Tellabrations! Two and Three

I have been Tellabration-crazy this year. Tellabration began as a day set aside for the celebration of storytelling, to be held the Saturday before the US holiday of Thanksgiving. it was intended as a day for storytellers to give back to their communities; most events are free but any money collected was to go back to a storytelling guild or other means to support storytelling.

Then the idea caught on, and events spread from the US to worldwide, and the dates spread too. Tellabration now covers most of a month with events all over the globe, and in my area there were three within driving distance. I've not been able to participate much in recent years so this year I decided to take part in as many of the scheduled events as possible. The first was held in October as part of WVU's Mountaineer; the second was this past Thursday evening in Athens, Ohio, and the third was Saturday, on the original Tellabration day, in Beckley, WV. The Beckley event is the longest-running of the three, having been in existence since at least 1997 when I participated for the very first time (and was terrified!).

I wrote about the WVU Tellabration earlier, so I'll catch up now with the other two. The Athens event was held at the Athens County library, in an inviting, open setting that allowed patrons to listen as they checked out books and did other work in the library. Three women and three men told tales and sang songs. I was the only out-of-stater, but I am really just over the river from Ohio so I feel part of the storytelling scene there. It was a good night with good stories and a relaxed atmosphere.

Then Saturday I drove down to Beckley, about 2 1/2 hours south of home. Larry had intended to go with me originally as we were invited to stay at the home of storytelling friend Danny McMillion, but he was nursing a cold, and my oldest son and grandson were arriving for hunting season, so Larry opted to stay home by the fire and play host to our visitors until I returned.

The event was held at Tamarack, West Virginia's premier arts and crafts showcase. I was mesmerized by the displays of gorgeous artisan glass.

The staff at Tamarack were putting up trees and other decorations and the place was looking beautiful.

The telling was Spectacular! Sue Atkinson, a transplanted southerner with a soft Georgia accent, was out MC.

Terry Farley

Terry Farley led us off with his hilarious comedy, songs and jokes. What a funny man he is! Then Scott Hill told us about his son's quest to be a professional team mascot, I told a story from my husband's childhood in a coal camp and sang a ballad or two,

Fred Powers followed me with stories from his 20-year experience as a coal miner,

and John Wyatt wrapped up the show with songs and stories from his days working for a West Virginia Railroad. It was just perfect, and the audience showed their delight by staying afterward to talk with us and thank us for the stories. 

The Greenbrier cafe's tree

We stayed to eat dinner in the cafe run by the Greenbrier resort, delicious food and good conversation making a good end to the day. Then I followed my friend Danny to her lovely vintage home and more good conversation followed. She made me an awesome breakfast the next morning and I was soon homeward bound.

Stories, stories. They wrap our world, explain our world, make us laugh and cry, and teach us compassion and joy. Where would we be without them?

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Tellabration!

The storytellers gathered. The audience rustled in their seats. The lights dimmed. The stories began.

There was laughter, there were tears, there was awe and thoughtful silence and hearty applause.

And now it's over for another year.

This year I was invited to participate in two Tellabration events, one just across the river in Ohio and one in southern West Virginia. (Storytellers are usually not paid for Tellabration events--the goal is to raise awareness of storytelling, to attract new listeners and if possible to raise money for local storytelling guilds.) I was happy to be part of this annual "international day of storytelling." The event continues to grow each year as more and more Tellabration sites are added.

Granddaughter Hannah was with me and she captured a few photos:

The end of the Ohio Tellabration as the storytellers gathered onstage to sing "We Wish you a Merry Christmas." We had a Christmas theme for our event because the county flower show was being held in the same space and we were surrounded by beautiful holiday flower arrangements. It was a nice combination.
From left: Athens Ohio storyteller Thomas Burnett, Marge Cornell of Columbus, OH, me, Donna Wilson of Middleport, OH (event organizer), Mike Welsh of Reedsville, OH, and Curtis Spencer (Donna's son) of Pomeroy, OH.

Tom Burnett told a great, traditional Jack tale. He has the perfect voice and outfit for the story!

Well, it was a serious story!

Marge, on the other hand, told a funny story about a family reunion. She started the evening on just the right note.

Curtis Spencer was telling for the first time, and I hope he continues. He did an outstanding job describing a grown man's addiction to Hot Wheels. Who would have guessed it is men and not little boys who crowd the racks when new ones come out?

Donna did double duty as MC and storyteller and did a great job at both. Her energy is enviable!

Mike Welsh is a retired Ohio State Trooper who says he's actually a poet, but bills himself as a storyteller because the word "poet" frightens off a lot of people. He's probably right. I would call him a performance poet. He writes original poetry and recites it in a storytelling form. He told me that he does most of his work for churches. He's a talented, mesmerizing performer. 

After the storytelling, several of us adjourned to the local bed and breakfast, The Downing House (where Mark Twain was once a guest) to celebrate with a glass of wine and Donna's homemade lemon bars--what a treat. Then it was back in the car and home again to see my oldest son and grandson who had arrived for their annual deer-hunting trip.

This morning I made a good country breakfast for our company--oldest son, grandson, and two granddaughters. We enjoyed a slow start to the day, then it was time for me and granddaughter Hannah to set off for Beckley, WV which is about 100 miles from my home. We got there early and had time to browse one of my favorite antique malls. I liked watching 13-year-old Hannah in the store--she certainly has a definite sense of her personal style. She drooled over a vintage chrome and yellow plastic dinette set from the 50's and bought a yellow and white creamer and sugar set with its own matching tray. She wants a black and yellow kitchen, she says, when she has her own place, and would love to have a Murphy bed. 

Then we headed over to the Tamarack Arts Center, West Virginia's premier arts showcase and site of the Tellabration, which is held every year in the facility's theater. 

Tellers today were Jason Burns of Morgantown, WV, me, Fred Powers of Bluefield, WV and Sue Atkinson of Beckley, WV. Jodie French-Burr was our organizer and MC and we didn't get her in the photo, unfortunately. She did a great job, including quotes about storytelling and encouraging the audience to tell stories of their own.

Hannah was fascinated by the large plastic rat Fred Powers uses as a prop for his tales of life in the coal mines. Today he told stories of two brothers who were miners; one fought for the Union and one for the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Fred tells the story of the battle of the Crater from the viewpoint of a miner-turned-soldier. Compelling, as Fred always is.

Sue entertained with tales of a cat funeral and "elder laments" as I call them, of some of the surprises of aging.

Ghost stories are Jason's specialty and he didn't disappoint, with two tales of strange places and events. His ghost tour of the WVU campus a month ago had 100 people in attendance. He knows his ghosts.

I became suddenly blonde in the theater's lighting! I've always wondered how it would feel to be blonde...

The stories ended, and we made our way homeward, filled with stories. Rain and fog made it a slow journey but I had three storytelling CDs to listen to and that made the trip easier. It felt good to finally see the lights of home. Tellabration was over, for another year.

Weekend: Saturday in Morgantown

 It's Mountaineer Week in Morgantown, WV and the WV Storytelling Guild is part of the celebration, presenting a storytelling concert that is part of the international Tellabration! series. We drove up early, hoping for a chance to see our youngest son before the concert. However, Morgantown traffic was backed up so we headed straight for the MountainLair to be sure we weren't late. We were lucky enough to have a few minutes to browse the craft show and I got to see some of my favorite artists, like Ingrid Hailer who makes silk scarves and dyes them with natural materials (yes, I ended up with one, a green one dyed with comfrey), and Robert Riffe, jeweler extraordinaire (yep, new earrings!). 

Jim Hauser, my favorite stained glass artist, was at the juried craft show and I asked him to pose with his stained glass project that was on display. This map of West Virginia has been a challenge, he said. He did not want to repeat any glass, so each county is cut from a different sheet. I asked him where this amazing piece might end up and he said he didn't know yet. It certainly should be in a place where all West Virginians can enjoy it. It's a tribute to our home.

I was so happy to see Bob McWhorter at the Tellabration! concert. Bob was instrumental in getting many of us going in storytelling. He is the founder of the first WV Storytelling Festival and guided its progress for eight years. He will always have a special place in my heart, and I know it is the same for the other storytellers he has encouraged over the years.

The storytellers--Back row: Rich Knoblich, me, Jane Gilchrist,  and Jason Burns. Front row: Suzi Whaples, June Riffle and Jo Ann Dadisman.

We were finally able to see our youngest son after the storytelling concert. What a treat that was! He lives in Morgantown but attends Fairmont State University. Tommy is our bodybuilder and is in training for an upcoming bodybuilding competition. I need to post some of his recent photos in pose--his body is incredible right now. Takes after me! Not.

 

Larry and Tommy--Tommy was trying not to crack up because trying to get Larry to behave for a photo is next to impossible!

We were home by midnight to a warm house. Anyone who has heated with wood for years knows what I'm talking about if they ever switched to gas heat. I mean, no wood to haul, no kindling, no staying in our coats until the fire gets going. Just nice, even comfortable heat. This was only our second night with the new stove, but already I felt spoiled.

Larry installed the stove on Friday, on the other side of the brick hearth wall from the wood stove. We didn't want to take out the big stove because free gas can sometimes freeze off or be turned off when the gas company is working on something. But the new stove had certain clearances that needed to be observed for safety. After moving the furniture around and trying different arrangements, we finally agreed that this really is the best place--no furniture close by, bricks behind it and a central location in the house. It's right pretty, too.

That was Saturday. Today--well, that's a whole new post.