StoryFest postponed until spring 2021

Story Arts of Minnesota will present its annual Story Fest in spring 2021 at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, MN. The 2020 StoryFest, originally scheduled for May 2, will not take place due to SAM’s commitment to the health and well-being of everyone involved, and the recommendations of federal, state, and local authorities regarding social distancing during the COVID-19 epidemic.

A new date will be chosen in the spring of 2021. Join us then for a full day of enlightening, practical workshops and entertaining, thought provoking stories. The festival will conclude with performances by some of the region’s most talented storytellers.

The theme is “Stories That Heal.” The festival will offer rich content for care providers, healers, patients, storytellers, and professional and community leaders and advocates.

If you have questions, please contact us at storyartsmn@gmail.com.

Original painting by Rose Johnson.

CANCELED: World Storytelling Day 2020 - SAM will be there!

This year’s World Storytelling Day program in the Twin Cities has been canceled due to COVID-19.

Story Arts will staff an information table at the pre-performance reception of the Twin Cities celebration of World Storytelling Day. This year’s program, organized by SAM member Larry Johnson, takes place at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis on Thursday, April 16, 6-9pm. This FREE event features six local storytellers, including the renowned folklorist and scholar Jack Zipes.

More information at:
https://www.storyartsmn.org/events/2020/4/16/mpls-world-storytelling-day-voyages-of-the-imagination

StoryFest 2020 Needs You! Propose Stories and Workshops by Feb . 7.

Planning is underway for our next StoryFest at Normandale College in May 2020, so SAM is looking for tellers and workshop presenters. Our theme this year is Stories that Heal. Take a look at our call for proposals polish those stories and workshops, and get them to us ASAP. Your voices and expertise are what makes StoryFest a great event, and we hope you will join us.
 

Workshop Leaders needed for StoryFest 2020: Stories that Heal

May 2, 2020 at Normandale Community College

Do you have a workshop idea that would fit with the 2020 theme of Stories that Heal? We are trying to appeal to an audience of health care professionals, professionals who use storytelling as a tool, teachers and storytellers. We have 6, seventy-five minute workshop slots available for shorter workshops and 2 longer sessions with up to 120 minutes. We are looking for at least one storytelling workshop for beginning storytellers. A small stipend will be given to all workshop presenters. Presenters must be a member of Story Arts of Minnesota. Submit your workshop proposals by February 7th to storyartsmn@gmail.com, write "StoryFest 2020 Workshop Proposal" in the subject line.

Storytellers needed for StoryFest 2020: Stories that Heal

May 2, 2020 at Normandale Community College

Do you have a story that saved your life or brought you solace? How about a folktale that allowed you to see someone in a different light? A time that humor brought you back from the brink of despair? Or a time when a simple gesture allowed you to move on? What about a story that brings hope to the younger set? We’re interested in stories about healing and stories that have helped you heal—be it personal narrative or folk tales, please submit the healing story you want to share. We are interested in both stories of how you healed AND the story that healed you. Tellers must be a member of Story Arts of Minnesota. The themes for the concerts are below. Send an email with a short summary of your 8-minute story by February 7, to storyartsmn@gmail.com, write “StoryFest 2020 Concert Submission” in the subject line. Rank order your theme preferences and include a few sentences about your storytelling and performance experience.

Theme 1: Truth Sometimes Hurts: Stories that help us be better
Theme 2: Won’t You Be My Neighbor: Stories of Community Healing
Theme 3: Stories of Second Chances
Theme 4: When Humor Saved the Day
Theme 5: Healing Stories for Kids and Families

CANCELED: Registration is open for the Northlands Confabulation!

The Northhlands Confabulation has been canceled due to COVID-19.

Registration is now open for the annual gathering of storytellers from the upper Midwest. The Northlands Storytelling Network’s Confabulation! will take place in Madison, Wisconsin, April 24-26. To see the full schedule of workshops, intensives, story showcases, open mics, and fringe performances, and to register online, visit http://northlands.net/confabulation/.

January 20 is the deadline to apply for a “New Voices” scholarship. Find the details and application procedure at http://northlands.net/confabulation/new-voices-scholarships/

The Northlands Community Tellers program sends conference attendees into the greater Madison community to tell stories at schools, libraries, senior centers, and other locations. These are paid opportunities. To join the pool of community tellers, please complete the form at

https://forms.gle/ZgsKCtCNk6oJgTT3A.

Loren Niemi to chair National Storytelling Network board of directors

In January 2020, Loren Niemi will assume the role of Chair of the board of directors of the National Storytelling Network. Loren is a well-known Minneapolis storyteller, writer, and producer who currently serves on the board of Story Arts of Minnesota. SAM member Katie Knutson (Bloomington, MN) will serve as NSN Vice-Chair. Howard Lieberman (Stillwater, MN) will also join the board. The full 12-member board includes regional directors and appointed directors.

The National Storytelling Network is a membership organization made up of individuals and organizations involved in storytelling. Its mission is to advance all forms of storytelling within the community through promotion, advocacy and education. Story Arts of Minnesota is an organizational member of NSN, and individuals who are SAM members receive a 10% discount on NSN dues.

Please join us in congratulating Loren, Katie, and Howard and thanking them for their exceptional dedication to connecting and inspiring the far-flung community of storytellers.

SAM to host National Storytelling Summit 2021

Story Arts of Minnesota is proud to announce that we have been selected to host the National Storytelling Network's National Storytelling Summit in the summer of 2021. This event draws storytellers from around the globe and lets us share our great community with the world. This four-day event includes workshops, performances (including a concert featuring SAM members), SIG events, and more. Summit co-chairs Loren Niemi and Chelley McLear say, "The 2021 conference will mark a turning point for the generation that brought the storytelling revival forward as they step aside to let another generation make storytelling theirs."

If you'd like to help shape this exciting event please contact Loren and Chelley at storyartsmn@gmail.com. Details and updates to follow.

SAM to host mini-concerts & open tells at Tellabration!

Story Arts board members will serve as hosts at three mini-concerts during Tellabration! 2019 on Saturday, November 30, at Open Book in Minneapolis. Each free hour-long session will showcase the talents of SAM members and will also include time for audience members to tell stories.

10 am - Traditional Stories hosted by Pam Schweitzer
Featuring: Vickijoan Keck, Kathleen Johnson, Sue Searing
Plus audience sign-ups

11 am - Personal Stories hosted by Chelley McLear
Featuring: Debra Ting, Amy Salloway, Tony Wentsendorf
Plus audience sign-ups

12pm - Humorous Stories hosted by Leif Wallin
Featuring: Christopher Lear, Mindy Schroeder
Plus audience sign-ups

For a full schedule of Tellabration events (all FREE!) visit https://www.tellabrationmn.org/.

November 30: Tellabration! in the Twin Cities

Tellabration!™, an annual event promoted by The National Storytelling Network and hosted in over 300 venues around the world, will be celebrated in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday, November 30, 10 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. at Open Book, 1011 Washington Ave S.

The day-long event, which is free to all, features a dozen panel discussions, classes, and workshops that explore a wide-range of topics about storytelling, narrative techniques in other disciplines, and how to craft, promote, and refine stories for audiences and print. Special classes this year include: Social Justice Storytelling, Writing and Performing Stories with Middle Grade Kids, Tandem Storytelling, Telling and Writing Ghost Stories, and Sex, Death & Violence – Go For It! There will be a panel discussion with museum interpreters and another with self-published writers and a chapbook printer. There will also be mini concerts, and an open tell hosted by Story Arts of MN from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This will be followed by a hosted open mic from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and a Traditional Tale Challenge @ 5:00 p.m.

The event will conclude with a powerful and eclectic evening concert in the Target Performance Hall featuring the donated talents of Kevin Kling, Amie Durenberger, Barbara Schutzgruber, Danny Klecko, Jim Stowell, Khary Jackson, Maria Vorhis, and Nothando Zulu.

Three of the region’s story organizations—Cheap Theatre, Northlands Storytelling Network, and Story Arts of Minnesota—combined efforts to produce this engaging showcase of spoken word expertise and talent as part of Tellabration’s international reach.

For additional details visit www.tellabrationmn.org. All classes and the concert are free though donations are appreciated. Doors for the concert open at 6:30 p.m.

Storyteller sought for MLK Jr. Day celebration

The Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association (Minneapolis) seeks to hire a civil rights storyteller for its celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Please contact PPNA Events Coordinator Ashley Bradford if you are interested: ashley@ppna.org, 612-722-4817.

For the past twenty years, the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association (PPNA) has hosted one of the largest family-friendly Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations in the Twin Cities. This event brings together nearly 1,000 people of all ages for a program that highlights the life and legacy of our country's preeminent civil rights icon. The celebration, which features local artists from a variety of backgrounds, will be held at Powderhorn Park and will take place on Monday, January 20th, 2020 between 11:00 am - 1:30 pm.

Remembering Jennifer Isaac

Photo from NCC press release

Jennifer Isaac, Story Arts of Minnesota board member, passed away on October 13, 2019, not long after receiving a diagnosis of cancer. We miss her very much and remember her strong contributions to our mission of promoting storytelling and supporting tellers.

Jennifer was a faculty member in the Communication Department at Normandale Community College for 19 years. She was a champion for global studies, serving many years on the college’s global studies committee and advising the international travel student club. She was the driving force behind Normandale’s partnership with Story Arts of Minnesota to produce an all-day festival, “Storytelling for Changing Times,” in 2018 and was an award-winning storyteller herself.  She appreciated how storytelling connects people by helping them understand both their own and others’ cultures.  And because of this, she was one of the co-founders of the Human Library project at Normandale.  Above all, she was a teacher who inspired her students to wander with wonder.  Jennifer’s boundless energy, focus on student enrichment, and soulfulness will be missed.  

SAM board member Chelley McLear described Jennifer: “She was a warm, wonderful woman with a great sense of humour and mischief. She was a doer. She was driven and interested and interesting.” All of us who were privileged to work on SAM projects with Jennifer share in the grief of her family, teaching colleagues, and many friends.

Normandale Community College faculty win award for storytelling program

Congratulations to SAM members Aimee DuBois and the late Jennifer Isaac (shown here during a storytelling tour of Norway), who together with Chad Kuyper received the 2019 Minnesota State Innovation in Global Education Award for educating students about storytelling beyond the U.S.

The award recognizes high impact practices of faculty and staff from around the state that increase students' understanding of the growing interdependence of nations and peoples through cross-cultural and international experiences.  Over the past few years, the three colleagues in the Department of Communication at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, MN, have promoted cultural understanding through the art of storytelling. Their study abroad classes have explored the oral tradition in the British Isles, Australia/New Zealand, and Scandinavia. As their nominator wrote, “Storytelling is at the heart of intercultural understanding. Stories reinforce values, tradition, and beliefs.”

Students participating in the “Storytelling in the British Isles" course heard professional storytellers from Scotland, Ireland, and England, and performed at the internationally-renowned Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh.

Those traveling to Australia and New Zealand heard from Australian native Paul Taylor, a professional storyteller, didgeridoo player, and traveler. His storytelling included creation stories and artifacts that made his performance come alive. Students also heard stories from Maori and Aboriginal elders.

In Scandinavia, students were joined by Lise Lunge-Larson, a scholar of Scandinavian history and literature. Lise brought to life the storytelling traditions of ancient Scandinavian culture by performing tales of princes, trolls, and nisse (gnomes). Richard Karpan met the group in Copenhagen “in character” as Hans Christian Andersen, who then regaled the class with stories about his life, even performing a few fairytales.

The students who traveled with professors Isaac, DuBois, and Kuyper learned that storytelling is an integral part of human nature, and that stories unite people across cultures by fostering understanding and empathy.

Storytellers sought for 2019 Holidazzle

The organizers of Holidazzle seek storytellers to perform in Loring Park in Minneapolis on two dates:

Sunday, December 8 from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Sunday, December 22 from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

More details appear below. The website, https://www.holidazzle.com/, conveys the full flavor of this multifaceted family-oriented annual event.

To donate your time and talent to this fun event, please contact :
Erin Heidenrich
mdcintern@mplsdowntown.com
612-388-5972
Erin will also be happy to answer any questions you may have.

---

MORE INFORMATION:

Holidazzle creates a community gathering place and holiday destination for people of all ages to come together and celebrate winter in Downtown Minneapolis. This year’s Holidazzle features stories highlighting local people, products and places that showcase the food scene, art district, park system, active lifestyle, local entertainers and community groups that make our city and our region unique and special.

Minneapolis-centric vendors provide options for prepared and packaged food, beverages and unique gift and craft items. This year’s programming lineup will include visits from Santa Claus, musical performances from bands and choirs, weekly movies featuring holiday classics, themed days, giveaways, surprise and delight moments and more.

Heat up and grab a beverage in our warming house, then continue your trek testing out some of Minnesota’s finest products. Vikings, moose, and abominable snow men alike are all welcome. Stroll through the festive lights and follow the savory smells as you enjoy your holiday experience in the heart of the city.

Story Telling:
Story Time will take place on Sundays starting at 11:30 am and last an hour, with a 15 minute break in-between. If you have multiple stories to tell, we would love to have one story told during the first part of the presentation and then a different story after the break. We will provide the story tellers a wireless headset mic to read. All presentations will be done outside on our performance deck, which will offer a more personal feel with the audience being much closer than our stage. All are welcome at Holidazzle so we encourage you to tell stories that appeal to all audiences.

Events Dates:

Thursdays through Sundays, November 29-December 22

Thursdays from 5 pm – 9 pm | Fridays from 5 pm – 10 pm

Saturdays from 11 am – 10 pm | Sundays from 11 am – 7 pm

Open Story Time Dates:

Sunday, December 8 from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Sunday, December 22 from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Contact:
Erin Heidenrich
mdcintern@mplsdowntown.com
612-388-5972

SAM members invited to tell stories at Tellabration!

Story Arts of Minnesota is hosting three hours of performance in the Open Book auditorium as part of Tellabration! on Saturday, November 30th :

             Traditional Stories (10 – 11 AM) hosted by Pam Schweitzer
            Personal Stories (11- noon) hosted by Chelley McLear
            Humorous Stories (noon – 1 PM) hosted by Leif Wallin

There will be four slots for SAM members to tell an up-to-7-minute story in each performance. Slots will be filled on a first come first served basis.  Stories should be appropriate for all ages.

Members who want to tell should contact Loren Niemi (niemistory@gmail.com) with your name and which performance you want to tell at by Saturday, October 26th.

Oct. 4: Free livestream from Jonesborough

The National Storytelling Festival is taking place this weekend in Jonesborough, Tennessee. Can’t go? You can still enjoy performances by some of the top-tier tellers at the festival. Friday’s performances in the Family Showcase will be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCFK4G8QqY8, starting at 9am Central time.

9:00-10:00 - Tim Tingle & Barbara McBride-Smith
10:30-11:30 - Carolina Quiroga-Stultz & Bil Lepp
12:00-1:00 - Isabella Callery & Donald Davis
1:30-2:30 - Mara Menzies & Eth-Noh-Tec
3:00-4:00 - Donna Washington & Andy Offutt Irwin

This livestream is made possible through the generosity of the Niswonger Foundation and Family Tent Sponsor, Dollywood DreamMore Resort and Spa.

SATURDAY: Pop Up SAM Meet & Greet at Signifyin' & Testifyin'

Join us for a pop up SAM Meet and Greet, at the Grand Finale Concert for Signifyin' & Testifyin', the 28th Annual Black Master Storytelling Festival, on Saturday, September 28th, 7pm, at the Minneapolis Central Public Library, 300 Nicollet Mall. This concert is ASL interpreted. The concert is free and open to the public.

Look for the SAM sign, sit with other SAM members, get to know each other and enjoy a remarkable storytelling concert. Hope to see you there.

The full schedule for Signifyn' and Testifyn' events is listed below.

Opening Ceremony and Concert
Thursday, September 26, 7:00pm
Perpich Center for Arts Education
6125 Olson Highway, Golden Valley MN
ASL interpreted
Opening by Brother Ghana M’Baye Drum Troupe

Tall Tales Liar’s Contest
Friday, September 27, 7:00pm
Ames Elks Lodge
1614 Plymouth Avenue North  Minneapolis  MN 55411

Grand Finale Concert
Saturday, September 28, 7:00pm
Minneapolis Central Library
300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis MN
ASL interpreted
Opening by Voice of Culture Drum and Dance

Signifyin' & Testifyin' - Sept. 26-28

The Black Storytellers Alliance presents its 28th annual festival, “Signifyin’ & Testifyin’,” September 26-28. The exciting line-up includes Janice Curtis Greene (Baltimore, Maryland), Dylan Pritchett (Richmond, Virginia), Mama Koku (Atlanta, Georgia), Atiba Kwabena Wilson (Harlem, New York), Oceana James (Harlem, New York), Toni Simmons (Fort Worth, Texas), Oba William King (Dallas, Texas), and Auntie Beverly (Minneapolis, Minnesota).

Bring your family, friends, and neighbors for three nights of the best storytelling in the country.

These events are FREE, family friendly, and appropriate for all ages.

Opening Ceremony and Concert
Thursday, September 26, 7:00pm
Perpich Center for Arts Education
6125 Olson Highway, Golden Valley MN
ASL interpreted
Opening by Brother Ghana M’Baye Drum Troupe

Tall Tales Liar’s Contest
Friday, September 27, 7:00pm
Ames Elks Lodge
1614 Plymouth Avenue North Minneapolis MN 55411

Grand Finale Concert
Saturday, September 28, 7:00pm
Minneapolis Central Library
300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis MN
ASL interpreted
Opening by Voice of Culture Drum and Dance

Find more details about this annual FREE community event at the Black Storytellers Alliance website, http://blackstorytellers.com/2019-festival/.

Finalists announced for the The Great American Story Contest

The four finalists have been announced for The Great American Story contest in Park Rapids, MN, on September 28. This is the fourth year of the contest, which awards a grand prize of $1000 based on audience voting. For details, see http://www.thegreatamericanstory.org/

Maeve Bolton is a sophomore at Park Rapids Area High School. She participates in speech, competing in creative Expression, a category where students write their own original pieces to perform. This will be her fifth year of speech. Some of her awards include being named the Heartland Conference Champion in 2017 and 2018. She loves performing with the Park Rapids Drama Department, Prairie Fire Children's Theatre and Long Lake Theater, and has been involved in many productions. Her other pastimes include playing tennis, oboe and piano, and she enjoys spending time with family and friends.

With a rich variety of experiences and storytelling skills, Noel LaBine tells stories which are touching, engaging, inspiring and up lifting. He has entertained audiences in communities throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin since 2002. Using adventures created because of his personal foibles, Noel expresses his personal development through “Lessons Learned” that are often humorous and heart-warming. He hopes his stories invite people to realize their own personal development learned through personal failures. Noel has self-published three books including his latest: Lessons Learned Through Chaos and Mayhem from Northwest Minnesota, a collection of over 40 short stories he has created and remembered, which involve characters from his hometown of Argyle.

Nicolle LaFleur is a native Minnesotan who has recently returned to live on her family’s homestead in the Smoky Hills State Forest. She is the new director of the Nemeth Art Center where she is focused on community and youth engagement. She has lived and worked in China over the past 30 years and has raised her two daughters with her husband in Beijing and Washington State before moving back to northern Minnesota. She is currently writing a memoir of her experiences in China with her bi-cultural extended family.

Donna Marie Todd is a professional storyteller, TEDx speaker, recording artist, singer, writer, teaching artist and retreat leader. The combination of storytelling and singing has earned her the description of “The Singer of Stories.” Currently she performs at leading storytelling festivals, corporate events, spiritual retreats, churches, schools and conferences. A native of West Virginia, she trained in classical vocal performance at the Peabody Conservatory of Music and now writes and performs a combination of original story woven with artful song. She is also well-known in the spiritual community as a biblical storyteller, and has served as editor of The Biblical Storyteller magazine for almost 10 years. Visit her website to learn more: www.donnamarietodd.com.

SEPT. 10: Deadline for proposals for MN Tellabration

One-hour-long workshop and panel discussion proposals are now being accepted by the Minnesota Tellabration 2019 Committee. Please keep submissions to 100 words. The organizers are especially interested in topics not ordinarily addressed at storytelling conferences, though all proposals are indeed welcome. If selected, getting/renting special equipment is the responsibility of the instructor.

Some examples of past topics include: the artist's search for their style, self-publishing, storytelling full-time, film storyboarding, and using storytelling to build community.

Please note that Tellabration Minnesota is entirely funded by donations. Last year no workshop instructor was offered more than $40 for their time, and many preferred to volunteer their talents.

If you are interested please submit to: www.tellabrationmn.org/contact-us

Deadline for submission is Sept. 10

"Show & Tell," Sept. 14, will benefit Tellabration

Please join us on Saturday, September 14 at a benefit for Tellabration 2019!

"Show & Tell" - an evening of traditional narratives, cautionary tales, unexpected subplots, word juggling, and the sheer joy power of storytelling. Also, a silent auction and raffle! Doors will open at 6:30pm, and the show will begin at 7:30pm with performances by Barbara Schutzgruber, Rose McGee, Richard Rousseau, Pam Schweitzer and Ted King.

Show & Tell will take place at the Festsaal banquet space of The Black Forest Inn. Tickets cost $10, and include a beverage. All proceeds raised at Show & Tell will be used for Tellabration costs, so Tellabration (November 30th at Open Book in Minneapolis) can be offered for free!

Sponsored by: Cheap Theatre, National Storytelling Network, Northlands Storytelling Network and Story Arts of Minnesota.

SEPT. 3 DEADLINE: J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Award

J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Award

NSN is accepting applications for the J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Award – a grant that provides $1,500 to a storyteller of major and unique performing talent who has not yet received wide public recognition. Please note that this is not primarily an achievement award: candidates must have a well-considered need and desire to improve their storytelling skills and must present a convincing plan for how they will use the grant funds for artistic development..

Check out the award description and application instructions at https://storynet.org/about-nsn/awards/j-j-reneaux-award/j-j-reneaux-emerging-artist-award/.

DEADLINE for applications: MIDNIGHT (CDT), SEPTEMBER 3, 2019.

Applicants need not be current members of NSN.

For more information, email Jo Radner at jradner@american.edu.