the wonder and beauty

To tell the truth, I have a love-hate relationship with Woodford Folk Festival. That is because it is usually either stinky hot and dusty or very, very muddy. It’s a bit like after a woman gives birth, you say “Never again”. Then the baby is so cute, you forget how it hurt and off you go and have another and it’s both wonderful and terrible. As I’ve gotten older and also now that I’m a Mum, usually just after Woodford, I say “I’m not going next year.” Then application time comes around a few months later… I get excited and so does my partner. We put in our applications. Then packing up time comes. I think of heat, mud, crowds and finding a camping spot and I think “I’m not going next year.”…. Then we get there and it is absolutely fabulous, and I think “How could I have POSSIBLY considered NOT coming?”…..and the cycle continues.

I have been to Woodford Folk Festival (including Maleny as it once was) 16 times. All but one of those I went as a season camper and all but twice as a performer.  Since having a family eleven years ago, I have gone nine times with my partner Max and two children. So why have I gone so many times and why might you?

Why go?: I love Woodford for a million reasons, but to name a few I’ve whittled it down to the following. (Ask me another day and I’d rattle off different things.) I love the sense of community, the respect for culture, diversity and children, the spontaneity, beauty, attention to detail, music, dance, poetry, bucket loads of fun, inspiration and idealism.

This year I could only go for two days as I had work on at home (marking Storytelling assignments by Education students at Southern Cross University). I went to compete in the Finals of the Spirit of Woodford Yarn and Storytelling Competition. I took my daughter Layla (8). Usually my partner Max (aka Salty Pete the Pirate) and son also come and we arrive early, camp and stay an extra two days. (More about that next post). This year the weather was perfect! It was fine with a few light showers and cool breezes. The mildest Woodford I have ever been to.

What did we see this year in our two days? I’m glad you asked!

Backdrop for the Kids show of the same name.

We spent most of our time in the Kids Festival and Circus tent, which constitutes about one millionth of the entire options at the Festival! Layla played with her best friend- the daughter of a couple who work at the Children’s Festival and are friends of ours. Brie and Layla met when they were tiny and have been fast friends ever since.

The Children’s Festival: Within The Kid’s Festival the girls joined in with Hip Hop and Zumba dance workshops, saw ‘The Great Big Story Book’ show, a Japanese storytelling show, made a puppet from recycled bits, made a pottery mushroom, played together for hours in the cool, shady sandpit and had their faces painted twice. We listened to large groups of happy people playing and singing in the Kids daily ukelele’s workshop too- though there seemed to be far more adults than kids!

Performance outside one of the circus tents

Circus: We saw several Circus Shows in the Circus Tent which we loved. One was a family-friendly pole dancing show. I checked if it was suitable before we went in- usually adult shows are late at night. One of the performers was a champion pole dancer. She was all muscle and completely defied gravity. We saw the most amazing hula hoop act I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a few).

We enjoyed a clowning circus act which was not your usual clowning routine. The set had a Film Noir black & white (50’s) flavour with a live band on the stage. Four men and one woman and lots of slow humour. Lots of pregnant pauses- not fast paced adrenaline pumping and totally enjoyable- because of that. The audience went wild at the end.

We saw the Side Show Alley Freak Show- which was well freakish! We both had to cover our eyes at times. Not quite sure I should have taken Layla, but she seems unscarred! We saw the fire show at night and saw another woman with a hula hoop but this one had flames on it. Beautiful.

The next day Layla joined in at the Circus tent where she borrowed a hula hoop, but to my frustration, steadfastly refused to listen to any of the teachers circus skills gently and cheerfully teaching anyone who was interested. (Parental sigh.)

Street performers: We saw street performers-  the ladies with rocket bosoms and a couple with a strange winged contraption. We saw indigenous band Sol Nation at the “Alter-native” venue and while I had a great little boogie in the white sand while the girls pretended to be nocturnal animals.

Butterflies: We walked the butterfly walk and saw two butterflies, enjoyed the cool shade of the canopy and the informative butterfly posters.

Food: We ate Chinese pork buns, Portuguese tarts (mmm), mango drinks, chicken kebabs, jaffles and fruit smoothies. When we season camp we mostly cook back at camp.

Our favourite juices, smoothies and jaffles stall

Bubble fun: There is a stall opposite the juice and jaffle stall in slightly shady  crossroads in the middle of the festival where a man and woman sell bubble wands. Layla adored catching the bubbles as did most kids at the Festival. He wears out his shoulder- constantly and patiently making bubbles- whether the parents look about to buy or not. Maybe because he emanates calm and fun, his sales seem to be nonetheless steady.  Watching bunches of kids swoop delightedly on the bubbles, like excited butterflies, I often feel it is an apt metaphor for the joy and innocence of many events and happenings at the Festival.

I did catch some of Buffy St Marie’s set at the Concert Stage. She and her three male band members use the American Indian calling voice in their songs. It was a style that took a little bit of getting used to, but I found it profoundly appealing because it was so earthy and soulful. She has been a star and extremely successful songwriter since the sixties and her songs have been covered by the likes of Janis Joplin, Cher, Roberta Flak, Elvis Presley and Neil Diamond.

Buffy Sainte-Marie

She is now 60 and what a powerful, svelte, dynamic and  charismatic woman she is! She looked so gorgeous and funky from a distance at Woodford and here in her close-ups she looks amazing too. But what really hit me from quite a distance was her powerful charisma and earthy integrity as she spoke and sung. Her song “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” about corruption and Indian land rights was haunting.

Last year Woodford was intense. The cyclone further north created flooding which did a lot of damage to Woodfordia and to their ticket sales which put them in a terrible financial predicament. To read how Woodford accidentally got involved in a sponsorship controversy and how they responded (very well I believe), read this article.

To see more 2011-12 Woodford images, go to the photo blog “Yes I can Too” and here is a compilation of images and blogs on Woodford at Squidoo. To read and watch more about Woodford go to their official site or watch a news report from ABC TV on this year’s event. Also if you plan to go next year, there is now a Woodford program app which you can download to your iphone or ipad rather than buy the gorgeous book for $10.

Oh and a well known local writer and poet called Archie (Robin Archibald) won the Spirit of Woodford Award for Spoken Word. It was a great story he had worked on for ten months and he deserved to win. Maybe I’ll see you at Woodford next year?

Photo Credits

Photo collage made up of A,B and C:

A. Courtesy Northern Star newspaper: Girl and bubbles; Two girls at Kids Festival; Samba dance workshop and Yasmin Matahari makes grass and flower hair pieces at ‘Coconut Island’ Woodford.

B. Courtesy Tourism Queensland www.pleasetakemeto.com.au : Aboriginal didgeridoo players

C: Courtesy Woodford newspaper: Street theatre women and colourful horses.

Photo of Buffy from www.creative-native.com

Courtesy noosa-journal.whereilive.com.au Street sign “No walking on the water”

Golden fairy, Story Book and Outdoors Circus performer  photo’s by author.

Jenni tells to families at the Tweed River Regional Gallery

Storytelling has almost endless applications. Millions of people worldwide are rediscovering its power. They are also creatively adapting it for modern needs: in education, business, health and social welfare.

Internationally there are storytelling organisations, celebrations like World Storytelling Day, festivals, conferences, you tube sites (labx), blogs, podcasts, facebook pages, digital stories, itunes, radio shows and university courses. There are also movements and organisations dedicated to storytelling in particular professions. Here are just two: The Healing Story Alliance and Organisational Storytelling.

Within Australia there are active state storytelling guilds in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, A.C.T. and Western Australia. Discussions are in progress for the development of a national website to link storytellers across Australia which may  include New Zealand. More links can be found on my Resources page.

However, here I will focus on the benefits of storytelling in education. I will outline the benefits and talk about the ways stories can be woven through your classes.

Storytelling doesn’t need to be another thing to be squeezed into an already bursting curriculum. Rather, storytelling can be a valuable tool to heighten student engagement with almost any subject. While storytelling is a very worthy end in itself,  it can also be used as a powerful means to help a teacher achieve their educational ends in the classroom.

Some stories lend themselves to more subjects than others, but with a little imagination it is amazing how relevant one folktale can be to different key learning areas. What follows are just starter ideas- the possibilities are endless and the books and links below can help you find more.

English: Talking and Listening Outcomes. Students can debate the ideas and ethics presented in a story. They can also sequence the storyline or create a story board or comic strips.

The Story Tree and other nature tales CD

History, Environment, Science and Geography: Children can explore different cultural values presented in tales from many lands. Older stories have historical facts embedded within them (e.g. famine, war) or portray the way people once lived and the beliefs they held. Stories can be used to inspire respect and care for the environment. My story “Shelley and Rustle” on ‘The Story Tree and other nature tales’ CD would be a great stimulus for researching sea turtles and the impact of plastic on the environment. This can be followed up with practical activities- like collecting litter.

Personal Development and Health: Outcomes like respect for others can be achieved with many stories. Storytelling can strengthen the trust and community spirit within a class. Elisa Pearmain’s book is a very rich resource (see below).

Creative Arts: Students’ imaginations are greatly stimulated as they listen and visualise. This can be followed by discussion and re-enactments.

Digital technology: Stories translate perfectly into the digital realm. Students can make digital stories with simple programs available on the web like PhotoStory or imovie, or even animations. This can be far less confronting than standing in front of a whole class for shy students and so makes a great warm-up to telling to a group. They can also watch international storytellers via You Tube or labx.

Storytelling enhances imagination and visualisation, increases vocabulary, improves listening skills, models speaking skills, nourishes a students’ intuitive side and enhances writing skills. (Collins & Cooper)

Storytelling engages students because it can engage them via many of Gardeners Multiple Intelligences. Storytelling can stimulate and enrich not only verbal and linguistic skills; but also interpersonal (sensitive to facial expressions, gestures and voice); intrapersonal (learns from stories about kindness and compassion); kinesthetic (as students join in with movements); musical (when songs are woven into the story) and naturalist (likes to hear and retell environmental stories). (Chace)

Research confirms that without established context and relevance, the human mind is unlikely to remember new information, and is even less likely to ever recall it.

• Coles (1989) “Stories enhanced recall, retention, application of concepts into new situations, understanding, learner enthusiasm for the subject matter.” and ”Stories enhanced and accelerated virtually every measurable aspect of learning.”
• Engle (1995) “Children learn storytelling many years before they master logic, persuasion, writing, and other forms of information delivery. Story is an essential precursor to mastery of expository and logical forms.” (Haven via Chace)

So many reasons to use storytelling, yet teachers are busy, busy people! If your school is in or near the Northern Rivers area of Australia, you can invite me to lead a workshop for teachers and/or parents. If you are not from my region, contact your local storytelling guild or association (above) and book a storyteller. Or follow some of the links on my resources page to learn from home, especially The Art of Storytelling podcast.

Finally, I will leave you with a short 4 min video of me explaining ‘Why stories are so powerful’ by my fireside. I am currently a member of the team for the Storytelling Unit at Southern Cross University (Australia) originally written by Susan Perrow. (It is offered externally through the School of Education, but is open to students from other disciplines and some partner Universities.) This clip is the first in a series of ten available to students of the unit. It forms part of the Week 1 material for the unit. You’ll need itunes on your computer to watch it. Enjoy!

Sources and Recommended Reading:

Collins R  & Cooper P. 1994, The Power of Story: Teaching through Storytelling (1997) Waveland Press: Long Grove USA. www.wavelandpress.com

The National Storytelling Association (USA). 1994, Tales as Tools: The power of story in the classroom, National Storytelling Press: Jonesborough, USA

Hamilton, Martha & Weiss, Mitch. 2005, Children Tell Stories: Teaching and Using Storytelling in the Classroom, Richard. C. Owen Publishers, New York. See the You Tube showing extracts form the DVD. An extremely readable, user-friendly and comprehensive guide for teachers.

Pearmain, Elisa. 2006, Once Upon a Time: storytelling to teach character and prevent bullying: Lessons from Multicultural Folk Tales for Grades K-8, Character Development Group, Greensbooro, NC, USA.www.CharacterEducation.com Library of Congress Number: 2007934445

Perrow, Susan. 2008, Healing Stories for Challenging Behaviour, Hawthorn Press, Gloucesteshire, UK.www.hawthornpress.com ISBN 1-85230-339-5 Susan is Australian and has Steiner teaching  background. Her website is www.healingthroughstories.com

Thanks also to  Karen Chace’s Storybug site for many of the storytelling research facts which were compiled and generously shared by renowned storyteller and educator, Kendall Haven in his new book Story Proof – The Science Behind the Startling Power of Story, available through Libraries Unlimited

Interior at Newgrange Image courtesy www.knowth.com

On Wednesday, at least in the southern hemisphere, it will be the winter solstice. This year I celebrated early with a small story gathering. We ate soup, then shared and improvised stories by our cosy fireside. I love the sight, sound and scent of a wood fire! Stories and myths come from the realm of dreams and visions, so these long nights are perfect for sinking deeply into this mysterious realm! So ancient, relaxing and reassuring.

Stories and myths come from the realm of dreams and visions, so these long nights are perfect for sinking deeply into this mysterious realm. A few appropriate stories for older children or adults are Mother Holle (or Mother Winter), stories of darkness, the sun, moon and stars (eg The Legend of the Big Dipper), and stories of the creatures migrating in your region. Here in Byron Shire, the Humpback whales are on the move to warmer waters to have their babies. (See the story of ‘Kondili the whale’). I found some beautiful ideas for preschoolers here.

Aerial view Newgrange Image from www.knowth.com

Traditionally in Europe, people lit fires and candles in an effort to help the sun rekindle it’s strength. It was also a time to surrender outmoded habits and beliefs. There was a beautiful tradition amoung the sun-worshipping people of Ireland (thousands of years ago it was a sunnier place). Initiates would walk inside a mother mound the evening of the winter solstice. A mother mound is a round building with a long passage inside it (see picture to the right), made of stone and covered in earth and grass. They waited for father Sun to penetrate the window or lintel above the door. Once father Sun’s rays reached the back of the mother tunnel, the iniates emerged reborn. I found an exquisite photo series which shows modern people doing this. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the arrow on the snowy mother mound image. Take a peek here .

For a modern celebration, you could create a labyrinth. Or more simply, draw a spiral in the sand on the beach. Walk in holding a question and as you unwind, allow the answer to arise. You can write old beliefs onto paper and throw them into the fire. You can fill a bowl with water and floating candles, meditate and invite nourishing dreams. Some people greet the solstice dawn from a mountain top to celebrate the rebirth of the Sun and the lengthening of the days.

Waverly Fitzgerald writes: ”When you light your candles and your fire, do so with the intention of bringing light into the world. What are the ways in which you can help make the world lighter? How do you bring light into the lives of those around you? Make a conscious effort to increase the amount of light you create.”  School of the Seasons

I expect I’ll be tucked up warm in bed Thursday morning before heading south to do some storytelling, but Wednesday night I think I’ll light lots of candles, burn a few bad habits and invoke rich dreams.

This is what astrologer Babula Clement wrote about the solstice:

The Winter Solstice is upon us:  Wednesday the 22nd June, the Sun enters the sign of Cancer. Mark the date in a  special way to honour the shortest day of the year. The Sun will then begin its climb higher in the sky as we look towards the promise of Spring to come. In the meantime, stay warm, rest and turn your attention inwards.

Lismore Lantern Parade

Last year my daughter and I celebrated the solstice by attending the Lismore Lantern Parade (near us in Northern NSW, Australia). This is my photo of the Earth Mother lantern.

Click here to go view exquisite imagery from past festival parades. Click back to the home page to read more about the festival. While the cold nights can make you want to stay cosy at home, if you get the chance and live near Lismore, DO rug up and make the effort to check out the fabulous celebration that is the Lismore Lantern parade! You’ll be well rewarded! (To read what I wrote about that you can go to my old blogspot.)

am so enjoying this winter. I have been retraining myself to go to bed earlier and sleep more. It is so much easier to do this with long nights. It has been so cold that I have been really been enjoying getting into bed earlier, reading for a while and then sinking into sleep and delicious dreams!

Whatever you do, have a wonderful and nourishing Solstice!

Carved stone in front of the Newgrange entrance. Image from www.knowth.com

Clare Muireann Murphy

This is Irish storyteller Clare Muireann Murphy.

Here is a 3 min You Tube clip in which Clare  tells the best version of this particular tale I have come across.

Enjoy!

After speaking on ABC Radio recently, I was invited by Catherine Marciniak, the Producer of ABC Open for the North Coast NSW to write about the value of storytelling.  Here is what I wrote:

I am a professional storyteller. People sometimes look at me blankly when I tell them what I do.

“A storyteller?” A confused silence ensues. “ Does that mean you read books to children?”

Children are usually not as confused. They just hear the word ‘story’ and get excited. Yes, even this generation of digital natives,  will usually sit excitedly, waiting for me to begin.

Adults who find themselves being told a story sink into a deep calm. They are often amazed at just how much they enjoyed being told a story- something they thought was just for children.

Before I experienced my first storytelling concert, I may well have asked a similar question.

It was a concert in Brisbane in the late eighties. I was attracted by his name: ‘Floating Eagle Feather’. He told us tales from his American Indian tradition from the heart, with dignity and grace. I was deeply moved. As we left, he warmly shook our hands as a Minister would at the church door.

Stories tap into a very ancient experience, one we have been engaging in since we first began communicating. Research has shown that the human brain is hard-wired to receive information in the form of stories. A listeners retention of information jumps dramatically if it is given within an anecdote or story.

It is an ideal way to get a message across and an especially powerful tool for teachers. It can help us tap into a deeper wisdom.

Storytelling can also be used therapeutically, to model problem solving, foster emotional resilience or help people debrief from traumatic experiences.

In this Age of Information, we are constantly overloaded with vast amounts of contradictory and confusing information. This makes us hungry for soulful communication.

Good stories are food for the soul.

The wonderful poet, David Whyte says it best in his poem, “Loaves and Fishes”:

Loaves and Fishes

This is not
 the age of information.

This is not the age of information.

Forget the news, 
and the radio, 
and the blurred screen.

This is the time 
of loaves 
and fishes.

People are hungry 
and one good word is bread

for a thousand.

– David Whyte
      from The House of Belonging ©1996 Many Rivers Press

Bread image sourced from Paleoglot blogspot

To celebrate World Storytelling Day Sunday 20th March, I will tell water stories at the Tweed River Art Gallery in Murwillumbah. I will tell my story ‘Shelley and Rustle’ which was inspired by a similar real life story to the one below, from my new “Story Tree and other nature tales” CD. The kind people at Australian Seabird Rescue (who work a lot with turtles also) helped me with facts for the story also.

I will also tell a Japanese tale or two, in honour of the people who were in the path of the recent devastating tsunami.

There is one half hour show at 1.30pm for families and we are experimenting with offering at 2.30pm a half hour of stories for older listeners, but if families turn up at 2.30 (quite possible) I’ll tell family tales. If you are a local, hope to see you there.

If not Happy World Storytelling Day!

Photo above and and words below by Dylan O’Donnell

“Releasing Sea Turtles, Byron Bay”

[PD] [Public Domain] Dylan O’Donnell 2008

A sea turtle is released

Pictured here, a large adult sea turtle is lifted from it’s harness by volunteers to be released back into the sea from the main beach at Byron Bay. Australian Seabird Rescue released 5 sea turtles this morning, some which have been rehabilitated for over 7 months by the Ballina branch who are notable for their continued work with injured Pelicans. It was nice to see some of the community out to applaud their efforts and wish these turtles the best as they quickly swam away into the deep blue! (If you’d like to donate to Australian Seabird Rescue go to https://www.paymate.com/PayMate/ExpressPayment?mid=australianseabirdrescue

See more of Dylan’s images at:

Visit DEOGRAPHY.com to view the archives .

Dynamic Canadian storyteller Andrea D ‘Arville and I are teaming up to celebrate World Storytelling Day. We are hosting a Story Cafe at the Mullumbimby CWA Hall (behind the Mullumbimby Civic Centre) Friday, 18 March at 7pm- 9.30pm.

We have chatted on and off over the years about doing something together some day. Finally the ‘some day’ has arrived and ‘something’ has taken shape! We both resonated with World Storytelling Day as well as this years theme ‘water stories’.

We want to warmly welcome both storytellers and story listeners to come along and help us celebrate! If you google You Tube for World Storytelling Day you’ll see a beautiful series of images designed to stimulate water tales.

Andrea and I will tell a variety of original and ancestral water stories, but there is also room for a few guests and a floor spot.

We will then establish a monthly themed storytelling event for adults.

The cost for our March Cafe will be $5. Chai and cake will be available.

World Storytelling Day: Water stories