Yesterday's Workshop: Seeking the Spirits

 

Yesterday's workshop in Sistersville was just what I hoped it would be: 12 storytellers and 2 workshop leaders telling, exploring, discussing, working on and listening to ghost stories. I was one of the workshop leaders; with my friend Jason Burns we plumbed the depths of a good ghost story: what makes it compelling, where to find material, resources for research, framing the story, finding the universal meaning of the story, and finally telling the story.

Despite the advice of many websites on telling ghost stories, we did not hold flashlights under our chins. We did not make the listeners jump. We did not suggest something was going to get them, was creeping up behind them or any such things. To me, those are campfire stories and the techniques used when the goal is to scare people. I consider ghost stories those tales of inexplicable events that leave people wondering what could have happened, why did it happen, and if there really is such a thing as ghosts or spirits, if you prefer that term (I do).

How many of you reading this post have had such experiences in your life, or have heard of such things happening to someone you know and trust? I would bet that probably one in five are raising their hand, particularly if you live in the mountains or in a rural area. Many people keep such experiences to themselves lest their friends and family think they're crazy or weird. But the truth is, many people have had something happen to them, or seen something, that they cannot explain. I wish I had a count of the number of people who have told me stories about seeing or feeling a relative who has passed, or a beloved pet, or who have been in buildings where the sense of being watched or even touched was overwhelming.

Are these stories true or just overactive sensitivities? I do not attempt to answer that question; that is for each person to decide for themselves. What I do is research the background, particularly of historic stories or legends recorded somewhere in a book or other source, and occasionally one I have collected as an oral history. I provide the context for the tale and tell what I have learned, and then it is up to my listeners to decide on what is "true." And that, to me, is what makes these stories so intriguing-they leave us thinking, wondering, and occasionally, watchful.

Part of our day was to be a field trip, but that did not turn out as I had hoped. The weather was cold and snowy with a chilling wind and overcast sky.

Still, we ventured up the mountain to the Greenwood cemetery, a historic cemetery that holds the remains of many of Sistersville's most illustrious citizens and their families, along with those of the merchants, workers and farmers who settled and cultivated the land around this pretty river town. Our intent was not to ghost-hunt; that is not part of what I do as a storyteller. Our intent was to see the place as it once was, to pay respects to those who rested there and to get a feeling for the place and the history of one small town.

We also visited a grave that has been the source of many stories and legends. This family monument is a beautiful granite stone standing probably 8 feet tall, with a stunning woman bending over the stone with her arms stretched out protectively--or at least they used to. Vandals have broken the arms and disfigured her face, sadly, and the rumors of her vengeance on them make a compelling story. True or not, I can't say. I simply tell the story and provide the background of this hard-working family that became wealthy through their efforts and the foresight to buy mineral rights just before the first oil and gas boom in the late 1800's that made Sistersville one of the richest places in the world for a time.

(Storyteller Katie Ross stands beside, but not touching the statue, in the photo. You might wonder why.)

This is the stone of Philo Stocking, who moved from New York state to Wheeling, VA (at that time) and later to Sistersville to establish a flour mill and to attempt to drill (unsuccessfully) the first oil well. He became a wealthy, prominent man in the town and his son George carried on the family business later on. The inscription on the stone says much about the man it commemorates:

"Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble."

The key to telling ghost stories or historical stories about people of the past, I believe, is respect. Respect for the deceased and for their descendants. That is important, especially when visiting graves and other reportedly haunted sites. These people lived and loved; the places they lived still belong to someone (or at least the site does, if the structures are gone).

And the key to a successful workshop is not only willing and active participants who will trek out in less-than-ideal conditions, but also a place that is welcoming and supportive. Terry Wiley of the Gaslight Theater made huge efforts to make our concert there successful and we were glad to see some familiar faces in the audience; our storytelling guild seems to have a small but loyal group of listeners in the area. The Wells Inn also made our stay comfortable and it's like coming home to be greeted by Ann and the staff, to get messages from the owner letting us know that arrangements for our stay were in place, and to enjoy the good food and service.

How was this workshop funded? Through the generous support of the WV Commission on the Arts via a grant written by guild member Jo Ann Dadisman. It takes more than willingness to present or attend; it takes people like Jo Ann, and like Terry Wiley and Charles Winslow (of the Wells Inn), and guild supporter John Mullins who arranged our lodgings and food and even made homemade cheesecake, to make it work.

We told and heard many stories during our stay in the town, and I hope each person there went home thoughtful, inspired and ready to dig into their stories with new energy.

Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Storytellers Retreat Post 2: The Stories

Jane commented that she wanted to hear about the stories we told this past weekend, and since the retreat was all about stories, there were plenty of them. Where to start?

Friday night's swap might be the most logical place, since that was also the first night of the retreat. We stayed in the Rose Tea Room, where we had eaten dinner, to discuss our plans for the next day. Dd I mention how informal the plans were? Basically I wrote up what I thought we should do and how to do it, shared my ideas with a couple other storytellers for their feedback and that's how it was planned. As I said in yesterday's post, the basic idea was to go into small groups to work, providing praise, brainstorming and suggestions for each teller's story. So we reviewed the plans and then settled down to tell and listen to stories.

One of the best things about storytelling is the wide variety of stories and styles to be found in any gathering of tellers. We heard a good story accompanied by Otto's accordion and  a story one teller created with a student on a canoe trip--an "alternate" story of Santa Claus that stretched into the tall-tale realm. I told one of the first stories I learned to tell called Turtle of Koka, which I learned from a collection of stories by Margaret Read MacDonald called Storyteller's Startup Book. It's still one of my favorites to tell. Some people didn't tell on this first night, preferring to listen. In the comfortable dining room, surrounded by friends, it was a nice time to just sit back and enjoy.

In our morning sessions the next day, each person was allotted about 30 minutes to tell and work on their story. The time was a suggestion--if the group wanted to spend more time on one teller, they did so. In my morning group we had a nice range of stories: an original fiction tale for children based on family history and a memory of a family reunion and an old homeplace, a ghost story with some good historical links, a humorous bird story and my story about my parents.

Here is how my sessions worked: our first teller read most of her story because it was very new and she had never told it yet. Then she told briefly how the rest of the story would go. We told her what we liked: strong sense of place, good imagery and character development, etc. Then we had questions because we needed to know more about the background of the story and why she had chosen this one to tell. A person's reasons for choosing a particular story can be surprising, and often lend insight into the teller's perspective.

With the bird story, the teller was looking for more ideas on how to expand the story. We brainstormed, coming up with all kinds of bird references that he can develop to add more humor and depth to his story. The ghost storyteller told a story he'd told before, but thought he could make it better. After discussing what we liked about the story, we continued with questions and made several suggestions, such as adding more biographical information about the main person in the story so that she was a more rounded character, and to add more historical information for those not familiar with the Civil War and the particular raid that was part of the story.

I needed help finding the over-arching universal theme of my story about my parents. I have told the story once before and it went well, but I was not sure why it went well, if that makes sense. I knew it was a big story, one of young love, war, immigration, good times and hardship, children, maturity, the 60's---so much in one story! I thought perhaps it was the real story of history, almost the backstory in a way because my parents weren't famous or in books, yet they, and so many others like them, actually lived the events that made their times. But I knew there was more, and I could not get to what that more was. I brought some things with me--photos of my parents and my Dad with his unit, Mom's luggage tags and the customs declaration that said her luggage consisted of one brown canvas carryall--imagine starting a new life in a country where you knew only one person, and having everything you owned in one brown carryall. The ephemera I brought with me added something to the story, and we also discussed its role and whether or not it was necessary.

In the afternoon our group changed slightly and we added three new members, and lost one. Those who remained retold their story from the morning and gained additional feedback from the new members. The new members brought a historical story of a family and a farm, a tall tale, and a telling of a Raggedy Ann story. We followed the same process of providing praise and feedback, brainstorming or asking questions as needed. It was in this session that enlightenment came to me through the insight of one group member: my parents' story follows the marriage vows--"to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part." That was what I was looking for and now I know what I need to do with this story.

The evening swap moved into the parlor in front of the Inn, which proved to be a good place for storytelling. We sat in a large circle and everyone told at least one story. We started with a funny story about moonshine, which led me to sing a moonshine song called Kentucky Bootlegger (or Boozefighters, take your pick)  that was just a perfect fit, which led to another moonshine story from another teller. And that's how it went--one story reminding someone of another story, or someone just remembering one they wanted to tell. I sang a ballad I am learning called The Outlandish Knight and told the ghost story about Gamble's Run which is located not far from Sistersville. We heard the story of how the chipmunk got his stripes, a few funny family stories, a haunting but wonderful story of how salvation came to a family through a train wreck and one teller even recited Little Orphan Annie --of course we all had to chime in on the chorus. A tall tale rounded out the evening.

So, many good tales told, and a new story created for our guild with our first ever storytellers retreat.

Storytellers Retreat: Post 1

This weekend was the first WV Storytelling Guild Storytellers Retreat. I admit, it was my brainchild and I was apprehensive as to how it would go. My idea was that a few storytellers would get together to work intensively on a story each teller would bring with them. By working in a small group and spending a good chunk of time listening and sharing our insights on each other's stories, I hoped that we would all leave with stories that benefited from the input of other tellers.

I was surprised at the enthusiastic reception my idea received from guild members. We have not had an opportunity to get together for some time and we were all hungry to reconnect. The beginning of March was a good time, and the Wells Inn in Sistersville offered us a good rate. The ducks were marching in a row, it seemed, and all the stars conspiring to make this idea work.

Friday evening about 15 of us arrived at the hotel, ready for our weekend adventure. The Inn provided dinner. I was astounded at the size of the portions and the excellent flavorings in each dish. We learned that the Inn had hired a chef and his skill was apparent in the offerings on the table. We stayed after dinner to talk, plan our work for the next day, and to have our first story swap. With some new members in the group, the evening provided an icebreaker and a chance to get to know everyone.

Saturday morning started out with another amazing meal. If you ordered the full English breakfast, you got bacon, sausage, AND ham, along with three eggs, toast, home fries, etc. Coffee flowed endlessly and the waitress was cheery and efficient. Since rain was predicted for the afternoon we decided to take a little time first to explore the town.

I have been to Sistersville many times over the past 10 years. It's sort of a home away from home for me; I suppose it is the small-town feel, the fine architecture, the Ohio River flowing by, and the sense of history that draws me. For most of our group, however, this was a first trip. We meandered downtown, then to the river and the old oil well exhibit.

Sistersville's oil and gas history is legendary in our state--at the height of the boom the population swelled from 200 to over 20,000 in a few months, and the houseboats at the moorings on the river were so thick that you could walk 20 miles on them and never touch ground. I love the numerous cupolas, neat architectural details, iron fences and the many examples of fine stained glass in the town's buildings, and took many photos of them which you will see in the coming days. And still, I only touched the tip of what is there to see.

After our morning tour we got to work. We divided into 3 groups, and each group had its own place to work. One group stayed in the conference room at the Wells Inn; a second group went down to the basement bar (still closed pending licensing) called the Wooden Derrick, and the third went across the street to the Gaslight Theater. In my group, each person was given 30 minutes to tell us about their story, tell as much of it as they wanted, and then the group provided feedback in the form of praise and suggestions. The process worked fairly well; the biggest problem I saw was that group members often wanted to talk about their own experiences instead of focusing on the story at hand--understandable for this first effort at this process.

Then it was lunch time. Once again the ample and delicious meal provided the backdrop for lively conversations and a chance to deepen our relationships. After lunch, the groups re-formed, with members shifting so that the afternoon groups provided new "ears" to hear the stories and provide feedback. I brought the story of my parents' meeting and marriage to work on, and by the time the afternoon session was over, I had some important new ideas that I will use to make this a strong story that I believe will become one of my very best.

Dinner found me still full from lunch! I knew that bread pudding was available as a dessert so I opted for a small salad and dessert for dinner. It was a wise decision because even then I could eat only half of my dessert. After dinner we moved to the parlor area that is still under construction and had another evening of swapping stories, singing and talking.

 About 11pm I snuck outside and took photos of some of the stained glass windows while they were lighted up. The rain was falling in a soft drizzle but the air was still fairly warm and the night walk invigorated me. We stayed up talking until around midnight, then I fell into bed and slept soundly until morning, not even hearing the night train that comes through town each evening, or the river barges that frequently pass on the Ohio River just a block or two from the hotel.

This morning we met again for breakfast and a reluctant farewell. The rain had turned to snow overnight, and as we drove away the lawns were being coated with a soft white blanket.

We were the first group the Wells Inn has hosted since re-opening for business on a limited scale last month. While the ongoing renovations are certainly visible, for us they added to the adventure of the weekend. Owner Charles Winslow gave us a tour of the work in progress and of the Gaslight Theater, and workers were more than happy to tell us anything we wanted to know.



(BTW, I don't think the Wells Inn has a webpage yet, but you can call them at 304-652-1312, or friend them on Facebook to keep up with renovations, etc).

Storytellers Retreat

I'm off for the weekend for the WV Storytelling Guild's retreat in Sistersville, WV. We'll be at the lovely Wells Inn. I am so looking forward to staying there again--last time was in 2008, and the Inn closed soon afterwards. Now it's open with a new owner, new menus, remodeled rooms, and more.

I think we'll have about a dozen storytellers coming to work in depth on a story for their repertoire. This is our first shot at something like this, so we'll see how it goes. It will be very good to see my storytelling friends again and to meet some new guild members.

I'll be back with photos and news on Sunday.

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.

Tellabration!

Off to Morgantown to tell stories at the Gluck Theatre at WVU's MountainLair. November is Tellabration month, established by JJ Pinkerton about 15 years ago. Originally intended as one day of storytelling internationally, Tellabration events have spread out to become a month-long event, with storytelling concerts all over the world. A proclamation is read that reminds all listeners of the interconnectivity of storytelling, and then the stories begin.

There are Tellabration events in many areas so check your local listings to see if there is one near you. Then go out and enjoy some fine entertainment. I guarantee you'll have a great time!

The West Virginia Book Festival: The End

The Book Festival is over for another year and I am kind of sad to see it end. It is a cray time for for me as I try to wear two hats all weekend: first hat is as a library staffer who has responsibilities for the giant used book sale, the second is the storyteller hat I wear when working in the storytelling guild's booth and performing at our festival events. It was easier for me this year because another teller took over responsibility for organizing tellers for the festival; all I had to do was be there for my telling time and work a while in the booth.

For guild members, the Book Festival is a time for us to get together to tell stories, meet listeners and talk to each other. Facetime is a rare opportunity for us, although we are finding more opportunities to be together as we add guild events to our annual calendar.

Storytellers: Donna Wilson, Suzi Whaples, Otto Ross, Paige Tighe, me, Bill Hairston, Keith Maynard and Katie Ross. This picture was taken on Sunday morning, so a few tellers had already left to head home. Notice that I brought my rocker from the porch with me? I planned to be comfortable when I had time to sit a while. It was apopular spot when I wasn't in it, too.

The used book sale is always a big deal for me. I like to help set it up on Friday, especially the Collector's Corner. That's also where I do most of my shopping, because there are so many books that relate to my interests in folklore, stories, and history.

Visitors to our booth browsed my materials but often seemed to be more interested in the free candy, like this lady. I did sell several copies of my new CD and met many interesting people throughout the weekend.

Across the aisle from our booth, WV Writers had an active booth too. I like having them as neighbors because I'm in both groups and writers are just good people to hang out with. It was encouraging to see such strong interest in the writers guild. Our booth stayed steadily busy all weekend. although sales were not as strong as in the past, I did make several good contacts for future performances, and the storytelling guild gained two new members.

Today I'm tired but not exhausted and a little sad to see the time with my storytelling friends be over, at least for now. Some of us will be together again in November at the WVU Mountaineer Week storytelling concert, so I'm looking ahead to that.

Things Upcoming

It's coming into a whirlwind of busyness (and business) for me.

First up: the Storytelling Guild will get together tonight to set up our booth at the West Virginia Book Festival. Friends, if you've never been to the Festival you're missing out on a fun, free good time. Lots of authors (featured this year is Richard Paul Evans, and Davit McAteer who wrote the book about Monongah), along with many, many others, and workshops, performances, etc.

Tomorrow morning I'll be at the Festival bright and early to help with the annual library book sale. It's huge this year; over twice as many books as last year, and tons more in the Collector's corner (my favorite part of the sale). Since I helped set up today, I got 5 books for free, and could buy the others that I wanted. So I have a box full of books in my car and will have to figure out what has to go when I get home because I tend to get over-run by books.

Then the Storytelling Guild will have its Children's Storytelling Concert at noon, followed by a performance by our featured teller, Donna Washington of North Carolina. After that, we'll have a panel discussion on telling stories to children. Bob Webb will be recording the concert for us, and we hope it will be worth making into a CD. Keep your fingers crossed for us! And come to listen if you can--it's free :-)

THEN we go to dinner, and hightail it to Ripley to put on a Ghost Stories and Music Concert at the Alpine Theatre. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids; come in costume and get a treat! We'll have refreshments too, so it should be a great time for everyone.

Next week I have storytelling events on Monday evening, all day Thursday and all day Friday, and Saturday morning. Thank goodness I have the week off from work! Three schools, a library and an Elderhostel are the venues for the week's storytelling.

Next week is quiet, except for my granddaughter's wedding on Saturday; then the following week storytelling picks up again with another Elderhostel performance, an all-day event on Oct 30, evening event that same day (more about that in another post), and an afternoon event on the 31st.

Somewhere in there I need to find time to make apple butter and get arthroscopic surgery on my #@&*! right knee. That should be an interesting feat. Oh, and go to work every now and then too!

West Virginia Storytelling Institute Report

Here they come! Registration was busy and excitement was high on Friday morning at the Falcon Center at Fairmont State University.

What was it all about?

Read on...




This weekend was the first Mountain State Storytelling Institute, and it was amazing. The planning by the Fairmont State University staff and students, and the efforts of WV Storytelling Guild member Jo Ann Dadisman produced an event that was nearly flawless in presentation.







The theme of the institute was Transmitting Culture, Transforming Lives. With Joseph Sobol and Bil Lepp as keynotes, the theme was explored through the context of the storytelling revival and the present interpretation of stories and storytelling by today's tellers, audiences and scholars.






Workshops ranged from crafting the lie to exploring Jack Tales, introduction to ballads, digital storytelling, storytelling games, African-American storytelling, and more. I presented my ballad workshop for the first time--the first session went well but I could see changes I could make to improve it. So the second session felt more satisfying to me--we'll see what the participants thought when the evaluations are tabulated.










One of the best parts of the Institute was being able to network with other storytellers. Joyce Geary and Kevin Cordi from Columbus, Gail Herman from Maryland, and guild members from around the state were all there. Donna Wilson from over the river (Ohio) rode with me and we talked story the whole way up and back. There is nothing like being with other tellers, and I realized how much I have missed by not going to conferences the past few years.





Attendance at this first-time event exceeded 100 and was composed of college students from WVU and Fairmont, teachers, librarians, storytellers, Toastmasters a few writers and a few just plain curious people.






Another first for us was publication of a collection of stories by WV Storytelling Guild members. Profiles of all contributors were included. The WV State Parks bought an ad in the book, and we were able to recoup the rest of our publishing expenses through sales during the Institute. Awesome!

Sales of presenters' materials were also brisk. Over half of the materials I brought to sell were sold. That was a nice plus.

I hope the Institute is offered again. There is much more to be explored, particularly in the Appalachian regional culture, both past and present. I left feeling that I want more; the Institute spoke to the heart of storytelling in this region, and I didn't want to leave.

Pictures from the top: Early Friday morning in the registration area; Donna Wilson taing care of the WVSG table; Bil Lepp preparing to give his keynote on Saturday morning; me at the start of my second ballad workshop (Granny, what gray hair you have!); Jason Burns (WVSG webmaster) and storyteller Ilene Evans; former coal miner-tirned storyteller Fred Powers and John Mullins, a guild member and contributor to our book).

West Virginia Book Festival

It's coming! This weekend, October 13 and 14, at the Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, WV.

With Karen Vuranch and Sarah Kezman at the storytellers booth in 2005

What is it? Books, authors, used book sale, publishers, workshops, poets, storytellers, kids' activities, Dance Dance Revolution at the Teen Zone, Storybook Parade, and lots more. This event is a blast for anyone who likes to read, write, listen or have fun.

I'll be there, with other storytellers, at the West Virginia Storytelling Guild's booth. There are sessions on storytelling on Saturday and Sunday, and a storytelling concert on Sunday at 2:00pm.

For a complete schedule, contact information, directions and anything else you might want to know about the festival, go to the festival website.

See you there!