Today I am proud to share with you my new project – Applied Storytelling a seven minute weekly podcast examining every aspect of the application of storytelling in life, business and culture.

Any listener is welcome to suggest a question that I (Eric Wolf) will endeavor to answer to the best of my ability. Any question on the application to storytelling will be answered – if I do not know the answer I will find some one else who does know the answer.

This project will publish weekly but only the first of episode published each month. The other three episodes produced each month will publish inside the members only section of the International Storytelling School’s Website. You can read more about the School at http://www.thestorytellingschool.com

The free episodes in will appear as a separate feed and as a part of the Art of Storytelling Show’s feed as well.

The transcript and audio of the first show are available here – http://www.thestorytellingschool.com/2010/09/applied-storytelling-community-performance-storytelling/

Bio: Katharine (Kathy) Hansen, Ph.D., creative director and associate publisher of Quintessential Careers, is an educator, author, and blogger who provides content for Quintessential Careers, edits its newsletter QuintZine, and blogs about storytelling at A Storied Career. Kathy, who earned her PhD from Union Institute & University authored Tell Me About Yourself (April 2009), Dynamic Cover Letters for New Graduates, A Foot in the Door, Top Notch Executive Interviews (fall 2009), Top Notch Executive Resumes; and with Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., Dynamic Cover Letters, Write Your Way to a Higher GPA, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Study Skills.

4. How do you describe the benefits of storytelling to other people in the business world?

I call upon the gurus who evangelized storytelling long before I did — people like Annette Simmons and Steve Denning and others, early pioneers who wrote books that have become the foundation for current business narrative/organizational storytelling.

Simmons characterizes the effectiveness of stories in business in her landmark book, The Story Factor (Chapters 2 and 5):

* Story creates power.
* Story is a form of mental imprint.
* Story is a dynamic tool of influence because it gives people enough space to think for themselves.
* In a complex environment, people listen to whomever makes the most sense — whomever tells the best story (Simmons’s followup book is titled Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins.)
* Story makes sense of chaos and gives people a plot. People need story to organize their thoughts and make sense of things.
* Story invites people to creatively reframe their dilemmas, while rules alienate people who want to think for themselves.
* Change people’s stories and you change their behavior.
* Story is like mental software that you supply so your listener can run it again using new input specific to the situation.
* Story is uniquely equipped to touch you and help you touch others in this place that cannot be understood, explained, or reduced to a flow chart.
* Story builds connections between you and those you wish to influence.
* Story helps the brain remember.

And from the Australian consulting firm, Anecdote:

* Stories reveal what’s really happening in your organisation
* Stories inspire us to take action
* Stories stick in your mind much better than [bulllet] points and clever arguments
* Stories connect us to a purpose and improve our performance
* Stories share and embed values

Finally, Marguerite Ganat very recently posted (http://www.talentculture.com/digital/the-chemistry-of-storytelling/) this list rationales for story in business:

* We don’t just buy a product, we buy the story behind it.
* We don’t just join a company, we join because of its story.
* We don’t just join a cause, we join the story behind it.
* We don’t just vote for a presidential candidate, we buy into his story of what the future holds.
* We don’t just follow the leader, we buy in to the story behind her vision.
* We don’t learn best by hearing a theory or concept, we learn best by hearing stories that demonstrate the concept.
* We don’t just see a movie or read a novel, we lose ourselves in a good story.
* Based on the fact that we buy stories, it’s not the best product that will sell; it’s the product with the best story behind it. It’s not the best employer that attracts the most candidates; it’s the one who knows how to tell a story through its employment brand.

5. How is applied storytelling different then performance storytelling or traditional storytelling?

I think storyteller Sean Buvala’s definition of storytelling provides a good starting point for answering this question. He writes:

“Storytelling is the intentional sharing of a narrative in words and actions for the benefit of both the listener and the teller.”… ‘intentional’ means that not everything we do is storytelling. Storytelling is a planned activity and process. ‘Narrative’ means what is being talked about has a beginning, middle, and end. ‘Sharing’ means that there is an audience in front of the teller which can be one person or thousands. ‘Benefit’ means both the listener and the teller leave the sharing of story as a changed person.”

So, in my mind, many types of storytelling that DO NOT fall into that definition can be classified as “applied storytelling.” (I should note that Sean would not agree; he feels that if a communication does not fall into his definition, it’s not storytelling. For example, he does not consider digital storytelling to be storytelling.) Storytelling that is missing one or more elements from Sean’s definition is still storytelling in my book, but it’s applied storytelling. Examples of applied storytelling include: organizational storytelling/business narrative, journaling/memoir writing, blogging, social media, digital/multimedia, transmedia storytelling, journalistic storytelling, visual storytelling, fictional storytelling, storytelling for movies and TV, comic-book storytelling, and more, including my personal crusade, storytelling in the job search. Not every bit of communication in these venues is storytelling, but storytelling is possible within these venues.

I once proposed that all storytelling can be broken down into just three purposes: storytelling for identity construction, storytelling for change, and storytelling for sense-making/learning. Even performance storytelling can fit into this rubric in that the audience changes from an un-entertained state to an entertained (or enlightened, moved, etc.,) state.

Storytelling for identity construction can range from storytelling in social media to storytelling to establish a brand identity for products and services. Storytelling for identity construction is also what I advise job-seekers to do to make themselves stand out memorably to employers.

Storytelling for change is often the impetus behind business narrative — using story to help workers cope with and buy into organizational change.

Storytelling for sensemaking is what we automatically turn to when we seek to make sense of unexpected, tragic, or confusing events. Similarly, storytelling is effective for learning because stories are so good at illustrating concepts and making them memorable (Look back at Annette Simmons’s statement that “Story helps the brain remember.”)

6. Given the detailed exploration you have done of the applied storytelling community. Break down for us the different schools of thought that exist currently in the business world relative to applied storytelling – where do your various guests fall in these fields?

This is a very big question, and I turned to the no-cost e-book I compiled, Storied Careers: 40+ Story Practitioners Talk About Applied Storytelling, looking for an an answer. Or, I should say, a partial answer, because I am not attempting to be comprehensive here; I’m sure I’m leaving practitioners and their schools of thought out. I hope they’ll forgive me and/or comment on this entry.

Gabrielle Dolan, co-founder and director of Australian consulting firm One Thousand & One, supports helping to embed storytelling into an organization’s culture: “We normally work with clients on two levels,” she says. “Firstly we normally skill the leaders in organisational storytelling through workshops and then help them embed this skill. What we mean by that is finding ways that they can continually find and share stories and apply their new skill of not only storytelling but story listening.”

Leadership consultant Susan Luke’s focus is corporate mythology, and she calls herself a corporate mythologist: “To my knowledge,” she notes, “I am the only ‘corporate mythologist’ using that title. I coined the descriptor in trying to put some definition around who I am and what I do. Corporate mythology has two aspects — the stories of/about the organization (history, philosophy, values, vision) and the stories of the individuals who make up the organization.

Author Cynthia Kurtz upholds the idea of respecting the integrity of the raw story: “Raw stories of personal experience are far superior to crafted stories for the things I
care about when working with stories,” she says. “For the purposes of advertising products and services, delivering specific purposeful messages, and entertaining people, crafted stories are often (but not always) best. But for the purposes of helping people learn, think, make decisions, get new ideas, grow, and get along, I’ve found that there is nothing better than a raw story.”

Authors/speakers/consultants Lori Silverman and Karen Dietz evangelize the notion that storytelling is a critical skill that should be taught in business schools. Storyteller Sean Buvala agrees with this sentiment, saying, “Corporate folks must take this storytelling skill seriously. To really be an effective corporate storyteller, you need to be devoted to being the best storyteller you can be.”

Speaker and consultant Thaler Pekar emphasizes story sharing rather than storytelling.

Your question really got me thinking about developing a taxonomy of applied-storytelling schools of thought. I guess the foregoing is just a little taste of that.

http://katharinehansenphd.com/

http://astoriedcareer.com/

Press Play to hear Laird Schaub speak about The Application of Story to Group Facilitation and Community Living on the Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf

Laird Schaub Writes...
"As a consultant, I'm often asked to work with groups that consider themselves stuck. In helping them understand how they got there and the choices they have to move through it, I always start with the stories-the way in which each person makes sense of their reality as a member of the group. Invariably, the stories don't all match. Sometimes the realities are mutually exclusive. Still, I believe them all and do my best to help everyone in the group understand how each person's actions make sense from that person's perspective. Once I've established a bridge of understanding among the various players, it's then possible to build a new story, where each person's reality is now a little bigger and can hold aspects of other's realities as well.

The key to this is to not ask a person to change their core beliefs, change their personality, or change the way they work with information. I just ask them to change their story, and then to adjust their behaviors accordingly. I ask them to make shifts that are in their interest; ones that will help them be better understood and be less triggering for others. I ask them to make changes that will help them build relationship.

Often, people in the group will be in pain. Being stuck doesn't feel good, and if you cannot see past your own story it often appears that others have taken actions that are purposefully hurtful or disrespectful. Ouch! In this sense, pain is a symptom of a problem, and very useful in helping to diagnose where the stories are not in alignment. Because you want to be treating causes and not just symptoms, it's important here to resist the impulse to alleviate the pain as your priority. It's a better strategy to view the pain as an important source of information and explore it for the purpose of surfacing the clues you'll need to build a story where everyone can feel held and respected."

Brief Bio:
Laird has lived 36 years at Sandhill Farm, an income-sharing rural community in Missouri which he helped found. He homesteads there, has raised two kids, and has developed a flair for preserving food and celebration cooking. He is also the main administrator of the Fellowship for Intentional Community, a network organization he helped create in 1986, and that serves as a clearinghouse of information about North American communities of all stripes.

In addition to being an author and public speaker about various aspects of community, he's also a meeting junkie and has parlayed his passion for good process into a consulting business on group dynamics. He's worked with about 75 different groups around the US, many of them multiple times. His specialty is up-tempo meetings that engage the full range of human input, teaching groups to work creatively with conflict, and at the same time being ruthless about about capturing as much product as possible. In 2003, he pioneered a two-year training in Integrative Facilitation that he's delivered four times and is now marketing across the continent.

You can read his thoughts on his blog at http://communityandconsensus.blogspot.com/

Press Play to hear Brother Wolf takes questions from his audience on the Art of Storytelling Show on being a professional storyteller. This is 3 of 3 shows commemorating the 100th Anniversary episode of the Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf Show. This Episode is podcast in 128 bit rate – this higher bit rate costs more to cast online – if you enjoyed listening to the higher quality show – perhaps you would consider purchasing your next download through the website….

This picture is called a Wordie – it is picture of the words people used when they wrote their thoughts on the 2010 National Storytelling Network Oracle Award..
What People are saying about the Art of Storytelling Show…

I would like to thank the following people for contributing there time and energy to the 102ndt Anniversary Episode….

Harvey Halbrun – Show ID – http://hdhstory.net/
Steve Otto Show Introduction http://www.i-tell.net/
Ellyce Cavanough Introduction of Brother Wolf – http://www.freespiritnaturecamp.com/
Fran Stallings – Oracle Award Committee - http://www.franstallings.com/
Michael D. McCarty – Invitation to attend the National Storytelling Conference in LA in July/August in 2010 – http://www.storynet.org
Jean Luster – Art of Storytelling Ipod Testimonial – The Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers
Buck P Creacy - http://www.buckpcreacy.com/
Heather Forest – Defining Storytelling http://www.storyarts.org
Journey Sandeers – How does one become a professional storyteller? http://www.jostory.com/
Dale Jarvis – International Conference in 2010 in Canada – International Perspective – When storytelling and when is it a tradition? http://www.sc-cc.com
Margret Endinburg – How do I go about telling stories for pay? http://www.kuumbastorytellers.org/MargaretEdinburgh.html
Rob Mcabe – How do I get Grant Money? – http://www.robmccabe.com/
John Daily who lives in Hawaii – bi-noral sound.
Mary K Croft Working with Open Mic’s
Margaret & Noel-Lewis-Watt storytellers http://www.aroundtowntellers.com/
Captain Bob Milller Invites us to fist the South sure Near Boston. LANES Website and Karen Chace story cafe…
Jenni Cargill Strong – Itales ve Itunes – Her company selling storytelling CD’s

Eric Wolf (Brother Wolf) will be presented with the Oracle Award in recognition of his work as producer and host of the Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf Show during the last evening of the National Storytelling Conference on July 31st, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. The National Storytelling Network (NSN) gives the Oracle Award for Distinguished National Service to individuals who contribute their time and energy in an exemplary manner on the national level.

The National Storytelling Network is dedicated to advancing the art of storytelling – as a performing art, a literacy tool, a cultural transformation process, and more. NSN is a member-driven organization and it offers direct services, publications and educational opportunities to several thousand individuals, local storytelling guilds and associations. These services are designed to improve storytelling everywhere — in entertainment venues, in classrooms, organizations, medical fields, families, and wherever storytelling can make a contribution to quality of life.

The Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf Show has had over 127, 000 downloads since it began podcasting in 2007. Created by Eric Wolf (Brother Wolf) in the spring of 2007, the show brings the best and brightest of the storytelling community to the world stage. 45% of listeners are from outside the United States from over 100 different countries. In the last six weeks the show has sustained over 7,000 individual downloads.

The Art of Storytelling Show is the world’s sole interview format show dedicated to exploring the art and science of storytelling in all its forms. With over a hundred interviews available for listening to online this podcast has become the premier resource for understanding and learning the art of storytelling worldwide.

To see a complete list of…
Press releases detailing the growth of the Art of Storytelling Show go to:
http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/category/press-release
Guests organized by topic:
http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/topics
NSN Oracle Award for Distinguished National Service:
http://www.storynet.org/programs/awards/distinguishedservice.html
Eric Wolf’s home page:
http://www.ericwolf.org

Contact: Karin Hensley NSN
Phone: 1-800-525-4514 ext 303

###

My interest here is how we as artists can use this tool to represent our ideas and vision.

One of Googles media reps invited me to work on this tool and in all fairness and honesty I did so because – hey when was the last time somebody from google asked you to personally to try something out?
Here is his form/personal letter in full –

My name is Mike, I’m a digital Marketing consultant that works with Horizon Media. I enjoyed the site. I really liked your “learn to lie like a pro” article. Your five story telling techniques are very interesting.

I’m reaching out to you today about Google’s new Search Story campaign. You may remember Google¹s Parisian Love ad that aired during the 2010 Super Bowl ­ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnsSUqgkDwU .This was Google¹s first Super Bowl ad, and the response was so positive, that Google decided to share this
opportunity with all of its users. (I have actually seen this video – I watched it three times and then spend the afternoon trying to figure out how I could it on my computer…)

Google¹s brand new Search Stories tool has gone live earlier this week. You can check the below blog posting to read more about it (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/make-your-own-search-story-video-in.html). This tool allows you to create and publish your own personalized Search Story that you can share with your readers, fans and friends. It’s a wonderful and fun way to express yourself and very quick and easy to use! To view the Search Stories Creator template, and build your own story, please visit the YouTube channel @ http://www.youtube.com/searchstories

You can also reference the below link on how to create your own search story on youtuber.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qysbh0iZx2s

If you could check out the tool, create your own story and post on your site that would be greatly appreciated. If you could encourage your readers to do the same and share with their friends and family that would also be a huge help. Lastly, if you could let me know when you do create your own search story that would be great because I would love to see and read all about it.

One last thing I wanted to mention was that many videos that stand out as creative and fun will be posted on the official YouTube Search Stories Channel. In order to meet those requirements, you must publish a story that meets Google¹s terms and conditions, which you can find on the Terms and Conditions page of the You Tube Search Stories Channel (http://www.gstatic.com/sst0/static/terms.html). Thanks a lot and I look
forward to seeing what you create and publish on your site.

Thank you!

~Mike

IMPORTANT NOTE

In keeping with recent FTC rule changes, we request that you provide full disclosure to your audience in regards to your relationship with our brand. Please make clear that you were contacted directly by Google, who asked for your participation in the ways outlined above. In addition, please disclose fully any materials and/or products we have shared with you as part of this initiative. Your honest and transparent participation is truly valued by Google. We look forward to working with you again on future initiatives.

—————————–

Additionally a couple of my readers have created there own – maybe they will inspire you…

Marilyn McPhie in San Diego wrote…
“I also have done a cute little Google Search Story. It tells the Scottish folktale of “Tam Lin.” Do you know that story? Here’s the plot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tam_Lin#Synopsis and here’s my Google Search story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UItjPfO-Qc”

I am willing to post other peoples reactions – so check back to see if this post has gotten longer…
Also feel free to comment directly in the comments below…

I will not share or give away your email address.

And don’t forget to subscribe by iTunes or your browser to The Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf so you can get bi-weekly inspirations from Bother Wolf direct to your desktop. Read the info on the right to find out how. It’s free and it’s super simple.

My friend Tim Ereneta has hit upon a brilliant idea. On Youtube and elsewhere online are hundreds of really good storytelling videos already produced. He has found all those videos with their embed codes and moved them to one place. Just brilliant and just what we need. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. This is the place to demonstrate storytelling in all its beauty, joy and mastery.

Tim serves as the keeper of the chalice. Giving out only the finest sips of storytelling wine so that we can just enjoy the fine samples he has found for us.

I am so enamored of his website I am going to link to it right here on the front page of my site and I am going to refer to it as a recommended link from here on out. He is doing a public service one that should have been provided by the National Storytelling Network or the International Storytelling Center several years ago.

The Story Lab X Project

Press Play to hear Jimmy Neil Smith about the future of the International Storytelling on the Art of Storytelling Center with Brother Wolf.

Photo Courtesy of Fresh Air Photo

Tired of the tin sound? Purchase a HQ Mp3 File of Interview #096 Jimmy Neil Smith for $2.23 The Future of the International Storytelling Center

Jimmy Neil Smith writes...
In the early 1990s, I attended a conference of the Tennessee Arts Commission in nearby Johnson City. During the session, potter Bill Strickland spoke about the arts-based Manchester Craftsmen's Guild and Bidwell Training Center in inner-city Pittsburgh an institution, founded by Strickland, that teaches low-income, inner-city youths an employment skill.

Strickland spoke eloquently about his institution and its program. His address was stirring and powerful. Then, as a closing, Strickland said, "I challenge each of you to go home and build an institution that confirms and makes real what you know."

Strickland's challenge inspired me.

Less than a year later, the National Storytelling Association announced the development of what would become the International Storytelling Center the organization's first permanent home in 30 years and a "launching pad" for a series of national and international programs, products, and services.

It was Strickland's challenge that would give birth to the institution that has become the International Storytelling Center. The Center campus now composed of the elegant Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall, Historic Center Inn, and the Storytelling Community Park opened in June of 2002.

Through the work of ISC, we are seeking to confirm and make real what we know about storytellingthe ancient tradition that is as old as humankind yet as modern as this morning's headlines. Now, in 2010, ISC is launching an expanded vision a journey to a New Horizon a better life, a better world, through the power of storytelling.

To achieve this vision, ISC is:
• Building international awareness, appreciation, and audiences for storytelling
• Teaching individuals, organizations, and communities across the globe how to tap into the power of storytelling to build a better life and a better world
• Enhancing the Center's role in Jonesborough as the worldwide beacon for storytelling the home of the global storytelling renaissance

It's a delicious but colossal task, and we can't do this work alone! The task is too big, and we are too small. If there's going to be a better world through storytelling, it's going to take the leadership, contributions, and resources of ISC and the personal and professional involvement of every one - including you - working together.
Our work is being built upon tradition honoring, respecting, and effectively utilizing as a foundation for our work the existing knowledge, experience, and skills of the national and international storytelling community while, at the same time, tapping into new communities, new fields of knowledge, and new possibilities for storytelling.

Indeed, the reality of our 21st century vision has been slow in coming- but the time has come (it is here) to work together to realize the full potential of storytelling, our storytelling community, and our vision for a New Horizon for our world and the people who live in it.

Jimmy Neil Smith, President of the International Storytelling Center, speaking with Jackie Torrence at National Storytelling Festival.

Bio of Jimmy Neil Smith
Founder and President of the International Storytelling Center

Jimmy Neil Smith's interest in storytelling began as a child. His life was peopled with talkers storytellers and liars and his favorite time was that spent sitting around the dinner table with his family, long after the dishes were washed and put away, sharing stories. He life's work teaching high-school English and journalism.

But Jimmy Neil's ultimate calling came when he, with the help of some Jonesborough townsfolk, staged the first National Storytelling Festival in October, 1973 - an annual event, now going into its 38th year, that has spawned a revival of appreciation for the ancient art of storytelling. Two years after the first festival, Jimmy Neil founded the International Storytelling Center then known as the National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling to help spearhead America's storytelling revival. Since its founding in 1975, ISC became the premier institution promoting this cultural renaissance.

The International Storytelling Center (ISC) is dedicated to promoting the creative applications of storytelling to produce positive change in our society healthier communities, more effective workplaces, and enriched human lives through a program of public awareness, knowledge, and learning. ISC continues to produce the annual National Storytelling Festival, and Jimmy Neil serves as the Center's president and vision keeper.

Jimmy Neil's inspiration for founding the festival actually grew out of his love for Jonesborough, his hometown and the oldest town in Tennessee. The Jonesborough native created the festival to celebrate the town's cultural traditions and to help ignite the community's infant tourism-development program. Today, the festival and the town's role as the "birthplace of America's storytelling revival" have brought national, even international, acclaim to Jonesborough and the entire state of Tennessee.

Jimmy Neil Smith meeting with Barbra Bush.

To honor Jonesborough's role in America's storytelling renaissance, a new facility, ISC's Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall, opened in June of 2002 to serve as the organization's headquarters, a beacon for storytelling worldwide, and a "launching pad" for an expanded array of national and international storytelling outreach programs. The facility is part of ISC's campus in downtown Jonesborough.

Vice President Al Gore, who launched the Center's construction at the 1995 National Storytelling Festival, called the facility "the epicenter of American storytelling." U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, who was on hand for the grand opening of the Center, wrote that "The story of how the International Storytelling Center came to be has been told and will be retold because it is the American story. It teaches and reminds us that given a mixture of inventiveness, entrepreneurship, leadership and hope in a free world, anything is possible."

Since the Center's opening, approximately 300,000 people have visited the new facility, which includes a state-of-the-art theater built especially for showcasing storytelling. The Center is also now home for the Teller-in-Residence program, beginning its ninth season in May of 2010, which includes twenty-six consecutive weeks of live storytelling featuring nationally- known storytellers. Through the formation of partnerships with the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, and others, Jimmy Neil Smith continues to expand the work of storytelling throughout the world.

Please read more about the ISC and Jimmy Neil Smiths Legacy on the International Storytelling Centers website http://www.storytellingcenter.com/

Press Play to hear Dr. Sherry Norfolk speak on why would should use storytelling in school settings on the Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf.

Tired of the tin sound? Purchase a HQ Mp3 File of Interview #091 Sherry Norfolk for $2.23 Why storytelling should be in Schools.

Sherry Norfolk Writes...

Last year, I taught a 3rd grade storytelling and creative writing residency in St Louis. The kids I worked with were typical - meaning that every child was different from every other child. They each had unique interests, skills and abilities. They each had different life experiences and different needs. Typical class, right? So; what? Why am I telling you about these typical kids?

Because they WERE typical! Because in that class, there were some kids who HATED to write and some kids who NEVER paid attention in class and some kids who HATED to get up in front of people for any purpose whatsoever. And because they all wrote willingly - even enthusiastically. They all paid attention - to me and to each other. They all told their stories eagerly.

And that's not so typical, is it?

No, I don't hand out candy or quarters or wave a wand -- but I do know some magic. I know how to create different points of entry to learning through storytelling. Different from what they've experienced before. Different from what they expect. Different ways to engage them and keep them engaged.

Some examples:
DeAndre didn't want to write: but he was sitting there making up a rap verse that told his story - when I told him he could write his story in rap, he grabbed his pencil!
Tommy wouldn't write a rough draft: but he was intrigued by the sounds and voices; when he learned that he was going to et to do them if he had a story, he wrote!
Lisa didn't want to finish her story: but she loved the idea of acting out the story with a partner. She needed story in order to do it, so she wrote!
Myeisha hated the idea of doing a final copy: I provided pretty paper - she wrote; knowing we were publishing the appealed to some of the other kids.
Dierra and Terence had said that they didn't want to tell: but they LOVED acting out animal characters, and wanted to share their new talents;
Henry was adamant that he wouldn't tell - couldn't remember the story - and it was boring. I told it TO him with lots of voices, etc., so that he could learn it visually, auditorally and kinesthetically and feel confident about his story.

Let me be clear -- this isn't about me. It's about the power of Storytelling. It's also about the power of meeting kids where they ARE and finding ways to take them where they need to be. It's about different Points of Entry.

Each of those kids needed to be offered different Points of Entry to entice them to learn. It's not a one-size-fits-all world, and no one teaching style or experience will be right for all kids. Storytelling allows you to engage All Ways of Knowing - the Whole Brain - what Howard Gardner calls the Multiple Intelligences.

You're familiar with the concept of Multiple Intelligences, right? It's the recognition that we can be intelligent in many ways, not just the words and numbers ways that are valued in school. Howard Gardner calls those
Linguistic Intelligence - word smart, and
Mathematical-Logical - number smart.
But he also identified
Kinesthetic Intelligence - body/movement smart
Musical Intelligence - rhythm and melody smart
Spatial Intelligence - picture smart (incl. 3-dimensional, directional)
Interpersonal Intelligence - smart about interactions between people
Intrapersonal Intelligence - smart about understanding yourself
Naturalist Intelligence - plant and animal smart

We all have some measure of each of these intelligences, but the proportions are different with each of us. As adults, you are allowed to make choices in how you participate in learning experiences. You find your comfort zone and inhabit it. But we don't often allow children to choose what and how they want to learn. They don't often have a chance to explore options and to determine what works best for them. They are rarely provided with the opportunity to view curriculum topics from different perspectives or points of entry.

Points of entry can also apply to learning styles - which are a bit different from intelligences. We are all born with a dominant learning style - either aural (we learn best by hearing), or visual (we learn by seeing), or kinesthetic (we learn by doing). Early on, a child is very heavily dominant in a particular learning style - he may be 85% aural or visual or kinesthetic.
He HAS to hear - or see - or DO to learn!

If he's not allowed to learn in his dominant style, he's not likely to learn at all! A child who is dominantly aural will totally tune out to visual stimuli, or even voices if they are droning and boring. A kinesthetic child who is made to sit still will become incredibly restless, distracted and distracting. A visual child who can't see the picturebook or whose teacher doesn't write the instructions on the board will not pay attention or follow instructions. These kids aren't being deliberately bad - they absolutely can't learn in the ways that they're being offered!

So let's return briefly to that typical classroom I told you about. Voices and sounds worked magic with the aural learner, and the pretty paper was a powerful motivation for the visual child. The kinesthetic kids were thrilled to get to act out characters and movement. The interpersonal children were happiest when sharing their stories with others. The linguistic kids wrote fluidly and used wonderful words, the mathematical-logical kids enjoyed creating logical cause-and-effect scenarios in their stories. The musical kid wrote his story as a rhythmic rap. Everybody had a chance to succeed. Everybody found their own points of entry into learning.

Storytelling provides those all-important points of entry. A few years ago, the evaluators for the Mississippi Arts Commission's Whole Schools Initiative conducted educational research on integrating the arts [i.e., storytelling] into the curriculum. In the book The Arts Are an "R" Too, they tracked student and teacher performance and improvement as teachers used the arts to teach. They observed teachers creating situations in which academic content was taught and/or reinforced in and through the arts thus "inspiring" student learning. They wrote that what the art lessons add to the classroom is the opportunity for students to understand, remember, think, work together, become confident, and be motivated.

Arts integration enables students to be active, to experience things directly, and to express themselves in ways that best suit the students. In the process, of course, students have fun and enjoy themselves and are enthusiastic which, in turn, makes them eager for the next time they can engage in active, hands-on, and varied lessons. Ultimately, students will acquire knowledge about, appreciation of, and a talent for the cultural aspects of being a citizen in their community, state, and country. The evaluators concluded that the teacher's artistic instructional repertoire enabled him/her to tap students' varied strengths and provide multiple ways to acquire, process, and demonstrate what they learn. In other words -- the arts provide multiple points of entry!

We each - as teachers, and teaching artists - have the opportunity to fuel the flame of learning. We hold keys that can unlock joy and curiosity and enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. We know ways to engage children in an avid quest for knowledge, and methods of teaching that address all ways of knowing and styles of learning.

But we sometimes let inner messages stop us: It's easier to do it the old way. This is the way we've ALWAYS DONE IT! We KNOW that each child is different, and that each child has different ways of learning. We KNOW that there is no ONE way to teach. But we let the inner - and outer -- messages control us. We teach the way the book says to do it, and if that fails to reach a child, we blame the child; or the book; or the system.

Let me share a poem with you;

The Cold Within
by James Patrick Kinney
Six humans trapped by happenstance
in black and bitter cold
Each possessed a stick of wood,
Or so the story's told.
Their dying fire in need of logs,
the first woman held hers back
For of the faces around the fire
She noticed one was black.
The next man looking 'cross the way
Saw one not of his church
And couldn't bring himself to give
The fire his stick of birch.
The third one sat in tattered clothes
He gave his coat a hitch,
Why should his log be put to use
To warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought
Of the wealth he had in store,
And how to keep what he had earned
From the lazy, shiftless poor.
The black man's face bespoke revenge
As the fire passed from his sight,
For all he saw in his stick of wood
Was a chance to spite the white.
And the last man of this forlorn group
Did naught except for gain,
Giving only to those who gave
Was how he played the game.
The logs held tight in death's stilled hands
Was proof of human sin,
They didn't die from the cold without,
They died from the cold within.

Think about what can happen if those men around the fire put aside their inner messages -- what can happen if they look at things from a DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. Imagine what will happen when we as teachers and storytellers share the fire!

Storytelling can ignite that fire -- it can engage kids in learning - and when kids are engaged, discipline problems begin to disappear. Attendance becomes more regular. Teachers can teach because the kids are eager to learn! That's how classrooms can be transformed - and when more and more classrooms experience the power of storytelling, more and more transformation takes place within a school. Learning can and will happen in a place like that!

Now let's talk about the KIND of learning that's happening when storytelling comes into the classroom.

Einstein once said, "I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution. "

When storytelling enters the classroom, students aren't just learning to regurgitate facts and figures - they're learning to think imaginatively! In A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink argues that never before has right-brain, creative thinking been more important than in today's society. Due to the proliferation of technology, the changing workforce and shifts in the global marketplace, we must be teaching our children how to think conceptually and holistically - and how to think outside the box to solve challenging dilemmas. Learning through the arts is the most effective way to encourage and achieve that kind of thinking.

Storytelling provides an approach to education with the potential to transform whole schools by reinvigorating teaching in core subjects and inspiring students to greater joy and achievement in learning. Storytelling instruction has the power to shift thinking patterns and learning capacity for teachers and students alike. As Jane Stenson puts it in the Storytelling Classroom: Applications Across the Curriculum (Libraries Unlimited, 2006), "storytelling belongs in an on-going and fundamental way in education. It allows teachers to teach Language Arts, Social Studies, Math and Science standards in holistic and meaningful ways. It changes the way teachers manage children and the way everyone speaks to each other; it's democratic; it's fun; it's whole; and it's very, very humane."

So put storytelling to work in the classroom to teach the standards, engage the students, and empower learning.

Resources on the Research

• Caine, Renate Nummela and Geoffrey. Making Connections: Teaching and the Human Brain. Addison-Wesley, 1994. pp. 100-101.
• Gardner, Howard. Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice. Basic Books, 1993.
• Frames of Mind: Theory of Multiple Intelligence. Basic Books, 1993.

li>Hannaford, Carla. Smart Moves: Why Learning is Not All in Your Head. Great Ocean Publishers, 1995.

• Haven, Kendall. Story Proof: the Science Behind the Startling Power of Story. Libraries Unlimited, 2007.
• Jensen, Eric. Arts with the Brain in Mind. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2001.
• Education with the Brain in Mind. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2000.
• Brain-based Learning. Brain Store, Inc. 2000.
• "The Risk of Evolution: an Interview with Joseph Chilton Pearce." Parabola, Summer 1992, pp. 54 - 60. Outlines the research on the brain's response to television vs. storytelling.
• Schiller, Pam. Start Smart: Building Brain Power in the Early Years. Gryphon House, 1999.
• Sousa, David. How the Brain Learns. 2nd ed. Corwin Press, 2000.
• Williams, Linda Verlee. Teaching for the Two-Sided Mind: A Guide to Right Brain/Left Brain Education. Simon & Schuster, 1983.
• Wolfe, Patricia. Brain Matters: Translating Research into Classroom Practice. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2000.

Bio

Sherry Norfolk is an internationally acclaimed storyteller, appearing at the International Storytelling Center, the Singapore Storytelling Festival, and many more festivals, schools, libraries and universities nationwide. Her strong, clear, direct stage presence immediately connects to audiences of all ages, and her use of tones, timbres, and rhythms in her telling breathes life into her rich repertoire of folktales from around the world. With a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and a master's in Library Science, Sherry is the coauthor of nine books, including Literacy Development in the Storytelling Classroom (Libraries Unlimited, 2009) and The Storytelling Classroom: Applications Across the Curriculum (Libraries Unlimited, 2006). Sherry recently joined the faculty of Lesley University, teaching "Cultural Diversity through Storytelling" in their Creative Arts in Learning program.

You can learn more about Sherry Norfolk's work at http://www.sherrynorfolk.com/

Over the Next month I will be releasing the video version of this email course available now on the Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf

I promise that I send you the seven emails about storytelling over the next ten days or so and that in addition I will send you Announcement about storytelling workshops or activities I am organizing nationally or locally – but never more then two a month if that.

Eric Wolf

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Best Loved Story:

]]> http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/2009/08/29/zen-and-the-art-of-storytelling-video-series/feed/ 1 http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/2009/06/17/storytelling-education/ http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/2009/06/17/storytelling-education/#comments Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:39:30 +0000 Brother Wolf http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/?p=902

Press Play to hear Eric Wolf speak how you can support the Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf.

Tired of the tin sound? Purchase a HQ Mp3 File of Pre-loaded Apple Ipod with 100 episodes For more details on the Ipod Click Here. Order now for $438.00.

For Immediate Release Wednesday, June 17, 2009

The Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf is an internationally recognized podcast listened to in 142 countries worldwide with over 50,000 total lifetime downloads, 13,000 distinct listeners, and 8,000+ downloads in the last thirty days. With over 88+ storytellers interviewed on the show this website is rapidly becoming the worlds premiare source for teaching storytelling online. Through this encyclopedia of storytelling techniques a listener can improve their communication skills and get a complete storytelling education.

Heather Forest, Elizabeth Ellis, Judith Black, Jay O’Callahan, Andy Offutt Irwin, and many other storytellers are interviewed on how to use storytelling techniques in performing for and teaching storytelling to children. The Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf has draw guests from all over the world and created an amazing storytelling education resource of storytelling techniques that is unmatched on the World Wide Web. All episodes available right now online for immediate listening and download in the commercial lower quality version for easier down load.

Individuals wishing to pre-purchase this commercial free ipod can pay $338.55 till July 27th. On July 27th the price for a preloaded ipod with 85 shows will increase too $394.65. The Apple Ipod allows listeners to scan easily to any point in each of the 85 hour long shows.

Eric Wolf is the host and producer of the Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf show witch is dedicated to supporting the teaching storytelling worldwide by providing access to storytelling techniques and a grounded storytelling education for anyone.

For More Information go to:
http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/category/press-release/

For a Full List of Episodes go to:
http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/past-guests/

For more Information Contact:
Eric Wolf (937) 767-8696

]]> http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/2009/06/17/storytelling-education/feed/ 0 http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/2009/05/24/kim-weitkamp-troubled-youth-storytelling/ http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/2009/05/24/kim-weitkamp-troubled-youth-storytelling/#comments Mon, 25 May 2009 01:40:37 +0000 Brother Wolf http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/?p=782

Press Play to hear Kim Weitkamp speak about reaching troubled youth through storytelling on the Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf.

Tired of the tin sound? Purchase a HQ Mp3 File of Interview #084 Kim Weitkamp for $2.23 Reaching Troubled Youth through Storytelling.

Kim Weitkamp writes…
For 15 years I saw first hand the amazing power of story. The right story deposited at the right time is like a time release capsule. I cannot count how many times one of the teens that I was working with would come back to me, after I told them a story, and they’d say, “Hey, you know that story you told me the other day? Well, I’ve been thinking about it.

When I would hold group discussions, a story would bring together opposing sides. When I was digging into a person’s heart, trying gently to unearth the pain that was causing them to act out in anger, a story would be the trowel. When I looked into the angry hurting eyes of teen, a story would prove to them that I understood and that I had been there too.

I loved working with at risk youth and found great satisfaction in using story to bring healing. It was a worthy calling. But, after 15 years, it wore me out physically and emotionally, so I retired. From youth work, not storytelling. You cannot retire from what you are, you can only retire from what you do. So what I was had to release itself in another form.

I pulled out journals that I had kept over the years and started going over stories that I had written for no other purpose than to make me smile. I started sharing those stories with people outside my family and friends circle. After a few years of puttering around state festivals, schools and libraries, I branched out and before I knew it I was telling full time. But inside of me there was a struggle going on.

For years, I had used my stories to help teens who were suicidal, self-mutilators, violent offenders, lost, lonely and at their breaking point. I had used my stories for a worthy cause, but now I was telling for the sheer pleasure of it. I was using my stories to entertain and to make people laugh. I was at odds with myself. How could I go from one extreme to another? Was I selling out? Was there a purpose to what I was doing? I was constantly asking myself these questions.

One evening I was telling in a tent that was draped in white lights. The night was cool and still and the audience was perfect. I was in the middle of one of my favorite stories, right at a part where I pause for effect, when I had the most beautiful experience. As my gaze swept across the crowd I could see each face individually, expectant and ready. It was like slow motion, a hard thing to explain really, but they were there with in the story, not in the tent. They were waiting to turn the corner with me and see what I saw and laugh at what I laughed at and smell what I smelled and taste what I tasted. They were there with me, in my story, walking with me.

It was at that moment I knew that what I was doing was just as worthy as my previous work. No matter how long I have them, no matter how large or small the group, no matter how funny, sad, silly, or heartbreaking my story is: it’s a miracle.

Each time I tell I have the privilege of taking my listener away from this world. For a few minutes I provide a much needed break from the rent payment, from the knee pain, from unemployment, from the wayward child, from the death of a loved one. It is a form of medicine, therapy, whatever you want to call it I don’t care. I only know that it is good. And to be a storyteller is a worthy calling.

After that experience I went to Jonesborough for the first time and in the glass shop on Main Street I found an art print that brought tears to my eyes. The artist had drawn a picture of a woman and beside it had written: “In the midst of the song she heard every heartbeat and knew she was a part of something bigger.” Nough said.

Bio of Kim Weitkamp…
Written by Diane Pelegro

Kim Weitkamp used applied storytelling for over 15 years within her work with youth. She has been a guest speaker, keynote and storyteller at camps, retreats, conferences, libraries, schools, leadership summits and festivals throughout the country. After overseeing various non-profit programs in four states she retired from youth work three years ago.

At that time Kim decided to take her love of humor and storytelling to the stage, and she has been warmly received. Her impressive performance list as a newcomer includes Timpfest in Orem, Utah, the Exchange Stage in Jonesborough TN, the historic Lyric Theater in Virginia, the Northeast Storytelling Festival, the Storytelling Festival of the Carolinas, The Smoky Mountains Festival in Pigeon Forge TN, The Colonial Williamsburg Storytelling Festival and many others. She holds residencies at the Montgomery County Museum, the JuneBug Center for Storied Arts and the Lewis Miller Art Center.
She currently serves as President of the Virginia Storytelling Alliance and is the Virginia State rep for the National Youth Storytelling Showcase. She is also a commissioned performer for the Virginia Commission of the Arts. Kim has written and performed vignettes and stories for the PARfm Radio Network morning show which has a 3 state listening audience. She has penned numerous children’s stories but is most noted for her original and humorous Pitscreek Series, which has resulted in two CD projects.

Kim is the founder of the Wrinkles Project, a nationwide program that helps raise awareness of the treasure we have within our ’seasoned citizens’ and the stories that they have to share. Kim’s first CD, “This Ain’t Bull It’s Fertilizer” was her freshman release. Her new self titled CD, shows her growth as an artist and writer. The stories are solid and well written and her telling style is casual and warm. The collection is a beautiful example of storytelling at its best. Recently Kim has added the dynamic of singing original songs to her performances. They cozy right up to the story and add depth and additional appeal to her telling.

Kim’s genuine care for the audience, love of story, and natural talent has alloted her a solid position within the arena of spoken word artistry.

To Learn more about Kim’s work check out her website at http://www.justkissthefrog.com/

]]> http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/2009/05/24/kim-weitkamp-troubled-youth-storytelling/feed/ 4 http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/2009/05/18/showmanship-ben-sota-zany-umbrella-circus/ http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/2009/05/18/showmanship-ben-sota-zany-umbrella-circus/#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 19:12:13 +0000 Brother Wolf http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/?p=749

Press Play to hear Ben Sota is the Artistic Director of the Zany Umbrella Circus and he speaks on the Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf about the art of showmanship.

Tired of the tin sound? Purchase a HQ Mp3 File of Interview #083 Ben Sota & the Zany Umbrella Circus for $2.23 A Conversation on Showmanship.

Ben Writes...
Thoughts of showmanship.

As a circus performer I able to show people fantastic things. Performances on the trapeze, tight wire. juggling seven balls, and give them a glimpse of what many think is impossible.

For me showmanship is about connecting that fantastic to my audience. For me showmanship is inclusion....

As a circus performer my characters stride to be unassuming and unpretentious. The performance uses storytelling to bridge that fantastic to an every day life.

A contract happens, the everyday mixes with the surreal and the audience has a memorable experience that they can relate to. These ideas and more are featured in my interview with storytellers Brother Wolf.

Enjoy, Ben Sota)

Bio of Ben Sota is the Artistic Director of the Zany Umbrella Circus

Ben has studied at the San Francisco Circus Center, Trapeze Arts, and Acro Sports. He has produced over thirty shows and performed at the National Council on Foundation, the National Storytelling Convention, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, at Al Hussein Amphitheater in Amman Jordan, and at hundreds of other venues.

In the spring of 2006 Ben had the honor of a performance at the White House in June of 2006, he raised eyebrows by dressing in burlap pants. He told senators and congressmen folk art stories of his grandfather’s circus in South Dakota during the dustbowl; this performance caused bipartisan smiles and conversations about the importance of the arts in situations of need.

More commonly than the White House, Ben can be found performing at arts festivals, for social justice causes, and community celebrations, and for schools and universities all over the world.

As a teacher the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts has selected Ben as an artist residency teacher. He has also been recognized by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh as is listed as an outreach teacher; he is a member of the Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour and is recognized as a commonwealth speaker of Pennsylvania. Recently he was awarded the Eben Demarest Trust, a prize based on his artist merit that Jackson Pollock once one.

In October of 2007 the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum debuted an interactive exhibit called “Circus for Social Change”. The 1,800 sq. ft. exhibit showcases Ben’s projects of giving around the world. The exhibit gives children a chance to walk on a tight wire and try out circus.

Ben’s work has been supported by the Heinz Foundation, the Grable Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, the Pittsburgh Foundation, and many others.

Ben has worked hard to bring circus to those who need it most. He has taught thousands to juggle, walk on a tightrope, and perform trapeze. Many of his students come from at-risk backgrounds

Recently Ben traveled to New Orleans, Jordan, andAfghanistan to perform and teach.

Patch Adams wrote, “I hope all will generously support your work it is real people to people aid” when speaking about Ben’s work.

Wavy Gravy wrote, “For the last 5 years I have watched Ben teach children juggling and aerial arts with patience, kindness, imagination, and great skill. Ben Sota is truly a GREAT artist. I highly recommend him without reservation as a unique and extraordinary talent in any performing or teaching situation.”

Learn more about Ben's Sota's work at http://www.zanyumbrellacircus.com

]]> http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/2009/05/18/showmanship-ben-sota-zany-umbrella-circus/feed/ 1 http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/2009/04/23/jay-ocallahan-story-telling-with-children/ http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/2009/04/23/jay-ocallahan-story-telling-with-children/#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:24:31 +0000 Brother Wolf http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/?p=467

Press Play to hear Jay O'Callahan speak about learning about Stories by telling to my Children on the Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf.

Jay O'Callahan writes...

I'm at work right now on a story commissioned by NASA, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration to celebrate its 50th anniversary. As I create the NASA story I'm aware I'm using all of the knowledge I gained telling stories to my own children. As I told stories to my children I began using repetition, rhythm, changing my voice, using a gesture here and there and inventing situations that involved struggle or risk, When my son Ted was about nine months old I'd make up little songs and rhythms to make him smile. Just making my voice go up high and then suddenly come down delighted him.
One night Ted was sitting in a soapy bath and I read him some of James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake. He laughed at the sounds.

When Ted got older I read books to him like The Gingerbread Man and discovered that he loved the repetition running through the story.

Run, run fast as you can
You can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread Man.

I began reading one of Richard Scary's book in which there was a character called Pierre the Paris Policeman. The line was, "Pierre the Paris Policeman was directing traffic one day." I would sing that line with a French accent and lift up my hand to stop an imaginary car. The voice and accent brought the character alive. That was an important discovery. And if I read it in any other way it wasn't Pierre and Ted would say, "Say it right."

After my daughter Laura Elizabeth was born I told both my children "hand stories." I'd take one of their hands, look at the palm of the hand and let a line, a bump or a curve in the hand suggest an image and I'd begin the story. It might go like this. "Once upon a time Ted saw a pink cloud resting by a tree. The cloud looked sad so Ted went over to cheer it up." I was dreaming aloud and characters and images would spring to mind. I imaged that's always happened to storytellers. I liked telling the hand stories because they were quiet and personal and my children liked being the hero and heroine. Some of those hand stories eventually turned into the Artana stories which take place in a mysterious land where two children, Edward and Elizabeth are the hero and heroine.

As I was telling to my children I learned the importance of a listener, particularly a listener with the sense of wonder and delight. My children listened me into being a storyteller.

Now as I work on this complicated story about NASA I use the knowledge I gained from my children. I ask myself this question: What is wondrous about NASA? And I'm on the alert for compelling characters and the risks they take and the struggles of their lives. I try to incorporate rhythm and repetition; I use a voice to become a character and find that a gesture helps bring the character alive.

As I shape the story and as it grows, I'm using the listeners. The listeners draw out mysteries in the story that I would have missed without them. Here I am back to the beginning.

Biography

Jay O'Callahan grew up in a section of Brookline, Massachusetts which was called "Pill Hill" because so many doctors lived there. The 32-room house and landscaped grounds were a magical atmosphere for a child's imagination to blossom. When Jay was fourteen, he started making up stories to tell to his little brother and sister to entertain them.

After graduating from Holy Cross College, a tour in the Navy took Jay to the Pacific. Returning to Massachusetts, he taught and eventually became Dean at the Wyndham School in Boston, which his parents had founded. "In the summers I'd go off to Vermont or Ireland to write. I also did a lot of acting in amateur theatre, and that's where I met a beautiful woman (Linda McManus) who later became my wife. When we had our first child, I left teaching and became the caretaker of the YWCA in Marshfield, a big old barn on a salt-water marsh. That gave me time to write and to tell stories to my children. When I decided to call myself a storyteller, it was like getting on a rocket." Within three years, Jay was telling stories in hundreds of schools and in addition he was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra to create and perform Peer Gynt with the orchestra. His stories were broadcast on National Public Radio's "The Spider's Web," which brought Jay national attention.

Jay was now publicly telling stories he had created for his children. His stories were filled with rhythms, songs and characters as diverse as Herman the Worm, Petrukian, a medieval blacksmith, and the Little Dragon. Orange Cheeks, inspired by a time Jay got in trouble as a little boy, was the first of his personal stories.

One of his most popular stories, Raspberries was born when Jay's son Teddy was four. Teddy banged his shin outside their cottage and was weeping, "I broke my leg." Jay told a story full of rhythms to cheer Teddy up.

Jay was also beginning to tell stories to adults. In 1980, while on vacation in Nova Scotia, he sat on and off for a month in the kitchen of an old man and a blind woman. Out of that kitchen came the story of The Herring Shed. I realized then that part of my gift was to sit down with ordinary people where they were comfortable, listen, and later weave a story together so that others could enjoy it. The process still amazes me: one year I'm in a kitchen in Nova Scotia and a few years later, I'm performing The Herring Shed to a thousand people at Lincoln Center. Time Magazine called The Herring Shed "genius. After the Herring Shed came Jay's Pill Hill stories for which is was awarded a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship. The Pill Hill stories are loosely based on his boyhood.

Storytelling has brought Jay around the earth. "The storyteller of old got on a horse. I get on a plane, parachute into a community and I'm part of its life for a while before moving on to the next one." Jay has told stories to students at Stonehendge, to adults in the heat of Niger, Africa, to theatergoers in Dublin and London and at storytelling festivals in Scotland, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. His stories have also been heard on National Public Radio's All Things Considered. Jay's stories also include commissioned works like The Spirit of the Great Auk, Pouring the Sun, Edna Robinson and Father Joe.

When he isn't on the road, Jay runs a writing workshop at his home. His other interests include reading everything from Walt Whitman to Herman Melville to Flannery O'Connor to Emily Dickinson. And he enjoys listening to jazz, classical music and opera. "I love Maria Callas. Her singing touches a joy that's very deep."

Jay has just finished a political novel called Harry's Our Man, and is creating a story commissioned by NASA for its 50th anniversary.

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