PASSING THE TORCH TO NEW GENERATIONS

Let me tell you about....coaching storytelling.

Doug Lipman has a resource to help in achieving the goal of creating a new generation of tellers in The Storytelling Coach.

Mentoring, or the more recent term coaching, is an important means of training, inspiring, and encouraging new talent and new voices to emerge on the storytelling stage.

Oklahoma's State Storytelling Organization Sets Board

Oklahoma Tellers News - (Oklahoma City) - -  The Territory Tellers, the only statewide organization promoting the art of storytelling in Oklahoma, met for their annual membership meeting on Sat., June 2, 2012 in Seminole, Oklahoma.  The executive membership was set at  Darla LAllier, President  (Tulsa, OK) ;  Tony Hardman, VP(Goodwell, OK) ; Molly Lemmons, Secretary (Mustang, OK), Liz Parker, Past President (Midwest City, OK).

Also seated were a new slate for the Board of Directors :  Paulette Geeslin (Oklahoma City, OK) ;
Marilyn Hudson (Norman, OK); Barbara Jones (Oklahoma City, OK) ;Steve Kardaleff (Lawton, OK);
Sheron Rodgers (Warr Acres, OK);  Bonnie Smith (Paden, OK);  Teresa Vail (LeQuire, OK);

Other positions filled included the NSN Rep., Nancy Lenhart Matthews (Bartlesville, OK) ; webmanager,  Shaun Perkins (Locust Grove, OK); editor of the membership newsletter,  Tina Saner (Ardmore, OK); and Parliamentarian, Kathryn Thurman (Del City, OK).

Territory Tellers is 501(3)c organization which sponsors the annual "Spirit of Oklahoma Storytelling Festival" in Seminole, Oklahoma; helps support the OKC Arts Council in the annual Oklahoma City Storytelling Festival; sponsors various training and artistic concerts across the state, including the annual "Tellebrations!(TM)" celebrating stories for adults and families.

Event Planners

Let me tell you about....an event promotion resource/  American Towns (http://www.americantowns.com/)

If you are planning a storytelling event, training class, concert, or Tellabration! (tr) this is a good avenue to reach out to new audiences.  You select a community, add your event, and share the link but also know it will be sent to all those people who have signed up to receive information about events for that location.

Pretty simple way of spreading the word about storytelling in your area!

OK Stars

Let me tell you about.... the Oklahoma Stars.

Click the tab marked "Stars" for some of the wonderful tellers, and just a small portion of them, who introduced storytelling, inspired people to tell and encouraged people to love stories.

These are 'Oklahoma treasures' - artisans who shared their craft, their loves, their energies with restless children, bored teens, distracted adults but still pulled them into the wonder and magic of a story painted in words.  In the process they built imaginations, encouraged reading, inspired ideas, and freed people to explore their world in creative ways by sharing age old wisdom in the form of story.

A big applause to these artisans of articulation, painters in prose, igniters of imagination, and culture caretakers.

Seminole Wind Ranch

Let me tell you about....Seminole Wind Ranch is part of the Brass Horse Enterprises of Phillip and Jeanette Harjo in Maud, Oklahoma.   They invite you to "enjoy the beauty of Oklahoma" by spending a day, an evening, or a weekend on a working horse ranch.  There they also provide customized workshops, writing retreats, photography, storytelling, and celebrations for birthdays, anniversary's and more.  They also do special holiday programs and events. 

In the "Ole Angus Barn" are planned spooky stories and events for October, a "Tellabration" (a celebration of storytelling) and treats for November, and capping the year in December will be Christmas and family stories.  Hosting these great events will be coach and educator Philip Harjo, "Bear Clan and Peacemaker", is retired military with lots of experience as speaker and seminar leader. He is also Chief of Staff of the Seminole Nation.  His wife, Jeanette Harjo, describes herself as "Country Girl with Attitude" and is a gifted storyteller as well as library media specialist, educational consultant, school board member, and mid-wife to mares.  Contact them soon to schedule your next event or to learn what they can do for your group or organization.  

Seminole Wind Ranch
13451 HWY 99
Maud, Oklahoma 74884
Phone: 405-398-4310   ; 405-380-3633
Email: jmharjo@hotmail.com
13 miles south of Seminole and 20 miles north of Ada

RE-DEFINING STORYTELLING AS AN ART FORM

Storytelling is often defined in a very limited manner as entertainment for children or as 'reading a book' to children. This concept of storytelling is also often limited into narrow folk art or ethnic art classifications which ignore the artistry and scope of storytelling. Most cultures view storytelling as an art form of adults first and entertainment for children second.

A move is in place to shift the current thinking to bring storytelling to broader audiences and for it to be recognized as an art form.

The National Storytelling Network has prepared a recommendation that storytelling be listed as a Fine Art, as well as a Folk/Traditional Art. Read their memo at http://www.storynet.org/downloads/NSNtoNEA.pdf.

Where Are You on the Story Road?

A simple rubric which may open dialogue and assist storytellers in deciding where they are in their development and help them map out their own skill building and training.

NOVICE - You enjoy listening to stories told but have not yet told a story in public. Have no formal stories to share.

BEGINNER - A few stories to share, little public telling experience, attended 1-5 workshops or classes, still learning .

APPRENTICE - A handful of stories, some public experience (1-15), have attended 5-20 workshops and classes, still learning.

STORY COLLECTOR - A small treasure chest of stories have been collected, polished through workshops and hearing others tell, and made your own through multiple tellings.

TRAVELER (a journey man/woman/one)- A larger store of stories, shared in 20-50 public concerts, programs, had varied story experiences, able to teach others basic techniques, have developed some specialized telling ability, still learning.

ARTISAN - Greater wealth of stories to share, have done many concerts, programs, workshops 60-100); able to teach skillfully basic to intermediate level classes; have developed a highly personal style and ability; have explored other arts and experimented with merging them with storytelling or explored ways to expand skills and delivery in new and innovative ways.

MASTER - A wealth of stories, publications, recordings, experience in many venues, frequently cited/quoted, able to teach others more advanced techniques, skillfully presents storytelling as an art form, highly developed general and specialized ability/style, adds to the philosophical and artistic understanding of storytelling as an art form through mentoring, writing, teaching; still learning...


--Marilyn A. Hudson