Down the rabbit hole: Intensive research for storytellers
Always wanted to know what it feels like to be Indiana Jones? This is your chance to take dive into the remote, obscure corners of the past, following a half-forgotten trail of folktales and legends! Researching traditional stories can be difficult, but it can also lead to exciting, unexpected, and illuminating discoveries. This session, led by an archaeologist and storyteller, offers insight into how to track down some of the most elusive tales.
By the end of the session participants will be familiar with the basics of storytelling research, as well as some less well-known techniques for tracking down a tale. They will be aware of how classic folklore research tools (e.g. the ATU tale type index) work together with modern media, and how stories can be tracked down above and beyond Google search. They will know about taking research across language barriers, and also will have learned some tips on how to organize and maintain one’s notes and findings.
Update: This workshop now also includes a section on the topic of research and the challenges of AI-generated content.
Workshop length: 90 minutes, 3 hours, or 5 hours
StorySpotting: Building a Bridge between Folktales and Popular Media
Learn new ways of connecting traditional stories with themes in popular films and books, and create engaging storytelling programs that bring out the best of both!
Working in educational settings storytellers constantly have to prove that traditional tales are relevant to modern audiences. This workshop focuses on how to capture the attention of students who grew up immersed in new media. StorySpotting is the art of finding connections in order to build engaging and intriguing storytelling programs. By the end of the session participants will be able to identify familiar motifs in modern media (film, television, literature, games, etc.) and match them with traditional tales in their repertoire. They will be aware of how to identify points of interests within currently popular narratives, and build on them in their storytelling work.
Workshop length: 90 minutes or 3 hours
Adventures in the classroom: Role-playing and storytelling in high school and beyond
Role-playing is a form of creative, interactive storytelling. Games based on folktales, legends and myths are being published in great numbers, and are extremely popular among teenagers and young adults, and audience often missing from storytelling events. In this workshop participants can learn about role-playing and find out how to create their own games that can be used for educational purposes, thus providing an entertaining, motivating and memorable learning experience.
This workshop is based on my Master’s Thesis in the ETSU Storytelling program – read the full thesis here!
Workshop length: 3 hours or 5 hours
The Storyteller’s Treasures: How to build a versatile repertoire
Are you a beginner storyteller seeking to learn what makes a well-rounded repertoire? Or are you a seasoned storyteller interested in dusting off some stories, and performing some regular maintenance on your programs? Either way, this workshop offers tips and insight into the stories we tell, and the ways we organize them.
This workshop offers a systematic look at what makes a repertoire, how to adjust our programs to varios age groups, themes, and settings, and how to round out areas where we are less well prepared. Through hands-on exercises, participants can leave at the end with new ideas for performances, new systems for maintaining a repertoire, and a better understanding of their own storytelling style and strengths.
Workshop length: 90 minutes, 3 hours, or 5 hours