Monday, December 29, 2014

2014 in a nutshell and welcoming 2015


It’s been a big year for Storytelling Australia Victoria.

2014

World Storytelling Day: For the first time we celebrated World Storytelling Day. This was organized and hosted by Teena Hartnett and several of us are now keen to see it as an annual celebration. WSD brought us closer to our Dutch and Canadian cousins, as we rode their wave of enthusiasm. Thank you to Melanie Plag (Netherlands) for encouraging us to submit videos that were fun to make and enjoyed around the world. HERE  The 2015 theme is “Wishes”.

Stories by the Fire: Once again, we ran an open floor event at the Newport Folk Festival. We thank all those (you know who you are) who rocked up with cake, sausage rolls, ginger biscuits and stories. We have been hosting open storytelling for this Festival since 2009, an event inside an event where storytellers with all levels of interest and experience gather and share tales. Graciously hosted by Teena Hartnett.

Words on the Wind: Our key event, a series of six storytelling shows and a workshop, made possible by Melbourne City Council grants and in partnership with the Library at The Dock.  Curated by Anne E Stewart and assisted by Jackie Kerin, the project enabled storytellers to research and develop new material and present the results in a small theatre. The WoW workshop, facilitated by Clare Coburn, was the only one this year and served as a reminder of how valuable these learning opportunities are. We thank Anne who worked long hours on this project.

Here there and everywhere: Members and friends popped up at Festivals (Bendigo, The Village, Port Fairy, The National, Cygnet, Words in Winter, Williamstown), in schools, childcare centers, inside an inflatable fish, at conferences, in cafes, bars, libraries, parks, in streets and Town Halls … in Wonthaggi, Castlemaine, Trentham, Daylesford, Bacchus Marsh, Emerald and Eltham … this list goes on ...

Website: Building on the work of Anne E Stewart,  Kate Lawrence is continuing to create a welcoming space for storytellers of all kinds to connect. Our site is growing in response to the energy that you have sent our way. It’s a work in progress as resources and events are slowly being added. HERE

Facebook:  remains a preferred way to connect and maintain relationships. And this blog/newsletter hopefully fills in the space for folk who are not keen on Fb.

Thank you: SAV has worked to address the organisational housekeeping issues that go with incorporation and name change and I thank Teena Hartnett,  Ronda Gault, Louisa John-Krol, Suzanne Sandow, Cindy-Lee Harper, Gael Cresp, Jan “Yarn” Wositzsky”, Anne E Stewart and Kate Lawrence for their time, patience, guidance and support.

2015 PROJECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES:
Ideas in action: To feed your curiosity about the oral tradition
  • Workshop: Myth and Reality: the magic and realism of the ‘Mabinogion HERE
  • The Mahabharata Project  HERE
  • The Victorian Fairy Tale Ring HERE 

Ideas in development:
  • World Storytelling Day
  • Monthly Story Exchange
  • Workshops June and July (personal storytelling)

JOINING STORYTELLING AUSTRALIA VICTORIA
It’s now easy to join or renew your membership. Membership gives you a discount to SAV events and enables you to join the committee and play an active role in planning. You can also be listed on the website. HERE 

JOINING THE COMMITTEE
If you are a member and would like to join the committee we would welcome you. We meet monthly by teleconference and we are also exploring metropolitan and regional gatherings.  Enquiries: storytellingvic@live.com.au

As we celebrate the passing of 2014 and the beginning of a New Year, on behalf of Storytelling Australia Victoria, I wish you peace wherever you may be. 

Jackie K (president and blog editor)