Thursday, December 22, 2011

Song for Chloe: a tragic story of a young beauty. JB Rowley

A beautiful nude hangs in pride of place in Melbourne's much loved pub, Young and Jackson's. Opposite Flinders Street Station and with a view of the timetable clocks, for decades folk have enjoyed a beer or wine at Y and J's before before catching the train home. No guest of the Vic Guild escapes town without a trip to see Chloe and civilised glass of wine.

Vic storyteller and author JB Rowley, has explored the true story of Chloe in rhyming verse.

This is a song I have written for Chloe.
Well, I have written the words but I can’t write music so I guess it is just a poem!

She came to Australia long ago
The star at each and every show.
They gave her a place of honour for all to view
But the wowsers they made a hullabaloo.
Chloe’s a disgrace, standing in the nude,
Take her away, they said, she’s far too rude.
For a work of art ‘twas a dreadful snub
But she found a home at Henry’s pub.

Chorus
Long ago in Paris her name was Marie
But she’s our Chloe and always will be

The men they trooped from miles around
To drink with the queen of Melbourne town.
They brought their dreams and left their hearts
Then sailed away to war in distant parts,
Anzacs, Yanks, sailors, pilots and diggers all.
Then connies and truckies and fans of the football
And pollies and pensioners and workers from the farms
Deliriously, delightedly succumbed to her charms.

Chorus
Long ago in Paris her name was Marie
But she’s our Chloe and always will be

She’s our Chloe but in Paris her name was Marie
‘Twas there she mourned a love that was never to be.
Heartbroken and wretched she died, they say
When she drank the poison she made that day.
But she lives on still; our bar room queen
Untouchable, unattainable, smooth and serene,
Loved by all who come these days
To drink with her in the bar at Y and J’s.

Chorus
Long ago in Paris her name was Marie
But she’s our Chloe and always will be

Glossary:
pollies: politicians
truckies: truck drivers
wowsers: aggressively puritanical people
connies: tram conductors (phased out in Melbourne in 1996 which angered and saddened many Melbournians)
Yanks: a slang term for an American person sometimes used with affection and sometimes not. During WW2 the American servicemen were often regarded by their Australian counterparts with jealous anger because the Yanks, with their relatively high pay, had the resources to woo the local women.
Y & J’s: Young and Jackson’s hotel; a famous pub in Melbourne, Australia, at the corner of Flinders Street and Swanston Street.
ChloƩ: an award winning life size nude painted by French artist Jules Joseph Lefebvre in 1875.

More about Chloe here:

http://chloethebarroomqueen.wordpress.com

http://www.youngandjacksons.com.au/chloe.html

Storytelling Guild Vic welcomes Luis Correia Carmelo

Storytelling Guild Vic recently had the pleasure of welcoming Portuguese storyteller Luis Correia Carmelo to our beautiful city.

Some months ago, Luis contacted the Guild as he was planning to attend a conference organised by Victoria University, The Oral, The Written and Other Verbal Media. Looking for a place to stay while in Melbourne and some Australian storytellers to interview as part of his phD, Julie Perrin and Jackie Kerin were able to stretch out a friendly hand. Luis's visit was very brief so the usual gathering the Guild would organise for a special guest was not possible.

Both Jackie and Luis presented at the conference. Luis's paper was titled: From Male to female and back: personified death in traditional and artistic Portuguese storytelling. In his paper Luis analysed the gender shifts in how Death has been depicted in Portuguese folktale.

With so little time and battling jet lag, Luis was able to squeeze in a some sightseeing. Julie guided him through the Victoria Market and a bush walk at Cape Schanck. During the breaks in the conference Jackie was able able to to take him on a tour of the State Library of Victoria and the now, famously painted, Hosier Lane

It seems that having a a wine in the upstairs bar at Young and Jacksons with 'Chloe' has become a compulsory activity as far as the Vic Guild is concerned. Luis was duly led up the stairs and taken to meet the beautiful girl, so loved and so much part of Melbourne's story.

WIth the advent of the internet, it has been our pleasure to welcome several overseas storytellers - Naomi Wilds, Debbie Guneratne, Dr Nicola Clare Grove from the UK and Jan Andrews and Jennifer Caley form Canada.

And now with Vic storyteller, Gael Cresp organising gatherings on skype we will hopefully be meeting more wonderful tale spinners from around the world.

Skype Storytelling Cafe info here.


















Monday, December 5, 2011

News from Vic Guild co-ordinator Gael Cresp: Skype Story Cafe and AGM
















Skype Story Cafe
AGM

This blog has seen some wonderful reports of storytelling through this
year - it is heartening to see the variety of events and diversity of the
audience for our skills.

Skype Story Cafe
My main contribution this year has been a tentative beginning of an internet story cafe. A report of the first one is on this blog and our second attempt is to be on December 16. I am expecting tellers from New Zealand, The United Kingdom and from Germany to join folk from Queensland and Victoria.

Limitations of internet and technology keep the numbers small (maximum 6
people) but I hope this will improve with time.

The photo is one I took during the first internet story cafe. I keep reminding myself of jerky and grainy early new reel footage of horses and carriages in Melbourne and telling myself to be patient.

AGM
The AGM for the Guild will be held during the first weekend in March 2012 - either 3rd or 4th. Please keep this weekend free and look out for information about plans for storytelling in the future. To keep the Guild going we must have at least 6 committee members - the most critical of whichare a Public Officer (Secretary) and a Treasurer.

I would like to thank Jackie and Beth for their wonderful efforts to keep the blog and face book pages going this year.

Have a restful and happy time over the next few months and let's spring into the new year with enthusiasm and verve.

Gael Cresp

International School of Storytelling. Courses June - July 2012

click poster to enlarge

Dear friend of storytelling

In 2012 through the International School of Storytelling, Ashley Ramsden and I will offer an opportunity for you as new and experienced storytellers to deepen your familiarity with the language of the heart: storytelling.

We will offer two courses: a 3 week workshop 'The art of storytelling: where the heart comes alive' 25 June to 13 July, followed by a one week workshop 16 to 20 July 'Next steps: beyond the basics'. Both will be held at the Augustine Centre in Hawthorn.


If you have any queries, please email me clare@fabled.com.au. I'm currently in the UK working with Ashley and Roi Gal-Or on the 12 week course 'The now of storytelling' and won't be back in Australia until 23 December so my phone number is +44 7404 440 769. If you want to speak to someone in Melbourne, please contact Gillian Jones on 9459 8460 or 0411 340 407.

We will have a limited number of places in each workshop. Please contact me if you would like to reserve your place.

If you know of others who may like to hear about this, please spread the word through your networks.


With warmth and love

Clare

Sydney International Storytelling Conference 2012 June 1-3 2012

Dear Storytellers,
We are excited to announce that registrations are now open for attendance at the "Weaving Stories Together" - Sydney International Storytelling Conference 2012 . For information and to register go to www.storytellersnsw.org.au/conferences-and-festivals.html Take advantage of the Early, Earlybird rates!
Weaving Stories Together
Sydney International Storytelling Conference 2012
THE POWER OF STORIES
Hosted by the Australian Storytelling Guild (NSW) Inc
CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS FOR
WORKSHOPS, PERFORMANCES and POSTERS
This is a call to all and any who have a passion around the art and practice of Oral Storytelling to put in a proposal for workshop and/or performance and/or poster for the SydneyInternational Storytelling Conference scheduled for June 1-3 2012.

This conference promises to be a great opportunity for listeners and tellers of stories to develop skills, enjoy performances and interact with others who have a love of Storytelling.
The theme is THE POWER OF STORIES
1. We are seeking proposals for workshops around the following areas:.
  • Development of storytelling skills and techniques.
  • Storytelling in Education – Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Adult
  • Storytelling for building community – seniors, youth, church, business etc
  • Storytelling for healing and well being
  • Oral history and historical storytelling
  • Storytelling and culture
Workshop sessions are 100 minutes in length.
We are not looking for academic papers or talks. Workshops should be an engaging and interactive process for participants and concentrate on developing practical skills.
Please find call for contributions for workshops submission form at www.storytellersnsw.org.au/uploads/2012CALLworkshop.doc
2. We are seeking proposals for performance in concert
There will be two opportunities for public performance of stories
  1. Saturday evening concert 2. Sunday afternoon Family Concert
Please find call for contributions for performances submission form at www.storytellersnsw.org.au/uploads/2012CALLperformance.doc
3. We are seeking proposals for posters
This is a great opportunity to share your professional storytelling knowledge and research or information about a special storytelling project and meet others who have a belief in the ‘Power of Stories’
Please find call for contributions for poster session submission form at www.storytellersnsw.org.au/uploads/2012CALLposter.doc
Conference convenors - Christine Carlton and Cynthia Hartman - Australian Storytelling Guild NSW Inc www.storytellersnsw.org.au
Conference enquiries: Email: storynsw@gmail.com

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Rocket Clock Story Slam: “Surprise!". December 14, 2011

Rocket Clock Story Slam: “Surprise!"

It's the last Rocket Clock for the year and we’re looking for stories of the unexpected, the unpredicted and the unforeseen. Bolts from the blue. Mysterious packages. Secret birthday parties. Impromptu presents.

Pre-register your intent to tell by emailing rocketclockss@gmail.com or register on the night. Everyone is welcome to come along and listen, laugh, drink, cheer & weep.

Wednesday December 14, 2011
Doors open 7.30pm; slam kicks off 8.30pm.

Tickets:
$5 pre-sale (+ $2 booking fee) or $8 on the door. Book tickets now via the Bella Union website: http://www.bellaunion.com.au/ticketing/show_367/.

Bella Union
Level 1, Trades Hall
Corner of Victoria & Lygon Streets
Carlton South

What is Rocket Clock?

Rocket Clock is a monthly story slam competition. Ten people each have five minutes to tell a story around a particular theme. Judges in the audience rate each story on both content and performance. Everyone has a great time.

More info:

rocketclock.com.au
Rocket Clock on Twitter
Rocket Clock on Facebook

Monday, November 28, 2011

Mentone Library: an Author for all Seasons.















Mentone Public Subscription Library from L - R Julia Reichstein, Jackie Kerin, Beth Cregan, Matteo.

Vic Guild member, Julia Reichstein, has played a significant role in supporting and promoting our storytellers and authors throughout 2011. As the co- ordinator of the Author for all Seasons program, Julia invited Matteo, JB Rowley and Jackie Kerin to speak about their work and tell stories to the Mentone community.

Our storytellers live dispersed lives scattered around Victoria and the strength of our relationship is largely maintained by phone, *skype, and email; it's a rare moment to find four of us under one roof!

Beth Cregan, took over our Facebook from Cindy Lee Harper earlier this year and here we are meeting her for the first time.

Thanks to Julia for not only including oral storytelling in the Mentone program but also for bringing us together in an non-virtual way. You can read more about JB, Matteo, Beth and Jackie by browsing the links on the left of this page where you will also find the link to (Beth's) Facebook.


*Skype Cafe: A reminder.

If you would like to meet us on skype, Gael Cresp is planning another Skype Cafe. All welcome.







To participate contact: gael@lantanasystems.com.au

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Me and Phar Lap. Oral history, from mouth to page. Jan Wositzky

click on poster to enlarge

THE TOMMY WOODCOCK TAPES

Triple CD & Book

Me & Phar Lap: The remarkable life of Tommy Woodcock

Tommy Woodcock was the young man who looked after, and loved, Australia’s legendary racehorse, Phar Lap: the 1930 Melbourne Cup winner and the people’s champion of the Great Depression, who died mysteriously - cradled by Woodcock - in the US after winning the world’s richest race in Agua Caliente, Mexico.

Tommy Woodcock is also fondly remembered as the old man, who almost 50 years later trained the gallant Reckless, second in the 1977 Melbourne Cup, and who famously gave children rides on the stallion just before the race.

Now for the first time you can hear Tommy Woodcock himself, on a triple CD - The Tommy Woodcock Tapes.

These recordings were made in 1984 by storyteller/musician (and Bushwacker’s Band co-founder), Jan ‘Yarn’ Wositzky.

The two met when Tommy came to see one of Jan’s storytelling shows in the Yarrawonga Town Hall. After the show Jan sang Tommy a song about Phar Lap’s jockey, Jim Pike. In return, Tommy began recalling his days with Australia’s most loved racehorse.

Wositzky recalls the moment he knew he had to document Woodcock’s story: “Straight away I knew I was in the company of a superb yarn-spinner; a raconteur who could paint a picture and build a tale through dialogue, with emotion and sentiment, tracing a personal journey through one of Australia’s great legends - the story of Phar Lap. I realized I was listening to the national archives, straight from the horse’s mouth, if you’ll excuse the expression.”

So the two spent a fortnight on a farm near Yarrawonga, shortly before Tommy passed away, and recorded Tommy’s life story: his early days learning to ride up-country; his great mentors; as a jockey in 1920’s Sydney; Phar Lap; battling through the Great Depression and World War Two; his philosophy and training methods; Reckless; the tragedies and hilarities of life; the flood which ended his six decade career, and his retirement to Yarrawonga.

The result of these recordings is the triple CD and book – Me & Phar Lap: The remarkable life of Tommy Woodcock. The book also includes the most extensive analysis of Phar Lap’s death ever published.

DETAILS

THE TOMMY WOODCOCK TAPES

Me & Phar Lap: The remarkable life of Tommy Woodcock

Produced, linking narration and music by Jan ‘Yarn’ Wositzky.

Issued by The Storyteller’s Guide

Triple CD available from: www.storytellersguide.com.au

(Or if you don’t do computers please ring 0417 332 065)

THE BOOK

Me & Phar Lap: The remarkable life of Tommy Woodcock

Published by Slattery Media Group

Available in all good book stores.

Or mail order from: www.storytellersguide.com.au

CDs $40

Book $27.50

CDs & Book $62.50 (Save $5)

(All including postage)

MP3 Download (220 min.) $25

MEDIA CONTACT

For interviews, review copies, photographs & excerpts of The Tommy Woodcock Tapes for airplay:

Jan ‘Yarn’ Wositzky

0417 332 065

jan@storytellersguide.com.au

More details: www.meandpharlap.com.au

Facebook: Me & Phar Lap

Thursday, November 24, 2011

The Oral the Written and other Verbal Media. 12 to 14 December 2011

Hosted by Victoria University, the Oral, the Written and Other Verbal Media (OWOVM) Conference on Poetics and Discourse will be held in Melbourne, Australia from 12 to 14 December 2011.

With the theme of ‘Testimony, Witness, Authority: the politics and poetics of experience’, the conference brings together practitioners and researchers in a forum to explore the variety of ways experience is reproduced and cultures built through oral, written and other verbal media.

To be held at Victoria University’s city campus in Australia’s cultural capital, Melbourne, the 2011 conference will feature language, voice and text from scholars, composers and performers.

Vic Storyteller Jackie Kerin is presenting at the conference alongside Michael Hyde and Kristine Martin-McDonald in the session called: Tellable Stories.

Vic Guild also welcomes: storyteller, Luis Correia Carmelo from Portugal who will be presenting a paper titled: From Male to Female and Back: Personified Death in traditional and Artistic Portuguese Storytelling.

Details for The Oral the Written and other Verbal Media. Conference on Poetics and Discourse here.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Re-enchantment DVD and postcards.

Re-enchantment is an interactive multi-platform documentary project produced by RMIT University’s Adjunct Professor Sue Maslin, which explores why fairy stories continue to enchant, entertain, fascinate and horrify contemporary adult audiences.


Dear friends and storytellers,

Film Art Media is thrilled to announce the launch of the Re-enchantment DVD and postcards.

the DVD can now be ordered from all countries.


For those living everywhere else: http://filmartmedia.com/shop/re-enchantmenti.html

We'd also like to tell you about our SPECIAL END-OF-YEAR OFFER!!!

Buy a copy of the Re-enchantment DVD before the end of 2011 and receive a FREE set of six collector postcards – each depicting a scene from the iconic fairy tales featured in Re-enchantment: Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Snow White.

Kindest regards,
Sue Maslin (producer) and Sarah Gibson (writer/director)

Re-enchantment

Buy the DVD and postcards: http://filmartmedia.com/?p=1159
Explore the online documentary: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/re-enchantment/
Like us on Facebook and follow our fairy tale updates: http://www.facebook.com/reenchantment


JB Rowley @ The Hub

JB Rowley @ The Hub


Recently I was at The Hub at Docklands, Melbourne to conduct pre-school story time for the Indian festival of lights (Diwali). In the photo you can see me in action decked out in my salwar kameez (pants and shirt) and dupatta (head scarf) that I bought in India a few years ago. My storytelling apron is over the top as I was about to tell an apron story.

The blue fabric is the deep blue sea. As a precursor to stories about ocean creatures I use the fabric together with a chant. I ask the children to guess what ocean creatures might be in the story. Little Molly might say ‘dolphin’. I float the blue fabric over the head of the children and chant: Dolphins live in the deep blue sea, the deep blue sea. Dolphins live in the deep blue sea and I know because (looking straight at Molly) because Molly told me so. Even the shy kids are eager to join in with this little game when they realise their name will be used in the chant.

On this occasion I varied the game to fit in with Diwali. The goddess Lakshmi emerges from the turmoil of the ocean on Diwali night so I pretended a child might be Lakshmi. I floated the ‘deep blue sea’ over their heads then allowed it to drop gently on the head of a child and asked, “Is this Lakshmi?” Of course they laughed and cried ‘No’. I did the same with several of the children and then started the story.


The storytelling at The Hub is organised by: Melbourne Library Service

and I was booked by: The Storytelling Garden


Thursday, November 17, 2011

Emerson International School of Storytelling. Julie Perrin


julie perrin tellingwords




During the English summer I spent a couple of weeks at Emerson International School of Storytelling in East Sussex, about an hour south east of London. The school is nestled into the side of a hill in Forest Row, just a village away from the Ashdowne Forest, made famous by A.A. Milne.

I had heard about the school of storytelling. The most potent reports came in the stories of the people who’d been to Emerson. Two of the women, Monica Tesselaar and Christina Rowntree decided to offer ongoing workshops, which culminated in delightful happenings known as Located Stories. These events were held in private homes, the storytellers would choose the location in the house or garden; whichever most suited their themes. Stories were told from bathrooms, bedrooms laundries, backyards, sheds and firesides. There was a cross over between ‘professional’ and beginning storytellers. The delight and integrity made me curious about Emerson.

I wasn’t planning to go. The disappointing thing about having been around in any scene for some time is that you become suspicious of whether you really will learn anything new. All this was in my mind before Ashley Ramsden came to Melbourne last Easter. After I had attended a couple of days of his workshops I was hooked. I enrolled in a weeklong course called The storyteller at play.

Come the end of June I was in the storytelling hut, with 20 other souls from all parts of the globe. With impish wiliness, Roi Gai-or and Ashley Ramsden invited us at the very beginning of the workshop, to report back, as if it were the very end of the week.

“Oh, do you remember when we played that game?....” There was a lot of thigh slapping laughter.

Later they had us investigating the symptoms of happiness. Michael Leunig’s cartoon, ‘the seven varieties of ordinary happiness’ segued us into describing moments of our own ordinary happiness (grinding spices, smelling fresh cotton sheets, shaking the dirt from the roots of tiny weeds in the garden). Once we had basked in these exchanges we did an exercise prescribing homeopathic doses for one another. Small acts like sitting in the sun, reduced doses of screen time, more face to face human contact, naps, picnics, reading aloud…. Ah.

Just as I was about to leave I discovered there was a two-week course in Wonder Tales and Biographical stories. There is nothing closer to my heart than the resonance between traditional story and personal lived experience. The trick was that my return ticket to Australia left in the middle of it…

I presented Roi Gai-or with my dilemma. I would love to come back to do the course, this was my territory, and I was increasingly feeling that here was my Tribe. The problem was my return ticket, my obligations etc etc. As if Roi had known me all of my life, a little smile played around the corners of his mouth. “Well Julie,” he said, “I guess you are going to go away and then the day will come to make the decision and you will sit down and decide which mistake you are going to make!

As it turned out, I made the mistake of going back for more. But that, as they say, is another story…

Ashley Ramsden will be in Australia in June/July 2012 and Sue Hollingsworth in October 2012. For details of their visits email Clare Coburn clare@fabled.com.au

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Julie Perrin invites you to The Keys to Re-enchantment. 13 - 15 January 2012

An invitation from Julie Perrin....

If you would like to get the creative juices flowing in the new year, you are invited to 'The Keys to Re-enchantment' a weekend workshop on the Mornington Peninsula Jan 13 – 15, 2012.

I will be telling stories to assist my friend and colleague Julia Reid, a creative practices coach, whose work I find totally inspiring.




Early bird prices to Dec 13. Please pick up the phone if you would like to know more!
Click on the poster to enlarge and you can read all the details.



Sunday, November 13, 2011

JB Rowley was at Mentone Library on Saturday 24 September 2011

JB Rowley was at Mentone Library on Saturday 24 September 2011 wearing two hats; one as storyteller and one as author.


JB the author was talking about her novel, Whisper My Secret, to a warm and welcoming audience surrounded by shelves of books. When the moment arose for a little light relief JB the storyteller demonstrated the art of oral storytelling with a telling of A Reason to Beat Your Wifefrom Angela Carter’s Second Book of Fairytales.















The intimate setting of this small library allowed for chat and connection with the audience which

included Councillor Rosemary West from Kingston Council as well as local residents and library volunteers, such as Julia Reichstein who organised the series of monthly talks called An Author for all Seasons.




















Fellow storyteller and author of Phar Lap the Wonder Horse, Jackie Kerin, will be entertaining another (or perhaps the same) audience at Mentone on Saturday 26 November 2011.