This past weekend I attended Sharing the Fire, the New England storytelling conference sponsored by LANES. (League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling, I am thinking. :)
Wow, what a warm, welcoming fire it was! I came home with a Thunder Tube, a bit of fairy gold from Tony Toledo, and a whirl of new stories. I finally got to meet Marni Gillard in the physical realm, instead of on the page or in cyberspace.
Here are just a few highlights:
Watching the rough-cut documentary about Brother Blue, tears streaming down my face. How can I feel so connected to a man I never met in the flesh? Maybe it’s because when I was transitioning from academia back into telling, Blue was starting his transition to another dimension?
John Porcino: His workshop for telling to little little ones was inspiring. I will master the Shy Little Mouse bit.
Jane Stenson: Puppets! Her sweet school set-up! Such a wealth of knowledge.
Diane Edgecomb: Specific, fun things to do to train & preserve the voice.
Doug Lipman: I just like to listen to the man. He gives such cogent, sound, sensible advice, illustrated by stories from his own professional experiences.
Rona Leventhal & Emily Chasse: My charming roommates and new friends. I will only room with unknown quantities if said quantities are storytellers! All others are suspect.
Tellers & teachers, if you haven’t been to Sharing the Fire, pencil it in right now. Albany, NY, for 2012.
STF is a great family reunion, even when you've never met that branch of the family, isn't it? I haven't been to it since the mid-90s, but maybe I'll get to Albany next year.
ReplyDeleteEllie, I agree with you all the way. Sharing the Fire is my favorite storytelling weekend of the year. So much fun, so many stories, so many good people walking arm in arm through the weekend. Ciao, Tony Toledo
ReplyDeletePriscilla--I drove 6 hours to get there, with nasty NYC traffic. I'm thinking Albany sounds good. Maybe I will see you there!
ReplyDeleteTony, you LANES peeps do it right! My signed Jackie Torrance text is in a special place on my main bookcase.
ReplyDeleteHi Ellie,
ReplyDeleteYou were one of the points of warmth for me. I hope we get to see one another soon.
I love your little fire icon to lure us to this post. STF changed my life in 1991. Barbara Lipke, who'd I'd met at NCTE (my teacherly STF) had nagged me for years to come. FINALLY on an EARLY March day - windows down sun streaming in) another Albany area woman was willing to make the 3 hour drive and Barbara treated us royally. Hardly ever missed it since. I love that Steven Hobbs comes from Alabama. That says it all.
ReplyDeleteEllie, I too loved meeting you in the flesh and Regina says it right. You are warmth and encouragement for all of us who have been at it for along time. GLAD Blue made you cry. I have a life-sized poster of him. He is still ALIVE and working in the world, doubt it not.
Blessings,
Marni
Regi & Marni, you are so gracious. I really had an excellent time. I continue to learn so much from other tellers, including y'all! I try and get Griots' Circle of MD folks to talk about Blue every chance I get.
ReplyDeleteOh, wow! The blog is spectacular! And, the site...even more AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteKeep it up. We know just where to find you!