelling is a form of history, of immortality too. It goes from one generation to another.                                                                         ——Studs Terkel How Do Storytellers Help Novice Storytellers Learn the Craft? […]

Storytelling at American Society of Clinical Oncology

Medscape,     June 3, 2018 Summary The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) had a new session at its annual meeting this year: ASCO Voices. The goal of this storytelling event, was to remind the oncologists of their deep human selves, something that the other data driven sessions wouldn’t be doing. Four stories were selected from […]

The Honest Truth: Folk tales of giants, the brounies and selkies have been told since time immemorial

The Sunday Post      May 29, 2018 Summary In order to keep Scots folk and fairy tales alive, Scottish Storytelling Centre director Donald Smith has published a book Wee Folk Tales In Scots, Luath Press.   When asked what inspired him to write this book, Smith replied, “I have been very lucky to hear Scotland’s […]

Pen in Hand: Storytelling with Luther Girado: the last male fluent speaker shares his language

Tehachapi News      May 6, 2018 Summary There are only two fluent Nuwä (Kawaiisu or Paiute)  speakers left on Earth:  Luther Girado and his sister Lucille Girado Hicks.  the Girados are the last people who will ever be raised in an Indian household were Nuwä is the only language spoken. They grew up in Walker Basin […]

Penn Medicine students to participate in first-ever citywide medical story slam

Penn Today      May 7, 2018 Summary Seven medical school in Philadelphia are participating in a story slam in an effort to create open dialogue among doctors, nurses, and medical students who often struggle to express their feelings. “In the medical literature these days, there’s a lot about physicians and med students being burned out, […]

We Survive by Telling Stories

On Being      May 14, 2018 Summary   Generational storytelling is survival. It is a preservation of history and a dire act as we witness erasure in textbooks and watch our history recounted by those who tell our stories but have never lived in our skin or embodied the blood of our stories.

Meridian-area teachers learn the power of storytelling

The Meridian Star       February 20, 2018 By Robbie Ward Summary Laughter, smiles, gestures and other connections sparked during a storytelling program Tuesday will likely result in more of the same. Much of the storytelling came from Wisconsin storyteller, author and musician Stuart Stotts, also a certified teaching artist with the John F. […]

Stories of Immigration – A Public Storyteller Special

WLRN       April 25, 2018 Summary South Florida — The Public Storyteller is a radio show sharing  true stories of life in South Florida as well as featuring  performances by professional storytellers. It airs Sundays, 4 pm EST on www.wirn.org or 91.3 FM and 91.5 FM in South Florida. The hosts are Caren S. […]

How to Tell a Story

The New York Times       April 16, 2018 Summary NEW YORK, NY — An introduction on how to tell your first, and then subsequent, stories. “The best way to reach all people is to go to a personal story,” said Brenda Wong Aoki, an acclaimed playwright, storyteller and performer. “Everybody is a human being and everybody […]

Story Works Alaska allows youth to find their voice

KTVA.com The Voice of Alaska    April 9, 2018 Summary ANCHORAGE, AK — Since 2014, more than 1,500 students at high schools in Anchorage and Unalakleet have learned to tell their personal stories as part of Story Works Alaska.     “The students get to work on and share these stories,” Bartlett High School English teacher […]

Artist Collects Stories From the Hearts of Syrians

Al-Fanar Media   April 8, 2018 Summary LONDON — Since 2013, Spanish artist and filmmaker Juan delGado has been collecting and publishing the personal stories of Syrian people, both those still in Syria as well as those who have fled. The goal of the project—whose Arabic name, Qisetna, means “our stories”—is to create a record of the experiences of […]

Indigenous storyteller at Vancouver Public Library shares city’s lesser known tales

CBC News   March 30, 2018 Summary   Since 2008, Vancouver Public Library has had an Indigenous storyteller in residence who uses storytelling to bridge the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. This year, T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss, an artist and ethno-botanist, who studies plants and their traditional uses, has been selected. Wyss plans to research her own family’s heritage as […]

Revealing a Personal Story

Worcester Polytechnic Institute   March 23, 2018 Summary Dear World visited Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) this week. At WPI, approximately 180 students, faculty, and staff participated in personal story workshops, first solo writing, then pairing together to distill each story into a few significant words. Those words were then written on the person’s skin. Then a portrait […]

Residents invited to share stories of discrimination to begin change

My Statesman   March 17, 2018 Summary Using storytelling to help heal racial discord, the Truth and Reconciliation Oral History Project invites Austin residents of color to share their personal experiences of racial discrimination in a safe place. A goal is to elicit compassion via these stories. State Rep. Jarvis Johnson, D-Houston, shares his experience at […]

TED Talks on Storytelling

This list was created by Marilyn McPhie . She will include it as part of her upcoming workshop in San Diego in April on “How to Do a TED Talk.” This workshop is  based on her many experiences: giving a TEDx talk, presenting at a TEDx Salon, being part of a TEDx organizing committee, and attending more […]

What everyone can learn from immigrants’ personal stories

Boston Globe Magazine   March 7, 2018 Summary   Cheryl Hamilton, co-director of Massmouth and director of partner engagement at the International Institute of New England, a refugee resettlement agency, launched Suitcase Stories, a traveling live performance series and social media campaign, in March 2017. Her goal is to offer opposing information about immigrants and refugees, […]

Why Science Needs Storytellers

British Science Association  March 1, 2018 Summary Written by Dr. Pippa Malmgren, manufacturer of AI-led aerial robotics at her firm H Robotics and former Presidential Advisor to President George W. Bush, and Jessica Fox, Artist-in-residence at the UK Centre for Synthetic Mammalian Biology and former Storyteller at NASA.   A problem exists: scientists generally don’t […]

African-American folklore inspires meeting of the minds

The Harvard Gazette  February 5, 2018 Summary “The Annotated African American Folktales,” is a collaboration between Harvard scholars Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr. and Maria Tatar. Published by the Norton imprint Liveright in November, the book was recently honored with an NAACP Image Award for outstanding literary achievement. The authors were interviewed together, discussing their collaboration as well […]

Beyond Labels: Bridging Differences Through Storytelling

TEDxWilmingtonSalon  December 2017 Summary When Israeli-born Noa Baum moved to the U.S. and unexpectedly formed a friendship with a Palestinian woman, she realized the importance of listening to the story of the “other” – even if that other is the enemy. She discovered that storytelling transforms perceptions, and from that epiphany Noa shares how she […]

Indigenous group tackles diabetes with storytelling

TheConversation.com  Jan. 15, 2018 Summary: Similar to many Indigenous groups worldwide, the James Bay Cree of northern Québec have a unexpectedly high rate of diabetes. Their method of their solution was taken from their culture: A Talking Circle in print. Cree health representatives choose people with diabetes whose stories they thought important. Then they hired […]

The Crying Hour: In an Unorthodox Team-Building Exercise, Bills Players Share Their Life Stories

Sports Illustrated  December 1, 2017 Summary: Last spring, the new Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott started a new tradition: ending many team meeting with a player telling a personal story about his upbringing, his motivation, his influences, what’s most important to him. The first player to tell his story, veteran tackle Jordan Mills said, “It’s […]

It still makes sense!: Shona ngano (folktale) and the contemporary Zimbabwean socio-economic and cultural setup

International Journal of Development and Sustainability, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 521-529.   2012 Summary: Godwin Makaudze, a professor in the Department of African Languages and Literature, Great Zimbabwe University, examines two folktales and concludes that folktales “continue to be a very meaningful and quite serious way of exposing, explaining and shaping reality.” He makes several recommendations, including: making folklore […]

Storytelling program helps teens overcome adversity

Chicago Tribune,   December 24, 2017 Summary: Story Squad, a storytelling program of the YMCA of Metro Chicago’s Youth Safety and Violence Prevention (YSVP) initiative, empowers youth to channel their experiences through personal stories that are shared within their community and throughout the world. After a public showcase with about 100 friends and family members of program […]

Cooperation and the evolution of hunter-gatherer storytelling

Nature Communications,   December 2, 2017 Summary:   This is an anthropological study of the impact of storytelling on the Agta, a Filipino hunter-gatherer population. Their stories contain themes promoting cooperation, sex equality and egalitarianism — common to other foraging societies. When there are good storytellers, cooperation increases.

Storytelling Is Integral to Who We Are

U.S. News, October 2, 2017   Summary: Steven Schlozman, M.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a child psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and the associate director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital, believes that passing storytelling on to children is critical to their well-being. He […]

Students present digital stories in showcase

The Chronicle – the online student newspaper at Harvard-Westlake School, Los Angeles, May 27, 2016 Summary: Los Angeles, CA — Students from the HW Go! Vietnam trip exhibited their film and photography projects at Harvard-Westlake School on May 18. A total of 10 photographic pieces and nine student films were displayed. The subject of the projects, […]

Teacher of Year uses storytelling to educate students

The Oklahoman (NewsOK.com), December 17, 2017 By Mary Mélon | The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools Summary: Every student deserves to feel like a hero. That was the message for 177 graduating teachers at the University of Central Oklahoma, along with various education and community leaders at last week’s annual luncheon, Honoring a Noble […]

Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling Helps Fill in Education Gaps

Examiner.com (Denver, CO), February 3, 2016   Summary: The Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling on 898 St Nicholas Avenue at 155th Street, New York, NY, is part of a development built by Broadway Housing Communities designed to leverage the synergies of housing, education and art to improve outcomes for undeserved children, adults […]

This is your Brain on Communication

TED Conferences (New York, NY), February, 2016   Summary: During an official TED conference, neuroscientist Uri Hasson, Princeton University, researches the basis of human communication, and experiments from his lab reveal that even across different languages, our brains show similar activity, or become “aligned,” when we hear the same idea or story. This amazing neural […]

This is your brain on communication

TED Conferences (New York, NY), February, 2016 Summary: During an official TED conference, neuroscientist Uri Hasson, Princeton University, researches the basis of human communication, and experiments from his lab reveal that even across different languages, our brains show similar activity, or become “aligned,” when we hear the same idea or story. This amazing neural mechanism […]

Learn About Storytelling Project ‘We Listen’

Penn State Beaver (Monaca, PA), January 27, 2016 Summary: Penn State Beaver is launching the university-wide storytelling project called We Listen. We Listen creates intentional spaces for members of the Penn State community to share their stories of lived experiences and listen to the experiences of others. The stories are then recorded, collected and shared. […]

Arizona High School Students Forge Special Bonds With Seniors Through Storytelling

KJZZ.ORG (Tempe, AZ), December 22, 2015 Summary: As Christmas approaches many Valley seniors find themselves alone and detached, but at one local high school students are pairing up with seniors to tell their stories and link the generations in a unique learning experience. A group of 15 students were paired with senior companions as part […]

Arizona High School Students Forge Special Bonds With Seniors Through Storytelling

KJZZ.ORG (Tempe, AZ), December 22, 2015 Summary: As Christmas approaches many Valley seniors find themselves alone and detached, but at one local high school students are pairing up with seniors to tell their stories and link the generations in a unique learning experience. A group of 15 students were paired with senior companions as part […]

Long Line at the Library? It’s Story Time Again

The New York Times (New York, NY), November 1, 2015 Summary: Among parents of the under-5 set, spots for story time have become as coveted as seats for a hot Broadway show like “Hamilton.” Lines stretch down the block at some branches, with tickets given out on a first-come-first-served basis because there is not enough […]

Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Survivors Pass Their Stories to a New Generation

The New York Times (New York, NY), August 5, 2015 Summary: HIROSHIMA, Japan — Hiromi Hasai was being trained to make machine gun bullets when the flash from the atomic bomb that destroyed his city lit up the already bright morning sky. Just 14, he had been pulled from school a week before to help […]

Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Survivors Pass Their Stories to a New Generation

The New York Times (New York, NY), August 5, 2015 Summary: HIROSHIMA, Japan — Hiromi Hasai was being trained to make machine gun bullets when the flash from the atomic bomb that destroyed his city lit up the already bright morning sky. Just 14, he had been pulled from school a week before to help […]

Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Survivors Pass Their Stories to a New Generation

The New York Times (New York, NY) , August 5, 2015 Summary: HIROSHIMA, Japan — Hiromi Hasai was being trained to make machine gun bullets when the flash from the atomic bomb that destroyed his city lit up the already bright morning sky. Just 14, he had been pulled from school a week before to […]

What Kids Learn From Hearing Family Stories

The Atlantic (Washington, DC), December 2013 Summary: Most parents know about the benefits of reading stories from books with their young children. Yet what most parents don’t know is that everyday family stories confer many of the same benefits of reading–and even some new ones. Over the last 25 years, a small canon of research […]

What Kids Learn From Hearing Family Stories

The Atlantic (Washington, DC), December 2013   Summary: Most parents know about the benefits of reading stories from books with their young children. Yet what most parents don’t know is that everyday family stories confer many of the same benefits of reading–and even some new ones. Over the last 25 years, a small canon of […]

Storytelling on the SS Great Britain

Bristol Post (Bristol, UK), October 24, 2013 Summary: Visitors can enjoy tall tales of salty sailors at the SS Great Britain’s Crew Capers Family Storytelling event. Inspired by true events, the ship’s resident storyteller, Sarah Mooney, will bring the sailors’ stories to life with her gruesome embellishments and fabulous flourishes on October 29 and 31. […]

Digital Storytelling Workshop Records Passions for Justice

The Denver Post (Denver, CO), October 5, 2013 Summary: There were no placards or megaphones at this civil and human-rights workshop, just people telling the stories that galvanized their passion for justice. “In working together and knowing each other’s stories, that’s how we can effect change,” said Gabriela Flora, Project Voice regional organizer at the […]

Digital Storytelling Workshop Records Passions for Justice

The Denver Post (Denver, CO), October 5, 2013 Summary: There were no placards or megaphones at this civil and human-rights workshop, just people telling the stories that galvanized their passion for justice. “In working together and knowing each other’s stories, that’s how we can effect change,” said Gabriela Flora, Project Voice regional organizer at the Denver […]

Digital Storytelling Workshop Records Passions for Justice

The Denver Post (Denver, CO) , October 5, 2013 Summary: There were no placards or megaphones at this civil and human-rights workshop, just people telling the stories that galvanized their passion for justice. “In working together and knowing each other’s stories, that’s how we can effect change,” said Gabriela Flora, Project Voice regional organizer at […]

A Twist in the Tale

The Hindu (Chennai, India), July 6, 2013 Summary: Indians are big on stories. This is a land of myths and mythologies; of tales with pious men and brave gods; of stories with carefully masked do’s and don’ts; of tickling anecdotes and gruesome monsters. We have always loved a good story, and we’ve always had storytellers. […]

A Twist in the Tale

The Hindu (Chennai, India), July 6, 2013 Summary: Indians are big on stories. This is a land of myths and mythologies; of tales with pious men and brave gods; of stories with carefully masked do’s and don’ts; of tickling anecdotes and gruesome monsters. We have always loved a good story, and we’ve always had storytellers. […]

A Twist in the Tale

The Hindu (Chennai, India), July 6, 2013 Summary: Indians are big on stories. This is a land of myths and mythologies; of tales with pious men and brave gods; of stories with carefully masked do’s and don’ts; of tickling anecdotes and gruesome monsters. We have always loved a good story, and we’ve always had storytellers. […]

Bridging the Gap Between Young, Old

Smoky Mountain News (Waynesville, NC), June 12, 2013 Summary: “I remember thinking what a shame it was that the old-timers and former Civilian Conservation Corps members were disappearing,” Beth Bramhall, a seasonal education ranger with Great Smoky Mountains National Park said. “The time to talk with these folks is now, while they’re still around to […]

Bridging the Gap Between Young, Old

Smoky Mountain News (Waynesville, NC), June 12, 2013 Summary: “I remember thinking what a shame it was that the old-timers and former Civilian Conservation Corps members were disappearing,” Beth Bramhall, a seasonal education ranger with Great Smoky Mountains National Park said. “The time to talk with these folks is now, while they’re still around to […]

NPR’s Mobile Storytelling Unit Makes a Stop in Boise

Idaho Statesman (Boise, ID), June 11, 2013 Summary: Marilyn Shuler, 73, told the story of her life Monday to a NPR recording team that travels the country, allowing people to create a lasting record of the events of their lives. The StoryCorps mobile recording unit, set up in an Airstream trailer, will sit outside of […]

NPR’s Mobile Storytelling Unit Makes a Stop in Boise

Idaho Statesman (Boise, ID) , June 11, 2013 Summary: Marilyn Shuler, 73, told the story of her life Monday to a NPR recording team that travels the country, allowing people to create a lasting record of the events of their lives. The StoryCorps mobile recording unit, set up in an Airstream trailer, will sit outside […]

NPR’s Mobile Storytelling Unit Makes a Stop in Boise

Idaho Statesman (Boise, ID) , June 11, 2013 Summary: Marilyn Shuler, 73, told the story of her life Monday to a NPR recording team that travels the country, allowing people to create a lasting record of the events of their lives. The StoryCorps mobile recording unit, set up in an Airstream trailer, will sit outside […]

NPR’s Mobile Storytelling Unit Makes a Stop in Boise

Idaho Statesman (Boise, ID), June 11, 2013 Summary: Marilyn Shuler, 73, told the story of her life Monday to a NPR recording team that travels the country, allowing people to create a lasting record of the events of their lives. The StoryCorps mobile recording unit, set up in an Airstream trailer, will sit outside of […]

Storytelling Helps Convey Science, Medical Data in Tangible Ways

WHYY News (Philadelphlia, PA), May 15, 2013 Summary: Geriatrician Jason Karlawish says stories have a unique power to motivate. A study in Alabama found that patients with high blood pressure were more likely to manage their illness after hearing other people recount success at getting their own diet and stress under control. “Compared to just […]

Storytelling Helps Convey Science, Medical Data in Tangible Ways

WHYY News (Philadelphia, PA), May 15, 2013 Summary: Geriatrician Jason Karlawish says stories have a unique power to motivate. A study in Alabama found that patients with high blood pressure were more likely to manage their illness after hearing other people recount success at getting their own diet and stress under control. “Compared to just […]

Preparing Students for the Next America

Arts Education Partnership (Washington, D.C.), April 2013 Summary: This is a .pdf research bulletin from the Arts Education Partnership (AEP) which can be downloaded for free from this web site. Every young person in America deserves a complete and competitive education that includes the arts. America’s global stature, culture of innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit depend […]

Storyteller Inspires Others to Tell Their Stories

Borneo Post Online (Kota Kinabalu, Borneo) , December 4, 2012 Summary: The few adults in the room couldn’t imagine themselves scaling mountains with their hands or flapping like peacocks alongside their young companions during yesterday’s storytelling session, but that was the effect Cassandra Wye had on her audience. Before long, the storyteller from United Kingdom […]

Storyteller Inspires Others to Tell Their Stories

Borneo Post Online (Kota Kinabalu, Borneo), December 4, 2012 Summary: The few adults in the room couldn’t imagine themselves scaling mountains with their hands or flapping like peacocks alongside their young companions during yesterday’s storytelling session, but that was the effect Cassandra Wye had on her audience. Before long, the storyteller from United Kingdom had […]

The Power Of Storytelling – How Telling Stories Created A Great School

Forbes (New York, NY) , October 15, 2012 Summary: At Prospect Sierra, a Changemaker School, storytelling is a tool for inclusion and a way to foster a great culture for learning. Britt Anderson and her colleagues at Prospect Sierra (PS) created This PS Life, a storytelling project for students, teachers, and staff at the San […]

The Power Of Storytelling – How Telling Stories Created A Great School

Forbes (New York, NY), October 15, 2012 Summary: At Prospect Sierra, a Changemaker School, storytelling is a tool for inclusion and a way to foster a great culture for learning. Britt Anderson and her colleagues at Prospect Sierra (PS) created This PS Life, a storytelling project for students, teachers, and staff at the San Francisco […]

Reviving an Urdu Storytelling Tradition

The New York Times, Global Edition (New York, NY), July 24, 2012 Summary: In the 1800s, crowds regularly gathered on the steps of the Jama Masjid mosque in New Delhi to enthusiastically watch a “dastango,” or storyteller, narrate tales of fantasy without props, music or theatrical action. The magic that held the audience was created […]

Reviving an Urdu Storytelling Tradition

The New York Times, Global Edition (New York, NY), July 24, 2012 Summary: In the 1800s, crowds regularly gathered on the steps of the Jama Masjid mosque in New Delhi to enthusiastically watch a “dastango,” or storyteller, narrate tales of fantasy without props, music or theatrical action. The magic that held the audience was created […]

Promoting Multiculturalism in Our Homes and Schools: It Starts with a Story

Huffington Post (New York, NY) , July 18, 2012 By John McCormick Summary: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, minorities represent almost one half of America’s population under the age of 5. This statistic portends a more ethnically diverse America, with new and growing populations playing more significant economic, social and political roles. Perhaps it’s […]

Promoting Multiculturalism in Our Homes and Schools: It Starts with a Story

Huffington Post (New York, NY), July 18, 2012 By John McCormick   Summary: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, minorities represent almost one half of America’s population under the age of 5. This statistic portends a more ethnically diverse America, with new and growing populations playing more significant economic, social and political roles. Perhaps it’s […]

Tall Stories Weave Mighty Spell

TheAge.com.au (Melbourne, Australia), July 16, 2012   Summary: Just before the bell sounds for morning recess — when attention spans traditionally wane — students have crowded around the feet of their resident storyteller at Coolaroo South Primary School to begin a ritual that has been embraced by generations. A light strum of the mbira, a […]

Bring Back Those Tales!

This Day Live (Lagos, Nigeria), May 27, 2012 Summary: Many attempts had been made to bring back storytelling on the electronic media. They do not necessarily encourage creativity. How then can the Nigerian or the African folktales become marketable brands? The answer is through creativity. Of course, not all cartoon heroes are moral characters. Some […]

Telling Folk Tales in Class Can Inspire Learners to Share Their Own Stories

Guardian Weekly (London, UK) , April 10, 2012 By David Heathfield Summary: Ten years ago I went from being a full-time English language teacher to becoming a professional storyteller and part-time teacher. Helping teachers to become classroom storytellers is a significant part of my work. Recently a teaching colleague had a go at telling a […]

Telling Folk Tales in Class Can Inspire Learners to Share Their Own Stories

Guardian Weekly (London, UK), April 10, 2012   Summary: by David Heathfield Ten years ago I went from being a full-time English language teacher to becoming a professional storyteller and part-time teacher. Helping teachers to become classroom storytellers is a significant part of my work. Recently a teaching colleague had a go at telling a […]

Telling a Story, Building Their Confidence

Garner News (Wake and Johnston County, NC), March 20, 2012 Summary: On March 10, North Garner Middle School and the Garner Educational Foundation (GEF) teamed together for the ninth annual Garner Storytelling Festival. The festival hosted professional speakers including Willa Brigham, an Emmy award winner, Timmy and Susana Abell, John Golden and Cyndi Bailey Morgan. […]

Telling a Story, Building Their Confidence

Garner News (Wake and Johnston County, NC), March 20, 2012 Summary: On March 10, North Garner Middle School and the Garner Educational Foundation (GEF) teamed together for the ninth annual Garner Storytelling Festival. The festival hosted professional speakers including Willa Brigham, an Emmy award winner, Timmy and Susana Abell, John Golden and Cyndi Bailey Morgan. […]

Story Collider: Where Science is a Story Well Told

New York Times (New York, NY), January 31, 2012   Summary: By ANDREW C. REVKIN I’ve often argued that the world would be better off if people, from an early age, absorbed science not as a set of facts (sadly the state of science education today), but as a story — full of vexing questions, […]

Birmingham Mother Becomes Storytelling Laureate

Birmingham Mail (Birmingham, UK) , January 16, 2012 Summary: Katrice Horsley, aged 47 and from Kings Heath, had speech therapy lessons as a child. She is now a professional storyteller, with a repertoire of more than 350 stories from around the world. “I went from a childhood of being isolated because of a lack of […]

Birmingham Mother Becomes Storytelling Laureate

Birmingham Mail (Birmingham, UK), January 16, 2012   Summary: Katrice Horsley, aged 47 and from Kings Heath, had speech therapy lessons as a child. She is now a professional storyteller, with a repertoire of more than 350 stories from around the world. “I went from a childhood of being isolated because of a lack of […]

Dakota Have Stories to Tell, Culture to Share

The Free Press (Mankato, MN), January 8, 2012   Summary: The Blue Earth County Historical Society is presenting 12 monthly events aimed at helping southern Minnesota learn about Dakota culture. “Am I doing OK?” asked Joe Whitehawk, a Dakota, speaking to an almost exclusively white audience at the first event. Dave Larsen, a Dakota, said […]

Dakota Have Stories to Tell, Culture to Share

The Free Press (Mankato, MN) , January 8, 2012 Summary: The Blue Earth County Historical Society is presenting 12 monthly events aimed at helping southern Minnesota learn about Dakota culture. “Am I doing OK?” asked Joe Whitehawk, a Dakota, speaking to an almost exclusively white audience at the first event. Dave Larsen, a Dakota, said […]

Dakota Have Stories to Tell, Culture to Share

The Free Press (Mankato, MN), January 8, 2012 Summary: The Blue Earth County Historical Society is presenting 12 monthly events aimed at helping southern Minnesota learn about Dakota culture. “Am I doing OK?” asked Joe Whitehawk, a Dakota, speaking to an almost exclusively white audience at the first event. Dave Larsen, a Dakota, said he, […]

Vancouver Island Inuit Storyteller Inspired by Kids

The Victoria Times Colonist (Victoria, BC, Canada) , November 12, 2011 Summary: Before books, or even reading, should come the story, says Inuit storyteller and children’s author Michael Kusugak. It should be told in person, with lots of repetition, facial expressions and feedback from listeners, he says. “You can take these stories and write them […]

A Shared Humanity

Metroland (Albany, NY) , September 8, 2011 Summary: The mention of teen and tween YouTube videos likely conjures thoughts of hairbrush karaoke or daredevil stunts. It probably doesn’t evoke visions of a poised, charismatic young woman unfurling an evocative creation myth for a rapt audience composed of all ages, races and faiths. And yet, it’s […]

The Psychological Power of Storytelling

Psychology Today (New York, NY) , January 16, 2011 Summary: Stories are authentic human experiences. Stories leap frog the technology and bring us to the core of experience, as any good storyteller (transmedia or otherwise) knows. Our brains still respond to content by looking for the story to make sense out of the experience. No […]

Telling Stories: Creating Community One Story at a Time

Tucson Citizen (Tucson, AZ), March 2, 2010 Summary: Stories can heal, educate, sell, empower, and/or illuminate. They can be told, performed, journaled, blogged, social media’d, and/or written. Here are some on-line locations where you can learn more about storytelling applications. The National Storytelling Network has five special interest groups dealing with healing, producing storytelling events, […]

Enter the World of Storytelling

ExpressBuzz (Chenai, India), February 10, 2010 Summary: No one who sat in the intellectual audience at IIT Madras on a Sunday afternoon would’ve imagined that a story of two little goats who lived on two separate hills would do wonders to lift their energy levels. Yet, Jeeva Raghunath, a professional storyteller, addressed a gathering on […]

Learning to Listen

The New York Times (New York, NY), December 29, 2009 Summary: Dr. Rita Charon, professor of clinical medicine at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, is well aware of the power of storytelling. She has a Ph.D. in English — training that changed her medical practice. Through literature, she learned how stories […]

Red Feather Woman Weaves Native American Christmas Story for Eager Crowd at Museum

Estes Park Trail Gazette (Estes Park, CO) , December 11, 2009 Summary: “Storytelling is customary in the wintertime,” Red Feather Woman said. “There`s more time. Imagine this is my teepee. You`ve come together as a community to hear stories and songs. We`re all connected, everything — places, animals, people.” Rose Red Elk (Red Feather Woman) […]

Project Tells the Digital Story of Latino Culture

Spartan Daily (San Jose State Universtiy, CA), September 9, 2009 Summary: Students and members of the community gathered Wednesday night on campus to watch personal stories of triumph as part of the Latino Digital Storytelling Project. One of the stories was that of Maria Perez, an ex-first generation gang member. Her story described life growing […]

Project Tells the Digital Story of Latino Culture

Spartan Daily (San Jose State Universtiy, CA) , September 9, 2009 Summary: Students and members of the community gathered Wednesday night on campus to watch personal stories of triumph as part of the Latino Digital Storytelling Project. One of the stories was that of Maria Perez, an ex-first generation gang member. Her story described life […]

Telling Stories, Building Bridges

Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest (IL) , June 2, 2009 Summary: Multi-cultural exchanges, such as a Kwanzaa celebration from a few years back, are common at Unity Temple. Interfaith dialogue is again on tap for this Saturday. Eboo Patel, founder and executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), recalled that the […]

Oral History Class Preserves History, Promotes Community

Arizona State University News (Phoenix, AZ) , May 21, 2009 Summary: Save Our Stories (SOS) is a new Communication Studies degree course in Arizona State University’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. Designed to preserve the stories of a diverse community while teaching students communication skills and research applications, the SOS course is directed […]

Champaign-Urbana Group Revives Art of Storytelling

Daily Illini (University of Illinois, Champaign, IL), April 7, 2009 Summary: The Champaign-Urbana Storytelling Guild takes storytelling from children’s bedtime fodder to an elaborate art form. The Guild, which was founded in 2001, sponsors local storytelling concerts and events and participates in workshops and benefits. “The whole point of it is to support new tellers […]

Life Stories: Children Find Meaning in Old Family Tales

Wall Street Journal (New York, NY), March 11, 2009 Summary: As parents cut budgets, many are finding family stories have surprising power to help children through hard times. Storytelling experts say the phenomenon reflects a growing national interest in telling tales, evidenced by a rise in storytelling events and festivals. New research bears out the […]

Stop Me if You’ve Heard This One

Newsweek (New York, NY), February 16, 2009 Summary: Ann Banks, editor of First-Person America, an anthology of oral histories collected by the WPA’s Federal Writers’ Project, wrote: I was raised on Depression stories; this was only one of many told around our dinner table. Hearing them again and again, I became fascinated by the role […]

The Secrets of Storytelling: Why We Love a Good Yarn

Scientific American Mind (New York, NY), September, 2008 Summary: Storytelling is a human universal, and common themes appear in tales throughout history and all over the the world. The best stories—those retold through generations and translated into other languages—do more than simply present a believable picture. These tales captivate their audience, whose emotions can be […]

Empathy in the Time of Technology: How Storytelling is the Key to Empathy

Journal of Evolution and Technology (Hartford, CT), – Vol. 19 Issue 1 – September 2008 – pgs 51-61   Summary: Will the transhuman technologies that our accelerating future promises enable us to increase our empathy to others? Or will their use decrease our ability to understand ‘the other’ that exists outside our own selves, families, […]

The Stories We Tell that Could Build a City

(The Oregonian, Portland, OR), April 6, 2008 Summary: Is it possible that the city we imagine — the city that isn’t, that was, that could be — is more real than the one that actually exists? Do we fashion cities through the stories that we tell, as real as anything that’s already around us? At […]

Asian Pacific American Student Association Event Aims to Change Perceptions

Daily Trojan (Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA), March 4, 2008 Summary: The Asian Pacific American Student Association invited community members to speak about social justice and their struggles at “Stories from our Community” on Monday night. Daniel Wu, a sophomore majoring in international relations and APASA’s community chair, said […]

Storytelling Can Make a Difference in Conflict

The Times of India (New Delhi, India) , October 1, 2007 Summary: Sarah Kyankya is a writer- publisher at Fountain Publications, Kampala, Uganda’s largest publishing house. She was asked, “There is an ongoing conflict situation in Uganda. Can storytelling make a difference?” Kyankya replied, “The war has meant that the north of the country is […]

Literacy Project Involves Students, Community

The Appalachian (Appalachian State University, Boone, NC), September 13, 2007 Summary: The Blue Ridge Family Literacy Project, formerly known as the Appalachian Storytelling Project, recognizes the power of personal history and is using it as a tool to do so. Housed in the Reich College of Education, the program is now embarking upon its third […]

One Way to Close Culture Gap? Telling Tales

Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL), September 6, 2007 Summary: Arif Choudhury is recounting a story from his childhood, a funny tale of what it was like to be the only Bangladeshi child growing up in his leafy neighborhood north of Chicago. Choudhury, age 5, is in a sandbox when a boy suddenly asks him, “Are you […]

Storytelling Added to Lakota Nation Invitational

Rapid City Journal (Rapid City, SD), July 23, 2007 Summary: A Lakota/Dakota storytelling competition has been added to the 31st annual Lakota Nation Invitational scheduled at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center on Dec. 19-22. “Holding the event during the LNI in December is particularly appropriate because among Indian tribes throughout America, winter is storytelling time,” […]

Stories Bring the World to City Fair

Portland Press Herald (Portland, ME), June 3, 2007 Summary: Indonesia native Ina Demers, who came to the United States in 1974, was one of eight individuals presenting “Journey Stories” as part of the first-ever Bayside International Fair and Market. She described to the crowd the oppression her family faced, being Chinese in Indonesia in the […]

Storytellers Tackle Modern Woes with Old Tales

Reuters.uk (UK), May 24, 2007 Summary: Ancient stories first told by the Aztecs and Sumerians are helping businesses and people in the age of the Internet to make sense of modern life. Professional storytellers like Dez Quarrell are using tales culled from cultures around the world to explain the conundrums of modern life for technology […]

New ‘Starring Role’ for Storytellers in Alness

Scottish Provincial Press Ltd. (Inverness, Scotland, UK), May 4, 2007 Summary: As part of a digital storytelling initiative, the people of Alness will be given the chance to bring their personal tales to life, creating a short digital story which will be showcased in front of family and friends, before being published on a BBC […]

Building Community One Story at a Time

New Haven Independent (New Haven, CT), February 27, 2007 Summary: The Jamestown Project at Yale is holding storytelling sessions from now through June that will allow New Haveners to tell their stories, in hopes of building trust and community. Storyteller Catherine Conant created a warm and welcoming circle for those who came to the two-hour […]

Outside Voices: Siobhan Darrow On The Value Of Storytelling

CBS News (New York City, NY), December 15, 2006 Summary: Each week we invite someone from outside CBS Public EyE to weigh in with their thoughts about CBS News and the media at large. This week, we turned to Siobhan Darrow, a former CNN correspondent and author of the 2002 book, Flirting with Danger: Confessions […]

We Can Heal the Wounds

The Fiji Times Online (Suva, Fiji), December 3, 2006 Summary: Father Lapsley’s decade-and-a-half-long activism against South African apartheid, both from within and outside that State, could have ended in him living the rest of his life bitter and a victim. In 1990, a letter bomb delivered to him in Harare, Zimbabwe, from the then South […]

Storytelling is Great Tool in Tourism and Reconciliation

City Vision (Western Cape, South Africa), November 9, 2006 Summary: The sixteen ex-combatants and community activists trained by the Direct Action Centre for Peace and Memory (DACPM) in storytelling to become authentic voices in the tourist industry, graduated in Woodstock on Monday. During the course which took nine weeks, the graduates took a part on […]

New Experiences Created Through Old Tribal Stories

The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ), March 19, 2006 Summary: Tim Terry Jr. dragged a white-painted finger from the corner of his eye to his cheek, hair feathers twirling in the breeze, as he told the ancient Pima story of creation. “We don’t have a word for love in our language,” Terry, a 40-year-old Pima, shared […]

Latino Vets of WWII Share Stories

The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ), March 11, 2006 Summary: Ralph Chavarria sat next to his teenage grandson. The 91-year-old leaned on a cane and talked about his experiences as a World War II firefighter and crash-crew worker in the Twentieth Air Force in the Pacific. Ralph and 17-year-old Sean are close in large part through […]

Gathering Local Stories From Residential School Survivors

Opinion250 News (Prince George, British Columbia, Canada), March 11, 2006 Summary: Between 1892 and 1969, residential schools operated in Canada through arrangements between the Government of Canada and the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, United and Presbyterian churches. Although the Government was no longer officially involved after 1969, a few schools and hostels continued to operate […]

National Museum Expands Academic Frontiers

National Indigenous Times (Australia), March 8, 2006 Summary: The unknown stories of intermarriage, domesticity and the acts of cooperation – and conflict – that form the global frontier experience will be revealed in a ground-breaking conference at the National Museum of Australia in August. Narrating Frontier Families in Australia and North America on 4-5 August […]

Storytelling with String Games: Navajo Teen Shares Ritual at High School

The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ), March 8, 2006 Summary: Crafting a bird’s nest using 2 feet of string is difficult for Alhambra High School student Isaiah Nelson. The Navajo teenager helped bring the winter storytelling and string games last month to his campus in the Phoenix Union High School District. The student-sponsored event was designed […]

King’s Legacy Alive and Well

Union-Tribune (San Diego, CA), January 15, 2006 Summary: Wearing a ceremonial hat from the Ga people of West Africa, storyteller Alyce Smith Cooper captivated a crowd at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day multicultural festival. “There is a mystique that storytellers have, that draw people in,” said Jacki Taylor, coordinator of the festival. “This is […]

Saving Tay Nguyen Epics

Viet Nam News (Hanoi, Vietnam), January 15, 2006 Summary: The people of Tay Nguyen have been reciting epic narratives for generations, but as oral storytelling starts to die out with the village elders, this ancient tradition is slowly starting to dissappear. A VND17 billion (US$1 million) State-funded project is being undertaken by the Folklore Study […]

African Diaspora Celebration

The Journal News.com (Westchester, NY), July 10, 2005 Summary: In the African tradition, libations were poured to the north, south, east and west to begin the second annual African Diaspora Festival yesterday at the CEJJES Institute. The event, presented by the institute in conjunction with Naomi’s Program of Excellence, celebrated the arts of Africa. “What […]

Two History Groups Combine Efforts

San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, CA), June 22, 2005 Summary: The Digital Clubhouse Network, founded in Sunnyvale, and the regional California Pioneers of Santa Clara County, are now partners sharing facilities at History Park in San Jose. “To my knowledge, this will be the first partnership of this type in the country among traditional […]

Never Stop Learning

The Battalion – Texas A&M (College Station, TX), June 20, 2005 Summary: Children should be encouraged to accept all aspects of different cultures, and teachers should strive to eliminate bias in education, said reggae musician Alafia Gaidi and Texas A&M history professor Ernest Obadele-Starks. Gaidi and Starks gave presentations Thursday as part of The George […]

London Through Refugee Eyes

Open Democracy (London, UK), June 20, 2005 Summary: Moving Lives is one of PhotoVoices’s most recent programmes. It was screened on 19 June in London at the Celebrating Sanctuary Festival, the annual free festival celebrating the art of London’s refugee communities. PhotoVoices is an international charity based in London. Moving Lives, a photography and digital-storytelling […]

Stories Celebrate Juneteenth Day

Auburn Citizen (Auburn, NY), June 16, 2005 Summary: The Auburn Human Rights Commission brought the message of Juneteenth Day to a new generation on Wednesday with a celebration featuring storytellers. The commission’s annual commemoration of Juneteenth Day, which marks the day the last slaves were freed in 1865, brought students from area schools to the […]

Juneteenth Speaker Passionate about Storytelling, Education

The Battalion – Texas A&M (College Station, TX), June 15, 2005 Summary: Juneteenth, traditionally celebrated on June 19, recognizes the day the Emancipation Proclamation was first read in Texas, freeing slaves. Alafia Gaidi’s presentation, “Freedom’s Legacy: Africa’s Gifts,” will be a part of the George Bush Presidential Library’s Storytellers Guild and educators’ seminar celebrating Juneteenth. […]

Juneteenth Tradition in Clover Park Celebrates the End of Slavery in U.S.

Marina del Rey Argonaut (Marina del Rey, CA), June 17, 2005 Summary: Juneteenth is the unofficial holiday that marks the end of slavery in the United States. More specifically, it stems from the message Union General Gordon Granger relayed to slaves on June 19th, 1865 in Galveston, Texas, that the Civil War had ended and […]

Israeli-developed Coexistence Education Project Awarded International Prize

Israel 21C – A Focus Beyond the Conflict (Cupertino, CA), June 5, 2005 Summary: Last week, the project Learning Each Other’s Narrative was awarded the prestigious the inaugural Victor J. Goldberg IIE Prize for Peace in the Middle East, of the Institute of International Education. The organization, “commends your commitment to overcoming the barriers that […]

Holmes Pupils Find Home in ‘Name and Place’

Wednesday Journal (Oak Park, IL), May 10, 2005 Summary: The issues of “name” and “place” help young students and their parents better understand traditions, histories and cultures that make up their backgrounds and their communities. It helps them appreciate difference and similarities in people. It also helps them understand and appreciate maternal and paternal heritages; […]

Storytelling Project Aims to Help New York City High School Students Deal With Racial Issues

AScribe – The Public Interest News Wire (Oakland, CA), May 5, 2005 Summary: An innovative program to help high school students understand and deal effectively with racial issues through stories and storytelling, has received a second grant of $100,000 in support from the Third Millennium Foundation. The Storytelling Project, developed by Barnard College Professor Lee […]

Ukiah Players Theatre Kicks Off New Community-Based Theatre Project

Willits News (Willits, CA), April 08, 2005 Summary: One of the hallmarks of a rural community are the shared stories of place. Which of us doesn’t have a story to tell about the courthouse, the Palace Hotel, the cemetery, Montgomery Wards or our own backyard? It is this notion that led Ukiah Players Theatre (UPT) […]

Ukiah Players Theatre Kicks Off New Community-Based Theatre Project

Willits News (Willits, CA), April 08, 2005 Summary: One of the hallmarks of a rural community are the shared stories of place. Which of us doesn’t have a story to tell about the courthouse, the Palace Hotel, the cemetery, Montgomery Wards or our own backyard? It is this notion that led Ukiah Players Theatre (UPT) […]

Lore of the Past: Sussex Women Relive History

Sussex Post (Sussex County, DE), March 31, 2005 Summary: When Native American storyteller Raggatha Rain Calentine is telling a story, people sit and listen. They listen and they watch as the Selbyville resident becomes fully engrossed in her tale, sometimes to the point that she feels she is a part of it. “Sometimes I don’t […]

Giving a Chance to Our ‘Digital Natives’

Computerworld New Zealand (Auckland, New Zealand), March 22, 2005 Summary: For Jason Ohler, professor of educational technology at the University of Alaska, the future is fast approaching and he’s eager to make sure our children are equipped with the tools they need for the cyber age. Children, says Ohler, learn a lot from storytelling, something […]

Tellin’ Tales about Women

Holmen Courier (Holmen, WI), March 18, 2005 Summary: there will be some serious storytellers at the Onalaska library Saturday for “Threads Through Time,” the program celebrating women’s history. A trio of members from the Bluff Country Talespinners, an area storyteller’s guild, will take turns telling stories at the Onalaska library from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. […]

Charette Advocate for Many

Billings Gazette (Billings, MT), March 15, 2005 Summary: Any conversation with Reno Charette can quickly turn into a history lesson, and she’s not talking about Christopher Columbus. Though Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s newly appointed Coordinator of American Indian Affairs holds a master’s degree in history, she wants to tell history the way she sees it – […]

Traditional Storytelling Celebrates Life, Nature

The Missoulian (Missoula, MT), January 23, 2005 Summary: Rob Collier’s grandmother was the storyteller in his life. She shared tales every day, at every opportunity. Now Collier is sharing what he learned from her and other members of his Nez Perce Indian tribe. On Saturday, at Travelers’ Rest State Park, he told nine tribal stories, […]

African Storytellers Know the FUNdamentals of Learning

Providence Journal (Providence, RI), January 20, 2005 Summary: The seventh annual Funda Fest: A Celebration of Black Storytelling is under way. It began Tuesday in schools around Rhode Island and continues tomorrow through Sunday with public performances in a variety of venues, from Woonsocket to Providence, and in New Bedford. In all, there will be […]

Memories of Sandtown

Waco Tribune Herald (Waco, TX), January 19, 2005 Summary: Sandtown, a place that exists only in the hearts and minds of its former inhabitants and their ancestors, was brought back to life for an evening through the recollections of some 100 people from the defunct neighborhood who gathered Tuesday night for a program by the […]

Storytellers to Honor Dr. King January 15

Palisadian-Post (Pacific Palisades, CA), January 13, 2005 Summary: Tellers and talkers will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s memory at the Tales By The Sea performance on Saturday, January 15, 7 p.m. at Malibu United Methodist Church, 30128 Morning View Drive. The program will begin with classical improv by juveniles from Camp Kilpatrick probation camp […]

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