Talespinner
February 2009 – March 2009
The Newsletter of the Story Circle of the Capital
District
Editor and Publisher:
Claire Nolan 11 Norwood Street Albany, NY 12203
(518) 209-6477 E-mail: cbnolou@yahoo.com
Visit our web site at www.story-circle.org
The babe in the cradle knows about the dragon.
She needs the stories to know about St. George.
Story Circle Business News
Meetings 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the
William K. Sanford Public Library and 6:15 to 9:00 p.m. at the Guilderland
Library (GPL). At GPL, we will have a topic for panel/roundtable discussion. Upcoming
Meetings:
February 18 -
GPL
March 17 -
Colonie.
Story Circle Meeting Wednesday December 17 Holiday
Meeting at GPL
Facilitators:
Nancy Payne Same Story – Different Voices
“Cinderella”
Stories told:
Nancy Payne
Adam Hoffman
Kate Dudding
Louise Koenig T
Tales
'n Tunes
Fran
Berger
Eric
Randall
Susan
Gulack
Listeners:
Joe
Doolittle, Dee Wind and
Claire Nolan
Story
Circle Meeting
Tuesday
January 20 in
Colonie
Kate
Dudding –
Facilitator
Stories told:
Maggie
Whelan--"The Horse's Head"--original
Adan Hoffman--"Old Fire Dragaman"-- "Jack Tales" by Richard
Chace
Kate Dudding--"Sir Gawain
and Dame Ragnell--Arthurian legend
Bess Arden--"Meat of the Tongue"-- "Virago Tales" by Angela Carter
Ongoing Events
Story by
Story
is our weekly TV show; tune in on Sunday nights at 8:30 and Tuesday afternoons
at 1:00 on Schenectady Public Access TV, Channel 16.
OPEN
MIC in Saratoga on
the Second Wednesday of each month.
February
11 (6:45
sign-up) Stories from 7 – 9 at Woodlawn Commons
156
Lawrence St. 6:45 sign up. Directions: From Broadway in Saratoga,
turn West on Church St. Turn right on Seward St. (If you get as far
as the hospital, you've gone one block too far). Turn right again on Clement
St. (at the 2nd stop sign). Look for Hospice. Woodlawn is the big yellow
building nearby.
March
11 (6:45 sign-up) Stories from 7 – 9: at Café Lena 47
Phila St. Saratoga Springs. 6:45 pm
sign ups; 7:00 Storytelling. Phone: 583-0022.
http://www.caffelena.org/open-mic.htm#s
OPEN
MIC in Schenectady at
Robb Alley Has
been cancelled.
Adirondack
Storytelling Guild
– Contact Fran Yardley franstory@gmail.com.
Interfaith
Story Circle
- GRSJohnson@aol.com
Dates
and Location TBD - Albany Open Mic - We are
looking for storytellers and listeners and a location for an Open Mic in Albany
– call Claire at 209-6477 or e-mail cbnolou@yahoo.com if you
are interested.
Family Programs
February 15 at 3:30-4:30 STORIES FOR TIRED FEET Frank-Lee Speaking - Dee
and Frank Wind
at the Dance Flurry for Festival information:
http://www.danceflurry.org/festival/index.html or Sue Mead
or (518) 384-3275.
February 18 at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday Tales’n
Tunes will perform at Manlius Library, Manlius, NY The “From
Snowflakes to Sunshine” show is free and open to the public. For info call 315-682-6400.
March 24 7:00
p.m. Tuesday “Rock ‘n Read” with Tales ‘n Tunes -- a PARP
presentation at D.H.Robbins Elementary School, St. Johnsville, NY. Snow
date: March 25.
February
18 Wednesday at 11:00 – 3:00 Snow Day at Thacher Nature Center Join us for our fourth
annual day of winter fun. Take a snowshoe walk to look for signs of wildlife, listen
to winter stories with storyteller Claire Nolan and enjoy
s’mores by the campfire. Indoor crafts and activities will be ongoing. Call for
schedule of activities. Materials fee of $10 per family includes use of
snowshoes. Check www.nysparks.com for updates. Please call
872-0800 to register.
Adult Programs
February
1 Sunday
at 5:00 pm Celebrating Women: Their Labors, Laughter, Troubles and
Triumphs with Kate Dudding and Mary Murphy. Story Sunday
at The Glen Sanders Mansion. Dinner and Stories $30.00. Reservations- 384-1700
or sc@katedudding.com.
February 8 Sunday at 5:00 – 6:00 pm 2009 Colonial Festival Vespers; First Refromed Church,
Union and No Church St, Schenectady, YN in the historic stockade. The Vespers Service is a
reflective hour of music and stories, part of the 2009
Schenectady Colonial Festival. Classical music by accomplished guitarist
Ed Munger, and his daughter, pianist Nancy Munger. Joe Doolittle
will share stories of unforgettable events in the history of Schenectady and
our congregation: the February
8, 1690 Schenectady Massacre as well as the loss of our minister,
Clark V. Poling, in the sinking of the W.W.II troop transport Dorchester on
February 3, 1943, in the icy north Atlantic. Colonial Vespers is part of
Schenectady's Colonial Festival which also begins celebration of the the
NY Quadricentennial and the Schenectady County Bicentennial. (Whew!) For
information on other Colonial Festival events contact Maureen Gebert,
Schenectady Heritage Area, 382-5147 or mgebert09@yahoo.com.
February
14 Saturday
at 10:00-11:00
am TELL ME
A WALTZ Frank-Lee
Speaking - Dee and Frank Wind at the Dance Flurry for Festival information:
http://www.danceflurry.org/festival/index.html or Sue Mead or (518) 384-3275.
February
21 Saturday
at 7:30 pm Detours with Betty
Cassidy,
Margaret
French
and Nancy
Marie Payne
Potholes, rough roads, lane changes and dead ends. Or, once in awhile,
unexpected new vistas and a new destination. Join Margaret, Betty, and Nancy as
they share stories about life's detours. Word Plays in The
Gallery at Proctors. Saturdays at 7:30 pm. Free Parking. 432 State Street,
Schenectady. http://www.storycircleatproctors.org/word-plays.shtml. $16.
http://www.storycircleatproctors.org/wp%20jan-may%202009%20%201%20coupon.pdf For a Coupon worth $5.00
off your ticket!
March 5 Thursday – Carol Connolly will
perform “Women:
Wise, Wild and Wily” for the Unitarian Women’s Alliance, Unitarian Church,
Schenectady,
NY.
March
8 Sunday
at 5:00 pm When Irish Eyes are Smiling with Marni Gillard and Bairbre
McCarthy
Story Sunday at The Glen Sanders Mansion. Dinner and Stories $30.00.
Reservations- 384-1700 or sc@katedudding.com
March
28 Saturday
at 7:30 pm Just Deserts with Becky Holder, Jeannine Laverty and
Susan Fantl Spivack. No story--or life--is without the grace and the
weird luck of getting more--or the chagrin of getting less--than we think we
deserve. Sometimes we shake our heads in relief, sometimes we smirk with sweet
revenge, and sometimes we are just plain satisfied, Sue and Becky and Jeannine
will tell stories that trace life's wondrous course. Word Plays
in The Gallery at Proctors. Saturdays at 7:30 pm. Free Parking. 432 State Street,
Schenectady. http://www.storycircleatproctors.org/word-plays.shtml. $16.
http://www.storycircleatproctors.org/wp%20jan-may%202009%20%201%20coupon.pdf For a Coupon worth $5.00
off your ticket!
Workshops and Classes for
Storytellers
March
20-22
Friday Saturday and Sunday Sharing the Fire, Northeast
Storytelling Conference at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Warwick, RI. More
information at http://www.lanes.org/
April 1 through May 13
Wednesdays 6:30-8:30 pm at Hudson Valley Community College - Telling Traditional
and Family Stories. Learn techniques necessary to be at ease and
bring a story to life. The instructors will demonstrate proper breathing techniques,
facial expressions, blocking, and hand and body movement skills.
They will also discuss story sources, what makes a story good to tell and how
to learn it. Whether you aspire to perform or simply want to feed your creative juices
for your own pleasure, this workshop is for you. No Class on April 8. $95.00 Call
HVCC at 629-7339 to register.
April 16, 2009 – April 19, 2009 Each year Marni Gillard
brings Storyteller/Coach Doug Lipman to her home in Schenectady for
an intensive weekend workshop. Beginners and experienced tellers work together
and learn both how to improve our work and how to find the kind of supportive
helpers that keep us from feeling isolated in our artistry in the future.
Thursday
evening (7 p.m.) - Sunday (2:30 p.m.)
Thursday
there is an optional soup/salad dinner at 6.
Sunday April 19 Doug is performing at the Glen Sanders Story Sunday Dinner
Series from 5-8 ($30).
COST:
$497... BUT SAVE $100 by paying in full by Feb. 1.
Yes, just $397 for 3 sessions of individual coaching, 7 sessions of watching others
be coached, and several mini-lectures on topics from how artistic work equals
political work to how to find support for your artistic growth year round. $50
deposit holds your spot. The weekend is limited to 8. If you can¹t come, it
will be refunded once the weekend is full. Any returnee to one of Doug¹s long
workshops, here or elsewhere, gets an additional $30 returnee discount ($367)
July
24 – July 26
Friday dinner through Sunday lunch - mark your calendars - Once again Pyramid
Lake Storytelling Weekend. Fun workshops on various topics, a story
swap, and a campfire concert by teachers Marni Gillard, Kevin Brooks
and Laura Packer. Best of all is the beautiful lake, free kayaks and canoes.
The food is plentiful and the friendships warm. Welcoming to men, women and
young people who want to learn more about storytelling. Young teens have
participated the last few years. $120 for everything! Contact pyramidlife.org
to register. Contact marnigillard@earthlink.net with questions.
Tellabration 2008 Summary
Kate Dudding and Joe Doolittle
Over
170 people came to Tellabration, our first at Proctors! By their sustained
applause at the end, all listeners were very pleased. Some comments we
received: “What a wonderful afternoon of stories.” “The stories were well
told.” “The new venue was perfect!” “Story Circle Productions and Proctors - a
match made in heaven.” “Thank you for a wonderful afternoon, we enjoyed the
stories immensely.”
Many
thanks to the tellers, our emcee Karen Pillsworth, the volunteers and the
listeners.
Here
are some statistics, compared to last year:
Tellabration
|
2008
|
2007
|
|
|
|
INCOME
|
|
|
Ads
|
400
|
$375.00
|
Freewill
Refreshment Donations
|
0
|
$85.38
|
Tix
Sales
|
$1,725.70
|
$1,688.00
|
TOTAL
INCOME
|
2,125.7
|
$2,148.38
|
|
|
|
EXPENSES
|
|
|
Postcards
|
$392.95
|
$374.96
|
Flyers
|
184.04
|
$170.54
|
Programs
|
101.65
|
$110.25
|
|
|
|
Whisperdome
/ Proctors Rental
|
525.00
|
$315.00
|
Sound
|
175.00
|
$100.00
|
House
Manager
|
140.00
|
|
Credit
Card processing
|
38.30
|
|
$2
rebates (for newcomers or people bringing newcomers)
|
114.00
|
Not tracked
|
Printing
the Tickets
|
0
|
$4.24
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
EXPENSES
|
$1,670.94
|
$1,074.99
|
|
|
|
PROFITS
|
$454.76
|
$1,073.39
|
|
|
|
Attendance
|
171
|
192
|
Tickets
sold at door
|
96
|
28
|
New
entries in mailing list database
|
36
|
30
|
New
email addresses
|
16
|
17
|
Yes,
Proctors is a more expensive venue. However, in addition to the tasks listed
above, they also handled the ticketing (you can ask Joe D. and Anne Marie and
their families how glad they were to NOT be doing that this year) and gave us
some advertising space in the brochure, for no addition charges. We believe
that the exposure we have there, plus the improved parking, will be worth it.
Feedback, questions or suggestions welcome.
Have You Considered Finding and/or Being a Mentor?
by Chris King http://www.creativekeys.net/index.htm
Storyteller Chris King has
a suggestion for storytellers looking to enhance their skills, take risks and
stretch themselves to the limit of their abilities.
Chris
tells us that at a workshop with storyteller Doug Lipman* http://www.storydynamics.com/ she took away a very
important lesson: the importance of finding a mentor and also being willing to
become a mentor. He and storyteller Jay O’Callahan http://www.ocallahan.com/ have been meeting
regularly in a mentor relationship for years, and both have extolled the
benefits. In this article I will share some of the ins and outs of mentorship.
Where
do I find a mentor?
… “when the student is ready, the teach appears.” If we decide we need a mentor
now and then actively seek one, so often we will be disappointed because we are
trying too hard. On the other hand, if we remain open and giving of our time
and expertise to others, we will be surprised by how many mentor opportunities
appear. One of my favorite mentors is storyteller Mary Hamilton. I met Mary
years ago at a National Speakers Association Convention. She gave an incredible
workshop on storytelling that I will never forget. We talked a bit because,
even though I was working on my speaking career at the time, deep down I
realized that my true passion was and is storytelling. Since then Mary and I
have gotten to know each other and I have attended as many of her workshops and
training sessions as possible. She may not even realize how much influence she
has had on my career.
Do
you have a mentor or are you a mentor? How did you find each other? Please
send your Story Mentor stories to Claire at cbnolou@yahoo.com or to 11 Norwood Street
Albany, NY 12203. I will print as many as I can in future issues of the Talespinner.
*Please
note: Doug Lipman will be in the Capital District in April – see page 4, above
for more information.
Dues are Due!
Story
Circle dues are due NOW! Dues are $10.00 per person.
By paying dues, you are listed on the Story Circle Membership List,
you are eligible to be included in our Roster of Tellers, receive
bi-monthly issues (by snail mail or email) of our newsletter, the Talespinner,
and are eligible for a discount on SCCD sponsored workshops with
national tellers. So, mail your dues to Carol Connolly Carol Connolly, 1100
Niskayuna Road, Niskayuna, NY 12309. Use the handy form found here in the February/March
issue of the Talespinner.
See
You Next Time!
All
meetings are held from 7 to 9 p.m. on the 3rd Tuesday or Wednesday of the month
alternating between Tuesdays in odd numbered months at the William K. Sanford
Library and Wednesdays in even numbered months at the Guilderland Public
Library.
DIRECTIONS:
The Guilderland Public Library is located at 2228 Western Avenue,
Guilderland, 1/2 mile west of Rte. 155 on the south side of Western Avenue. (February
18)
The
William K. Sanford Library is located at 629 Albany Shaker Road, just off Northway Exit
4, and 1/4 mile east of the intersection of Wolf Road and Albany Shaker Road on
the left side. (March 17)
*****************************************************************************
Name_____________________________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________________
Phone__________________Email_______________________________________
(
) I want to be a member of Story Circle, enclosed is a check for $10.00 for the
newsletter and a roster of members. Renewal January of each year.
(
) List my name among performing storytellers for referral.
(
) Send my newsletters via US mail. ( ) Send my newsletters via E-mail.
Membership
renewals are due each January and are good for one year. Please make checks payable
to “Story Circle” and send to Carol Connolly, 1100 Niskayuna Road, Niskayuna,
NY 12309