Having a place to share your stories, especially where you can get feedback, makes you a proficient storyteller. This can happen at live events, online in communities, or with story coaches.
In this episode, writer, storyteller, and toastmaster Peter Ash stops by to tell us all about the story communities and events he’s been a part of - such as NEST, Story Space, and Sharing the Fire - and why it’s important to join one. Each one offers the storyteller a different experience but above all, the more you tell your story to an audience, the better you are.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to the Starfish Storytellers, the podcast that makes a difference one story
(00:04):
at a time by bringing storytelling to life.
November, the traveler walked down from the snowy western mountains and onto the broad
plain. He was an older man with white hair and a salt and pepper beard. Tall and erect,
(00:35):
the traveler had the posture of a military officer or possibly an ascetic and had a
scar across one cheek. He wore a heavy dark brown cloak and carried a tall staff.
At first, the only people who saw him were cleaners, poor folk rummaging through the
(01:02):
yellow brown stubble for food for the winter. They were amazed because people rarely crossed
the mountains alone and no one had ever crossed the mountains so late in the year, but no
one greeted him. All foreigners were suspect and police spies were everywhere, even among
(01:30):
the poor. Anyone who spoke to the traveler would be risking their life. Besides, the
traveler did not seem to need any help. The traveler walked on and after a few miles,
he came to a group of soldiers. The leader asked him what he was doing there. Perhaps
(01:57):
the traveler did not understand the soldier's language, but the soldier's body language
was clear and the traveler responded by reaching inside his cloak. One soldier thought the
traveler was reaching for a weapon, so he threw his sword and cut off his head. When
(02:22):
the soldiers examined the body, they found no weapon, only a leather water bottle and
a black velvet pouch. The pouch held some dried fruits, nuts, a stone, and a few sheets
of parchment. The stone seemed an amulet, a heart-shaped piece of pink quartz. The parchment
(02:49):
was filled with writing and a language that meant nothing to the soldiers. The story could
have ended there, but somehow the fame of the dead traveler spread during the years that
followed. He was given a name, Barah Ache, which meant in the language of that place
(03:15):
the man who crossed over, and he was the subject of endless speculation. Some thought he was
a spy and the soldiers were right to kill him. Others thought that his heart-shaped
amulet showed he was an obfelterer who had crossed the mountains to escape a vengeful
(03:39):
husband. Another story fastened on his facial scar and thought he had killed a man in a
duel and was hoping to start his life over in another way. Others focused on the parchment,
felt that the traveler was a holy man hoping to spread his religion or his mystic insight
(04:04):
to the people who crossed the mountains. And some said he was an adventurer crossing
the mountains so late in the year just to show he could do it. What do I think? I think
Barah Ache was a human being like you or me following whatever path he had to follow.
(04:50):
Hello, my name is Rihanna Henry and welcome to the Starfish Storytellers. I'm the CEO
of the Black Dog Group, a Marcom and Project Management firm headquartered on the east
coast of the US in Quaint Colonial Bedford, Massachusetts. I'm your host and passionate
about storytelling. I'm actually on a mission to raise up the next generation of storytellers.
(05:11):
We've named ourselves the Starfish Storytellers after the Starfish Story. The moral of the
Starfish Story is based on the power of one. No matter how big the challenge, each action
we take makes a difference and has an impact. One step, one starfish, or one story at a
time. Every episode we welcome a new storyteller who will share their story meant to inspire
(05:32):
and connect with you. Then we'll break it down and offer tips for any listeners who
are ready to tell their own stories. So thanks for tuning in. Now let's get started.
Today's episode is about So You Want to Be a Storyteller? The Making of a Skilled Storyteller
Through Community. And with me today is Peter Ash, who is a writer, a storyteller, and a
(05:54):
toast master. Peter tells all kinds of stories, retelling traditional tales and literary works,
moth type true personal stories, humor stories, dark stories, fantasy stories, and various
combinations of all of the above. So thank you for joining us today, Peter. We're really
happy that you're here. You're welcome. So we usually get started by having our storyteller
(06:20):
introduce themselves and tell us a little bit about themselves and tell us your background.
Would you like to share a little bit about you with our listeners? I retired professor
of mathematics, 79 years old. In the course of my career, I've also worked as a software
engineer and as a courseware developer. And I have been engaged in the practice of San
(06:52):
Buddhism for 55 years. So I've done a lot of things in my life and I didn't get into
storytelling really until I was about 50 years old. Great. So I really appreciate the
story that you shared. Now, this is a story that you wrote. It is. So we wanted to talk
(07:16):
today about being a good storytelling or how to become a good storyteller. There's so much
that goes into becoming a good storyteller. So when we were preparing for the podcast,
you talked about how important it is to read. Read a lot and a lot of the storytellers who've
come into the studio have also said that they were readers first and they read a lot of
(07:37):
good stories. But then there's also the importance of developing active listening skills. There's
the storytelling part of the equation, but there's also the story listening part of the
equation and being an active listener means people absorb information. They empathize
with others. Those who are creating stories have very creative imaginations, obviously
(07:58):
based on the story you shared. It was very creative. And being able to, as a storyteller,
and I know this, and we'll talk about this, I know in a little bit, we'll talk about
Moth, because I'm also a Moth storyteller, being able to create sort of those more simple,
concise stories that have a little bit more punch to them. But of course, then there's
(08:21):
the character development and language techniques delivery and making stories relatable and
authentic so we can grab an audience. And I think I know we're going to talk today about
community and sort of feedback loops and circles and things like that. So getting and giving
feedback is also really important. So why don't we get started about hearing a little
(08:44):
bit more. You said you didn't get started in storytelling until you were in your 50s.
Can you talk a little bit about that?
Yeah, I live in the Boston area, actually right here in Bedford. I was at an alumni
party. I got my bachelor's degree from Reed College in Portland, Oregon. I went to a local
(09:10):
alumni party here. And I met a fellow who seemed very interesting. We talked for a while
and he said, why don't you go to the storytelling workshop that I've been to, which is run by
Brother Blue. So I started going there and I haven't stopped since.
(09:32):
So what is Brother Blue?
Brother Blue was a name adopted by a man named Hugh Morgan Hill. He's a doctor of divinity
from Harvard Divinity School and is kind of the most well-known name in storytelling
(09:59):
probably in the Boston area. He did an incalculable amount. So here you have this doctor of divinity
who would dress in an all blue suit with butterflies all over it. And he would go to Harvard Square
(10:23):
where the hippies would hang out and he would be barefoot and he would perform. So he was
dedicated to the storytelling and the spiritual aspects of storytelling. And he ran a weekly
workshop for anybody who wanted to come in and listen to stories and tell stories.
(10:50):
Now you said you got involved in that. Were you and you're still participating with that
organization?
Well, yes, Brother Blue himself passed away in 2009. So a lot of the people who regarded
(11:11):
himself as his disciples, if you will, wanted to carry on his legacy. So the same Tuesday
night became a story space instead of Brother Blue's workshop.
(11:34):
And that's what you participate in now?
Yes.
Yes.
So what is the sort of the format of the story space? I think you had shared with me the
link one time and I went to check it out. But I haven't actually attended any of them
(11:55):
yet. How does that work? Is it like weekly?
Story space meets every weekday evening from 7 to 9. And it is met that if you count Brother
Blue's, it's well over 30 years going. And up until COVID, we met in person. So it went
(12:29):
for two hours and the first hour was an open mic and the second hour was a featured storyteller.
And after the pandemic hit, it became a virtual space. So you can find it at storiespace.org.
(13:01):
And that's how I tune into it now.
And when you say open mic, do they take draw names from a hat or how do people get chosen
to get to speak or just raise your hand?
Yeah, you put your name in the hat. And if someone is a first time teller, they will
(13:22):
or guarantee that they will be one of the people big. But for everyone else, they're
picked at random. It generally works out if I have a lot of stories I want to share that
I usually never have to wait more than one week to tell the story.
(13:48):
Got it. Got it. That's great. It is so important, I think, to have a place to tell your stories.
And there's lots of ways and places people can go. I don't just think people maybe don't
always know where they are. So it is nice to have those options.
So one of the things that we talked about was the communities that you've been a part
(14:11):
of. You named one. And why would it be important for a new storyteller to engage with a community
like this? And maybe you can tell us a little bit about the ones that you would recommend
for a new storyteller.
My favorite question. I think it's very important to be part of a community because of the nature
(14:40):
of what storytelling is. Now, for an actor, it only has to communicate with the other
actors in the play, which is storyteller is making a direct connection with their audience.
So if you're trying to practice storytelling without an audience, it's kind of like playing
(15:06):
tennis without a net or without a partner. Not easy.
And basically, most people I've talked to who want to get started in storytelling says,
(15:28):
I have no idea what I could talk about. Well, after you've heard dozens and dozens of people
in various storytelling venues, you begin to think of, oh, yeah, that reminds me of something
that happened to me that I bet people would be interested to hear about. So it's a great
(15:52):
source of inspiration. Of course, in any community that's a great store of help, you can find
out what's going on and what's happening. If you try to become a professional storyteller,
you can find out where you can get a gig. I haven't really been on a specific stage,
(16:21):
except you might say I was when I was the feature teller at Story Space one time, and
that I think was a very high honor for me. So I got a whole 50 minutes to tell some of
my favorite stories of all different types, and it was a blast.
(16:47):
Now Story Space is the one we were just talking about. Now there isn't any, like I know like
Moth has a very set structure. You know, you have to be true, it has to be authentic, it
can't have isms. There's a whole structure for the types of stories that they want you
to tell from their stages. Does Story Space have the same sort of, do they have like a
(17:12):
format that they want you to follow when you tell your stories? No, we're pretty kind of
proud of the fact that we're open to just about anything as long as it's not hateful
or hurtful to people. So anything that's spoken word is okay. We never have a theme
(17:35):
that you have to follow. Of course around Halloween and Christmas, things like that,
a lot of people will focus their stories on those particular things. But you can tell
(17:56):
any story you want. People have, it doesn't even have to be original work. So definitely,
it doesn't have to be something that truly happened to you. Truly in quotes, I guess,
because sometimes things which are fictional are more true than your best recollection of
(18:24):
something that was true.
Yeah. Besides Story Space, you know, talked about, Ma, talked about Story Space. What
other story communities do you, like I've heard of, you know, I'm a member of the National
(18:48):
Story Network. And I've heard of Nest and Fire. And there's one, what is it? There's
one like down south that is really big. They have a large festival every year in like Virginia.
That's always really popular. But what other sort of story communities can you think of
(19:15):
that would be useful for somebody to look into?
Well, I think this is something that people have to find for themselves. And I think you
need to start out with, if you're in the Boston area, I would start out with Nest. It
(19:40):
stands for Northeast Storytelling. You can find all these places with a simple Google
search. As you mentioned, that's the National Storytelling Network, which is headquartered
in Jonesboro, Tennessee, but has events all over the country. In fact, National Storytelling
(20:11):
Network is having their big annual meeting in Seattle on Puget Sound in July. So if
you had to bear with all that, that might be a lot of fun. But the point is to get
started. If you're thinking of getting into storytelling, I'd say you want to get, don't
(20:36):
put it on the back burner and wait for the perfect opportunity. It just sees the day.
And the New England Storytelling and National Storytelling Network both have calendars,
(21:00):
so you can see what events are going on in your area. So for example, you'll find Story
Space was there every Tuesday night. So find something that's convenient for you. Find
(21:22):
something that sounds interesting to you. There is many paths to storytelling development
as they are storytellers. And the Nest puts on a yearly event called Sharing the Fire.
(21:44):
I believe it was started by Brother Blue. It's been going on every year for years with
a short IATS because of COVID. And this year, it's meeting in Sharing the Fire, that is,
is meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on March 22nd through 24th. It's a Friday through
(22:14):
Sunday. And I go virtually every year. I make time in my calendar to go to this. And so
going to something like this can really get you jump-started and allow you to make contacts
(22:37):
that will be incredibly important to you as you develop.
That's, this couldn't be more true. And it's very inspiring to go to these events. I know
that I looked into a couple others. It was the Passam Club, which does a lot of music,
but they also have some storytelling events. And then Fugitive Stories, which is, these
(22:57):
are both New England-based organizations. They do sort of music and storytelling events
as well. And they're sort of all over New England as well. So those are other good places to
look. So kind of segueing into storytelling, story coaching, because you had talked about
(23:22):
that when we were getting ready for the podcast. You know, I teach storytelling classes and
I've had a few people come to me one-on-one as story, for story coaching. And some of
them have come with great ideas of things they wanted to use their storytelling for,
but they really weren't sure how to get started. I had one gal come to me. She wanted to take
(23:44):
sort of her heritage stories and infuse them into some ministry that she was going to start.
And she really wanted to know sort of what was sort of the framework that she should follow
and use in order to do that. I believe you're an advocate for story coaching as well. And
so my question for you is, when should someone look for a coach? And what should they be
(24:09):
looking for in a coach? You know, what is a great way for them or a best way for them
to maybe choose one? Okay. Well, I think this is a case where going to sharing the fire would
be my number one suggestion. There are workshops all through the weekend. So it's not just
(24:37):
a matter of listening to stories. There are participatory workshops. There are workshops
that include coaching where they will coach a couple of people maybe. So the coach will
coach two or three people and everyone else will get to see how they do their coaching.
(25:03):
So I think that I didn't do any coaching until I had been storytelling for a number of years.
I felt that I was learning what I could learn just from watching people. And at some point
(25:27):
I realized I wanted to knock my story telling up to the next level. And that's when I started
working with some coaches. I worked with a great Diane Edgecomb who unfortunately is
not doing coaching anymore although she's very active performing. And I worked with
(25:56):
online with coaching with Jim Brewe and Doug Whitman. Each experience is very different.
(26:22):
Most of my coaching has been in small classes. So sometimes that can be a very good format.
If you have maybe a dozen people who are being coached at the same time and by listening
and watching you can learn as much from how the other people are helped as you can be
(26:47):
helped directly yourself by the coach. Well that is all the time we have for today. I
want to thank you so much for being our guest. I just loved having the conversation about
the different communities and where people could go to learn more and to express themselves.
(27:07):
And it was just really resonated with me. So thank you so much for being here and for
sharing that. It was my pleasure. Thank you. And to our listeners, whether you hear us
locally from the BTV studios in Bedford, Massachusetts or across the globe on such podcast channels
as Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Amazon Prime, thanks for listening. We hope you enjoyed
(27:30):
this episode and we'll see you next time. Happy Storytime.
Welcome to the Starfish Storytellers, the podcast that makes a difference one story
(00:04):
at a time by bringing storytelling to life.
November, the traveler walked down from the snowy western mountains and onto the broad
plain. He was an older man with white hair and a salt and pepper beard. Tall and erect,
(00:35):
the traveler had the posture of a military officer or possibly an ascetic and had a
scar across one cheek. He wore a heavy dark brown cloak and carried a tall staff.
At first, the only people who saw him were cleaners, poor folk rummaging through the
(01:02):
yellow brown stubble for food for the winter. They were amazed because people rarely crossed
the mountains alone and no one had ever crossed the mountains so late in the year, but no
one greeted him. All foreigners were suspect and police spies were everywhere, even among
(01:30):
the poor. Anyone who spoke to the traveler would be risking their life. Besides, the
traveler did not seem to need any help. The traveler walked on and after a few miles,
he came to a group of soldiers. The leader asked him what he was doing there. Perhaps
(01:57):
the traveler did not understand the soldier's language, but the soldier's body language
was clear and the traveler responded by reaching inside his cloak. One soldier thought the
traveler was reaching for a weapon, so he threw his sword and cut off his head. When
(02:22):
the soldiers examined the body, they found no weapon, only a leather water bottle and
a black velvet pouch. The pouch held some dried fruits, nuts, a stone, and a few sheets
of parchment. The stone seemed an amulet, a heart-shaped piece of pink quartz. The parchment
(02:49):
was filled with writing and a language that meant nothing to the soldiers. The story could
have ended there, but somehow the fame of the dead traveler spread during the years that
followed. He was given a name, Barah Ache, which meant in the language of that place
(03:15):
the man who crossed over, and he was the subject of endless speculation. Some thought he was
a spy and the soldiers were right to kill him. Others thought that his heart-shaped
amulet showed he was an obfelterer who had crossed the mountains to escape a vengeful
(03:39):
husband. Another story fastened on his facial scar and thought he had killed a man in a
duel and was hoping to start his life over in another way. Others focused on the parchment,
felt that the traveler was a holy man hoping to spread his religion or his mystic insight
(04:04):
to the people who crossed the mountains. And some said he was an adventurer crossing
the mountains so late in the year just to show he could do it. What do I think? I think
Barah Ache was a human being like you or me following whatever path he had to follow.
(04:50):
Hello, my name is Rihanna Henry and welcome to the Starfish Storytellers. I'm the CEO
of the Black Dog Group, a Marcom and Project Management firm headquartered on the east
coast of the US in Quaint Colonial Bedford, Massachusetts. I'm your host and passionate
about storytelling. I'm actually on a mission to raise up the next generation of storytellers.
(05:11):
We've named ourselves the Starfish Storytellers after the Starfish Story. The moral of the
Starfish Story is based on the power of one. No matter how big the challenge, each action
we take makes a difference and has an impact. One step, one starfish, or one story at a
time. Every episode we welcome a new storyteller who will share their story meant to inspire
(05:32):
and connect with you. Then we'll break it down and offer tips for any listeners who
are ready to tell their own stories. So thanks for tuning in. Now let's get started.
Today's episode is about So You Want to Be a Storyteller? The Making of a Skilled Storyteller
Through Community. And with me today is Peter Ash, who is a writer, a storyteller, and a
(05:54):
toast master. Peter tells all kinds of stories, retelling traditional tales and literary works,
moth type true personal stories, humor stories, dark stories, fantasy stories, and various
combinations of all of the above. So thank you for joining us today, Peter. We're really
happy that you're here. You're welcome. So we usually get started by having our storyteller
(06:20):
introduce themselves and tell us a little bit about themselves and tell us your background.
Would you like to share a little bit about you with our listeners? I retired professor
of mathematics, 79 years old. In the course of my career, I've also worked as a software
engineer and as a courseware developer. And I have been engaged in the practice of San
(06:52):
Buddhism for 55 years. So I've done a lot of things in my life and I didn't get into
storytelling really until I was about 50 years old. Great. So I really appreciate the
story that you shared. Now, this is a story that you wrote. It is. So we wanted to talk
(07:16):
today about being a good storytelling or how to become a good storyteller. There's so much
that goes into becoming a good storyteller. So when we were preparing for the podcast,
you talked about how important it is to read. Read a lot and a lot of the storytellers who've
come into the studio have also said that they were readers first and they read a lot of
(07:37):
good stories. But then there's also the importance of developing active listening skills. There's
the storytelling part of the equation, but there's also the story listening part of the
equation and being an active listener means people absorb information. They empathize
with others. Those who are creating stories have very creative imaginations, obviously
(07:58):
based on the story you shared. It was very creative. And being able to, as a storyteller,
and I know this, and we'll talk about this, I know in a little bit, we'll talk about
Moth, because I'm also a Moth storyteller, being able to create sort of those more simple,
concise stories that have a little bit more punch to them. But of course, then there's
(08:21):
the character development and language techniques delivery and making stories relatable and
authentic so we can grab an audience. And I think I know we're going to talk today about
community and sort of feedback loops and circles and things like that. So getting and giving
feedback is also really important. So why don't we get started about hearing a little
(08:44):
bit more. You said you didn't get started in storytelling until you were in your 50s.
Can you talk a little bit about that?
Yeah, I live in the Boston area, actually right here in Bedford. I was at an alumni
party. I got my bachelor's degree from Reed College in Portland, Oregon. I went to a local
(09:10):
alumni party here. And I met a fellow who seemed very interesting. We talked for a while
and he said, why don't you go to the storytelling workshop that I've been to, which is run by
Brother Blue. So I started going there and I haven't stopped since.
(09:32):
So what is Brother Blue?
Brother Blue was a name adopted by a man named Hugh Morgan Hill. He's a doctor of divinity
from Harvard Divinity School and is kind of the most well-known name in storytelling
(09:59):
probably in the Boston area. He did an incalculable amount. So here you have this doctor of divinity
who would dress in an all blue suit with butterflies all over it. And he would go to Harvard Square
(10:23):
where the hippies would hang out and he would be barefoot and he would perform. So he was
dedicated to the storytelling and the spiritual aspects of storytelling. And he ran a weekly
workshop for anybody who wanted to come in and listen to stories and tell stories.
(10:50):
Now you said you got involved in that. Were you and you're still participating with that
organization?
Well, yes, Brother Blue himself passed away in 2009. So a lot of the people who regarded
(11:11):
himself as his disciples, if you will, wanted to carry on his legacy. So the same Tuesday
night became a story space instead of Brother Blue's workshop.
(11:34):
And that's what you participate in now?
Yes.
Yes.
So what is the sort of the format of the story space? I think you had shared with me the
link one time and I went to check it out. But I haven't actually attended any of them
(11:55):
yet. How does that work? Is it like weekly?
Story space meets every weekday evening from 7 to 9. And it is met that if you count Brother
Blue's, it's well over 30 years going. And up until COVID, we met in person. So it went
(12:29):
for two hours and the first hour was an open mic and the second hour was a featured storyteller.
And after the pandemic hit, it became a virtual space. So you can find it at storiespace.org.
(13:01):
And that's how I tune into it now.
And when you say open mic, do they take draw names from a hat or how do people get chosen
to get to speak or just raise your hand?
Yeah, you put your name in the hat. And if someone is a first time teller, they will
(13:22):
or guarantee that they will be one of the people big. But for everyone else, they're
picked at random. It generally works out if I have a lot of stories I want to share that
I usually never have to wait more than one week to tell the story.
(13:48):
Got it. Got it. That's great. It is so important, I think, to have a place to tell your stories.
And there's lots of ways and places people can go. I don't just think people maybe don't
always know where they are. So it is nice to have those options.
So one of the things that we talked about was the communities that you've been a part
(14:11):
of. You named one. And why would it be important for a new storyteller to engage with a community
like this? And maybe you can tell us a little bit about the ones that you would recommend
for a new storyteller.
My favorite question. I think it's very important to be part of a community because of the nature
(14:40):
of what storytelling is. Now, for an actor, it only has to communicate with the other
actors in the play, which is storyteller is making a direct connection with their audience.
So if you're trying to practice storytelling without an audience, it's kind of like playing
(15:06):
tennis without a net or without a partner. Not easy.
And basically, most people I've talked to who want to get started in storytelling says,
(15:28):
I have no idea what I could talk about. Well, after you've heard dozens and dozens of people
in various storytelling venues, you begin to think of, oh, yeah, that reminds me of something
that happened to me that I bet people would be interested to hear about. So it's a great
(15:52):
source of inspiration. Of course, in any community that's a great store of help, you can find
out what's going on and what's happening. If you try to become a professional storyteller,
you can find out where you can get a gig. I haven't really been on a specific stage,
(16:21):
except you might say I was when I was the feature teller at Story Space one time, and
that I think was a very high honor for me. So I got a whole 50 minutes to tell some of
my favorite stories of all different types, and it was a blast.
(16:47):
Now Story Space is the one we were just talking about. Now there isn't any, like I know like
Moth has a very set structure. You know, you have to be true, it has to be authentic, it
can't have isms. There's a whole structure for the types of stories that they want you
to tell from their stages. Does Story Space have the same sort of, do they have like a
(17:12):
format that they want you to follow when you tell your stories? No, we're pretty kind of
proud of the fact that we're open to just about anything as long as it's not hateful
or hurtful to people. So anything that's spoken word is okay. We never have a theme
(17:35):
that you have to follow. Of course around Halloween and Christmas, things like that,
a lot of people will focus their stories on those particular things. But you can tell
(17:56):
any story you want. People have, it doesn't even have to be original work. So definitely,
it doesn't have to be something that truly happened to you. Truly in quotes, I guess,
because sometimes things which are fictional are more true than your best recollection of
(18:24):
something that was true.
Yeah. Besides Story Space, you know, talked about, Ma, talked about Story Space. What
other story communities do you, like I've heard of, you know, I'm a member of the National
(18:48):
Story Network. And I've heard of Nest and Fire. And there's one, what is it? There's
one like down south that is really big. They have a large festival every year in like Virginia.
That's always really popular. But what other sort of story communities can you think of
(19:15):
that would be useful for somebody to look into?
Well, I think this is something that people have to find for themselves. And I think you
need to start out with, if you're in the Boston area, I would start out with Nest. It
(19:40):
stands for Northeast Storytelling. You can find all these places with a simple Google
search. As you mentioned, that's the National Storytelling Network, which is headquartered
in Jonesboro, Tennessee, but has events all over the country. In fact, National Storytelling
(20:11):
Network is having their big annual meeting in Seattle on Puget Sound in July. So if
you had to bear with all that, that might be a lot of fun. But the point is to get
started. If you're thinking of getting into storytelling, I'd say you want to get, don't
(20:36):
put it on the back burner and wait for the perfect opportunity. It just sees the day.
And the New England Storytelling and National Storytelling Network both have calendars,
(21:00):
so you can see what events are going on in your area. So for example, you'll find Story
Space was there every Tuesday night. So find something that's convenient for you. Find
(21:22):
something that sounds interesting to you. There is many paths to storytelling development
as they are storytellers. And the Nest puts on a yearly event called Sharing the Fire.
(21:44):
I believe it was started by Brother Blue. It's been going on every year for years with
a short IATS because of COVID. And this year, it's meeting in Sharing the Fire, that is,
is meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on March 22nd through 24th. It's a Friday through
(22:14):
Sunday. And I go virtually every year. I make time in my calendar to go to this. And so
going to something like this can really get you jump-started and allow you to make contacts
(22:37):
that will be incredibly important to you as you develop.
That's, this couldn't be more true. And it's very inspiring to go to these events. I know
that I looked into a couple others. It was the Passam Club, which does a lot of music,
but they also have some storytelling events. And then Fugitive Stories, which is, these
(22:57):
are both New England-based organizations. They do sort of music and storytelling events
as well. And they're sort of all over New England as well. So those are other good places to
look. So kind of segueing into storytelling, story coaching, because you had talked about
(23:22):
that when we were getting ready for the podcast. You know, I teach storytelling classes and
I've had a few people come to me one-on-one as story, for story coaching. And some of
them have come with great ideas of things they wanted to use their storytelling for,
but they really weren't sure how to get started. I had one gal come to me. She wanted to take
(23:44):
sort of her heritage stories and infuse them into some ministry that she was going to start.
And she really wanted to know sort of what was sort of the framework that she should follow
and use in order to do that. I believe you're an advocate for story coaching as well. And
so my question for you is, when should someone look for a coach? And what should they be
(24:09):
looking for in a coach? You know, what is a great way for them or a best way for them
to maybe choose one? Okay. Well, I think this is a case where going to sharing the fire would
be my number one suggestion. There are workshops all through the weekend. So it's not just
(24:37):
a matter of listening to stories. There are participatory workshops. There are workshops
that include coaching where they will coach a couple of people maybe. So the coach will
coach two or three people and everyone else will get to see how they do their coaching.
(25:03):
So I think that I didn't do any coaching until I had been storytelling for a number of years.
I felt that I was learning what I could learn just from watching people. And at some point
(25:27):
I realized I wanted to knock my story telling up to the next level. And that's when I started
working with some coaches. I worked with a great Diane Edgecomb who unfortunately is
not doing coaching anymore although she's very active performing. And I worked with
(25:56):
online with coaching with Jim Brewe and Doug Whitman. Each experience is very different.
(26:22):
Most of my coaching has been in small classes. So sometimes that can be a very good format.
If you have maybe a dozen people who are being coached at the same time and by listening
and watching you can learn as much from how the other people are helped as you can be
(26:47):
helped directly yourself by the coach. Well that is all the time we have for today. I
want to thank you so much for being our guest. I just loved having the conversation about
the different communities and where people could go to learn more and to express themselves.
(27:07):
And it was just really resonated with me. So thank you so much for being here and for
sharing that. It was my pleasure. Thank you. And to our listeners, whether you hear us
locally from the BTV studios in Bedford, Massachusetts or across the globe on such podcast channels
as Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Amazon Prime, thanks for listening. We hope you enjoyed
(27:30):
this episode and we'll see you next time. Happy Storytime.
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