Love Storytelling?

Subject: RE: Love Storytelling?
From: Mo the caller
Date: 23 Jun 06 - 12:00 PM

What are early years skills if they don't include Listening.
Enjoying stories is the base for literacy.
I was a Playgroup supervisor and enjoyed story-time with children. I used books as well as remembered stories, but some of the best of these give rise to a performance rather than just a 'reading'
If Sure Start involves parents and children, and encourages them to enjoy stories together this must be good. Shame they've lost out.

Subject: RE: Love Storytelling?
From: Northerner
Date: 23 Jun 06 - 12:07 PM

You've pretty much identified the skills Mo. But I'm unemployed and looking for work. That avenue isn't going to find me work that will pay my household bills and put food on the table. A storyteller is not precisely the same as an early years worker; my skills are in performing rather than early years. The Sure Start nursery had made the mistake of not realising that.

Subject: RE: Love Storytelling?
From: CapriUni
Date: 23 Jun 06 - 06:22 PM

Norherner --

Bah about the Sure Start gig. Yay for the Stockton Central Library!

Have you thought of making up a brochure (or flyer) for yourself, explaining, in your own words, what a storyteller does, and exactly what your own skills are?

Even if you don't use it, the exercise might help you clarify in your own mind what it is you really want to do, and some lightbulbs might go off regarding oportunities you haven't thought of yet.

Just a thought.

Subject: RE: Love Storytelling?
From: Northerner
Date: 23 Jun 06 - 07:05 PM

That's quite a good thought CapriUni. I hadn't thought of doing that precisely. When I wrote to some schools earlier in the year though, I had a letter outlining my skills and experience. Sadly no-one followed up from those letters. I do have some enquiries out at the moment through the RSVP; I'll give those a try first. I will be doing a flyer later anyway to publicise myself for going professional.

I am thoroughly pleased with my storytelling today. One of the librarians also told me it was good for clear voice, pace and expression! It was a lovely event to have been part of too.

Tonight's song at the Globe went well too - admittedly sang with words as it was a first go, but it went down very well indeed. Sang "The Shearing's no for you." Lots of people singing along with me!

Subject: RE: Love Storytelling?
From: CapriUni
Date: 25 Jun 06 - 03:31 PM

One of the librarians also told me it was good for clear voice, pace and expression! It was a lovely event to have been part of too.


Oh, yay!! Congratulations!

One idea about your pamphlet/flyer is to give examples of the kind of venues and events where you'd like to tell your stories -- to sort of nudge people to "think outside the box," so to speak. I've done one for myself, by the way -- not as a storyteller, but a writer of orginal literary wondertales (however, I've gotten very little response from them, so I'm not sure how good my advice is; take it with a generous pinch of salt!).

Subject: RE: Love Storytelling?
From: Northerner
Date: 26 Jun 06 - 06:27 AM

I'll do a pamphlet eventually. At the moment I'm waiting for a new CRB check to go through (it is currently being processed) then will try for more voluntary work again after that. My inexperience means that there are avenues I'm simply not able to explore yet because my repertoire and skills aren't as good as I'd like at the moment. It's a bit of a vicious circle. Once my CRB check comes through the RSVP will try to get me in somewhere.

Subject: RE: Love Storytelling?
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jun 06 - 06:29 AM

Dear northerner - it's not important, but I'm curious... What is RSVP? It sounds like an agency of some sort ...

Subject: RE: Love Storytelling?
From: Northerner
Date: 27 Jun 06 - 12:46 PM

Um, off the top of my head it is the Retired and Seniors Voluntary Programme. I'm not retired - I'm unemployed. But I'm over 50 and that apparently qualifies me to be described as a senior. It's a programme that places over-50s in voluntary work.

Subject: RE: Love Storytelling?
From: CapriUni
Date: 27 Jun 06 - 02:25 PM

repertoire and skills aren't as good as I'd like at the moment.

Well, the good thing about storytelling is that you don't need official venues to get better. While you're waiting for the RSVP, you can ell stories to your friends, around campfires, at the pub, heck, even waiting in line at the bank (remember, most jokes with a punchline are just very short droll stories -- you can use them to practice your timing, and you won't be asking your listeners to sit still for 5-10-15 minutes).

I don't know about where you are, but here in America there are storytelling circles, where storytellers can get together, learn new stories, and polish up old ones -- sort of like playing sesssions for musicians. It's worth looking into, at least.

Subject: RE: Love Storytelling?
From: Northerner
Date: 27 Jun 06 - 05:07 PM

Thank you CapriUni. I use the folk club for my storytelling. Disadvantage is they are not used to storytelling and I have to get past the kiddies' tales reaction. And some folks aren't keen on spoken word artforms. And as I am also a singer I am competing with myself for performing time.

There is no storytelling circle where I am; though it is possible that I will help to create one eventually when I find a few more willing bodies.

I have just booked accommodation for a long weekend in the autumn to attend a mini festival on storytelling. Man I spoke to about the festival said there is a possibility that the leading storyteller in our area will be creating some kind of mentoring scheme eventually, and there is a possibilty that it is something that I may be able to put my name down for. There is a mentoring scheme in Scotland that enables keen Scottish learner storytellers to get started; it would be wonderful if there was something similar here.

Subject: RE: Love Storytelling?
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Jun 06 - 03:57 AM

Not sure about folk club audiences not being used to storytelling. A lot of the larger festivals include storytellers in the line up who are placed in concerts alongside musicians and singers, so it isn't an unknown phenomeon at all. Some I enjoy very much. Others just seem to have an unfortunate manner of presentation which can make me feel like I'm being talked to as a child, even if the story being told is an 'adult' one.
I guess a lot of people prefer to be offered the chance to think by someone telling a tale simply, rather than having the point hammered home by over dramatization or desparate attempts to force participation/reaction from them. The best storytellers I've heard are like the best singers. After a while you realise you are so wrapped up in the story you forget the presenter is there!