Storytelling Newsletters from The Story Tree Company

Dear Friends of the Story Tree,

Better late than never –here is September newsletter with some great Spring stories for you to have fun with which you can find through web links!

I have finally written up a paragraph or two about the Hawaii Talk Story Conference and Byron Tales.

Also Molly Whuppie CD’s are on sale @ $10, a Salty Pete story CD is in the pipeline for Xmas. There will soon be extensive storytelling web links on my site- on the Links page in Resources section!

I have been wonderfully busy with Book Week and now heaps of terrific Book Week feedback has come in- see below.

I have also been busy resettling the house after my clever hard-working partner Max (aka Salty Pete) renovated half the house. After six weeks of living in one half of the house, in one bedroom, (though in that time I ran off to Hawaii and Sydney while he held the fort) the four of us can stretch out into a lovely new plastered and painted rooms. Now we have a working fireplace, cosy rugs, new big cupboards- oh to have storage space- at last!!

I am off to wintry Blue Mountains for the Spark Festival Tuesday 8 Sep and home again on 12^th.

Happy Spring and happy storytelling!

Warm regards,

Jenni Cargill-Strong

(Feedback about this newsletter, suggestions or requests always welcome!)

September Newsletter

Spring Stories and links

For great list of Spring story links see the Jackie Baldwin ‘s site Story Lovers World (US) http://www.story-lovers.com/listsspringtimestories.html#springspringtimeonline. The host also has her own radio show which you can access via internet.

Kids Spring printable short stories and tales from Children's Literature. Spring stories for children. Great site with activities and lesson plans including printable stories on themes. www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/spring/short-stories/

…OR have your own googling adventure with ‘Spring folk tales’ or similar or via my web resources page soon to appear in my resources section- or email me and I’ll fwd it as attachment when I get back from Spark next weekend.

Spring and European Hares:

Overall then, the Hare is a symbol of many things, all involving balance, Life, creative potency, regeneration, fertility, and eternity. This symbolism manifests in associations with Springtime, the Dawn, the Moon and Sacred Fire, the Egg, the Circle and Infinity symbol, Marriage, Androgyny and Hermaphroditism, as well as Madness, Genius and Inspiration (which seem to go hand in hand). Basically, in the Hare you have summed up all the symbolism and rich beliefs across the world associated with the Spring Equinox.

Story news

Book Week School show feedback:

Jenni was wonderful and after hearing her tell a Rudyard Kipling tale on Assembly, I realised that I had totally underestimated her wonderful skill at relating stories. Many of our boys were totally speechless listening to and participating in the stories; a truly remarkable feat!

Julie-Anne Crosby, Teacher Librarian, Toowoomba Grammar, August, 2009.

The students were enthralled. Jenni presented the magic of stories and
children's literature in a fun, engaging way. Each of her four performances
was aimed at the specific age group, from Stage One to Stage Three.
Libby O'Connor, Teacher Librarian, Byron Bay Public School, August, 2009.

A very dynamic performance that kept all children waiting for more! Especially liked the singing that went with the stories.
S. Robinson, Murwillumbah East Public School, August, 2009.

She was great! Highly animated and captured the kids imaginations so well. It reinspired me to do more "story telling" rather than story reading with my class. The kids also really enjoy being physically involved in the drama/percussion/actions of the story. Very enjoyable for all ages. M. Davidson, Murwillumbah East Public School, August, 2009.

Exciting performer for all children. Jenny was very entertaining. The children were buzzing about the performance for a few days.
Linda Constable, Teacher Librarian, Murwillumbah East Public School, August, 2009.

Some really great photo’s are also coming in soon from Mc Dowall State School in Brisbane, where I told in front of an amazing painted African backdrop. I plan to use the stills they took of ‘Long Long Long’ (on Molly Whuppie CD) to make a You-Tube clip with the soundtrack- with help from filmmaker and artist Susie Dove, who did ‘Walking with Goddesses’ with me in Term 1.

I had a whale of a time with the Book Week theme of Book Safari. It inspired me to develop heaps of new stories. This year I told two whale stories including Kiplings 'How the Whale got his Throat' and an Aboriginal story of ‘Kondalili the Whale’ (both Google-able on the web!). I also told a version of the Aesops fable of ‘The Lion and the Mouse’- borrowing a little from Dianna Ferlatte’s version, with much roaring and gnawing for littlies.

Also I had a lot of fun developing a new environmental pantomime- style story about ‘Russel the plastic bag, his sea safari and Shelley the green sea turtle’ who swallows him. Students and teachers loved it and it fitted their curriculum often too! Lots of fun with kids up on stage, as the sea rescue marine biologists.

Next year, the Book Week theme will be “Crossing the Story Bridge”- and 3 tales come to mind: "Two Russian Goats" and "Treasure on the Bridge" (Mermaid’s Shoes CD) and the story of the weaving maiden and the heavenly bridge of birds from Japan (Sa Sa No Ha is the song of the story which is on Wonder Tales/ Molly Whuppie CD). I'll be working with it soon in Grafton for the Grafton Arts Fest (see Story Diary above)...

Story Diary

A.C.E Workshop Dates for Story Tree courses Term 3

Sep 14 & 21 ‘Walking with Goddesses and Running with Wolves’ (Special Interest) Nourish the garden of your soul with stories from the book “Women Who Run with Wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Estes’, female initiation tales and goddess myths. In a fun, creative and respectful environment we will come together in a circle of women to explore the ancient healing energies of folk heroines and goddesses. We will unravel and explore the divine wisdom encoded in these stories of woman in all her phases: maiden, ripe woman and crone. We will write short pieces from our own lives and make a talisman or a soul doll. Weather permitting, we will visit the Crystal Castle and walk the labyrinth. A women only workshop.

Mondays Near Mullum in a very Goddessy location 10am-4pm

15 September - Jenni presenting at U3A Brunswick

17 September, Mullumbimby State School, Story Club led by Jenni for upper primary students , 3 weeks of one hour per week.

Sep 17 – 1 October ‘Myth, metaphor and chewing the intellectual fat’ Was Jack of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' a bully and a thief or an archetypal hero on a hero’s quest? Did the story of Red Riding Hood evolve from an ancient pagan rite or is it a coded warning about lurking pedophiles? Are the Star War movies just Hollywood pap or do they resonate with the power of the great myths? Bring your ears, your ideas and your opinions as each week we listen to intriguing tales, both ancient and contemporary. Together we will tear the flesh from them, uncover their bones and chew the fat, yet only your mind (not your behind) will expand. Some tales will be told live by the tutor, an award-winning, professional storyteller. Other tales you will hear from some of the worlds’ other best storytellers via CD and DVD. You will also get to hear a few choice excerpts from people like Joseph Campbell- the renowned myth expert who mentored George Lucas on the ‘Star Wars’ movies. No animals will suffer in the making of this course. Mullum, 3 Thursdays, 10am-12.30am

6-11 October, Grafton Arts Festival, The Grand Tale: The Seven Sisters

After a hugely successful workshop last Spring, artist Pamela Denise, puppeteer Lara McLaren and storyteller Jenni Cargill-Strong will return to combine their talents to lead 'The Grand Tale'. Each of these women are experts in their own field as well as experienced teachers. This year the story will be one of the most cross -cultural tales known: The Seven Sisters. A beautiful and poignant tale of the star cluster the Pleaides, of love, of a family broken and then reunited. All skills developed by the participants will be harnessed to create a performance at the end of the six days incorporating art, puppets and storytelling.

18 October, Sunday- Jenni storytelling at Tweed Art Gallery, Murwillumbah

24 October, Saturday Workshop ‘Brave Vasalisa and Baba Yaga’ 10 am-4 pm Mullumbimby, CWA Hall Details TBA next newsletter

Story News

Hawaiin Talk Story Conference- here is my abridged feedback on the conference (storytellers do go oooonnnn!):

"What a warm welcome Jeff and Dominique and their small, but friendly team
gave us at the Talk Story Conference. The Aloha Spirit flowed like a
beautiful fragrance throughout the event. I left feeling greatly enriched-
like I'd just been to a week of storytelling university. I was sad to go.
We were leid (the flower kind!), taught, entertained and welcomed as family. With nine high
quality workshop sessions, three very inspiring keynotes and six awesome
concerts our cups ran over!

”As I said to Jeff as we exchanged Thai blessings in the final farewell
ceremony, this Conference was up there with all the major events of my adult
life- as something that was inspiring and life changing. Your Talk Story
event was up there with meeting my man, having my beautiful kids, training
in drama and discovering storytelling as my calling!!! Mahalo!!! Mahalo nui loa!!!”

I came home with a big pile of CD’s from many amazing world class tellers- my favourites being Afro-American teller and singer Dianne Ferlatte who told at Clinton’s 2^nd inauguration! ; the earthy, raunchy wild Hawaiin-Japanese woman Tita-AKA Kathy Collins and Jeff Gere (the dynamic Festival Director). I got to hang out with all three- especially Jeff who kindly put me up! If you come to ACE course ‘Chewing the Fat’ you’ll get to hear some of them on CD!

Sydney Conference - an inspiring two days with my Australian colleagues where we discussed how to connect better over vast distances via the web and how to lift the profile and branding of storytelling in Oz. We have established a national website (still being developed), an email discussion community re developing storytelling in Australia (this is NOT a discussion yet about what storytelling itself- for that join a local story Guild -google them by state- or the US Healing Story Alliance e-list by googling them and subscribing). Many brilliant ideas are being floated and actioned. It all feels very exciting and productive!!

‘Byron Tales’ at the Byron Writers Festival. Seven colourful locals told of their stories about Byron, for ten minutes each. There was Delta Kaye, Rusty Miller, Frank Mills, Phoebe Robinson, Sandra Heilpern , Sol and Jimmy Willing.. Though this event was only in the Byron Bay Festival programme and website and got no press at all, 85 people attended. It was a fabulous evening!

Festival Director, Jeni Caffin got lots rave feedback and is keen to do it again next year. The mayor said “We should do this quarterly.” If you want to know more I am writing an in depth report fro my Ozzie story colleagues-ask for that.

Salty Pirate Tales in pipeline My wonderful storytelling partner Max Strong AKA Salty Pete the Pirate told his original pirate tales at Woodford for a few years, and most recently a park on the Gold Goast where he got rave reviews. Looks like he’ll be working for them monthly once their new pirate park is completed in October and Ballina River Fest have enquired about hiring him too. Now that the renovations are nearly completed, and as soon as I type up one more story he’ll get into the studio and start laying down a CD worth of salty tales. Should be out well before Chrissy as he is a much faster worker than me!!!

Molly Whuppie CD’s FIRE SALE $10 each during September- email me an order and pay $10 each, plus $5 postage (this DOES NOT apply to shops- they have to order 3 or more to get this deal). Buy early for Christmas!