New Ventures

Some new things are coming up for me. Maybe I will see you at one of these events?

First, Tellabration is coming to Beckley, WV's Tamarack Arts Center, for the 14th year, I believe. I remember participating in a Tellabration there in 1997, and the event has been held almost every year since then--and possibly before. Jodi French has been the organizer of the Beckley Tellabration since its inception and conitnues to do a fine job of putting the event together. Tellers will include Danny McMillion, Sue Atkinson, William Scott Hill and me. The telling starts at 2:00pm! You can find out more at Tamarack's events page. This is a good opportunity to do some shopping for some of West Virginia's finest arts and crafts and hear excellent storytelling too.

Second is a poetry reading at the Princeton, WV library with poets Sal Buttacci, Raymond Neely, and Rob Merritt. There are few opportunities for a poet to read his/her work, and I was delighted to be able to join these talented men to share our writing. This event is coming up soon, on Tuesday, November 30th at 6:00pm. If you're in the area, please do join us. You can find out more by calling the library at (304) 487-5045, and you can get directions to the library here.

Third, I was notified last week that my workshop on crafting stories from ballads has been accepted for the Virginia Storytelling Gathering to be held March 18-20, 2011 at Massanetta Springs Conference Center near Harrisonburg, Virginia. More information about the Gathering will be coming soon at the VASA website.

This last is not an event, but a new writing project. I will be writing book reviews and the occasional editorial for a new online poetry journal called Poetica Place, published by Middle Island Press. I am excited about this opportunity to share my thoughts in a new venue.

See why I need to retire from my full-time job? My part-time life is getting busier all the time with the things I truly love to do--gardening, writing, telling stories, singing. We hear often from professionals in the fields of mental health and human behavior that the way to happiness is to do what you love, and the rest will follow. I am finally willing to take that leap of faith, and get more excited as each day my retirement gets closer. How close? 174 days! Less than six months.

Home Again! Kentucky Storytelling Conference

We're home from our trip to the Kentucky Storytelling Conference. Any of you who blog or do Facebook know how it is to have close online friends that you have never met face to face. I've been a member of the Kentucky Storytelling Association for a couple years. I join the storytelling organizations in neighboring states because I want to support their work, and in the process I meet many good people.

I'd emailed or facebooked (is that a word?) with many members of the Kentucky group, but had met only a few of them in person, so I was looking forward to this trip. I had submitted a workshop on ballads that was accepted for the conference so I packed up my books, CDs, notes and Larry and we took off Friday morning.

Oddly I took few photos on this trip. I suppose it was because I was focused on my workshop, and the drive was a long one--about 8 hours--so there was not time to dillydally along the way as I like to do. We got on the interstates and pretty well stayed there.

The place was stayed was stunning. The Kentucky Dam Village Inn and Conference Center were in the part of Kentucky known as the Land Between the Lakes; huge TVA dams and lakes form a wonderland for water sport enthusiasts. Larry planned to do some exploring while I was at the conference, but unfortunately a rainy drizzly day changed his plans--so he stayed indoors mostly, and enjoyed that rare treat, a television!

I was intrigued by several aspects of this conference. First, the KSA has partnered with an organization that serves the deaf and hard of hearing, and a number of interpreters from that organization attended the conference. They provided signing for the workshops and storytelling sessions. If you have never seen an interpreter working with a storyteller, I can tell you it is a wonderful experience. Interpreters use facial expression and body language along with the sign language to interpret the stories, so they add wonderfully to the experience for both hearing and non-hearing listeners.

KSA also works with young tellers to develop new talent. These "torchbearers" can then advance to compete at the national level and perform at the National Storytelling Festival. Several young tellers attended the conference and a past winner who is now in college is a new board member for KSA. The inclusion of young tellers in the organization is important to the future of storytelling, and Kentucky is doing an excellent job of supporting and mentoring emerging talent.

In all organizations like this, volunteers provide the backbone that builds success. I met many people of all experience levels offering their services to help their organization grow and remain strong. The sense of "we're all in this together" was strong, and at the same time, there was none of the stress level I've noticed in other volunteer organizations. Maybe they just hide it well, but I don't think that is the case. The group worked well together, took responsibility and seemed committed to making the conference run smoothly. Great work by a great team.

Another interesting approach was how the storytelling sessions were handled. Often a few "featured" performers present a concert or two but in Kentucky there were multiple open mic sessions. Three hats were placed on the stage and a person could put their name in the hat that best described their experience level: tell a little, tell often, or tell a lot. This allowed the less experienced equal time and equal appreciation for their efforts. Names could only be submitted once during the conference, so everyone who wanted to had a good chance to perform.

There was one featured performer, Octavia Sexton. Her Appalachian heritage was evident in her tales that were flavored with a uniquely Kentucky seasoning and a healthy dose of strong Appalachian woman too. Olivia is best known, I learned, for her telling of Jack tales, those trickster stories that traveled to our mountains with early settlers from the British Isles. Octavia's humor and sense of timing made for a highly entertaining presentation. She's a master of her genre.


Brother Wolf of Ohio was at the conference as a presenter too. Brother Wolf produces the podcast series "The Art of Storytelling" along with other ventures. He has recorded almost 100 storytellers from across the US for his broadcasts, and was recently recognized for his work with a National Oracle Award for Service to Storytelling by the National Storytelling Network, which is a prestigious award in storytelling circles. He made use of his time in Kentucky to record an interview with Octavia on the topic of Jack tales, and also recorded an interview with me on Appalachian ballads. I am not sure when the interview will air, but will be sure to post a link to it here when it is available.

The drive home was for some reason easier than the drive down and we came back to a wonderfully warm house--we're still getting used to heat that stays on even when we're not here. Small blessings sometimes are the ones we appreciate most, aren't they?

Looking Ahead to Pittsburgh

The euphoria of Irish Week is behind me. I'm working like mad in the evenings to catch up with garden stuff. Bless Larry's heart, the man has been cutting up onions for the freezer and has done about 15 quart bags. What a guy. He also washes jars so they're ready for me in the evening.

I thought I'd make more dill pickles tonight, but instead I'm working on my workshop and stories for the Three Rivers Storytelling Festival in Pittsburgh this weekend. I'll be presenting a workshop on ballads, so I'm brushing off my memory, updating handouts and just thinking through the presentation. And wishing I had gone ahead and bought an iPod. I had a Zune and it was awesome but it stopped working, with all my stuff loaded on it. I decided it was too much trouble and didn't replace it, but as I prepare for this workshop I am thinking how simple it would be if everything was just loaded on a little iPod. Maybe by the time I do the workshop again in Kentucky in November I'll be back on the techie track again.

Which sounds weird--ancient ballads and technology. But technology is making the ballads more accessible than ever. Some kind souls with a lot of time on their hands have digitized the 5-volume Child ballads; other old, rare books are also digitized and available for free online. It's a regular smorgasbord for ballad scholars and hobbyists. And juxtaposed against that is the ballad singer, who after research, YouTube and downloads, learns and arranges a ballad and sings it in the traditional, unaccompanied style--just the singer and his or her voice.

I think I'm almost ready. Books and handouts are packed, notes have been read, CDs and player are packed. I just need to figure out what to wear, if the heat will continue through the weekend and find a map to the motel. Then I can relax and look forward to hearing the spell-binding tales of Tim Tingle and others, seeing old friends, and making new ones. Storytelling: it's still old-world in a new-world environment.

OOPS Conference

It was a late night getting in last night or perhaps I should say early this morning. We had a nice slow start on this rainy day, sleeping in until 9:30 (granddaughter Haley is here with her friend Haley and she said, "Granny, I've never seen you sleep in so late!" I have but not too often).

It was so good to be with storytelling friends again to talk about stories, listen to stories, and think about new stories to tell or ways to tell the old ones. Suzi Whaples and I rode together to the OOPS Storytelling Conference in Mount Vernon, Ohio and discovered a shared delight in visiting junk shops! We talked ourselves blue all the way to the conference.

Since we had a little free time early in the afternoon, Cathy Jo Smith, Suzi, Bizzie, Donna Wilson and I ventured downtown to the old town shopping area. Cathy and I stopped by this beautiful monument in downtown Mount Vernon, Ohio on our way to explore antique shops.

Bizzie Vundervink (I think that's how she spells it!) and Cathy Jo head off to the shops. There were many good places to browse and of course I came home with all sorts of oddities and niceties.

After the evening story swap on Friday, tellers gathered for more sharing. From top and clockwise: Bizzie, Sandy Messerly, Suzi Whaples, Donna Wilson, Rich Knoblich, Judy Sima (mostly hidden from view), Melanie Pratt. and Cristie Merke (I'm not sure of the spelling so if you know better please correct me!).

Saturday started with an olio performance (meaning a "miscellaneous mixture") by the workshop leaders. Suzi snapped this one of me during my story about Larry sliding down the coal chute. There was a nice turnout for the conference; like many events, attendance is down, probably due to the uncertain economy and the swine flu scare.

Later I offered my workshop on ballads for storytellers. What I enjoyed most was the give and take with the attendees, as they asked questions and shared their knowledge during the informal session. I discussed ballad history, how to learn ballads, sources, variations and other topics. As always, I learn as I teach and it was inspiring to see the interest displayed by those in attendance. Ballads are stories in song, so they are right at home at a storytelling conference.

Suzi Whaples presented workshop on telling stories from family history, but was so engrossed that I didn't take any pictures. Suzi reminded us to capture and tell those stories before they're lost with the ones who know them. It was an excellent presentation; I liked the hands-on segment where she had each participant select an object from the table and tell a family story they were reminded of by the item. I've used this technique myself in workshops and find it very effective in drawing people into remembering stories from their past.

I selected a bell, and told about how my mother always had a bell by her bed; if she rang it we children knew to come running to see what she needed. This bell was in use a good bit during her pregnancies, and later on she went high tech when Dad installed a doorbell buzzer by her bed that rang into the kitchen below! Mom was often sick when I was young and the bell was in frequent use.

Judy Sima of Michigan taught a session on using audience participation in children's storytelling. Much of what she said affirmed techniques I already use, but as always I found new inspiration in listening and thinking about the ideas presented. Judy included a group exercise that was good fun.

I was not able to attend Bizzie's session but I wish I had--just look at these hats! I'm pretty sure those who attended had a good time. I got to play with the hats later in the day.

The resource sales table was pretty busy all day.

In the evening a storytelling concert was held in the church sanctuary. It feels like a strange place for storytelling, but perhaps not, because after all Jesus used stories to teach lessons. The stained glass windows were glowing richly in the evening sun and I was just entranced by them. We listened to the swap preceding the concert and stayed for the first teller, Omope Daboiku from Cincinnati before leaving. I was sorry not to hear all the featured tellers but we still had to get our things from the motel and had more than 3 hours drive time ahead of us.

It was a good conference, energizing and inspiring. I have some new ideas to try, and best of all, some new friends in the Ohio storytelling world.

Today I'm preparing for next weekend: storytelling and two craft sessions for up to 100 children. We're off to Wal-Mart now (yuck) so I can finish buying the supplies I need, and to get ready for Derek's birthday party tonight. I'm glad it's raining again because I don't need to feel guilty about not getting into the gardens this weekend!

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).

Ballads, Ballads, Ballads

I'm almost ready for my workshop this weekend at the first-ever Mountain State Storytelling Institute at Fairmont State University.

This is a new workshop for me. I had a choice: storytelling with puppets or a ballad workshop. I decided I needed a challenge and chose to do the ballad one. There were times in the past few months I sorely regretted my choice, but now that the research and planning is done, I'm glad I decided to do it.

Because I learned so much in the process. I've listened to variations of ballads that came from the British Isles and Ireland to the Appalachian mountains, discovered singers I like, learned about ballad-singing families, read arguments about the sources of some ballads and the theories about what makes a ballad and what makes a folk song. And a lot more.

There is so much more to learn. Ballad scholarship goes back centuries, and today there are hundreds of learned people out there with vast knowledge of the topic. I'm a piker by comparison. But I am fascinated and will continue to study and learn as long as I can sing, probably.

The reason ballads draw me is two-fold: first, ballads tell stories, and I'm a storyteller. I'm intrigued by the storylines, the drama, and the imagery of ballads. Second, the melodies are generally easy for me to sing. My vocal range seems well-suited to these old songs; they feel comfortable in my mouth.

This weekend I hope I can share my love of ballads with those who take my workshop. We'll explore variations, learn a little history and I hope there will be a few singers in the group willing to share their favorites with us.

The dread is gone. Excitement and anticipation have replaced it!

Storyteller at Work

Not on the job, but preparing for it. Coming up soon is the WV Storytelling Institute at Fairmont State University, and I am presenting a new workshop. So today is research day, pulling together notes, books, CDs, and other resources that demonstrate the travels of ballads from the British Isles to the Appalachians.

Actually, similar workshops have been done probably many times over the years by different (and probably more knowledgeable) presenters. I wonder if what I can offer will be anything new or different to the scholarship that already exists on the topic. My goal is to present an introduction to the topic in an informal sharing session that will include discussion of some of the ballads and songs that I have identified as good examples for the workshop, listening to versions from over the seas and here in the mountains, singing a few that I know, and sharing resources for more study and listening.

So today, I'm listening and reading, seeking connective paths that will bring some cohesion to the presentation. I can't complain about my surroundings. It's a quiet peaceful day here on the hill, dreary but a good fire chases any chill.