Sunday, May 13, 2012

Woodend Winter Arts Festival 9 June 2012: Jan 'Yarn' Wositzky

Yarns at the (Vic Hotel) Pub

Jan 'Yarn' Wositzky

Upstairs at the Victoria Hotel

Saturday 9 June, 5.30pm – 7.00pm

FREE

It’s an old Australian tradition, so join Jan for a yarn at the pub. He’ll bring his songs and stories of utopian dreams and you bring yours: immigrant dreams that became reality; political dreams that failed; personal dreams. Never told a yarn in a pub before? Here’s your chance. Jan will support novices. There’s no pass or fail but there are rules: leave your opinions at home, and don't be boring.

Storytellers and authors for Book Week 2012

Book Week Saturday 18 – Friday 24 August.

Theme: Champions Read.

Storytelling Australia (Vic) boasts a list of wonderful storytellers. We have made it easy for you to explore their talents and contact them directly. They are listed under LINKS on the left side of this blog. You will discover there is great variety amongst our tellers.

However if you are looking for a storyteller who is also a published author you might like to investigate the following. I think you will find all these storytellers have a tale to tell about a champion.

Gael Cresp (primary)

Fish for Breakfast (Illustrator Anna Pignataro, pub. Windy Hollow) tells the story of brave and resourceful Rebecca who helps a bird feed her hungry chicks.

Gilbert Alexander Pig (Illustrator David Cox, pub. Winy Hollow) shows courage in dealing with a wolf who would like to eat him up.

Learn more about Gael here.

Jackie Kerin (primary and secondary)

Phar Lap the wonder horse (Illustrated by Patricia Mullins, pub. Museum Victoria). When Jackie chose to write about this champion she had no idea how much research was involved and then she decided to write the story in verse! Her second book Lyrebird! a true story will be out shortly and promises to be another winner.

To purchase Phar Lap the wonder horse: Melbourne Museum, Boomerang Books

Learn more about Jackie here

JB Rowley (secondary and primary)

Trapped in Gondwana. JB has entered the world of digital publishing. Trapped in Gondwana is the first in a series written for middle to upper primary age readers. This adventure is a clever blend of fantasy and science. Learn about the animals that lived on the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana while following the adventures of feisty 11 year-old Nellie Russell.

Whisper My Secret is a the true story of a young woman whose children were taken away from her at a time in Australia when women were often powerless. Somehow she found the strength to remarry and start a new family, locking her secret away until one day ... JB unravels her mother’s secret with skill and care.

To Purchase:

Whisper My Secret: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JP88NA

Trapped in Gondwana: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007S8YVE8

Learn more about JB Rowley here

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Jan Wositzky: Newport Folk Festival 7 July 2012

Jan 'Yarn' Wositzky is a feature storyteller at the Newport Folk Festival.

In 1984, Jan 'Yarn' Wositzky was lucky enough to record the life story of Phar Lap's strapper and legendary horseman, Tommy Woodcock (1905-1985).

Now those recordings are a book and CD set, titled 'Me & Phar Lap', and Jan is out and about with a talk- cum-show titled 'Phar Lap, Tommy and Me', where he plays and sings about Tommy and Phar Lap, recounts the story using the voice of Tommy himself, and delves into the mysteries surrounding one of Australia's big stories. But most of all it's a love story between a horse and a man, and audiences such as at the National Folk Festival have loved it as a listening experience of rare poignancy and humour.

Jan 'Yarn' Wositzky is a storyteller/musician with a 40 year career behind him, beginning as a founder of The Bushwackers Band in 1971, and taking him through theatre, broadcasting, documentary film making, publishing and his unique brand of solo shows that mix story, music, poetry and song. (www.janwositzky.com.au)

Full details about the Newport Folk Festival here.

Monday, May 7, 2012