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Don't Miss Stories at Fern in October.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

May Stories at Fern

Molly Raher Newman as Emily Carr

Sandra was our lively host while Margo once again provided brief, gentle interludes of music on her Hang (a Swiss instrument, pronounced “Hung”) for an evening that included visiting tellers who surprised and delighted us. The first was no less a personage of renown than Emily Carr in her 'second life', portrayed by Molly Raher Newman. Molly, as an EDUTAINER, provided us with lesser known insights into Emily's life and had us all singing along with her, accompanied by her mandolin.

Sarah Vincent, one of four talented youngsters 'scouted' by Lee at the Festival of the Arts, personified The Killer Cat in "The Diary of the Killer Cat and Trip to the Vet", referred to by the veterinary staff as a "furry psychopath." Hilarious!

Jaya Scott then told the Japanese tale, "The Man Who Bought a Dream,”about a poor farmer who, against his wife's wishes, took what little money they had to follow a dream in search of hidden treasure, only to find it gone. The disappointed farmer, afraid to return home empty handed, found his wife jubilant as golden coins poured from their attic. The gift-giver was a golden bee who valued the distribution of wealth to the less fortunate.

Mary Vincent's story, "The Brave 7th Grade Viking Warrior," by Taylor Mali touched all our hearts. The Viking Warrior was a boy who, when he lost his hair to chemotherapy, found that his classmates had joined his hairless predicament by having their heads shaved, too. The history teacher's class project, to create a miniature Viking ship from popsicle sticks and balsa wood, became an unforgettable lesson when they burned their Viking ship, according to ancient custom, to carry their young Viking Warrior's soul to heaven.

Meghan Scott brought us "the Boy and the Devil,' a convoluted tale of transformation and trickery from which the Devil, used to having the upper hand in encounters with humans, learned to be very wary of boys who can read.

Shoshana shared the oral version of her story "Frida's Flute," which was published recently in an anthology of Canadian Folklore by the Edmonton School Board. Shoshana told us how the story got started in Poland in the 1700's and then evolved into a more modern version after the fall of the Soviet Union. Then she launched into her tale of Frida, a talented young musician who saved the world with music and learned how to read in the process.

Shirley once again wove the gift of homemade merriment into a story of her family's delight as they surprised their Dad on a special birthday. Remember her "Hide and Seek" story from January when her Dad hid under a big hat, among a group of picnickers in the park? This time, total strangers waiting in the arrivals area of an airport became the world’s first “Flash Mob” as they sang “Hello Wally” to the tune of “Hello Dolly” while sporting "Welcome Home Wally" buttons. Shirley’s shy brother, faced with the barrage of unknown welcomers, was now the one who wished he could vanish into thin air.

Jan, with the Cowboy Poem "the Whole Load," took us into a new-to-some-of-us genre: the world of Waddie Mitchell from Nevada, a "...renowned cowboy storyteller and buchaneer poet," according to Wikipeida where you can go to find out more about the 'homespun' philosophy of his poetry.

Anne's musings on the horizontal vs. vertical cutting of a very fine muffin led to her mother's tale of a couple married for half a century. Blessed with the delivery of a freshly baked breakfast roll each day, their tradition of each asking the other which half they preferred continued for 50 years before their true preferences were revealed.

The timid among us were advised to cover our ears to avoid hearing the gory details in Jennifer's story, a tale of a husbandless grandmother who became a professional assassin but, by a twist of fate in court, convinced the Judge that her despatch of a terrible monster was true.

Submitted by Janna

Friday, May 13, 2011

Theatre SKAM Bike Ride, July 9, 10, 16 and 17

Storytellers from the Victoria Storytellers Guild are taking part in the Theatre SKAM Bike Ride in July. On Saturday July 9 from 3:30 - 8:30 p.m. and Sunday July 10 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., two talented sisters, Cat and Meghan Thom, will weave ancient traditions with original compositions through story and song. On Sundays (July 10 from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. and July 17 from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m.) cyclists on decorated bikes get to choose which object from Shoshana Litman's plateful of stories becomes the most amazing tale, before riding off to see other lively, short theatrical, dance, spoken word and music performances. Emerging storyteller, Michele Hibbins, will reveal her own sweet tale on Saturday July 16 from 3:30 - 8:30 p.m. Cost is $15 and includes bicycle decorations, route maps and all the performances. What a deal!

Congratulations to Canadian Children's Book Tour Teller : Shoshana Litman

It has just been announced that Shoshana Litman has been chosen to be one of the tellers during Canadian Children's Book Week 2012. These tellers, who are members of SC-CC, are chosen by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre staff. Applicants are scored by an anonymous jury of experienced peers from provinces across Canada. In addition to the costs of accommodation, travel and meals, tellers are paid for their performances. Congratulations Shoshana.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

April Stories at Fern

Photo of Margo McLoughlin by Katherine McGinnis

Shirley Routliffe hosted another full house of listeners at Stories at Fern on April 18. We had the pleasure of hearing Margo McLoughlin play her Hang between stories, giving us time to let the stories settle within us.

Janna led off with a story of her connection to the royal Coronation Coach at the end of World War II and on a later visit to London in the Buckingham Palace Mews - celebrating freedom to visit the Royal Household, - a visit to the House of Commons - celebrating freedom to witness the heart of democracy in action, a visit to Westminster Abbey - celebrating freedom to worship, with acknowledgment of those who gave their lives to preserve those freedoms. The title of her story: "Fanfare for Freedom".

Anne Beatty took us South of the border with "Computer School" a story about two teachers at the beginning of the computer age who decided to play hookey from required, but infinitely dull, computer lessons. They made their escape to the dog track, absorbing sufficient information about its workings to gamble and win a tidy sum.

Tessa Owens - invited to tell after Shirley attended her performance at the recent Festival of the Arts - told us "Road Rage" by Dave Barry, a fun telling of a number of 'rages' that seem to be part of our society's current speedy, affluent circumstances. Tessa we hope to have you with us again and, this writer hopes, that a Young Tellers evening at Fern will be reinstated before too long.

In the Aztec legend "How Music Came to the Earth" Al told how the wind and the sun did battle over the celestial music of the spheres, the sun forbidding the musicians to leave, the wind finally triumphing with such a blast that the musicians were scooped up, bringing their celestial harmonies down to Earth for our delight.

Victoria told us the Korean folk tale "Story for Sale" of a couple who, sadly, had no stories in their lives, the wife, in desperation, sending her husband out into their small world to buy a story. Victoria's rendition of both the story and the heron within the story, unforgettable.

Catherine Sheehan told the Japanese tale "The Master of the Tea Ceremony" in which the gentle tea master accidentally affronts a samurai and is challenged to a sword duel. From a Zen master our tea master learns to confront the warrior with such absolute calm and concentration that it is the warrior who retreats, the tea master free to return to his master's household intact.

I should not surprise us to know that Jacquie's parents were storytellers, particularly her mother, who told, through her daughter Jacquie, of the howling, wailing ghost who inhabited an old house. The kind of ghostly encounter no one believes until they experience it for themselves.

Margo brought us a timely tale in this present election era, of the difficulties encountered by the animals when trying to choose a King. One by one those presented for consideration were speedily discounted by a recitation of their negative rather than their positive qualities. At the end, only the dog was left. They dressed the dog in royal robes but when his mouth began to water with the smell of meat cooking on the fire he threw off th robes, snatched the meat and ran off to the woods. "He's no king" was the cry,"just a thief" The gathering broke up, and to this day, they have no king !

Lee rounded out the evening with a Vancouver Island story, a tall tale if ever there was one, of ByGod Stafford, the man who milked a whale to help her because her calf had died, then used the milk to feed piglets. A thieving bear put an end to the pig farming and offspring refused to eat anything from cow or goat and headed off to sea, following a mother whale. Believe it or no, after a while, a pod of pink whales was spotted in the waters near Ocean Falls and the Queen Charlotte Islands, now
Haida Kwai.

submitted by Janna