Travelling storyteller Dorte Hentschel has arrived from Berlin

Melbourne! 

For such a long time I was longing to get to know this other end of the world. As I was following the Storytelling Australia (Victoria) and their activities via the internet I got keen to get to know the people of the scene.

Since about four years I work as a storyteller in and around Berlin. I told stories in schools, kindergardens, libraries, galleries and at festivals. As well I do give workshops for storytelling and try to find out as much as I can about how to bring storytelling in its rural form into the world.

After four days of my stay I already was introduced to tell a story at the  Newport Fiddle and Folk Club. It was a great adventure and fun for me. Thank you!

The next three months I would be glad to meet storytellers who like to share experiences as well as stories. Since I have not made any fixed travel plans yet I'm open for every idea and direction to follow.

I'm happy to get messages from those who are interested in meeting. You can contact me easily via e-mail: doerte_hentschel@freenet.de

For those who might not have time for meeting but still want to know more about a part of my background I recommend the following web-page:

http://www.erzaehlzeit.de/index.php/en/

Hi Mum!

David Doyle would like to say thank you 2013

Irish storyteller David Doyle arrived in Melbourne in April 2013. His journey along the east coast to Brisbane, across to New Zealand, down to Tasmania, over to South Australia and back to Melbourne took the best part of 8 months.

All the way David has exchanged stories and songs at festivals, gatherings, in folk clubs, parks and the homes of Australian storytellers. He has probably met more Australian storytellers than any of us!

David currently lives in Plymouth in the UK and is part of a storytelling company called Stone Soup. If you are travelling in that direction look him up HERE

Storyteller Kate Lawrence will lead our Dreaming and Planning Day 2 March 2014

Kate Lawrence is many things …

At the heart of Kate’s work and life is community: a community lawyer for almost 20 years, development officer with local government and a community disaster preparedness worker and community recovery worker. Knowing this is central to understanding Kate’s focus as a storyteller.

‘In law I discovered a world of stories and it became my great honour to interview people to understand their story and then fit it into a legal solution.  My favourite law from an early stage was criminal law, no prizes for guessing how that connected to my love of story!  I spent a while teaching criminal law to prisoners but really I would just become enthralled in their stories…”And what happened then…?”’

Spending time with children has a way of reigniting a love of storytelling.

‘When I had children, I was reawakened to aspects of my own childhood that I remembered fondly.  And so in 1998 I began to explore the art of oral storytelling.  But I was still terrified to leave the printed page …’

Kate set out to learn the art.

‘I knew there was a Storytellers Guild* in Australia but there seemed no clear way to learn how to become a ‘storyteller’– there were no courses I could find and the choice of books was overwhelming. Then I discovered a podcast called The Art of Storytelling Show.  This had an amazing effect on me.  Each program, and there are over 100, is an interview with a storyteller, mostly from North America. The interviewee tells a story and then there is a wide ranging conversation about their storytelling practice, what they do, how they got into etc.’

*now Storytelling Australia (Victoria)

And Kate was hooked!

Kate will be leading the STORYTELLING AUSTRALIA (VICTORIA) DREAMING AND PLANNING DAY: to explore the why, what, how and who of advancing storytelling in Victoria (and Australia).

WHERE: *Boyd 207 City Road, Southbank

ROOM: The Assembly Hall

DATE: Sunday 2 March

TIME: 10.30am – 4.30pm

Melway reference: Map 1D, M6
 Tram: 55

Kate has been teaching storytelling to children throughout 2013 and has much to share about this experience. We look forward to interviewing Kate about this work in the future but in the meantime, visit Kate’s BLOG.

Kate has a terrific website where you can browse her current projects which include:

• Happy and Whole
• Coaching
• Group process

Christine Willison (Wales) is visiting Melbourne

Hello, I am a storyteller based in Wales (UK) I will be in Australia during December and January (December 7th until January 14th) visiting family and (of course) sharing stories. I would love to hook up with your membership at one of your sessions and can do a performance or workshop session or simply join in. Have a look at my website www.christinestories.co.uk. Also I have attached an image of the front cover of my book "Pembrokeshire Folk Tales" published by The History Press

I will be telling stories at Footscray Library, at a family session at 2pm on Thursday January 9th. I will have a few copies of my book (as baggage allowance determines) at this session. I would be grateful if you could circulate this to your membership.

I am a Trustee of the Society For Storytelling (UK) and hope that I can forge some good links with you.I look forward to meeting with you.  

I will get a simcard for my mobile when I arrive and let you know the number. In the meantime please get in touch by email which is on my website.

Best wishes

Christine Willison
http://www.christinestories.co.uk/

We look forward to meeting you Christine.
Storytellers if you have trouble contacting Christine, email me and I will forward her details. 
 jackiekerin.com.au

Niki na Meadhra announces the cancellation of Enchanted Evening November 2013

A message from Niki ...



I'm sad to announce that our final Enchanted Evening for 2013 has been cancelled. 

Thanks for all your support for this event over the last two years! 

Keep an eye out in 2014 for new storytelling events from Hearth Tales.

Niki na Meadhra
Hearth Tales: HERE

Congratulations Niki on a wonderful two years of Enchanted Evening. You have introduced many of us to stories we had never heard before and showcased some wonderful musicians and storytellers. And a special thanks on behalf of the Newport Fiddle and Folk Club for co hosting with Kate Lawrence,  Stories by the Fire for the Newport Festival in the depths of winter.

  

Griffith REVIEW 42, Once Upon a Time in OZ 2013

pic: Louisa John-Krol and Anne E Stewart

A number of Vic Storytellers gathered at the Trades Hall Bella Union Bar for an event to celebrate the publication of Griffith REVIEW 42, Once Upon a Time in OZ.

The panel of writers was asked to ponder the question: Is there any Australian fairy tale tradition?

I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion and was glad I made the trip into the city however I was disappointed that the panel didn’t pick apart the question, rather they discussed the substance of their essays in the Griffith REVIEW and these were not necessarily related to the topic. Or perhaps it was that my expectations were not met, a slip between what was on offer and my anticipation. I imagined I would learn something about the two Olgas - Olga Cohn, Olga Ernst and Katie Langloh Parker and perhaps some exploration of Bunyips? Did you know William Buckley claims to have seen several during his 30 years in the bush in the early 1800s - the first being in Lake Modewarre?

I understand that the REVIEW is a literary publication, but I was in attendance with four of Victoria’s finest storytellers working in the oral tradition. We have a tendency to leap between tales with roots in the oral tradition and the literary.  I would loved to have unpacked the dilemmas we face when attempting this with old Australian tales.

I bought a copy of the REVIEW and I’m devouring it with pleasure.  The essays, in particular have provided me with some substantial food for thought. Now I’m looking forward to the inaugural Australian Fairy Tale Conference in NSW in June 2014. And there, I’m sure I will get my dose of some serious Bunyip and Banksia Men analysis.

 Panel L- R Carmel Bird, Lucy Sussex, Rebecca-Anne Do Rozario, Jane Sullivan, Ali Alizadeh

One last thing,  JB Rowley’s version of the The Hobyas can be read HERE. If you don't know the Hobyas, I urge you to investigate.

Jackie K