a shared experience between the listeners and the teller that combines the intensity of a one person play with the intimacy of a one-on-one conversation
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Talespinner The Newsletter of the Story Circle of the Capital District
Editor and Publisher: Claire Nolan 11 Norwood Street Albany, NY 12203 (518) 209-6477 Email: cbnolou@yahoo.com. Visit our web site at http://timesunion.com/communities/storycircle December 2007 – January 2008 The story of your life is not your life it is your story John Barth, Novelist
Story Circle Business News
October at GPL – facilitator – Joe Doolittle Stories told by Claire Nolan, Fran Combs-Burger, Adam Hoffman Eric Randall and two women whose names I do not have. (Editor’s note, October Meeting Notes were not received in time for publication.) Listeners: Patty Nolan, Kate Dudding, Nancy Marie Payne, November at Colonie – facilitator Louise Koenig Micki Groper "The Little Duck" Louise Koenig "If You Like Nightmares, Travel Today" Listeners - Barbara Cullum and Bess Arden Meetings run from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the William K. Sanford Public Library and 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Guilderland Library. Every other month, from 6:15 to 6:45 at Guilderland, we will have a topic for panel/roundtable discussion. Please note date change for December -Tuesday December 18 - Nancy Payne facilitator
OPEN MICS in Saratoga – New dates! Pencil in new dates to tell stories in Saratoga! Saratoga open mic will now be on the Second Wednesday of each month.
On Wednesday, December 12, 7:00 pm. Signups to tell stories at 6;45. We hope to see you at Woodlawn Commons. The audience is warm, hospitable, and enthusiastic. The cookies and punch are delicious. And the stories we all tell--inspiring, funny, touching, always interesting--are the best part of all. Come and tell or come and listen. FREE! 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. (156 Lawrence St.)
Adult Programs December
2, 5:00 Pm to 8:00 PM Jeannine Laverty & Joe Peck:
"Stories for the Season(s): Seed Catalogues, Stockings and Cows on Skates”
Storytelling Dinner Series Continues Its Ninth Season.
December 16 Sunday 7:30. “Frank-Lee Speaking” at the 8th Step at Proctors in Schenectady. Solstice Program presented by Kim and Reggie Harris and Magpie. Doors open at 7 pm. Tickets are $21.00. For more information and to purchase tickets for this delightful evening go to the 8th Step website: www.eighthstep.org.
February 1, 2 and 3 -- Jeannine Laverty's Annual Winter myth workshop will be at the Spiritual Life Center in Greenwich, NY. Mark your calendars now and stay tuned for more details. Call Jeannine at 518-587-8932 to hold your place.
Wednesday
evenings March 5, 12, 19 2008 7-9 p.m. Marni Gillard will once again
present a workshop for the Consultation Center. The classes are held at the Pastoral Center, 40 N. Main Ave. in Albany
(parking available off street) Cost $35 (before 2/27) or $40 for the series.
Call 518-489-4431 to register. The topic is Stories That
Lift The Spirit: We carry within us memories, folktales, scriptural
images, even poems that feed our spirits and give us the courage and calm we need
to keep walking
March 30, 2008 - Celebrating Tom Weakley at Lena's - After years of talking about it Tom Weakley says he's really going to retire. Some of us thought it fun to use the excuse to draw him onto the stage one last time. (He maybe carrying a "going out of business" sign!) The program will be a benefit for FINCA International, the group which has fought poverty in the third world for the past 20 years by granting small loans to women. That may or may not inform Tom's Stories that night, although we're prepared for him to tell anything he likes. Hold the date! Details to follow!
Family Programs December 8 2-4 pm. Bairbre McCarthy, Storytelling and Book Signing at Celtic Treasures, 456 Broadway in Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Telephone : 518 583 9452. Bairbre will tell stories from her latest book, The Keeper of the Crock of Gold, published last month in Ireland by Mercier Press. It is a hard-covered book, and includes 10 original leprechaun stories, beautifully illustrated by Czech artist, Oldrich Jelen. Borders in Ireland has chosen it as their children's book of the month.
December 19--Tales ‘n Tunes (Carol Connolly and Don Darmer) will perform at the D.R. Evarts Library, Athens, NY. The family concert: "Holiday Celebrations Around the World," is free and open to the public. Call (518) 945-1417 for time and directions.
Opportunities for Storytellers
Among Ourselves News from Marni:
Since her return to the states, Lorraine says she’s been looking closely at Luke’s gospel and finding the parables and "short stories" about Jesus are like Zen koans. Last summer Paula Weis from the interfaith storytelling circle lent me “A Land Twice Promised” by storyteller Noa Baum, born and raised in Jerusalem. In her DVD performance she tells both sides of the Jewish-Palestinian story from the point of view of 4 women. While in Israel, I felt like I was walking the story Noa tells. I highly recommend that DVD available at http://noabaum.com/index.php?page=resources.
I recommend any journey to a place where you can “walk in stories.”’
Dues are Due!
Story Circle dues are due in January. Dues are $10.00 per person. By paying dues, you are listed on the Story Circle Membership List, 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 form in the Talespinner.
A review of Tellabration November 18, 2007 Time to Tellabrate By Adam Hoffman
Being an amateur storyteller, interested in the spinning of yarns for fun and as a way to pass the time, has its unique advantages. For one, I’ve become aware of the styles and habits of local professional storytellers. Some I know by first name (though I do have the habit of forgetting those names at times). At the same time, I still approach much of the storytelling scene from the outside, as an audience member. So it was on November 18 of 2007 that I set out to see my first Tellabration. Tellabration, held every November, is one of the biggest yearly events in storytelling circles. It is held around the world to help fund local storytelling programs. So, with plenty of lead time, Mapquest directions and slightly conflicting directions from my father, I headed off in the direction of Schenectady and the First Unitarian Society. Naturally, I got lost on the way. When I finally found my way there, I was surprised at what I saw. I had expected a pretty good turnout, but there were many more people than I had expected. Perhaps my expectations were colored by having only been to monthly Story Circle meetings, where there are considerably fewer people (of course, it seems obvious in retrospect that more of the public would naturally be interested in hearing stories than telling their own). The place was a flurry of activity. People I knew and people I didn’t know where rushing around, meeting people, setting up the sale table with books and CDs, setting up tables with refreshments for intermission, taking raffle tickets and so on. It was quite a sight to see. Eventually, the room settled down, the lights dimmed and the program began in earnest. Joe Doolittle was the first to come on stage as one of the co-Masters of Ceremonies, introducing us all to what was designed to be a night of stories made to make people laugh, the second half of his introduction being delivered while wearing a rather nice, red clown nose.
First up was Frances Combs Berger, telling a story from her youth highlighted by the humor that comes from sibling relations. She was followed by a rather touching story delivered by Betty Cassidy. Next up was Margaret French, telling a story of a vacation gone awry. This story was delivered with such calm, quiet wit and deadpan brilliance it would have made Bob Newhart jealous that someone was using his own style of comedy so well. After that, Kathleen Gill presented a humorous, modernized take on the European folk tale of the Straw Ox. I’m led to think that if any of the major movie studios need help with scripting their various movies poking fun at and updating classic folk and fairy tales, they may as well give Kathleen Gill a call. I’d imagine she’d be just as good as many of the people working for Dreamworks. Last up on the roster before intermission was Marni Gillard with an old Irish folktale. Now, these next statements are not meant as a slight to any of the other storytellers I know. Also, my opinion may be colored by the fact that I once spent one whole Story Circle alone with Marni Gillard just telling stories and letting the critique process fall by the wayside for a night. However, there are few people I know who embrace the sheer joy and fun of storytelling like Marni Gillard does. Our emcee expressed the fact that he was unsure if someone could actually make a story entitled “The Corpse Watchers” into a humorous tale. I was pretty sure that if anyone could do it, it would be Marni. I was right. Marni’s delivery of the story perfectly enhanced the more absurd elements of the story and didn’t let the creepy parts overtake them. She would often go down into the audience and talk directly to the audience, getting reactions ranging from the confused to the comical.
Next was intermission. As is usually the case with intermissions, I ate too much of things that I generally shouldn’t have eaten at all. At least it tasted good. Upon returning to the program, we were met with a new co-emcee, Kate Dudding, and the bad news that storyteller Nancy Marie Payne was under the weather and couldn’t make it. We needn’t have worried though, seeing as Kate herself chose to step up and fill in with her own story. Now, what I know of Kate’s material largely stems from her love of history and her desire to craft stories from it. I was in for a pleasant surprise when she told a Syrian story that I’m pretty sure never appeared in a history book in any form. Though, I’m pretty sure that many of the people who’ve known her longer than I have would have known the depth of her material better and probably not have been quite so surprised with the stories she’s capable of telling. My experience probably just scratches the surface. The night continued with three great storytellers. Claire Nolan told a humorous tale of the pitfalls of married life inspired by her parents. Karen Pillsworth told a Native American folk tale spun to have her own humorous interpretation. The event wrapped up with a personal story from Christie Keegan, reflecting the humor that can only come from the troubles of falling in love and growing up.
I was satisfied with all the stories I had heard and with the discovery that the program had gone on an hour more than it was originally advertised on the flyer I had gotten. Oh, well. I’ll be prepared next time. There will be a next time. I had such a blast this time that I’d have to try it again. Maybe I’ll even try to bring someone else along. The one thing I hope is that next time I won’t end up getting lost on the way there and on the way back like I did this time. Thanks Adam and to all - 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.
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. December 18* Round Table and Holiday Meeting (GPL) – 6:15 – 9:00 Nancy Payne Facilitator *Note Date Change!*
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( ) 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 Email. 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 *********************************************************************************
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