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Monthly Meetings 2006
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The 07 March, 2007 Monthly Meeting Theme was - Stories in honour of Mars, The God of War
We are back in the Brantford Public Library on the main floor in the large glassed-in area.
Following are activities the Brant Taletellers Guild was involved in for the month of March 2007"
March 20: World Storytelling Day
On Sunday, March 18, Vyrt, Barbara and Michael were at Charlotte Villa for an early celebration of World Storytelling Day. Michael and Barbara told two stories each. The audience was appreciative and enthusiastically participated in the choruses in stories such as Michael's 'Wrong John'.
The performance took place in the activities room, which is just off the dining room. This would be a good location for future performances. It is small enough to provide an intimate setting for storytelling, but large enough to hold an audience of 20 or so.
Prior to World Storytelling Day, Barbara coached eleven students from Laurier Brantford and Nipissing Universities in telling stories. Each student chose one traditional story to learn and tell. On March 20, each student told his or her story in an elementary school or child care centre in Brantford/Brant County. Barbara joined student Cordelia Sturtevant at Our Lady of Providence separate school. They performed for Grade 2, then for Grade 1 and finally for Grade 3. In each set, Cordelia told an Anansi story, the tellers led the children in the action rhyme 'Tony Chestnut' and then Barbara told another story.
A crew from Rogers Cable filmed the first set and interviewed Cordelia, Barbara and a Grade 2 student. This was shown as part of the weekly newsmagazine show 'First Local'.
The Brantford Expositor did not do a write-up, but did publish a photo of one of the students telling a story.
The students were pleased to receive Brant Taletellers Guild Tee shirt to wear on the day and to keep.
For this event we partnered with the Family Literacy Committee of Brant. Committee members designed a poster to promote the Day in schools, recruited student tellers and made arrangements with the schools and child care centres. They have embraced the idea of World Storytelling Day and want to do it again next year.
Reports from the schools and the students have been very positive. One student wrote:
Thanks for involving us Laurier students in this event. I had a great time. The grade one class really listened to my stories and they liked them. I won't be around next year as I'm graduating but I hope other students have the chance to get involved in this as I had a great time. I was slightly nervous going into the class room but that all changed once I started telling my first story.
Lisa Wood, who is a professor at Laurier and a member of the Committee, wrote to the students:
Hello storytellers,
Well, the reviews are coming in from schools, and they're all positive.
Thanks so much for your participation! You really made an impact.
On March 27 Barbara Sisson took part in a parental educational evening at Ecole Dufferin organized by the Parents' Council.
The Great Big Turnip, The Three Billy-Goats Gruff and Lazy Jack stories were told to about 20 young children.
Later details were related to their parents about storytelling and suggestions were made about ways to introduce storytelling within the family.
These included asking children to tell about their activities, taking the time to listen and telling family stories.
With respect to telling fairy tales and other stories here are some guide lines:
- choose stories that they liked
- remember the stories by thinking about the sequence of events
- don't memorize every word on the page.
-Young children enjoy listening to stories that provide opportunities for movement (The Great Big Turnip) or for chorusing repeated lines (Lazy Jack).
- Parents should not to be afraid of passages in fairy tales that include violence. It is reassuring to children sense of "right", when an evil, threatening character, such as a troll, witch, wolf or ogre is killed as retribution
Barbara told two stories at a UCW meeting. The dozen women in attendance listened attentively and appeared to enjoy the stories.
Storytelling Festival
Calls for proposals have been sent to SC-CC's Le Raconteur and Noticeboard. Laurel Dee Gugler, a writer and storyteller, intends to submit a proposal. She has performed in this area and has provided Annette Minutillo as a reference. Annette is a member of the Family Literacy Committee.
Following is the activity that occurred at Brantford Public Library 07 March 2007
Tolla Henry Told a story tale of Camelot after it's prime relating the treachery and political cunning that can lie dormant in even the most amenable society. Arthur is tricked in to killing his own son and the story unfolds as Mordred and others attempt to take advantage of King Arthur.
Maureen Henry Told of a Legendary Celtic hero, Cuchulain. A stupendous fighter in Irish hero-tales, he was the chief figure in a cycle associated with his uncle Conchobar mac Nessa, King of Ulster. While still a little boy, he performed his first great feat by slaying a ferocious hound. As a young man, he single-handedly kept a whole army at bay, and won battles in both the real world and the otherworld. This story tells of a terrific battle in which Cuchulain was slain through a combination of magic and treachery.
Barbara Sisson Related the story of a soldier from Guelph Ontario, detailing some of his activities during the First World War and a poem he wrote during that period. The poem has achieved near-mythical status in contemporary Canada and is one of the nation's most prominent symbols. Most Remembrance Day ceremonies will feature a reading of the poem in some form, and many Canadian schoolchildren memorize the verse. The solders name was Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae and the peom is, "In Flanders Fields".
Paul Westbrooke Recounted a tale called, "The Soldier that saved me." the story is based on the Battle of Normandy fought in 1944 between Nazi Germany in Western Europe and the invading Allied forces as part of the larger conflict of World War II. Over sixty years later, the Normandy invasion, codenamed Operation Overlord, still remains the largest sea borne invasion in history, involving almost three million troops crossing the English Channel from England to Normandy in then German-occupied France. It is most commonly known by the name D-Day. This story described how a young soldier had his life spared and made it safely up through the beach by following the directions of a fellow soldier who after the dust settle had disappeared. Apparently he had been killed several months ealier in another battle.
Hugh Sutherland Paraphrased the story of Henry V and described his transition from and playboy, careless prince to the King who ruled England and built it into a might Empire.
Michael RutledgeTold the Story of Old Joe and his neighbor Bob and how simple misunderstanding nearly destroyed their relationship. He related how a small token of freindship or understanding injected by a freindly carpentar restored their freindship, by "building bridges".
Walter Recounted his own story of a trip he had made a couple of years ago to Mongolia. He indicated that he had spent time with the nomads that travel the plains and related several interesting variations in their way-of-life. They live in a vary harsh cold climate with little vegetation, move their homes called Yurts about 4 times a year, do not bury their dead but place them at the top of hills, they do not believe in cutting the earth, and seldom have snow. He indicated that global climate change is however, affecting this life-style as recently, snow has been falling in the area covering the sparse vegetation which is resulting in the death of many of the sheep herds which is the stable of their diet.
Honorary
Patron:
Miss Mary B. Stedman
Board of
Directors:
President:
Maureen Henry
Vice President:
David Lewis
Treasurer:
Michael Rutledge
Secretary:
Vyrt Sisson
Festival Co-ordinator:
Barbara Sisson
Sponsored by:
Last Updated: 23 April 2007 - David Lewis
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