"Storytelling is Dead!": 3 False Readings to the Art's Vital Signs

Once upon a time the art of storytelling was born. The world celebrated the birth as the human family became more unified and edified upon each tale told.

People seem unable to pinpoint storytelling's exact time of birth or that first story.

We have relished narratives without knowing all the details.

Some details have been important. . .particularly to storytelling's death.

Is the art living or shriveling?

Vital Signs Of Storytelling In Relation To:

• Technology Ticker
  
• Generational Gauge
• Political Pulse
  
  

Technology Ticker
False Reading: Technology will doom Storytelling.
Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

To some people, the progression in technology sounds like a metronome alongside a piano to provide the steady inspiration to create something extraordinary like concertos or full-orchestra pieces. People build relationships or collaborate who--due to distances--could not otherwise meet.

Others account the ticking to a time bomb. The explosion of social networking on Facebook, Twitter, and blogging could cause casualties, but will storytelling be one of them?

In the article "Native Canadians and the End of Storytelling" written by Jerry Mander, a woman believed this was the case.

She watched as television came to her village. Less and less children had any desire to sit around the elders at night to learn of their culture. Instead, the culture came from the television. She lamented, "The generations are sitting all together now, silently watching television. And on TV it seems like being young is all that matters and that the old have nothing to say."

No matter your view, we must remember that for every trend there is also a counter-trend.

Anyone who vocalizes their opinions strengthens these trends and counter-trends.

Society will seek for ways to interact the more that people latch onto laptops, cell phones, blackberries, or whatever else is the next vessel for technology.

Storytelling is often the counter-trend to technology despite existence of digital storytelling or virtual teller sessions through programs like Second Life. In fact, storytelling is more rooted in society than ever before because of the existence of technology. As long as the human race progresses with ideas and inventions, then there will always be the ones to uphold the narrative art in its purity.

Yet, we still come upon titles of lectures as given by Douglas Rushkoff like "The End of the Story: How the net killed narrative, and what - if anything - comes next". This was presented by The Brooklyn Experimental Media Center and the Dibner Family Chair in the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology.

Rushkoff questioned, "Is the traditional story itself a relic, incapable of providing meaning over time?" He continued, "Is it our job to create stories capable of competing with the ones currently programming our society, or to abandon this arms race altogether in favor of new artistic and cognitive mechanisms. And, if so, what are they?"

Lately we have witnessed storytelling combine with other art forms so Rushkoff may be right that some of us are "in favor of new artistic and cognitive mechanisms." Though does adding different styles to storytelling constitute a death of some kind?

The essence of the art must exist in order for other styles to be added to it.

Generational Gauge
False Reading: Storytellers are dying out with no one to replace them.
Needle up. Needle down. Needle still down.

Or are we reading the gauge upside down.

While interviewed by the Reading Eagle, professional storyteller Charles "Chill" Kuhn from Coatesville, Pennsylvania said, "Yes, I do believe storytelling is a dying art." He added, "But I would like to add that we are all storytellers whether we realize it or not."

This comment was enough for the article's author, Rebecca Strauss, to dubb the headline as , "Pro says love your stories: Professional tale weaver Charles 'Chill' Kuhn laments his dying art".

Not everyone agrees with this verdict, as was apparent when Betty Smith, who has worked with the National Storytelling Network staff as well as with the International Storytelling Center, responded to this article and declared on Facebook, "Hey storytellers. . .someone needs to let this guy know that storytelling is alive and well."

Reading the regular column of "Remembered Voices" compiled by Wendy Gourley in the Storytelling Magazine may seem that we lose at least one well-loved storyteller a month. However, for every storyteller who passes on, we gain at least two more new tellers.

Whether or not these new tellers align themselves with storytelling guilds or organizations does not change the fact that they do exist.

The Weber State University Storytelling Festival, which celebrates over 70 youth tellers as part of its program, has considered expanding from a three-day event to a four-day event in order to give at least 20 more youth opportunities to tell. Such a change may happen within three years. This does not count the hundreds of youth who participate before tellers are selected.

Whole schools or school districts declare storytelling units or festivals to fulfill the demand for this art.

The generational gauge certainly has the needle up.

Political Pulse
False Reading: Storytelling Organizations have lost their influence.
Thump. Thump. Tha-thump.

Can you hear the life of storytelling organizations? We did not always have them.

In an excerpt from The Way of the Storyteller, Ruth Sawyer, the author, wished, "there might be a guild for storytellers today where masters and apprentices might work together for the upholding of their art." She died five years before the National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling (NAPPS) was formed in the United States in 1975.

Sawyer was not the only one who desired organization, as Kathryn Tucker Windham, key person of the American Storytelling Movement, wanted to be the first paid member of the NAPPS. Nowadays, NAPPS is known as the National Storytelling Network (NSN).

In NSN's golden time, there were over 4,000 members. This membership has dwindled to about 2,000 members.

During a personal interview in 2000, Windham reflected, "Organizations come. Organizations go. Storytelling remains. . .I'm at a place where I'm not scared anymore about what happens if this stops or that stops or whatever."

Though every organization, whether connected to storytelling or any other industry, have their periods of growth and then times that plateau. We are in such times.

Organizations do not equal storytelling. Windham was right that the art would continue whether people promoted the name of the National Storytelling Network or any other organization. These entities exist to give structure and possibility to what we cannot accomplish as individuals.

As if to respond to the current economical instability, there are still people who wish to join in the efforts. Tim Ereneta pointed out that Europeans tend to be more adept at these unions. He shared the promise for the International Storytelling Network, also known as Red Internacional de Ceuntacuentos. You can read Ereneta's blog post on this discovery here.

So membership numbers may rise or fall, though it appears we will have many organizations and guilds for decades--if not centuries--to come.

You must ask the question: Do you believe storytelling is "alive and well"?

You know my answer.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com/

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com/

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com/
Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/rachelfans
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

3 Reasons Why Improvisation is Crucial to Youth Today

Think of the perfect words to say in a few seconds.

Then say them.

Such are skills that storytellers cherish and that youth could benefit from if trained from the beginning.


Reasons to Build Improvisation Skills in Youth:

• Balance Recitation in Life
• Increase Independent Thinking
• Develop Quick Solutions

Balance Recitation in Life
Youth have been told what to say since babies. "Mommy" and "Daddy" are common requests from parents for the baby's first words.

Siblings may join in this contest of words.

When my parents gave me a tape recorder for Christmas, I pretended to be a reporter. I had certain phrases I wanted my younger brother and sister to say.

In schools, kids are expected to memorize, recite, or repeat what the teacher says or what the textbook proclaims. Sometimes this encouragement is needed to build vocabulary. However, at a certain point, we need youth to explore their world and play with sound and images.

Some teachers boost creativity in their classrooms by encouraging students to write historical fictions. Other teachers merge storytelling games with curriculum. Usually the games work best as a review of material so that the students could adapt their improvisations to the knowledge learned.

Increase Independent Thinking
Kids cannot vote in elections until the age of 18. That is a while to wait before their voices are officially counted.

In the meantime, they rely on the decisions of adults to shape most of their political, economical, and social lives. . .unless they build confidence through improvisational skills.

Improvisation is another way to give youth permission to think outside the norm. Risks and mistakes are part of the practice. Adrenalin rises and the heart pounds, but these natural reactions seem to also fire the synapses in the brain. The more we test our wits, then the easier and faster our brains work.

Story repertoire could be as much as a source for building improvisational skills than storytelling games.

The youth could make a list of stories they could tell with ease. Then they could make a list of stories that could be told after one or two run-throughs. While reflecting on the keywords, moods, and moments within the stories, the youth may be inspired to tell one story over another given the situation.

Perhaps they may create stories simply by looking into the eyes of their listeners.

Now that is independent thought.

That would be a gift that youth could take with them and use while giving presentations in college, answering interview questions of potential employers, or addressing needs of their own families as they have children of their own.

Develop Quick Solutions
Youth seem to fly through their baby, toddler, adolescent, and teenage years until suddenly they are going to college.

Every second that youth save in making right choices--whether saying no to drugs, cheering a friend to do their best, or handling bullies--improvisation skills provide resolution to their lives such as through role-playing techniques.

The lack of role-play or exploration of possibilities leads to resistance.

While attending an excellent workshop taught by national teller Angela Lloyd for teachers and parents who coach youth tellers, two youth tellers were asked to be coached in front of everybody.

As Lloyd promoted the tellers to share the prepared stories in words other than what was memorized, one youth repeated the same words. Lloyd was patient and asked the question in different ways so that the youth learned other ways to approach the story.

Sometimes, if shy, youth may be more willing to play with the story when done with a partner. Then the youth would have support in the process and could bounce off pretend dialogue with the other person for the story.

Who said that quick thinkers needed to be alone to produce the solutions?

When other youth are not available, then at least the youth could count on you.

Go out there. Cheer on the youth. Enjoy storytelling games. Build stories in the moment. Role-play.

You know you want to play. So do the youth.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com/

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com/

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com/
Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/rachelfans
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

5 Spooky Family Relationships in Folklore & How to Avoid Them Today

Families are usually the people who care about you no matter what happens.

Then there are exceptions we see reflected in folklore:
1. Cannibalism
2. Abuse
3. Abandonment
4. Neglect
5. Infidelity

Cannibalism
When one wakes in the morning, one does not usually think, "I better be careful or I may be eaten by my father today."

Yet, there was a little girl who had that fate. Sometimes the fate falls on a little boy.

The guilt rests upon the one who kills and prepares the child for the family meal. Rarely do the other family members know the meal's true source until later.

Folktales to Consider:
Applie and Orangie, from Scotland
When the mother dies, the father cares for the girls Applie and Orangie. Then, he remarries. The stepmother kills Applie and turns her into stew that the father eats unknowingly. Orangie takes the bones from the stew and buries them. The bones transform into a pigeon. The bird flies to a shopkeeper, a jeweler, and an ironmonger. The bird sings, "My mammy killed me. My daddy ate me." The people are enchanted and the bird gains a doll, a watch, and an ax respectively. Finally, the bird sings down the chimney and drops the doll for the sister. The second time the bird drops the watch for the father. The stepmother is anxious to receive her gift, and the bird drops the ax down the chimney.

The Juniper Tree, from Germany
A boy is killed and fed to the father when the stepmother desires the whole fortune to go to her daughter. The daughter knows about the evil deed, though she loves the boy and wraps the bones. The bones turn into a bird who perches in the juniper tree and sings, "My mother, she butchered me. My father, he ate me." A goldsmith, a cobbler, and a miller provide a gold chain, a pair of red shoes, and a millstone to hear the bird sing the dismal song. The family hears the bird, and the father goes outside by the tree to see. He is given the golden chain. The girl then goes to the tree and is given the red pair of shoes. The stepmother goes to the tree and is squashed by the millstone. The bird transforms back into the boy.

The Cannibal Wife, from Southern Polynesia
A mother is not allowed to be alone after giving birth. If left alone for the first year, she would turn into a witch and eat her children as well as everyone else in the village. A certain mother gives birth. Almost a year has gone by when there are plans for the babe's first birthday. The father needs more meat for the celebration, and he takes their son along for the hunt. Then, since the mother is left alone, she turns into a witch and eats everyone in the village. When the father and son return, she attempts to trick the father by having him walk in front of her to check on the fish so she could surprise attack and eat him and the boy. The father gives an excuse that he must relieve himself, runs into the woods, and makes noisy toys in the woods so she would think he was still relieving himself. He leaves the island, and to this day the woman waits for him.
***Also see Houmea, Uta's wife, from Maori culture.

Ways to Avoid Cannibalism--
Do not accidentally sprinkle salt on any family members.
Stay far enough away from the campfire so you do not roast your bottom.
Say several times aloud, "People do not taste like chicken."

Real Way to Avoid Cannibalism--Believe in Higher Being

People tend to avoid such an act when they acknowledge the existence of One who could bestow justice. No matter your religious views, the consequences of killing are undeniable and fiercely punishable.

Abuse
There are many forms of abuse from physical to sexual to verbal. A few families have more than one abuse in the home.

Often folktales highlight one kind of abuse, though sometimes all three are found.

Folktales to Consider:
The Falcon's Daughter, from Egypt
A man eats a pomegranate that grants pregnancy. He bears and abandons a baby girl. A falcon raises the child. A Sultan's son falls in love with the girl, but she must be tricked down from the tree. An old woman pretends not to know how to slaughter a sheep so the girl comes down from the tree to help. The boy sweeps her up and marries her. One day the boy asks his mother to watch his wife while in the village Hejaz. When the girl asks for bread, the mother cuts off her arm, then foot, etc. until the girl is thrown out. She receives a wish to return to her normal self and have a fruit tree. Meanwhile, the mother pretends to be the wife and sleeps with her son and becomes pregnant. The mother has cravings for grapes. Two servants go to the girl's fruit tree and hear a strange song of what happened to the girl. The boy learns the truth. The mother is killed.

The Little Match Girl, by Hans Christian Andersen
The girl fears what her father will do to her when she returns home without any money from selling matches.

Noodlehead Stories, from around the world
In these tales, often the mother repeats a phrase like "Ain't got the sense you were born with" when her child performs a foolish act. The frequency seems to create a self-fulfilling prophecy that this would be the child's unavoidable fate. This could be considered a form of verbal abuse.

Way to Avoid Abuse--Support Positive Discipline

Sometimes family members resort to abuse for they feel compelled to stop misbehavior or certain actions. This does not mean that the victim is in the wrong, but only that the offender craves some level of power.

Abuse often leads to the seeking of revenge by the victim. At other times, there permeates the feelings of worthlessness. These mind-sets could be appeased by using respectful methods such as avoiding "I told you so" statements as well as encouraging people to explore mistakes through thoughtful questions. As a result, the people could reflect on their actions rather than listening to someone tell them what is wrong all the time.

Abandonment
Perhaps you have heard the phrase "babes in the woods". During times of war, some European parents would abandon their children in the woods because they could not take care of their temporal needs.

Folklore then reflected this reality.

Sometimes the abandonment occurred when parents lost faith in the ability for their child to survive. Though a child may live and then harbor ill will towards the one who abandoned them--or allowed them to be abandoned--a parent was blessed indeed if the child forgave them.

Folktales to Consider:
The Powerful Boy, from Seneca people
A baby is born no bigger than a palm. The father thinks it will die and abandons it. The father's five-year-old son finds the baby, feeds it, and they become friends. The father learns of the baby's strength and survival and is reunited. The father tells his sons not to go north, but they do. The powerful boy kills all the frogs since he thought they threatened his father. The father tells his two sons not to go north again because of Stone Coat, a giant. The boy goes alone, tricks Stone Coat, and kills him. The father tells the boy not to go southwest because it is gambling country. The boy wins the bet against the buffalo-size-head man and frees the people. The boy goes east, wins a game against two clans, and receives land. The father and two sons move there.

Hansel and Gretel, from Germany
The mother fears their poverty, and convinces the father to abandon their boy and girl in the woods. The children overhear, prepare, and return home. The children are abandoned a second time, and despite their attempts to find home, they find a gingerbread house. After escape from the witch who lived there, they return to their home. As the mother died in their absence, the father welcomes the children home, never to be abandoned again.

Forsaken Brother, from Ojibwa people
A sister and brother promise their dying father to always watch over and provide care for a sickly brother. The older brother leaves first, and the sister endures longer until the loneliness overcomes her soul. The sickly brother must fend for himself. He is befriended by wolves and transforms into one. When the sister learns of the change, she mourns to the end of her days.

Way to Avoid Abandonment--Practice Smart Finances

Nowadays, people have accrued major credit card debt and have spent more money than they earn at one time. Interest never sleeps, and the debt continues to grow.

Avoid credit card use whenever possible and attempt to have a zero balance. Review the family budget periodically and decide together on ways to save money. Build stronger bonds with each other by doing wholesome recreational activities that cost little money or are free.

Neglect
Addictions often cause neglect of family members, and these addictions could include anything that keeps one away from fulfilling responsibilities. Though one usually thinks of drugs, alcohol, and pornography first, slothfulness or constant Internet usage could be as deadly to family relationships.

Folktales to Consider:
Misery, from Russia
A poor brother asks for food from his rich brother. The rich one invites the poor one and wife to a feast, yet the rich one gives no food to them. Although hungry and thirsty, the poor one sings as though fed and drunk like the other guests. Misery hears the song and invites the poor one to the pub and convinces the brother to sell a sheepskin to pay for the drinks. Then the brother drinks himself out of his sledge, cart, harrow, plow, hut, and even his wife's dress until nothing is left. Misery tells the brother to borrow a neighbor's cart and oxen for more money to continue drinking. Finally, Misery shows the brother where to dig for gold. The brother takes the gold, and then bumps Misery into the hole and buries him. The rich brother is jealous and releases Misery in hopes for revenge. Instead, Misery attaches to the rich brother. His wealth dwindles until destitute. He plays hide and go seek with Misery and tricks him to be stuck in a wheel spoke. He drowns Misery in the river.

Lazybones, from Hungary
A wealthy farmer has a lazy daughter who never has dates due to this fact. One night she attends a dance but no one dances with her because of her laziness. Then one man dances with her, despite being warned, and decides to call on her family. He proposes, the daughter accepts, and the parents give a huge chest full of clothes. Every day the girl wears the clothes and burns them when soiled since she is too lazy to wash. She runs out of clothes, the husband dresses her in straw, takes her to her parents and leaves her there. He remarries.

King Midas, from Greece
King Midas helps a satyr who mentors Dionysus, the god of the life force. After listening to the satyr's stories of the City of Atlantis and the streets paved with gold, King Midas desires such a life for his people. Dionysus grants a wish for the king's kindness, and the king asks that anything he touches would turn to gold. He accidentally turns his daughter into gold, and mourns over his golden touch. He asks to be free of the curse, but it is too late to save his daughter.

Way to Avoid Neglect--Rehabilitate from Addictions

Always surround yourself with people who have your best interests at heart. Some addictions have support groups like Alcohol Anonymous. Before any help is sought from these groups, it is best to admit the wrong to your family and have them cheer you on during this process.

These same family members could help remove some of the temptations that caused you to be in this rut such as getting rid of any alcohol in the home, setting up filters to avoid pornography, and so on.

Infidelity
Adultery and betrayal often create headlines for our newspapers, magazines, and television channels. As we are all part of the human family, perhaps it seems inconceivable that we would cheat the ones we profess to love.

Sometimes a family member, usually a spouse, suspects another of such acts when, in fact, the person is innocent.

Folktales to Consider:
The Flight of Birds, from England
A husband is jealous of anyone looking at his wife. One day, a handsome stranger comes to their home to seek shelter from the storm. Throughout the night, the husband imagines that the man and his wife wish to sleep together. Then the husband believes rather than thinks these thoughts. He leads her with a rope outside to hang her. Every time he throws the rope around the limb, a flock of birds disrupt the toss and the rope falls to the ground. The husband tries a pine tree away from the birds. By now it is dawn. The birds appear. The husband repents. The couple walks home.

Zeus and Hera, from Greece
There is not one particular story to choose, as Zeus was constantly being unfaithful. Zeus sometimes resorted to trickery to avoid detection, though Hera usually found out shortly after or during the offense. Even when Zeus and Hera first met, he transformed into a cuckoo bird that needed warmth from the winter winds. Hera gave the bird warmth against her breast, and that was when Zeus transformed and raped the goddess. She married him to conceal the shame, especially as virginity was the most sacred to her as proof by the yearly baths she took in the spring Canathus that renewed this gift. After their marriage, Hera often punished any mortal or goddess for whom Zeus constantly slept with or raped. Though other gods sought Hera, she was always true to Zeus.

The Man Who Came Out Only at Night, from Italy
The youngest daughter of a poor fisherman agrees to marry the man who comes out only at night. She learns that he is a tortoise by day and a man by night. If she were faithful the whole time while he travels around the world, then he would be a man forever. Her husband gives a diamond ring and tells her that she could use its power to good ends. He leaves. She gets a job at a bakery and blesses it with customers by the ring's power. Three men fall in love with her and offer money to sleep with her. One-by-one, she invites the men and has them, through the ring's power, do tasks around the bakery all night so she can get rid of them in the morning. The three men report her to authorities, but she uses the ring's power to have authorities play leapfrog. Her husband returns and becomes a man forever.

Way to Avoid Infidelity--Extend Trust to Others and to Self

Believe that you could be a wonderful husband, wife, son, daughter, sibling, or whatever roles you undertake in your family. Then believe the same of the other family members.

When there are disagreements, be willing to discuss them without interrupting each other's thoughts. Sincere listening could build the trust to develop positive solutions.

Books to Find the Folktales Mentioned:

• American Indian Myths and Legends by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz
• British Folk Tales by Katharine Briggs
• D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths by Ingri d'Aulaires and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire
• Folktales Told Around the World by Richard M. Dorson
• Hawaiian Mythology by Martha Warren Beckwith
• Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino
• The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm translated by Lore Segal and Randall Jarrell
• Michael Hague's Favorite Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales edited by Henry Holt
• Noodlehead Stories by Martha Hamilton
• Russian Fairy Tales by Aleksandr Afanaslev
• Voices of the Wind by Margot Edmonds and Ella E. Clark
  

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com/

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com/

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com/
Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/rachelfans
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller