AGM: Sunday 10th February followed by a Story Share. 2013

AGM: Sunday 10th February 2013 followed by a Story Share. (Special UK guest Martin Jefferd)

 It's that time of year! If you have been unable to make past gatherings - this is the one not to miss. It's your chance to be involved and contribute to the planning and ideas for 2013.

The AGM will last 60 mins - following on we will enjoy a café lunch (or bring along a lunch box if you prefer) then we shall reconvene for an informal Story Share.

AGM

Sunday 10 February

12.00 – 1.00 pm

We need five or six committee members: president, secretary / public officer, treasurer, maintainer of the membership list, Facebook coordinator, and Blog coordinator. Come along and have your say. What could we do better? What do we do well?

STORY SHARE

2.00 - 4.00pm

You are invited to meet other storytellers, share stories, achievements and plug your shows and ideas for 2013. New members especially welcome. UK storyteller, Martin Jefferd will be our special guest. Please keep your contribution to 15 mins or less.

Location

City Library (ask a librarian if you can’t find us)

AGM : Group Study Room

STORY SHARE: Majorca Room

253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne Victoria 3000 


The library is located in the CAE building on the corner of Degraves Street and Flinders Lane, between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets. (Melway reference: Map 1B, M9)

MEMBERSHIP 

• ·      Yearly Membership is $25
• ·      Membership makes you eligible for listing as a storyteller on The Storytelling Australia (Vic) website.
• ·      Your events and projects will be prioritised on our blog and Facebook attracting interest globally.
• ·      You will be adding your voice and ideas to a storytelling community that connects nationally, supports artists and professional development.

ABOUT STORYTELLING AUSTRALIA (VICTORIA)

Storytelling Australia (Victoria) was created over thirty years out of a love of traditional oral storytelling. Initially called the Storytelling Guild of Victoria, the focus was lifting folk tales off the page and placing them back on the tongue. Since that time there has been a name change, the storytellers have grown in numbers and skill and are now connected nationally and internationally with fellow practitioners.

These days Storytelling (Vic) tellers can be found sharing their work in schools, libraries, museums, art galleries and literary and folk festivals here and around the world. The stories they tell range from retold traditional, historical, the personal and the modern tall story. Some are also published writers, others use their skills to heal and some to teach.

At a time when Melbourne’s literary and cultural life has been recognised and the city listed as one of only five UNESCO Cities of Literature, oral storytelling is re-emerging and blossoming.

It could be said that the story is connected to the book, like blossom to fruit.

Storytelling Australia (Victoria)

President: Matteo matubrem@yahoo.com.au

Secretary: Anne Stewart anne@anneestewart.com.au. Phone: 0408 550 945408

Gael Cresp: Australian Storyteller working in the oral tradition and published author. 2013

Gael Cresp has been a member of Storytelling Australia (Vic) (formally Storytelling Guild of Victoria) since 1985. She has travelled widely around Australia and attended many National Conferences over the years. In the past, when the threads connecting Australian storytellers have seemed thin, Gael has frequently stepped up to the plate assuming roles within the storytelling community that others found beyond their skill. It’s a brave heart that voluntarily chairs a meeting attended by folk so gifted with the gab! Thank you Gael.

What came first - writing or storytelling?

Storytelling definitely came first! It generally takes several months of telling and re-telling a story (if only in my own head) for the words to arrange themselves in the correct order.

Is there a difference between a written tale and a told tale?

Eventually there is little difference but I find that intonation and gestures plus atmosphere carry a dimension in stories that are told that is much harder to achieve in written format. Then there are the picture books - again this format has an impact on the words and, sometimes, the tone of the story.

When did you become involved with Storytelling Australia and have you held any positions in the organisation?

I have been President, Treasurer and am currently Public Officer (although this should change at the soon-to-be-held AGM)

 What and who inspires you?

Other storytellers, the people who listen, those who ask questions and a desire to keep my family stories of how we came to this land and how we now live in it alive. These stories are important not only for my family but also for the Australian community as a whole. 

Who is your preferred audience?

I enjoy the challenge presented by 15 to 16 year olds who think that this grey haired old lady has nothing to offer them but I am happy to tell to anyone who will listen.

 What is your favourite children's book and why?

“The Little White Horse” by Elizabeth Gouge - it is a fantasy book set in Victorian times in England. It was the first chapter book I ever read and still lives in my mind (and on my bookshelves).

 Your favourite story?

I couldn’t really choose.

What is your most memorable moment at a storytelling session?

Very early in my storytelling I was with a group of 9 and 10 year olds at a Primary School in the northern suburbs of Melbourne - a very disadvantaged area with an extremely high migrant population. Deep into the telling of Bluebeard when the young woman held out the blood stained key and I mimed holding out my hand towards the children crowded together on the floor of the library the children gasped and all pulled away. From that moment on I was hooked on storytelling.

Another memorable moment was in the far north west of Tasmania with a group of 15 to 16 year olds who began the storytelling session staring out of the window in boredom. By the end of “Lady Ragnell” they were all watching me, absolutely still but with their heads still turned towards the window. They had become so engrossed in the story that they forgot to turn their heads to follow their eyes!

What changes have you seen in the storytelling networks in Australia and globally?

Contact via the internet, Facebook, Skype and this blog has lead to a great flowering of knowledge and chances for experiencing other ways of storytelling.

You are a great conference goer - what is the value of a storytelling conference?

Listening to others, seeing what works and what doesn’t, testing oneself among ones peers.

 What plans do you have in store for 2013?

I plan to get my web site up and running, maybe putting on a concert of storytelling near my home, finishing some of the stories I have in various drafts on my computer, put some more told stories on You Tube... Plans and plans. We will see how it all works out!

Gaels' Website will soon be appearing here.

Gael's commitment to ensuring storytellers connect and have their say is the stuff of legend. Here is the map and microphone she used in South Australia July 2011 when she chaired a lengthy meeting. We must also thank Shirley Way from Brisbane who is so tech savvy!

To purchase Gael's books - you can contact her directly.

The Biography of Gilbert Alexander Pig. (Cygnet/Benchmark, 1999 & Puffin, 2001)

and as The Tale of Gilbert Alexander Pig by Barefoot Books 2000. (UK & GB)

 Fish for Breakfast (A Windy Hollow Book, Benchmark, 2002)

$20 each or $35 for both (incl. GST and Postage)

Jackie Kerin, Spirit of Woodford Original Stories and Yarns Performance Award 2012

The Woodford Folk Festival (Queensland) is a five-day event packed with music, lectures, workshops, poetry, storytelling, dance … Visitors arrive from around the world to participate.

In recent years the Storytelling Award has been managed by David Hallett who does everything in his power to make sure that the trip is smooth – getting the short list out before the cost of air travel spikes, organizing a shuttle from the airport and generally being available and supportive.

I was thrilled to learn that Rachel Welsh had been shortlisted this year. I first heard Rachel tell a story at the Sydney International Storytelling Conference in 2012 and was hooked. This Woodford was particularly poignant for Rachel as 18 years prior, she had arrived at the first Woodford Festival with her eight day old daughter. At the time Rachel was on the organising group and in those very early days, hand wrote hundreds of festival tickets. She also managed a bar and venue called ‘The Club’ for a few years in the same spot that is now the ‘Duck’ (the storytelling venue this year).

The Spirit of Woodford Storytelling Award is the most generous offered in Australia. Even being shortlisted has its rewards which this year included a seasons camping ticket and two free tickets to the festival. This amounts to about $1000. For the lucky storyteller who wins the award, another $1000 plus a beautiful etched glass trophy is theirs to take home.

As a Victorian, these incentives are significant. I simply wouldn’t be able to afford to go without the free tickets and this year I had the fun of sharing the festival with my daughter.

I’m pleased to say that I was the 2012 recipient of The Spirit of W. I thank David Hallett and the Woodford team and sponsors. I have returned to Melbourne full of stories and ideas.

The Storytelling Award is promoted by Storytelling Australia (Vic) but of course information is available on the Woodford Website with the application form. Stories are between 5 – 10 minutes and the only stipulation is that the stories should, in some way, ‘lift the spirit’. This year the performance poets made a great splash; a few more classical storytellers would have provided a terrific balance.

Soooo ... Storytellers … get on board in 2013!

Learn more about :
Woodford Folk Festival

Jackie Kerin

An invitation from Luke Simmons and ‘bytestories’: Use the festive season's downtime and be creative!

Use the festive season's downtime and be creative!

An invitation from Luke Simmons and ‘bytestories’

Hello Storytellers,

I thought of getting in touch because, evidently, we share the same passion for story telling!

Based in St Kilda, I run www.bytestories.com which is a site dedicated to sharing short stories (approx. 250 word limit) based on real-life events.  i.e. Sad/funny/dangerous/profound "scenes" that people has witnessed while at home or abroad.

We launched version 1.0 of the site in October and we've tuned the site to appeal to everyday people that just want to share a story with friends as well as those that want to promote themselves and their work.  For example, I've got a number of comedians to post up some stories due to the way that we can help generate traffic for their social media and/or web page - plus I'm in charge of seeding it throughout social media as well.  Check out this link of Michael Connell's profile page.

In terms of a spoken form of our stories, we just shot a video with Michael Connell where he recited this story; http://www.bytestories.com/story/read/do-not-say-this-in-japan.  If this video proves popular throughout social media, perhaps there may be some opportunities for your group to become involved in some way/shape/form.  Please feel free to “like” us on Facebook to be given the link when it’s released in January.

I’d like to welcome members of Storytelling Australia (Vic), friends and colleagues to have a look at the site and share some tales.  It’s okay if they’ve previously been published or written.

Please contact me if you have any queries at all.

Kind (est) regards!

Luke

Luke Simmons

Director, bytestories.com

p - +61 424 722 963

e - luke@bytestories.com

f - /bytestories 

t - /bytestories