During a visit to Uncle Remus’s house in Atlanta and after listening to stories about Brer Rabbit, I turned to my husband Mike and said, “I can do that.” He laughed and said, “I knew you would say that.”
I found a storytelling class was being held at UMSL and after hearing that registration for it had already closed, I begged (yes, begged) and hearing the desperation in my voice, was admitted to the class! I also loved it so much, I took it 3 times.
I found tellers each have a “style,” some telling very calm, some loud, one sitting in a chair telling softly so the kids had to listen quietly to hear her, and it worked!
After hearing January Kiefer, I found my “style”I went to a storytelling class at St. Charles Community College with Sue Hinkel and was fascinated how stories developed.
Mike and I love listening to tellers, watching how their bodies, hands and facial expressions also tell the story. It’s like a whole package.
Being involved in MO-TELL has been a great experience for both of us and we’ve made many friends and watched many, many wonderful performances. The auctions, selling tellers resources, meeting the “Best of the Best” and hosting events have been so much fun.
So, the next time you’re hearing a story, all you have to do is sit back, close your eyes and allow yourself to be taken to a very special place. Perhaps it will be on a ship, on a stormy night with the sky bright with lightening all around you, or walking through the woods, your feet crunching the old, dried leaves under your shoes and seeing new plants poking up for the new springtime sunlight.
Where will your next story take you?
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