Kate Lawrence: Story Wise gets wiser…

Jackie has asked (thank you Jackie) and I have provided. 

Here is a bit of an update from me and Story Wise, from here in the Macedon Ranges, (and pushing down into the big smoke).

Story Door, Woodend’s True Storytelling Night

Story Door on the first Friday of the month, has settled in and is steadily growing. No, a more accurate description would be that its growing in fits and starts – one-month full house, next month numbers drop, next month numbers are up again.

We started with 20 being a minimal crowd, and now that would be 30.  Full house about 50.  The tellers too have been increasing in number, with one night seeing us break the barrier and hear 11 tellers. 

A few things have helped Story Door grow: the support and excitement of the community, social media, regularity, the pub environment where people can eat and have a drink, and a separate room for the stories, where we can focus. 

But one of the biggest things that has contributed to the event’s success is the support of the experienced storytelling community. 

It’s been such a relief to me to have Jackie Kerin, Teena Hartnett, Peter Fernon and Cassis Lumb as regular storytellers.  I can, and do rely on these tellers to tell a great story and to really lift the standard of the night.  They show the audience and other tellers what to aspire to and aim for. 

But there are always a few spots left on the board when we get started, (sometimes as many as five) and so we see others having a go, planned and unplanned, repeat tellers who have caught the bug and others telling their first story.  And every month we have ripper stories.

Blogging

As well as Story Door, I’ve  been blogging weekly with reflections, stories, tips and tricks for personal storytelling (you can sign up here). 

Workshops

I’ve been running introductory storytelling workshops in Woodend, with more scheduled for Riddells Creek in July and I’ve also been building connections with true story lovers and learners in Melbourne with Melbourne’s True Storytelling Meet Up.  I had lots of fun giving a workshop at the NSW International Storytelling Festival, and the Willi Lit Festival, and I was a voice for oral storytelling on a panel at the Emerging Writers Festival.

Storytelling Projects:  Running Story Door has helped me to develop my storytelling MC skills and see how it is another form of holding safe space, in a story kind of way.  Bringing together workshops and performance in a storytelling project would be an amazing way to build community, make sense of life experiences and capture stories.   So I have set my sights, and hope to combine my skills and experiences to serve communities, be they geographical or experience based.  (And here’s a pitch: Any agencies looking for a wonderful community building, story-skill-developing project – I’d love to have a chat.)

Kate Lawrence – Story Wise

Please, if you are a member, follow Kate's example. If you have workshops, shows, reports and reviews or open mic events that you would like to share,  contact us. We spread as much Victorian story news as we can on our Facebook but this blog and our Newsletter is reserved for members and their projects. Jackie K (blog editor)

Newport Folk Festival 1-3 July

 STORIES BY THE FIRE

 As part of the Newport Folk Festival, Story Vic invites you all to Stories by the Fire. This is an open mic for Storytellers and poets. Hosted by the Mistress of story, Teena Hartnett. Come and listen or tell a tale. We welcome stories of all genres - 8 minutes or less.
Come and warm your toes by the fire and enjoy the good company.
NB You will need to be quick if you wish to get your name on the board. It fills up in a flash.
WHEN: Saturday 2 July
WHERE: Newport Scout Hall 6 Market Street Newport
TIME: 6.00 pm

TALES FROM THE FLYWAY 
at the Newport Folk Festival

 Jackie Kerin and Sarah Depasquale will be at the Festival with their Tales from the Flyway.
Together they will take you on a journey following the path of the migratory shore birds, from Hobsons Bay along the East Asian Australasian Flyway to Siberia and back. They pose the question: If we were to fly with the birds and visit some of the wetlands along the way, what stories might we hear?

WHEN: Saturday July 2
WHERE: The Substation
TIME: 2.00 pm

Check the Newport Folk Festival website for all the details, the full program of events and ticketing HERE

Fabled NIghts in Newport: June

 

Our numbers are growing every month and so is the amount of cake!
Stories of all kinds were shared in June: folk tales, personal stories, tall tales and a kamishibai story.

We welcomed Devi Palanisamy. Devi has moved to Melbourne from Singapore where she is part of the Storytelling Association (Singapore). Many of us have storytelling friends across the water to the north on Facebook but rarely do we get to meet and share stories.


Finally Alex and Miles (father and son team) stepped into the light and tandem told a story that traveling Irish storyteller David Doyle left with us on his last night in Australia; a story seed planted by a traveler, quietly nurtured and finally shared.



Next Fabled Nights in Newport is July 15
Time: 7.30 - 10.00
Where: Newport Scout Hall 6 Market Street Newport (opp Substation)
Cost: $5.00/3.00 (members)

Niki na Meadhra: RAW Garden Storytelling – July 3rd, 2016

Stories for the heart of Winter! Niki will come with ancient stories of the Queen of Winter, the ancient woman, who stirs the seas and brings the snow in Ireland and warmly invites you to bring your own mid-Winter stories, songs and thoughts to share.

 Niki na Meadhra is a professional storyteller, theatre artist and Creative Director of Hearth Tales. She has just returned from touring in Ireland, telling stories at festivals and concerts, and carrying out extensive research.

Passionate about her Irish ancestry, abundant in potent legend and folklore, she powerfully engages audiences of all ages in magical transporting stories, with wisdom and joy.

Where: The RAW Garden 325 South Road East Brighton 

Time: 12.00 - 2.00

Cost: $15.00 at the door

Learn more about the RAW garden HERE

Learn more about Niki HERE

Fabled Nights in Newport 17 June 2016

We're back in the Newport Scout Hall this Friday. Our numbers are growing to the point where one cake may no longer be sufficient!

Fabled Nights is not an open competition, just an open hearted space for all storytellers and story lovers. There will be space for ten people to tell their story of around 7 minutes. 
It is open to any and all genres of story.

COST: $3.00 (Storytelling Vic and Newport Fiddle and Folk Club members)
 $5.00 non members
WHEN:  7:30 pm - 10.00 pm
WHERE: THE NEWPORT SCOUT HALL: Market Street, Newport (opposite the Substation  and squeezed between the RSL and Bowls Club). By the Newport train station.

There will be tea/coffee and biccies/cake.
There are food venues in nearby Mason Street. Or feel free to bring some food and wine and make yourselves comfortable.

Storytelling Vic is hosting an open floor for the Newport Folk Festival, Saturday July 2: Stories by the Fire. Fabled Nights is an excellent place to come and practice your story for the festival. Storytellers who participate are given a wrist band which gives them fee access to festival events.

Check out the Newport Festival Program HERE

The Australian Fairy Tale Society’s 3rd Annual Conference 26 June 2016

Theme: Into the Bush - Its Beauty and Its Terror

Description:  Into the Woods,’ is a phrase that has become closely linked to the fairy tale genre. It conjures up all manner of fairy tale images, such as roguish wolves waiting behind trees and lost children stumbling upon gingerbread houses. But how does it translate into the Australian fairy tale tradition? For our third annual conference, we will be exploring what happens when we venture… ‘Into the Bush.’ Australian fairy tales reflect many of the realities of the bush, while also reimagining it as a space of magic and mystery. Whether it is depicted as real or otherworldly, the bush always encompasses duality – it is a place of both beauty and terror.

This one day conference is a feast of academic papers, performances, readings and feisty discussion.
It will be taking place 'inside' the Glen Eira Storytelling Festival so if you are hungry for more spoken word or literary stimulation there is plenty to explore.

Victorians you are lucky as previous conferences have taken place in NSW.

Visit the AFTS website for all the details, The full program is available, and you will need to register.
HERE

Glen Eira Storytelling Festival 18 June - 3 July 2016

Welcome to the Glen Eira Storytelling Festival - they have joined the Storytelling Australia Vic network.

WHEN: 18 June - 3 July
WHERE: multiple venues across the Glen Eira municipality, Melbourne
BOOKINGS: HERE

The Storytelling Festival has become the centrepiece of Glen Eira City Council's Arts and Culture program and within this festival you'll find exhibitions, historical tours, films, talks, open mic sessions and even an interactive collaborative art installation - all of which highlight the different ways we tell and share stories.

The Storytelling Festival will be held in a range of venues, including Glen Eira Town Hall, Caulfield; Council's libraries in Carnegie, Caulfield, Bentleigh and Elsternwick; local cafes and bars; and other venues across Glen Eira, with events to suit all age groups, budgets and interests.

Have a look at the program, there it much that will interest you. This festival celebrates storytelling in all its guises so if you are looking for the events that are specifically about oral storytelling here are a few tips to whet your curiosity.

Storytelling is a common and shared human experience that transcends culture, language and time. Through storytelling we come together and share our histories, our experiences and the important stories that have been handed down through generations.

Open mic opportunities
Scroll through the program and look for the orange mic, this marks all the open mic opportunities.

Story Peddlers
The Story Peddlers are bringing back the art of the roaming storyteller. 

  
The Australian Fairy Tale Conference: Into the Bush - Its beauty and Its terror
This is the Australian Fairy Tale Society's 3rd annual Conference
Performances, readings, artworks and academic papers.

Check out the breadth of the Glen Eira Storytelling program  HERE
NB For some sessions you will need to book.