Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Invitation to WORLD STORYTELLING DAY 2014


Storytelling Australia (Victoria)
invites you to celebrate
WORLD STORYTELLING DAY 
This year the theme is MONSTERS and DRAGONS
 WSD logo designed by Mats Rehnman

World Storytelling Day is a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling. Its celebrated every year on the first day of the autumn equinox in the southern hemisphere and the spring equinox in the north.

Our inaugural event started with an invitation from the Dutch Storytelling Foundation, they were inspired by the Swedes and the Canadians

Come and listen to storytellers, Niki na Meadhra, Roslyn Quin, Kate Lawrence, Anne E Stewart, Jackie Kerin,Teena Hartnett and others. 

If you wish to tell a story contact Teena Hartnett oden77@gmail.com or Anne E Stewart. anne@anneestewart.com.au

Date: Saturday 22nd March
Time: 11am -1pm
Where: BOYD Community Hub, 207 City Road, Southbank
Melway reference: Map 1D, M6
 Tram: 55

The Boyd will also be celebrating with a community arts day that includes the painting of a giant rangoli, fence weaving, live music, and a BBQ with Rotary and the KereKere cafe will be open.

NB WSD logo designed by Mats Rehnman

Port Fairy Folk Music Festival 7 – 9 March 2014


The Australian Storytelling Telling (Victoria) banner will be flying.


I’ll be at the Festival alongside Jim Haynes, Bill Kerns and Greg Jenkins

Jim Haynes has a new book out, The Best Australian Yarns and other true stories. Jim’s collection is a great compliment to the work of Bill Wannan, Graham Seal and the Oxford Companion of  Australian Folklore. For those of you interested in the Australian oral tradition, the book is chock full of tall stories from the bush, racetrack, shearing shed, railways and show business, Aboriginal stories and humour, diggers yarns, ghosts, monsters, Yowies …

I’d love to meet any storytellers at these events. Particularly the Pat Glover Award – participation is what keeps it going! Jim’s book is dedicated to the memory of Pat who passed away in 2005 – ‘the Port Fairy
Shanakee’.

This is the program but do check when you get there.

Saturday
12.00 - 1.15   Tellable Tales (Lecture Hall)
2.30 Jim Haynes Book Launch St Pat's Hall

Sunday
12.00 True Blue/: Are stories better in rhyme, prose or song? Jim, Jackie and Bill (I think St Pat's Hall)
2.00 - 3.00 Workshop Lecture Hall
3.00 Pat Glover Story Award. Lecture Hall


Jackie Kerin HERE
Port Fairy Folk Music Festival HERE

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Niki Na Meadhra and Enchanted Evening returns 2 March 2014


Enchanted Evening returns, Sunday 2nd March, to welcome Autumn with special guest storyteller Teena Hartnett and musicians Chris de Groot and Callum Moncrieff. Teena and I will explore themes arising from the beginning of Autumn in stories from around the world, woven together with the musical magic of Chris and Callum.

Enchanted Evening will only take place 4 times this year - to welcome Autumn, Winter, Spring and to celebrate Halloween.

We are also introducing two NEW events soon - one for children and their families, "Ears and Tales" and one exploring the dark side of the Feminine in myths and stories, "A Night With Mother Nyx." You can always get info about Hearth Tales events on this page, or join our mailing list at dracohearth@gmail.com


Niki Na Meadhra

The Inaugural Australian Fairy Tale Society Conference 9 June 2014

We are a national not-for-profit society focussed on collecting, preserving, discussing, sharing, and creating Australian fairy tales. Our aim is to encourage academics, writers, artists, performers and enthusiasts from around the country to network and share all things fairy tale through a national website and annual conferences. In 2014 we will also begin a Sydney based fairy tale discussion and performance group, and we hope to see new groups sprouting in your local area too.

http://www.faeriebard.com/afts/
Contact: Reilly McCarron or Jo Henwood austfairytales@gmail.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/austfairytales 


Wednesday, February 12, 2014

The Federation for European Storytelling and the Swedish Storytelling Network invite you to the FEST conference 2014.


Federation for European Storytelling and the Swedish Storytelling Network invite you to the FEST conference 2014. This year it will take place in the Storytelling region of Västerbotten, in the north of Sweden. The theme of this year’s conference is “Storytelling in movement” and aligned with the storytelling tradition we will be moving in time and place, by coach, between Skellefteå – the storytelling Town, Malå – a place for Sami tradition and Umeå the European Capital of Culture 2014.

There will also be time for sharing and networking and at the same time you will get to know the Swedish Storytelling tradition, from North to South!

A wonderful opportunity to connect with storytellers, producers, directors, teachers from around the world and weave our groups and individuals into the picture and bring back the good oil! Hope someone can make it and keep the Australian storytellers in the frame. I represented Storytelling Australia (Vic) last year. Happy to talk to you and share my experience.

Jackie Kerin http://www.jackiekerin.com.au/

FEST: HERE


Monday, February 10, 2014

Irish Joe Lynch and the tale of Oisín Tír na hÓige


In Australia, summer and autumn is the time for the largest festivals. Well they pop up all year round but between December and April there is the Woodford Folk Festival , The National Folk Festival and the Port Fairy Folk Music Festival. There are also festivals like the Cygnet Folk Festival (Tasmania) that although not on the scale of the others, punch above their weight!

All these festivals celebrate storytelling with shows, workshops and in the case of Port Fairy and Woodford, awards.

One of the things I love about the festivals is the chance to catch up with storytellers from around the country. I first met Irish Joe Lynch at Woodford in Queensland and then we met up again at the Cygnet Festival.

At Cygnet, Joe was performing poetry but at Woodford he told, for the first time, a set of stories from his Irish heritage. In a windy corner at Cygnet, Joe shared some words with me about the tale of Oisín  Tír na hÓige and what it means to him.


Thanks for sharing Joe.

Jackie K