Stories Are Serious Business

   In 2004, retired research scientist and Storyteller Kendall Haven proclaimed to senior officials at NASA's Goddard Space flight Centre that stories are an information delivery system powerhouse that are evolutionarily hardwired into human brains. When challenged to prove it. Haven interwove research from 16 different fields of science to show that story structure is how we humans think! In his book STORY PROOF: The Science Behind the Startling Power of Story, he defines eight essential elements that define effective story structure.

   

Local Storytelling at its Best - Stories at Fern Monday

The last Victoria Storytellers' Guild's "Stories at Fern" until the new season begins in September, is this Monday, June 14th, 2010.

Here are the details:

STORIES AT FERN

Monday, June 14, 2010, 7:15 p.m.

1831 Fern Street (between Fort and Begbie). Park on Begbie.

"Stories at Fern" is a public gathering -- open to all (*Adults $5, Students $3), where stories are told and listened to, from September to June.

*There is no admission fee for members. Tea and goodies are included.

Famous Storytellers Callahan and Kujawa on Cortes Island in August

Jay O'Callahan, storyteller, author and workshop facilitator, will lead a very special 6-day workshop at Hollyhock Retreat Centre, Cortes Island, BC Canada August 14-19, 2010. Mandi Kujawa, songwriter, singer, storyteller and librettist from Banff, Canada, will co-facilitate the workshop.

Jay O'Callahan is one of North America¹s most beloved storytellers. Dubbed "a genius² by Time magazine, he has performed his original work with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, at the Lincoln Center and in theatres throughout the United States. He slips into the souls of his characters and captures the wonder and sparkling sense of life within them. 

Visit http://www.ocallahan.com

Mandi Kujawa brings the element of musical play to the storytellers'exploring their "unique" voice. Mandi and Jay have worked together for seven years co-facilitating workshops.

Workshop Description: Like Fireflies, The Art of Creative Storytelling. Everybody and everything has a story. In fact, we are filled with stories. These stories can be memories of events, characters, places and moments in our lives. These stories are like fireflies flitting around deep inside us. Call forth some of those fireflies in a simple and playful way. When a memory is called forth, the storytelling is often fresh and interesting; the details are sharp, as is the sense of place, characters and the event itself. These forgotten memories are at the heart of good storytelling. Draw your memories out with what Jay calls ³sparks.²

To register for the workshop visit
https://www.hollyhock.ca/cms/index.cfm?Group_ID=4577

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE ART AND TRADITION OF STORYTELLING

Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada (SC-CC)
18th Annual Conference
July 28 - Aug 1, 2010
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

 

Storytellers from throughout the world will merge in one place - St. 
John's, Newfoundland and Labrador - for the 18th annual conference of 
Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada.  For five days, 
participants will be engaged in an international meeting place of 
culture, art, and tradition.  Storytellers from across Canada will 
meet and work with storytellers from the USA, Italy, Denmark, Ireland, 
Scotland, England, Netherlands, and South Africa, and attend 
celebrations for the 400th anniversary of English settlement in Canada.

 

Conference registration is now open! For registration forms, links to 
tourism sites, info on accommodations, and to preregister for one of 
our exciting international professional development workshops, visit:

 

http://www.sc-cc.com/conference/2010

 

Et cette année, nous avons des ateliers en français, aussi!

 

Early-Bird Registration ends March 1st 

“You can only come to the morning through the shadows.” J.R.R. Tolkien

Today is the birthday of J.R.R. Tolkien. In storytelling circles, Tolkien is and should continue to be one of the most influential storytellers of our time. He is best known for his books of epic fantasy: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.

Tolkien’s fantasies speak to us of people who live in other places and times, but they are people like ourselves: ordinary men and women who dare to struggle against the most inconceivably strong forces of evil. They suffer dreadful losses but go forward with unshakeable determination.

In our age, wars and environmental hazards leave us uncertain about the future. Modern story creators and tellers need to capture and share that hope that Tolkien found in the heart of every person, that humanity can and will prevail over life’s most challenging moments.

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

                           J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring