6 Things I Did Last Week

1.  Moravian Academy Reader's Theater workshops!  15 kids, paper hats, original scripts - all based on Jack tales.  Why, oh why, didn't I take photos?

A meager showing of the awesome hats.  The rest went home with the makers.

2. Took over the Universe.  Trixie, evil genius, and Grumpy Girl (me), captured the entire Universe.  Why stop at the world, am I right?

Mwahahahahahahahaha!

3. Froze chard for winter use.  So much chard!
4. Read the following books; Geekerella, Magpie Murders, I Hate Everyone But You, Caleb and Kit.
5. Bought an action camera and almost immediately regretted it.  I. Will. Learn. How. To. Use. This.
6.  Went to a wedding and saw the bride vanquish the groom in a sword fight.  Beat that!! 

I also lost my high school roommate and foster sister to ovarian cancer, and gained a great-niece.  Life goes on.

Reviews will follow but here's the nutshell.  Geekerella 👍, Magpie Murders 👍. The other two get possible thumbs ups but require discussion.

Storytelling!

I am off to Emmaus Public Library, tomorrow, to start a six-session workshop on storytelling with teens (ages 12 and up.)

Workshops are a lot of fun.  I love seeing what the participants come up with, how they interpret stories, how they open up.  Sometimes, I think I like the workshops even more than telling stories.

I wrote an article for the National Storytelling League's magazine, Story Art, last year on Telling with Tots, Tweens and Teens.  Click through to read it.  Thanks to Denise McCormack for editing my article and making it more readable.

Expect a report!

2 Chances To Learn Storytelling

I TELL stories.   Powerpoint, YouTube, videos, TV, - you CAN use all of these to share a story.  Painting, music, dance, animation - without a story at the basis, these things can be mere exercises.

I can teach your children and teens what makes a good story and how to be a better storyteller and I don't need this computer - or the Internet to do it.   Want to find out more?

The Allentown Public Library will offer Build a Better Story Workshops (led by me) on Wednesday nights at 6 pm, beginning June 28th.  This series runs for six weeks. The workshops are open to young people (and their adults), preferably 7 years old and older.

Teens and tweens can come to Storytelling Workshops at the Emmaus Public Library on Tuesday afternoons from 2 to 3:30 beginning June 20th.  The dates are not consecutive so please check with the Emmaus Public Library for registration information and all dates and times.

Both workshops will end with a performance.  Workshop participants get to show off what they learned.  Don't worry.  You will love it!  I am good at telling stories.  And I am good at playing.  Come tell and play a story with me this summer.

Contact the library is question to find out when registration opens and how to sign up. 

Curses! Storytelling week is done.

We got HATS!  Part of the crowd models their storytelling hats at lunchtime.

It's over -  a week of games and stories and a LOT of fun. Thursday, I was so tired.  I admit I was looking forward to the last day.  On Friday, as we worked through a final practice - with the microphones  - and as we talked about our stage names ("Marshmallow Fluff", "Crystal Chandelier", "Hog Wild", "Knock Your Socks Off") I realized that I did NOT want this workshop to end.   I like  these kids - and the teen volunteers - and the adults who helped me, too.  I even liked playing Beat the Bunny.

Homemade trolls!  How many stories involving trolls do you know?

I reviewed their homework from the first day - to come up with a curse and a counter curse.  Most of the curses had people being changed from themselves into something else.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Aishani was turned into the ugliest t-shirt ever and could not be turned back until a young woman bought her.  Like that would ever happen!!!  Project Runway, look out.  Aishani is on her way.

In Vidhya's curse, a Princess is turned into a book and cannot turn back until someone reads the book and likes it.  This one is close to my heart because books are awesome!

Ethan gets turned into a soccer ball and has to be kicked into the same goal by the same player in the same game 10 times.  WHAT!!!!  Poor Ethan!

Gwen becomes a clock and will be turned back when a celebrity buys the clock.  Alas, the purchase must happen within three days.  That time restriction makes this curse almost unbreakable.

Nandini's curse falls on a mean mean man.  Everything he touches turns to stone, especially his money UNTIL he is nice to everyone for an entire year.  Nice going, Nandini!  Take THAT, mean man!

Jules' curse involved a vampire.  The vampire turns someone into a bee.  The bee has to make honey for the vampire to get turned back into a person.  Anything with a vampire - or honey - in it is especially effective.

There were others and the Teen Tellers and adults had some curses that reflected more on real life.  (Miss Jeannie turned into a bag of mulch!  Hmmm, what's on her mind, I wonder?)

Expect actual live footage of wild tellers-in-training sharing tales and playing Beat the Bunny. in the next post.

The kids turned Kelly into a troll.