Susan Pepper

Sometimes a story is so huge, it is impossible to tell and all you can do is experience the wonder

When I started storytelling I did a workshop with the American storyteller Harriet Mason who sadly died soon after she arrived home. One thing that she said stayed with me during my storytelling career – ‘if you can’t say what your story is about in one, or maybe 2, words, then you don’t know the story’. I found that discerning the one word or theme that encapsulates a story to be a useful thing to do when preparing it for telling. I was often surprised by the themes hidden within seemingly simple stories.

Recently I have been reflecting on the nature of stories in the light the epic rescue of the 13 soccer players in Thailand. Like many others, I have been absorbed in the story and overwhelmed by its hugeness. I have been considering it as ‘story’ rather than ‘news’, if I can make that distinction. From the perspective of a storyteller, this is a story overflowing witharchetypes - 

• Lost boys, and adventure

• Heroes risking their lives

• Desperate mothers and fathers

• Frog(men) – now renamed as seals

• Hundreds of helpers

• Storytellers (media)

• Witnesses - from all over the world

• Water, and rain, and more water

• Air, lots of air

• Fast running currents

• Jungle

• Warriors (soldiers)

• Dark – total blackness, and light

• Guides; experts

• Letters and messages

• A mini submarine

• Death, life, induced sleep

• Priests, religious rituals, prayers, meditation

• Doctors, helicopters, nurses, ambulances

• Food

• Promises and vows

• A princess (according to Thai legend the mountain range was the body of a reclining princess)

• And the King of Thailand*.

The range of emotions we have witnessed, or imagined,includes everything from deep fear, dread and grief to ecstatic jubilation. 

So where do you start to work out what the story is about?The value of life, the inevitability of death, love, rebirth, survival, being lost, risk-taking, heroism, international collaboration. All of the above, and more. I think the themes highlighted depends on which group of heroes you focus on, and there is a surfeit of heroes to choose from. It will be interesting to see what Hollywood makes of it. 

For me, I’m still overwhelmed by the wonder of it all. One word to encapsulate it all? I can’t find it,  not yet anyway. 

Susan Pepper
Sometime storyteller

* Not an exhaustive list!

Roslyn Quin: You’re never too old for a story!

We’re all great at recognising the benefits of story time for our children, but we neglect to notice how much good it could do for us too! So get cosy with us and beat the mid-week, mid-winter blues with a Winter Solstice storytime and free hot chocolate.

Roslyn Quin is a long-time member of Storytelling Australia Victoria and our gal in Eltham Libary. Loved for her thoughtful and respectful children's storytimes, Roslyn has something on offer for the grow-ups.

WHEN: Wednesday July 18
TIME: 4.30 pm - 5.30pm
WHERE: Warrandyte Library, 168 Yarra St, Warrandyte
 COST: Free

Noa Baum is coming to Australia April 2019

 Greeting Storytellers,

We have been contacted by Noa Baum who is planning a trip to Australia and would love meet you all. Please read her message and feel free to pass on.

Hello Storytellers of Australia,

 I'm an Israeli-American storyteller & author living in the Washington DC area.

I’m planning a trip to Australia for the first two weeks of APRIL 2019 and writing to ask for your help.

I’m looking for opportunities to work - offer a performance and/or workshop and would very much appreciate your suggestions.

Enclosed below is a small sample of programs and workshops as well as link to my recent TEDx talk. for video samples and more program descriptions and offerings for families and children please visit my website, my FB page and some information on my award winning memoir:
Author: A Land Twice Promised - An Israeli Woman's Quest for Peace

Any suggestions are welcome - I’m happy to offer house concerts too. Please contact me directly:
noakrbaum@gmail.com

Thanks so much! I look forward to connecting with you!

Noa

Watch Noa's TEDx talk, Beyond Labels - Bridging Differences through Storytelling


SAMPLE OF STORYTELLING PROGRAMS

Dolls in My Pocket
At the crossroads of Jerusalem and Baba Yaga’s hut, a journey into timeless tangles of mothers, daughters and secrets of dolls.

Impossible to Translate But I’ll Try - Personal, True-Life Israeli stories

A Land Twice Promised - Palestinian and Israeli women's stories - My personal story of friendship with a Palestinian woman and the stories of our mothers. see excerpts.

A Taste of the Garden of Eden - a celebration of the Jewish tradition with tales of wonder, magic and faith.

SAMPLE OF WORKSHOPS

1. COME ON IN – WELCOMING AND UNDERSTANDING THE STRANGER
Building bridges of understanding and tolerance in communities and organizations

2. STORIES OLD AND NEW - A PATH TO HEALING AND RESILIENCE ***
Interweaving traditional and personal stories to foster connection and transformation.

3. BEYOND LABELS: BRIDGING DIFFERENCES THROUGH STORYTELLING
Opening a path to dialogue, collaboration and peace.

4. THE ART OF STORYTELLING
Introducing the power of the oral language and tradition.

5. MORE THAN WORDS - WAKE UP YOUR EXPRESSIVE POTENTIAL
Developing performance skills and creative expression.

6. HIDDEN TREASURES: YOUR STORY AS A GIFT
Using storytelling to build community and develop skills for personal growth and transformation.

Kim Billington: THERAPEUTIC STORYTELLING WORKSHOP 21st September

Suitable for counsellors, psychologists and teachers

WHEN: Friday 21st September, 9-4pm
WHERE: Ashburton
REGISTRATION, LOCATION and other DETAILS: HERE
 
About the Workshop
Learn storytelling methods and explore folktales which can help children (and adults) who are facing challenges. Enrich your therapeutic relationships and create opportunities to explore the effects of trauma and loss and create hope and healing.

Course overview
Learn how the ancient art of storytelling can help to understand and tolerate the stresses of life. Experience first-hand a method to enrich therapeutic relationships and create opportunities to explore the effects of trauma and loss.
Stories contain hidden messages about possible ways of overcoming adversity. Stories use metaphors that can change the way we see ourselves and our world. They help to connect us to each other and help in finding meaning and hope.  Storytelling encompasses both external therapeutic input and child-directed healing.


Workshop Facilitator
Kim Billington - Masters in Counselling; Masters in Narrative Therapy and Community Work.

 












 Included in the workshop price

• 6 CPD points/hours (12 hours for AASW members)
• Comprehensive Bound Seminar Workbook
• Certificate of Attendance
• Lunch, Morning & Afternoon Teas
• GST
• 9am - 4pm Training
• Early bird savings for bookings made two months prior to training.

Storytelling Melbourne - Expressive Art Therapy
www.artandplaytherapytraining.com.au

Thank you for for sharing with us Kim

Kate Lawrence

Fantastic Feminist Folktales

Congratulations to Kate Lawrence on the launch of her first one woman show.


On a freezing Friday night in June, to a packed house, Kate had the audience laughing, crying and feeling everything in between.

In the folktales Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty are given a thoughtful, contemporary make-over; the transitions and twists are seamless and the language rich, powerful and at times poetic. The story of Joan of Arc, as researched and told by Kate, is both a revelation and heart-wrenching.

Kate runs the only women's only storytelling night in Melbourne; she also offers workshops and coaching.

To learn of all the storytelling work Kate offers visit her website and sign up for news.

And a big thanks to Kate for all the time she puts into Storytelling Australia Victoria as vice president, website and public officer. We'd be lost without you Kate.

INVITATION: Udaipur Tales Storytelling Festival

Dear storytellers and lovers of a good tale, 

Rananjay Singh Bhandari has contacted Storytelling Australia Victoria with an invitation to you all to learn about the Udaipur Festival. 

Durgah Devi Palanisamy and I had a lengthy chat with Rananjay and as a result he has sent us some information to share and also recorded a video message for you.

Please read and watch the video. And if you wish to follow up, Rananjay's contact details are included.

Warm wishes to you all,
Jackie Kerin



I am Rananjay Singh Bhandari, the Creative Director at Udaipur Tales. Udaipur Tales is a storytelling platform, based in India, that has a passion for the oral tradition of storytelling. 

In Feb 2017, we organised the 1st Udaipur Tales Storytelling Festival in the city of Udaipur, Rajasthan, where storytellers from India and abroad came to the city of lakes to take the audience on a journey of tales from the present and the past.  

We are currently looking for storytellers for the 2nd Udaipur Tales International Storytelling Festival which will take place in Udaipur between 30th November - 2nd December. I would be very interested to know more about the work you do and would also like to discuss the possibilities of future collaborations. 

Please visit our Facebook Page for information, videos and photographs of the storytellers and events featured at out inaugural festival.

Please contact me for any further information you need about Udaipur Tales and our work.

Rananjay Singh Bhnadari
(Creative Director)
Udaipur Tales Pvt Ltd.
+91 9871591116 udaipurtalesstudio@gmail.com  

WORKSHOP: July 15

The AKA (Australian Kamishibai Association) 

Kamishibai Workshop for Tellers, Writers, and Illustrators. 

Already caught the Kamishibai bug? Want to up your skills a notch (or two) in telling, writing and/or illustrating kamishibai stories? This is our first workshop for adults.

 

SPOTS AVAILABLE for 10 people

TO SAVE A SPOT: please text us a message: 0412 210 098 or if you are on Face book you can message us via that platform.

TO CANCEL A SPOT: please send us a message so we can let others in.

FEE of $10 goes to room rent and the AKA workshop kit materials. 

YOU MAY BRING

• Kamishibai stories you're working on
• Snacks and drinks

VENUE: The City Library Group Study Room  253-265 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. 

 *wheelchair accessible

Join us as we share: 

• our individual styles of approaching kamishibai
• workshop Dani's "Sally the Sea Turtle" story
• see how picture book stories can translate to kamishibai format 

Don't worry if you don't have a kamishibai stage. We'll take time to talk about stages: the various sizes (pros and cons), how to make your own or buy one on line.

This workshop is organized by the AKA moderators - Jackie Kerin, Anna Manuel, Dani Bücheler-Scott, and Tetsuta Watanabe. 

The AKA is a member of Storytelling Australia Victoria. We thank SAV for their support.

We have a Facebook Group where we connect and share ideas.

And a Page where you can follow our events.

Stories Stories Stories: by the fire and in the garden

What a weekend of stories it has been.

Much has been shared on Facebook but for those of you who couldn't be with us and who don't subscribe to that platform, here are some photographs of both events to enjoy.

Stories by the Fire on June 30th

On Saturday evening storytellers gathered as part of the Newport Folk Festival. In the Old Scout Hall, with the fire blazing and soup and chai simmering, the stories found wings.

The old Newport Scout Hall

Edith , the youngest storyteller

The evening was supported by a team from Storytelling Australia Vic who not only hosted (thanks Matt McArthur), lugged lights and baked gluten free cake (thanks Kate Lawrence), tweaked soup, baked cake, buttered bread and remained unflappable in the kitchen (thanks Cameron Sharp), and crossed town in with soup and sweets (thanks Mariam Issa and Devi Palanisamy). And thank you No Worries Curries for donating the chai.

James Howard channeling Henry Lawson

Jackie and Cam dishing up the soup

Stories in the RAW Garden on July 1st

The cold didn't dampen the spirits of the RAW regulars. Normally hosted by Durgah Devi Palanisamy, Dee was unavailable and Daniela Bücheler-Scott stepped into Dee's shoes. Storytellers never shy away from celebrating a birthday. Happy birthday Dani!

Daniela Bücheler-Scott

Mariam Issa in conversation with young storyteller

Children are always welcomed into the circle at RAW.

RAW Garden Storytelling is held February - November on the first Sunday on the month. Check the calendar on the HOME page of our website for details. HERE