Listen on-line

Here's a site to check out:

The Art of Storytelling with Children

http://www.storytellingwithchildren.com/

"A national online community of storytellers hosted by Eric Wolf"

Try listening to some of the audios - available as podcasts or just download to your computer.

Check out the list of guests he's interviewed - you'll recognize a lot of the names there.

More October stories

Mary and Mary delighted the kids at University School the day before Halloween. Mary D's inspired power-point assisted story drew laughs. What a lot of work went into preparing that one!

Mary F introduced the children to the dangers of picking a green gourd.

A week later one of the Kindergarten teachers reported that his kids are still chasing each other around the playground playing that the chaser is the green gourd.

Setting a goulish mood

Oh the fiendish storyteller! To what lengths will she go to create atmosphere?

She will freeze eyeballs, that's what.And float them in Vampire Blood Punchwhich she will gleefully dip out for a ravenous audience.

She will feed them on horrible things, which she will describe in lavish detail.

A few of the audience are hesitant to try such delights
but the rest mob the storyteller. They are delighted to nibble on "graveyard worms" and "brittle bones".

Now they're in the mood for a scary story!

Festival of Ghost Stories

The weather was perfect for the Festival of Ghost Stories this year. This has been a rare occurrence in the past 30 plus years of the Festival.

The setting sun gilded the tellers as they checked on sound levels.

Mary prepared to gross people out with "Dottie Got Her Liver."

Lisa's chant of "Hobyah! Hobyah!" sounded truely menacing. As the sun left the stage, the audience settled in for an evening of missing body parts, monsters, lost loves, mysterious spirits, treacherous waters, and a fey changeling. They shivered, they started, and they felt by turns melancholy and horrified. Then they all wandered home in the suitably spooky darkness.

Our thanks to the tellers, to the musician and to the MC, to the folks from Parks and Rec, and to the cop who stopped the noisy parade of pickups.

A Halloween Tradition...

Watch for these posters around town...

Ginny Richey and her niece and nephew assisting, tells stories regularly at the Preschool Story Time events at the Ellettsville Branch of the Monroe County Public Library.

During this program on "The Ocean" Ginny told a lively version of seaweed soup and had props to assist. She made it sound so good that the children just had to sample a bit!

The season

You know it's coming...
the season for ghost stories.

The annual Festival of Ghost Stories is early this year - on the 17th of October -

but everything else is the same:
a gathering of storytellers, each with their spookiest tale, out in the dark of Cascades Park, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

If you come to listen, bring something to sit on and a warm blanket to wrap around yourself (and please, don't bring young children - these stories are for teens and adults, maybe your older elementary guys who can take some violence and horror).

If you are a member of the Guild and planning to tell, remember the audition meeting on Oct. 8th!

Fall meeting.

Gather up your ripe stories and join us this Friday, Sept. 12th, for our first meeting of the year. Check your email for meeting details, or contact our coordinator.

Date set for September meeting

Mark your calendar! Friday September 12th we will have our first Guild meeting of the year.* Place to be announced, check your email.


*Our year corresponds to the school year.

Spring Dinner 2008

Friday evening storytellers gathered to celebrate another season of stories. We celebrated new jobs and birthdays. Of course there was storytelling...entertaining the listeners...
and a little business taken care of over a glass of wine and a scrumptious dessert.

Here's to another great year!

June 6th dinner

Put the date on your calendar:

Friday, June 6, 2008

6:30 p.m.

The annual Guild gathering and dinner.

Email btownstorytellers@gmail.com for details!

Telling tales for Habitat

Here's a group of storytellers at the " Habitat for Humanity Interfaith Build Intergenerational Interfaith Mixer" (and that's a tongue twister for sure!) It was a Saturday afternoon of stories, each one leading to another - spring and birds and rabbits - each tale amusing the children and each one with a little idea tucked inside for the older members of the audience to appreciate.

What storytellers love

Next to finding the perfect story,

or knowing that you've told it really well...

What storytellers love is knowing that the audience really enjoyed it!

Thanks for the Thank You notes!

After the show

After the telling, comes the talking.

We find out who was in the audience.


We congratulate each other.

We talk about how each story went.

We compare this telling with past ones.




We breathe a deep sigh that it's over.

We begin to think about what story we'll tell next.

Wintertelling 2008

Here's the ensemble gathered before the show - missing Hope who had to drive in from Carmel and so came a little later than these folks. What a great evening of storytelling it was! We had short stories and long stories, funny stories and serious ones, traditional folktales and true-life adventures. We went from slave ships to WW II to modern Toyoko, from Africa to West Virginia to the Pacific Northwest.
It was all captured on video by CATS - so you may watch it on your cable TV. Check out their schedule here.

Before the performance

What do storytellers do while waiting for the show to begin? Behind those closed doors...





Some meditate--



some caffeinate--



some chat...











some act out...







While the patient audience gathers and waits for the doors to open.

Wintertelling this Friday

The stories will flow despite any ice or snow -

Wintertelling this Friday at the Monroe County Public Library Auditorium starting at 7:30 pm.

Remember the old saying: "If Wintertelling comes, can Spring be far behind?"

"Safe and sound" well delivered

An enthusiastic audience turned out for Stephanie's World War II program:"Safe and Sound, Letter to Follow". Many veterans of that war and their families were there and their response to the presentation was heartfelt. She mentioned a date, and someone in the dark whispered "Midway", anticipating the tragedy that was coming. There were tears and laughter and a real sense of the time period.Afterwards, fellow storytellers surrounded Stephanie to tell her how much we appreciated the incredible amount of research and work that went into creating this piece.

A new story begins

Welcome to the newest addition to the BtownStorytellers community:

Adeline Marie

Just beginning her listening days

and already joining her big brother in her mom's stories

And this is why Lisa will not be telling at this year's Wintertelling!

Wintertelling coming up

Wintertelling: After Hours for Adults
Monroe County Public Library
303 E. Kirkwood Avenue
Bloomington,IN
Auditorium
Traditionally there are stories that could only be told in the winter. Join us for a concert of stories sure to entertain, enlighten, amuse, and warm the heart. This after-hours program is presented by members of the Bloomington Storytellers' Guild who have been featured performers on stage, radio, and television throughout Indiana. Stay for sweets, hot drinks, and a chance to talk with the tellers. For mature audiences.
Please register in advance at 812-349-FACT, but walk-ins also welcome! **Please enter through Kirkwood Doors for this special after hours event.
Friday, February 8, 7:30 PM

SAFE AND SOUND. LETTER TO FOLLOW.

SAFE AND SOUND. LETTER TO FOLLOW.

Stories of Hoosiers at Home and War during WWII
Sunday, January 27, 2008
In collaboration with the Indiana Historical SocietyPresented by Tom Beattie and Tom & Pat Grabill
Indiana History Center Basile Theater450 W. Ohio St, Indianapolis 4 – 6 p.m.
Tickets $10/Advance, $12/DoorTo order tickets call 317-232-1882

Stephanie Holman came upon this two line telegraph while reading through the archives at the Indiana Historical Society. This wireless “Radiogram” sent home after the attack on Pearl Harbor still speaks to us as do all the letters sent home to Indiana. This storytelling performance presents a fascinating mix of humor and fear revealed in those writings. The letters from soldiers and their families describe both the realities of war on the battle front and the effects of war on home towns. Stories of military life dominate the narrative, from trials in training to close calls in battle, but they also show the soldiers yearning to stay in touch with home by their questions about crops and classmates and a sister’s promising romance.

Stepping into the Holidays

It was a lovely pre-holiday gathering of the Guild on Dec. 16th. Conversation and cookies and a cup of cheer put us in the mood for tales. Did we plan a theme? No, but one clearly emerged - not one you might have expected for the season - shoes! Our tired feet longed for those comfortable kitten-heeled peep toe shoes in Pamela's story. Brandie combined some Christmas traditions in her tale of the stocking and the shoe. Thanks to all who turned out for our annual December meeting. See you all in January!