yyjStoryteller

Today, April 7, is the birthday of the innovative African American, social activist, jazz and swing music singer Eleanora Fagan (April 7 1915 – July 17, 1955.) She was known professionally as Billie Holiday. After a troubled life, Holiday died handcuffed to a hospital bed. Posthumously,   she won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. At the end of her show each night, the lights would go down, all movement and chatter stopped, and Holiday would sing the piece called " Strange Fruit. " In 1999, Time magazine declared that song “song of the century.” The song was originally written by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish school teacher, poet, and activist from New York City. A photograph of a lynching in Indiana some years earlier had deeply disturbed Meeropol, inspiring him to write “Strange Fruit,” and the song eventually made its way to the Greenwich Village nightclub where Holiday sang. The lyrics of "Stra...

 Black Cats: Beware!   What would you do if a black cat walked across your path? Would that be good... or bad? With hallowe'en soon upon us, perhaps, for the safety of all, we should concern ourselves with such topics. Black cats have featured in stories for over 2,000 years! In Celtic folklore, it was believed that black cats turned into fairies and back. In Great Britain, as in Egypt and Japan, having a black cat would bring you luck and good fortune. In the English midlands they make the ideal wedding gift that will bring luck and happiness to the bride. In Japan, it is believed that a single woman who owns a black cat will attract more suitors. On the other hand, in Europe, in the Middle Ages, t hey decided that black cats were evil and foreboding; that they were really witches or demons. Many black cats were destroyed. People caught with a black cat were severely punished. When European settlers took over North America they declared that if a black cat crossed y...

  Come out of the weather … and share the warmth by the fire. Stories at Fern starts at 7:30, virtually! You can sign in from 7:00 pm onward – Please come early to sort out any technical glitches before Al, our host, starts the storytelling at 7:30 pm We are using Zoom, an online conferencing system. Admission is free, and there is no need to create a Zoom account, however we are asking our friends to register in advance for a secure, enjoyable experience. To register now click here or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqdeivrj4tGN0ZNffLh_VmwdHQgax7n4x4 When you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email with the specific instructions for joining us by computer, tablet, smartphone, or regular phone. We are looking forward to seeing you again and having you join us for our second Fern St. of the season!

Coping with the crisis, the Victoria Storytellers Guild have started a new service: Dial a Story! Contact info@victoriastorytellers.org and someone will arrange a suitable time and story for you to receive by telephone.

I am a Canadian,... and I have a story to tell... ...If you are a Canadian, you have a story to tell too! ......It's just that you might not know it yet..... Stories are important. We are the stories we tell. Stories tell us... where we came from...                           ...where we are now...                                ...and where we are going! There are so many great stories from Canada's past, but we have forgotten them. We have become overwhelmed by that great myth making machine that lives to the south of us. To them we are no more than the boring inhabitants of the frozen north. There is the image of the Stalwart Mounted Policeman and his mandatory dog, who proudly gets into the way of anyone wanting to have a good time... but that's it.... and they don't even get that one right! So many Canadians have done so many...

The next Stories at Fern Monday, March 16th, 2020: World Storytelling Day – Tales of Voyage s Host: Faye Mogensen 7:30 pm, 1831 Fern St

The Blue Rose It's Valentines Day when some fellows will do anything they can to win the affections of a woman. The Blue Rose, in the Roman myth of Zephyrus and Flora is a good example of how far someone might go to obtain the attention they seek. The God Zephyrus loved Flora so much that he changed himself into a rose, because the Goddess had eyes for nothing other than her flowers. When Flora saw the rose, she kissed it and thus fulfilled Zephyrus’ wish. In Chinese folklore, an Emperor's daughter was to be married. Her father allowed he to give one stipulation to her suitors. She said she would marry the man who could bring her the blue rose. This discouraged many seeking her hand in marriage, yet some suitors were determined to win her hand. A merchant paid a florist to give him a painted rose. When he presented the rose to the princess, the paint dripped on to her hand. “This is not a blue rose, I will not marry you,” she announced. Another man threatened a man in...