Spring/Summer, 2007

                                                    An E-newsletter for storytellers across Illinois

Members of Northlands Storytelling Network;  National Storytelling Network; Illinois Storytelling, Inc Guilds; Independent tellers; and friends of storytelling.

We are all wanderers on this earth. Our hearts are full of wonder, and our souls are deep with dreams. (Gypsy proverb)

                                    Editor's Note

                                         

I returned from the Northlands Conference with a recommitment to storytelling. The workshops, concerts, swaps, and fringes were my cups of restorative tea.

There is just so much going on in Illinois! Please, keep your calendar at hand so you can put these storytelling events into your busy schedule. We all need a spot of tea once in a while.

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       Northlands Storytelling Network

The NSN conference in review at the yearly meeting was well-attended. The following were announcements and discussions:

Although we loved the accommodations and the accommodating staff at The Edgewater, Northlands made the decision to move to a new location to help fray the costs of the weekend. In 2008, the Northlands Storytelling Conference (April 25-27) will be held at Green Lake Resort and Retreat Center.

Discussion on the newly adopted definition of storytelling: "Storytelling is the art of live narrative performance, dynamically shaped by audience response."

In forming the definition Northlands looked at what makes storytelling unique as opposed to other art forms. It is our definition, but it is universal and can be used by anyone. The word "performance" was defined as any live storytelling whether a storyteller is on a front porch or on a stage.

At the board meeting after the conference:

Board members heard lots of good things about the conference and discussed those things that needed a bit 'o tweaking.

A $1000 grant was approved for the second year of Iowa's Story City Storytelling Festival.

Leanne Johnson was appointed vice president of Northlands. She served on the board for many years. Northlands welcomed her back...on the executive track! Bev Heintz is the new Iowa representative since Steve Marriot took the "By-laws" appointee position.

And, now for our big ta-da (drum roll please....)

                      

                                     Greg Weiss                                              is now the acting president of Northlands. We welcome Greg's leadership as Northland embarks on the next 25 years! He done Illinois proud!

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To learn more about Northlands and to become a member go to Membership.

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“You have to understand, my dears, that the shortest distance between truth and a human being is a story.”

—Anthony de Mello, from One Minute Wisdom

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One of the perks of being an NSN member is to receive a newsy bulletin. It comes two or three times per month just packed with info.

You won't want to miss the info on the new discussion groups. To access the discussion just click on: The National Storytelling Network Online Forum

NSN also reports that there are several scams afoot. Be very cautious about accepting jobs or even responding to "unusual" requests. Ed. Note: I personally have been on the receiving end of several of these...be careful.

To read  more about the activities going on in this membership organization, just click HERE.                       

                   

Recap: The National Storytelling Network is holding the 2007 Storytelling Conference in St. Louis this year. Many of our I'll. Tellers are involved in presenting workshops. Beth Horner ,Susan O’Halloran  Jim May and Greg Weiss.  I'll. Teller  Phyllis Hostmeyer will tell at the regional concert.

Be sure to go to the NSN Conference Website to see a full schedule.                  

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“‘Thou shalt not’ is soon forgotten, but ‘Once upon a time’ lasts forever.”

—Philip Pullman

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                                 Mother Griot

                                        

What a fine, powerful and loving spirit was Mary Carter Smith. She “initiated” our Illinois Storytelling Festival Sacred Telling session one Sunday morning. At the time many questioned why festivals would have a separate “sacred stories” session  -- “aren’t all stories sacred?” was a common question.

That particular Sunday morning,  the year that Mary Carter Smith was featured , with the echo of local church bells still blessing the summer morning dew, this slight, dignified woman, dressed in turban and traditional fare stood on the stage and told a hushed and compassionate audience the story of the murder of her only son, who had recently graduated with an art degree and had had the first formal showing of his art. She spoke of going to the police station and seeing the gurney with a blue checkered drop cloth covering her son’s body. I will never forget her words: “...I fell on his body and wept like any animal weeping for (it’s baby).” She then went on to tell how her Christian religion required her to forgive and support the woman who killed her son, which she did, while the woman was in prison and beyond.  She told the story with art, craft and complete control of her material.

I’m sure God is blessing you “Mother Griot”. Rest in peace.

Jim May
Storyteller, Author
815-648-2039   

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“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

—G. K. Chesterton

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                     Youth I'll. Tellers

                   

*Note from Brian Fox Ellis: SEND IN YOUR YOUTH STORYTELLING TODAY! We know that many of you have had another great year of residencies, instructing and inspiring students in the fine art of storytelling. Why wait until next fall to rush to meet the deadline for the National Youth Storytelling Showcase? Send in your videos today! Please direct students to www.NationalYouthStorytellingShowcase.org web page to fill out the needed forms. Send your videos to our state coordinator, Brian “Fox” Ellis, P.O. Box 10800, Peoria, IL 61612.

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                             Past Newsletters

 

I'll. Tell.- Summer, 2005      Fall, 2006

Early Fall, 2005           Winter/Spring, 2007

Late Fall, 2005

Winter, 2006

Spring/Summer, 2006

 

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HOME

   

            Illinois Storytelling, Inc  Connecting generations, nurturing communities, and celebrating our diversity...through Story.

If you want to know more about what Illinois Storytelling, Inc is all about, simply click HERE to get what is new.. and up... and coming for our I'll. Tellers!!  The board has been hard at work coming up with ideas to strengthen Story-Illinois.  

There are so many things happening in and around Illinois that you really must visit Illinois Storytelling, Inc Calendar to keep up to date with all the storytelling. Here are some of the events that are right around the proverbial story corner. To find out more, click on the calendar.

                                   Guilds Around Illinois 

                                    

Storytelling is alive and well in Illinois. This space will be for announcements from the Illinois guilds about special storytelling projects, events, deadlines, workshops, etc. Please send the editor those announcements that concern your guild and that benefit  storytellers from around the state. If you have an on-line newsletter and want it on Ill. Tell, just let the editor know. Click on Illinois Storytelling Guilds to find guild-info in your neck of the woods.  Please contact the editor to update your guild's information.

                  Announcements:

Riverwind Storytellers, Co. of the Metro-St. Louis area. Here is there current newsletter. They are busy with the St. Louis Storytelling Festival as tellers and volunteers. They also one of the three partners in hosting the NSN Conference this July. For their 25th Riverwind Whirlwind Weekend (Feb. 29, Mar. 1-2, 2008), they are proud to have Barbara Freeman as the workshop leader.

North Shore and the Nature Center (Chicago area) are joining hands. Watch for more news on these two dynamic storytelling guilds as they merge! Nature Center/North Shore: Zane Chait is quite active in producing and participating in local events, and Meg Macdonald has her first big event coming up 4/11—at a religious preschool in Wauconda

The CU Storytelling Guild (Urbana and Champaign) just finished their monthly adult series at the Iron Post in Urbana. They usually change venue for the coming seasons. So, be sure to read about their up and coming programs!

Twin Cities (Normal and Bloomington) are active in seeing the first Christian Storytelling Conference take off in Normal. See info above in the June calendar.

 

 

“Words should be weighed, not counted.”

                      —Jewish folk saying

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Accolades:                 FROG BRINGS RAIN                                        Patricia Hruby Powell won the American Folklore Society's Aesop Accolade Award (2006) http://www.afsnet.org/sections/children/ and the inaugural Lacapa Spirit Honor Award for illustration (2007)                      Tales for the Young at Heart ISBN 0-9771816-2-6  "Tales for the Young at Heart" is a collection of eight stories and four songs as performed by Dr. Michael Lockett, "The Normal Storyteller." Joe Jekot has a new book Storytelling Made Simple: A Guide for Ministers, Parents and Teachers. and also developed a full-day retreat aimed at teaching ministers, parents and teachers how to use and apply the principles of storytelling in their classrooms, homes and spiritual ministries. Bev Frett and Sue Black are offering workshops for educators on Digital Storytelling. Contact Bev at beverly_frett@ipsd.org or Sue at sbbstories@aol.com for workshop dates and times. Celebrate Life with Attitude! raised $1,900.00 on Sunday evening March 18 in Batavia Illinois for the American Cancer Society.  Storytellers Sue Black, Donna Dettman, Linda Gorham and Leanne Johnson were joined by musicians Geary Smith, Thomas Takayama and Diane Wlezien of the Geary Smith band for an evening of stories, music and laughter.  The lady tellers were “irrepressible” sharing their zest and joy in life, and the band’s cool blues and jazz music wove under and around the stories to create an entertaining evening that kept the audience enthralled until the very end.  “One of the biggest thrills for me,” said producer Donna Dettman, “was to see people new to storytelling having such a great time.  I think we brought people with a thirst for story to the well, and they will be back again.”