Monday, July 27th Class

Today's class was fascinating. Here's what happened:

1) Because of some late people (who shall remain nameless), class began with a discussion about appropriate or inappropriate venues for storytelling. The discussion was prompted by Ilene's experience telling at Barnes and Nobles. We discussed how libraries and bookstores may not the best venues because they are not gathering places for people particularly interested in hearing stories. David likened the storyteller to a nudist who found freedom in a nudist colony, but then tried to take that concept out into the public. Somehow it just doesn't work. The discussion then went to what types of venues do work - whether or not venues might be created. We talked about "Applied" and "Platform" telling - the difference being that "Applied" was when storytelling is used as a tool for business or healing, etc. "Platform" storytelling is performance based. The question was posed: Does "platform" telling have a purpose as well? Should there be a distinction between the two?

2) David then told us the story of "The Raven." He introduced the story by telling us about his experience staying up with his young, teething son and how he found beauty in the dawn after a night of cutting teeth. "The Raven" is a trickster tale about a bird whose goal was to convince a Chief to share his treasures. The raven was also a shape-shifter and was able to change itself into a baby, appealing to the Chief's parental nature. The plan worked as the raven used a variety of common baby tactics to get its own way. The treasure became the stars, the moon and the sun. David's use of the balloon to represent the baby was great and he shared some suggestions about using objects in story. Note to self: Dry erase markers work best on balloons.

3) We discussed how stories connect us to our experiences and help us to have a fresh perspective or understanding of those experiences. We talked about how children have limited prior experience - how they relate concepts to objects. For example, if a ball is put into a box, from the child's perspective, that ball no longer exists. That perspective may be transferred even to people - if the child's mother leaves the room, the child may feel as though the mother no longer exists.

4) The discussion then moved to how stories have a life of their own and once heard, become part of the listener's life experience. The story affects the listener's memory and experience in some way. From this point, we went on to talk about whether it was appropriate to tell stories that are native to particular cultures. The distinction was made between telling stories in the educational setting - for cultural enlightenment, as opposed to telling those stories for professional goals. A sensitivity must be developed when dealing with stories that originated in cultures that have been imperialistically influenced. That being said, how does a storyteller that does not have strong ties to any one native culture find a place? We must consider that stories move in and out of cultures. The roots of those stories may be difficult to trace - but the messages may still be relevant and meaningful to our own experiences. The question was posed: Can stories jump boundaries?

5) David mentioned that, when choosing stories to tell, he asks himself the questions: What is it that I want to promote? Food for thought...

6) We talked a little about using costume while storytelling - or even creating a storytelling "look." David shared how he felt it important to dress in an ordinary way so that he could become extraordinary through each story he told. His goal was to be more than he appeared - to be unwrapped and full of surprises.

7) We were encouraged to develop "reading behavior." Listen to what goes on in our lives and our environment - read life. Learn to interpret behavior.

8) We played various association games to practice making connections. Using lines from our stories, we tried to make associations with various people in the class. We played a free-association word game to understand the concept. Taking this one step further, we put a rhythm to the association by clapping and then contributing a line or phrase from a story we were crafting.

9) Finally, Beth yielded to the process of exploring a personal story by looking at it from a wide variety of perspectives. By beginning the story at different points in time, or from different locations, the story naturally took different turns, produced different images, recalled different memories. It was a fascinating exercise to watch. At one point, David asked her to begin the story with a different word - "Imagine" - and see what effect that word had on her recollection. More details about this exploration in David's post.

10) Finally, David warned us to be careful about getting so involved with our own stories that we lose contact with our lives by ignoring the communal aspect of storytelling. Personal stories do not necessarily need to become public - they can lead us to other stories that may have more to offer the public. It is important to examine the culture at large and determine what is being forgotten and how can we, as storytellers, bring those things back?

Good day.