SB: And you’ve done over a hundred, haven’t you?

BW: There are 103 online, with 17 more waiting to be uploaded.

SB: And is it mostly an American audience?

BW: I view the podcast as an International project. 44% of my audience is overseas. I’ve been working really hard to connect with international potential audience when they’re in the United States.

SB: So, the podcast is a big part of what you do?

BW: Yes, definitely. One of the things that’s started happening recently is that people are starting to come and say “interview me,” but it really doesn’t work that way. I’ve only ever done that twice, and both times I regretted doing it….
One of the things I struggle with is that a lot of podcasts that are very successful aim at an audience that is very tech savvy, but my target audience (storytellers) is almost the opposite. What that means is that the build is much slower than with other projects of these type. It’s one of the great frustrations of the project for me. And recently I rebranded it, which makes that process even slower. That’s why I’m always quick to say to anyone “if you like listening to it, let other people know, or people at your institutions know,” That’s the biggest way my audience grows…

SB: And I actually brought that up when speaking with Dale Jarvis as well. He’s quite successful at using social media, he does a lot of traditional storyteller-type reaching out to people as well, so he’s getting a kind of synergy going there, but he often has to think about bridging the gap between people who are traditional storytellers and are often over 40, and potential storyteller audiences who might not even be aware of the storytelling world unless he reaches out to them using social media.

BW: You use the term “traditional storytelling” a lot. I wouldn’t describe most of the storytellers I know as traditional storytellers. I would say “performance storytellers I know” or “community storytellers,” but I wouldn’t say “traditional tellers” unless I was talking about Native Americans, people from Africa, like the Griots from Africa, places where they still have a living tradition. Though it’s true that most of them are over 40 because it takes many years to master the tradition… Community storytellers doesn’t get as much respect in the U.S. and you can see this in their promotional materials, which often don’t even use the word “storyteller.” The storytelling brand is badly damaged; it’s associated with children and librarians reading books to children. That’s why I recently re-branded my podcast. (From “The Art of Storytelling with Children” to “The Art of Storytelling.” —SB)

SB: What do you think listening to stories does for people?

BW: I think that human beings are community animals. Not in the sense of lower, but in the sense of us being biological. Storytelling arises out of that need to build and structure community. When we know the people in the room, we’re really creating opportunities for connecting with them. In diplomatic relations, there’s a technique for using storytelling to prevent the hotheads from getting out of hand. Tellers are used to using metaphor and simile to speak to each other.

SB: What has being a storyteller done for you?

BW: The creator of the world makes us storytellers – it’s part of why I’m on earth.

SB: Would you say that storytelling is your calling?

BW: I would go beyond a calling; it’s part of the very fiber of who I am.

SB: How did you get started as a storyteller?

BW: When I was 8 and my sister was 4 I told her class the story I made up of how the old man’s shoes flew off and the class was all terrified, they loved it and wanted me to come back. This is what I always return to. But that’s not really important – what I think you want to hear is… Let me tell you three pieces of advice for a storyteller; the three things that made me a lot better as a storyteller.

SB: Okay, what are they?

BW: 1) When you tell your first story to a new audience, it’s always a story you’ve done many times before. Never start with new material. Always show them who you are in your best setting. That was the biggest step for me. Your second best story is your last one in a performance.
2) I stopped explaining everything. Bad tellers, they leave no stone unturned, no thing unexplained.
3) To be good you have to be practiced. I have a local/closed group, we’ve been practicing for five years. Sometimes it’s just a matter of doing it a lot. You need to focus on one genre and really do it.

SB: How does technology and storytelling interact?

BW: I feel like there’s been a real revolution in terms of technology in the 21st century but I think lots of people are having trouble wrapping their heads around it. Hardly any storytellers are aware that you can use Tunecore, CDBaby or CafePress and you can sell your storytelling CDs one at a time. If you have an amazing story… if you have a following of 300… then chances are half of those have iPhones or iPods. We’re leaving money on the table. We are missing opportunities to build relationships with audiences. We could do what Disney does. There’s so much crap out that… but it’s so loud and so viral… Susan Boyle, for example. We think we can’t compete, but because of Google we can compete. We’re better… we’re SO much better.

SB: I will interview Margaret Read MacDonald next week.

BW: Oh, she’s great. She was one of the very earliest supporters of this show, one of the first people I interviewed. So in a sense she’s been a real early adopter of this technology.

SB: Thanks for talking with me.

BW: My pleasure.

Writer’s Bio: Stephanie first learned the art of storytelling in 2005 and has been telling at schools, libraries, cafes and festivals ever since. She specializes in Alberta history, tall tales, and biographies, but her repertoire also includes silly, salty and spooky stories from many parts of the world. Stephanie is a member of T.A.L.E.S., The Alberta League Encouraging Storytelling, and can be contacted through them. This interview was conducted as part of her graduate course work in 2009.

Have something worth sharing on the Art of Storytelling Blog?
Consider contributing an article 500 to 800 words long and et a link from one of the top storytelling websites in the world to your site.

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

If you’re a storyteller with a webcam, you can record your stories and post them on-line. It’s remarkably easy. Since July I have been busily recording stories and songs, making up for years of talking myself out of it because of the expense, the time commitment and my nervousness in front of the camera. Now the videographer is me, the venue is my own home, and telling to the webcam is as natural telling in front of a mirror.

Videos are a way to reach a far, far wider audience than you ever dreamed. Through my presence on storyteller.net, ProfessionalStoryteller.ning, Facebook and, most of all, YouTube, I have told to people in unexpected places such as Qatar, Croatia, Argentina and Indonesia. I have also forged new friendships with other storytellers. I absolutely love it.

My camera is the iSight, built into my iMac. I can’t speak knowledgeably about other webcams, but I’ve been told they work in a similar manner. The iSight is used in a program called “Photo Booth,” which takes pictures and videos with the click of a mouse. Don’t like the result? Delete!

On YouTube, where I post all my work, I’ve been seeking out videos from other storytellers. I’m a member of the YouTube group “The Ancient Art of Storytelling” at http://www.youtube.com/group/oralstorytelling. Most storytelling videos are shot with a videocamera during a live performance. Some are shot by professionals in a studio or at a live performance. Hardly any tellers use a webcam (although a lot of non-storytelling YouTube videos are made that way). Paradoxically, webcam videos come across more like a live performance than a video of an actual live performance does, probably because the teller actually seems as though he or she is making direct contact with you, the audience. Also, there are no distracting coughs, chair squeaks or heads in the way.

Here’s what I have learned about filming videos on my computer:

1. Choose a short story. YouTube limits videos to 10 minutes. Shorter is better, because some people are too impatient to wait for a longer video to load. You can split a long story into two parts, but there’s no guarantee viewers will watch both parts.

2. Use a tale you have told many times before, or rehearse your new one well. This is not the time to wing it.

3. Conjure up an audience in your mind. If you’ve ever told on the radio, you know how to do this. It’s one of the reasons I suggest using tales you’ve told often, because you’re not so dependent on the audible audience reaction to get in the zone.

4. Make eye contact with the camera.

5. Lighting: Because all my telling is in front of my computer, my lighting options are limited. I experiment and pick what feels best. I achieved a campfire effect for “Bloody Finger” with two candles under my face just out of camera range. I suggest using more light than you think you need, because my videos appear darker on PCs.

6. Sound: My computer has a built-in microphone but I’ve been told that my quieter stories are too faint on a PC (they’re fine on a Mac). I boosted the input volume and I’ve set up some sound equipment of camera range. I’m looking for a good microphone with a USB plug.

7. As soon as I have it in the can, I watch it all the way through, and if I like it I upload it to YouTube. It takes several minutes to upload, so go make yourself a cup of tea.

8. Include your name in the title of your video so when people are Googling you, they’ll find your work. Example: “Leslie Slape, storyteller – The Tale-Teller.”

9. Tag your video with words that will make it come up as “related videos” to other storytelling videos (whenever you finish watching a video on YouTube, you’ll see a list of related videos). Suggestions: oral tradition folktale spoken word storyteller storytelling.

10. Add your video to “The Ancient Art of Storytelling” (you’ll have to join the group first).

11. If you have a Web site, Blog or any other Internet presence, embed your videos there (YouTube gives you the embed code). E-mail the link to everyone in your storytelling database. And put your YouTube site on your business cards.

Happy videotelling!

Leslie Slape’s videos are at www.YouTube.com/LeslieSlape