The Next Big Events



Don't Miss Stories at Fern in October.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

September Fern St. by Janna

Our gathering at Fern on September 20th was hosted by Carol Kenway, ably assisted by puppet Souris, her white mouse, who sat safely on her shoulder through a number of stories about cats ! 
Pat C. led off with a story of most successful pleas in grandchildrens' handwritten letters to the Sun God begging for sunshine on a forthcoming family wedding day, followed by Lee Porteous' story of a waif cat, Miko, who made her home with a couple whose livelihood was raising silkworms and how Miko eventually saved those silkworms from destruction by rats by learning to STARE !
Diane G. treated us to the Tlingit legend "Raven and Fog Woman" that she had told at the SC/CC Conference in St.John's this summer when Fog Stories were a requested part of the gathering in that often foggy city.
Shoshana - whose mission as a storyteller often portrays peacemaking - told us of a homeless dog, "Keisha - meaning "bright, shining light" - becoming part of their home and the pleasure of one day coming home to find their formerly feisty-with-dogs cat, and Keisha, comfortably sharing space together.
Gerald Harris brought us the long poem: "Chante (with an accent over the e) and the Forest", the story of a little girl who sang the displaced forest on the outskirts of their city back into the city itself and the wondrous changes the forest brought to the lives of those city dwellers.
Al rounded out the evening with yet another cat story that took place at the Northern end of our Island. Soon after his family's arrival there he innocently enquired of a neighbour -  on what proved to be a party line - where one might find a cat in need of a home. Within minutes a small boy stood knocking at the door offering two kittens.  Such is the power of the party line Al discovered, and went on to regale us with those cats' many adventures !
submitted by Janna

Monday, September 20, 2010

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL FOREST STORYTELLING FESTIVAL

     

               PORT ANGELES, Washington - "Now There Is This To Tell" is the theme of the Sixteenth Annual Forest Storytelling Festival that will be held on October 15 -17 in the Peninsula College Little Theater in Port Angeles.  It is a rare opportunity to experience professional storytelling at its best and is the largest storytelling festival on the west coast of the US.
               
               Over the three days, internationally known tellers will weave their magic for local residents as well as storytellers and story listeners from near and far as they share stories and tales that bridge many cultures and traditions, offering insights into people and places that might be unfamiliar to many of us.
               
               Featured tellers include Laura Simms from New York, Michael Parent from Maine, Kim Weitkamp from Virginia, Heather McNeil from Oregon and Kirk Waller from California.  There bios are below and also on our website.
               
               A special feature of the festival will be the raffle of a quilt made and donated by the Sunbonnet Sue Quilt Club.  A silent auction and open mic story swap will also be part of the weekend's festivities.
               
               The festival officially opens Friday evening, October 15, when all of the featured storytellers appear in concert, starting at 7:30 pm. The opening event will be preceded by  Children's Concerts Friday morning by special invitation and a special pre-festival workshop Friday afternoon, led by master storyteller Laura Simms, an award-winning storyteller, recording artist, teacher, writer and humanitarian.    Preregistration is required for the $50 Simms workshop, which will run from 1:00 to 3:30 pm on Friday. October 15. Because the workshop is limited to 30 participants, individuals will be admitted based on the earliest postmark of those who have registered and paid for a Full Weekend pass.
             
               Saturday morning highlights include two sets of concurrent workshops. Featured at 9:00 am are Parent and Weitkamp and at 10:30 am, Simms and McNeil.  Saturday afternoon features an Open Mic Story Swap at 12:15 pm, followed by storytelling by Waller, Parent and Simms. All of the storytellers will again be featured in concert Saturday evening.
               
               Sunday's activities start at 10:00 am with an Inspirational Concert featuring all of the guest storytellers. The afternoon features McNeil and Weitkamp as individual storytellers. The festival will close with the quilt drawing.
                             
              Cost for the Full Weekend Pass is $65 before October 1 and $75 thereafter. Attendees may also opt to attend individual events for prices ranging from $12 to $20.  Children ages 10 to 16 and Peninsula College students with a current student activity card will be admitted at half price to all of the main festival events.
             
               A complete schedule is available on The Story People website at the following web address: www.dancingleaves.com/storypeople/forestfestival. For additional information, please contact Cherie at 360.417.5031 or Rebecca at 360.866.6308.
               
               The Storytelling Festival is generously supported by Peninsula College, Port Angeles Hotel/Motel Tax Fund, Washington State Arts Commission, First Federal Savings and Loan, Seattle Storytellers Guild, Mt. Tahoma Storytelling Guild, South Sound Story Guild, John Wright/Olympic 1st Aid Training, Seven Cedars Casino, Americorps, and The Story People of Clallam County.

Story/Music Concert in Nanaimo



From: Margaret Murphy  
Subject: Fw: Emailing: CultureDaysStoryTellingPosterFinal2010
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2010 19:28:23 -0700
Hi Dear Story Friends,
Please see the attached announcement about a story/music concert coming up Saturday evening September 25th in Nanaimo.
Nanaimo Centre Stage, 25 Victoria Road, Nanaimo  7:00-9:00pm 
Doors open at 6:30pm
Several Around Town Tellers and Friends are sharing stories of culinary delights from around the world:
Laurie Peck, Sandy Cole, Margaret Murphy and Ted Girard.
And Great, Good music is provided by Saje.
Refreshments will be served.
And all this for the stunning $5.00 admission.
Join us for a very special Culture Days Celebration

Monday, September 13, 2010

Port Angeles Storytelling Festival


 I have been twice and found it an excellent weekend of concerts, story sessions and workshops.
The cost is only $65 US (before Oct 1 - then it is $75 US) which includes everything but a pre-festival workshop.  Four professional tellers from across the USA present the concerts and workshops, with additional stories from selected local tellers and a story swap session for anyone who signs up.
Or you can Google "Port Angeles Storytelling".
Lee Porteous

Friday, September 10, 2010

Rest In Peace:

Clifford C Clarke, 6 March, 1933 - 3 September, 2010


Victoria storytelling has lost a storyteller, supporter and producer. Many of us will miss his occasional visits to Fern and the annual Christmas production at Cliffe's beloved Toad Hall. A paraplegic, due to an tragic accident in 1998, Cliffe succumbed to lymphoma at his home in Mill Bay. 


A Public Visitation will be held at Sand's Funeral Chapel, 1803 Quadra St., Saturday 11 September, 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. 


The funeral will be at Central Baptist Church, 833 Pandora. Thursday, 16 September, 1:00 p.m.
In this lifetime we may see Cliffe no more, but his stories will live on forever.

Monday, September 6, 2010

VSG Tellers Out and About


B.C. Culture Days: Musical Stories. Saturday September 25, 2:45 to 3:15 p.m. in the Greater Victoria Public Library Courtyard, Downtown Branch. Victoria Storytellers Guild Vice President, Lee Porteous, and Maggidah Shoshana Litman www.maggidah.com hope you’ll join them for this unique cultural adventure. The program, which features B.C. musical talent, runs from 2 to 4 p.m. And it’s free.


Musical Stories will be from 2:45 to 3:10 p.m., approximately.