“No story lives unless someone wants to listen.” ~ J. K. Rowling World Storytelling Day celebrates the art of oral storytelling. People around the world tell and listen to stories in as many languages and as many places as possible on this one day, the March equinox. This day also marks the beginning of Spring …Read More
Category: Storytelling
On Crafting a Story ~ Ward Rubrecht
“At the most basic level there are three steps to crafting a story,” says Ward Rubrecht. The essence of creating art is in the crafting. While art needs creative play for inspiration, it is the work of perspiration that separates the amateur from the master. As a performance art, the storyteller makes the difficult look …Read More
Why is that funny?
My friend Celia and I were roaring with laughter. Side-splitting gut-wrenching, every time we locked eyes the laughter started again. Jerry came over and asked, “What’s so funny?” Celia and I looked at each other and laughed even harder. We both knew that if we tried to explain, it wasn’t going to be funny. Her brother had …Read More
#32: Storytelling Renaissance (Mary Lou Williams)
“Storytelling is not a lost art, but a found art!” Mary Lou Williams moved to South Florida to retire from a career in teaching and decided to take up a second career as a professional storyteller. In this interview … Find a local storytelling group in Florida at flstory.com. Living the Present Moment – Podcast …Read More
The Hanging of Tom Brown: An Odyssey into the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement
Rarely do we get the experience to listen to a first-person account of history. Even more rare, that history is crafted by a professional storyteller into a powerful performance. Jim Gregory, Storyteller and Performing Artist, presents his powerful first-person account of a young white man’s activism in the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement. Storytelling Performance at …Read More
What We Build ~ Sarah Kay
There once was a young girl who happened upon a construction site. She approaches a man working and says curiously, “Excuse me. What are you doing?” “Can’t you see?” he says impatiently, “I’m laying bricks.” As she walks along, she sees another man doing the same thing. She approaches and says, “Excuse me. What are …Read More
Burnout Recovery
In 2007, I was burnt out–physically exhausted, emotionally drained, and cynical about the future. The daily grind of the hospital had left me with tattered ends. Everyday seemed to be the same. There was little sense of purpose. I decided to make some changes. Vacation helped, but then I returned to the same daily grind. …Read More
Florida Storytelling Festival 2020
“You are like family,” I said to Morgen Reynolds last year at the Florida Storytelling Festival in Mt Dora, Florida. “I see you once a year for a reunion.” That sounds a little odd at first, but I was expressing the comfort of seeing someone you know after such a long time. We have listened …Read More
Hair Love ~ Animated Story
“Life is too short to have boring hair.” Storytelling is a powerful vehicle to convey emotion. Matthew A. Cherry goes beyond words with a short animated film that is virtually silent. “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart” ― Helen …Read More
Can you Exorcise Depression? ~ Andrew Solomon
“Spirits leave me alone to complete the business of my life and know that I’ll never forget you.” Andrew Solomon’s long battle with depression first brought him to traditional Western medicine with medication and counseling. As a writer, this struggle led him to research treatments in other parts of the world. He tells a colorful …Read More