1 S O U T H F L O R I D A S T O R Y T E L L I N G N E W S A P R I L 2 0 1 8 Florida Storytelling Festival 2018 April 12 15, Mount Dora Page 2 Florida Storytelling Festival Page 3 Featured Tellers Page 4 Featured Tellers Page 5 Story Central Derek Coghlan Pages 6 The Elephant Returns Page 7 Joel Ying - Producing Storytelling Events Page 8 Tea and Tales, Naples Page 9 Circles, Slams, and Moth Page 10 Story guilds and meetings If you going to Mount Dora next week you are in for some great storytelling. I ll see you there. If you are staying in South Florida be sure to hear Derek Coghlan at the Boca Library on Saturday. SFSN can always be found at www.mijbyram.com. Updates or changes will be posted here. If you want to subscribe to SFSN click here. If you prefer to unsubscribe click here. Let s promote Florida Storytelling Have you got storytelling news or events that are open to the public? Send: Event Description Pictures Date Time Location Contact Links Fees Send: Date Time Location Event Title Description Contact Links Fees Picture
2 2018 Florida Storytelling Festival A P R I L 1 2 1 5, 2 0 1 8 M O U N T D O R A, F L Florida Storytelling Festival is a premier storytelling event, known nationally for its unique combination of workshops, concerts, youthful voices and sense of community. People come from across the state of Florida and beyond to explore and savor the art of storytelling. The Florida Storytelling Festival brings six talented storytellers to the main stage with a diversity of stories you don t want to miss! Dovie Thomason Dan Yashinsky Darrell House Yasu Ishida Kay Pricher Storytelling Concerts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening along with Sunday morning Stories From the Heart feature all six of these outstanding tellers. Other listening opportunities include: Ghost Stories by the Pool, Thursday night Showcase performances highlighting individual repertoires. Friday and Saturday The Swappin Grounds Open Mic, Friday and Saturday Front Porch Storytelling on the veranda of Lakeside inn, Friday and Saturday The Florida Fringe on Friday night offers a choice of three outstanding one-teller shows The Florida Story Slam on Saturday night will rock the house; Cash prizes for the top three tellers! Our Youthful Voices of Florida young tellers take the stage Saturday evening StoryCruise around Lake Dora on Sunday mid-day The festival is happening April 12-15 at the historic Lakeside Inn in Mount Dora. The full schedule of concerts, workshops, swaps, and slams is posted at FESTIVAL SCHEDULE Take a peek and then surf over to TICKETS and REGISTRATION to secure your registration/tickets. See you in Mount Dora!
2018 Florida Storytelling Festival Featured Tellers A P R I L 1 2 1 5, 2 0 1 8 M O U N T D O R A 3 DAN YASHINSKY Dan Yashinsky is a well-known Canadian storyteller, author, and community organizer. Dan has performed at festivals in Israel, Sweden, Norway, Holland, England, Wales, England, Germany, Brazil, Austria, France, the U.S., Singapore, and Ireland, as well as all across Canada. He is the editor of four acclaimed collections of Canadian storytelling and the author of Suddenly They Heard Footsteps Storytelling for the Twenty-first Century, which won the 2007 Ann Izard Storytellers Choice Award. KAY PRICHER From the cotton fields and hills of Tennessee to the orange groves and sandy beaches of Florida, from the Volunteer State to the Sunshine State, Kay is defined by both where she grew up and where she chose to live. After coming to Florida in 1964, she considers herself a Floridian by choice but married a native Floridian just to seal the deal. After a satisfying 30-year career as a Speech Therapist for Orange County Public Schools, she pursued her dream, the art of storytelling. At the Storytellers of Central Florida, Kay was nurtured, encouraged, critiqued and Voila! her dream became a reality. DOVIE THOMASON Dovie Thomason is one of the most respected and admired storytellers of her generation. Her ability to craft tales that not only enchant audiences but also teach invaluable lessons about human nature and indigenous worldviews has long made her a beloved contributor to schools, organizations, and events around the globe. The wry humor and subtle graces that infuse Thomason s work enable her broad and modern appeal, while a lifetime of study and tradition-bearing ensures the deep cultural roots of her craft remain intact.
4 2018 Florida Storytelling Festival Featured Tellers A P R I L 1 2 1 5, 2 0 1 8 M O U N T D O R A, DARRELL HOUSE Children s author, poet, storyteller, musician and singer/songwriter, Darrell House wears a lot of hats. Described as Grizzly Adams meets Key West, he has a magnetic personality and is a powerful performer. Miller the Green Caterpillar, his beautifully illustrated picture book, is an inspirational story of setting goals. His second work, The King of Fish, earned The FWA 2012 Royal Palm Literary Award as Best Published Children s Picture Book. WARD RUBRECHT Ward started performing as a slam storyteller in 2010. He is the 2011, 2012, and 2013 SlamMN! Story Slam champion He is also the 2014 and 2016 Twin Cities Moth GrandSlam champion. His slam stories blend the style and techniques of slam poetry with strong narrative and thematic arcs and cover topics such as sailing, bird hunting, and cranky playground equipment. Ward also tells in a longer-form, more conversational style in noncompetitive contexts, such as Cheap Theatre, Two Chairs Telling, and in Paula Reed Nancarrow s 2013 Minnesota Fringe production, Gravity of Ghosts. YASU ISHIDA Yasu Ishida was born in Ube, Japan. Inspired by the movie Patch Adams, he came to the U.S. to become a professional hospital clown. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre for Young Audiences, and also graduated from thechavez Studio of Magic, the most prestigious magic school in the world.
5 Adult Storytelling Concert Series DISCOVER YOUR STORY Caren Neile and Friends of the Boca Raton Library bring us a new series of storytellers. Saturday afternoons at 3:30 the downtown Boca Raton Library. Derek Coghlan Derek Colhlan lends his unique Irish perspective to comedy shows, weddings and MMA ring announcing. With a background in theater, he was a founding member of the Atlantic Shakespeare Company and has played many title roles. Downtown Library, April 14. 3:30-5:00pm Derek Coghlan derekcoghian.com May 3, 4 p.m. Story slam personal story workshop with Caren Neile, host of the VOX Storytelling Slam since 2003 carenneile.com May 6, 4 p.m. Storytelling slam with Caren Neile October 13, 3:30 p.m.-pat Nease patnease.com November 3, 3:30 p.m.-adam Booth adam-booth.com Boca Raton Library/Downtown Branch, 400 NW 2nd Ave, Boca Raton, FL 561-393-7852
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7 PRODUCING STORYTELLING SHOWCASE EVENTS BY DR. JOEL YING The Elephant appeared again in Fort Myers, Florida, to a sold out crowd. 135 seats! On January 31, 2018, the second annual event opened to our storytelling fans with a showcase performance of ten amazing tellers and a range of stories from personal to folk that captivated, titillated, and inspired. It all began in 2015 with the idea of starting a community for storytelling in Southwest Florida, four tellers came together as Storytellers of the Round Table. Instead of traveling across the country to storytelling events, we wanted to bring events to our local community and grow an audience. From local storytelling guilds and Toastmasters public speaking groups, we scouted for talent. Every story was vetted and sometimes even coached. We wanted to give our local community the experience of quality storytelling to captivate, inspire, and connect. The first storytelling showcase was August 2015. I donated the meeting space at my office for a free event, tellers donated their time, and we prayed for an audience. One of the benefits of having ten tellers and an emcee is the built-in audience of ten. However, the audience swelled to forty as friends brought friends. Our local promotion was successful with email lists, Facebook, Eventbrite (free online ticketing for free events), and local magazine/newspaper calendar listings. After the second event in December 2015, we thought: Why not produce a paid event in a real theater? It seemed like an outlandish idea, but when we checked the rates and decided to split the risk among the four of us. It was a go! We planned another free event as promotion in March 2016 and booked the theater for April 2016. Instead of renting a wireless microphone, we brought our own that plugged into their system. The standard contract included fees for theater rental (approximately $500 for this 100 seat theater), box office ticketing, audio staff, and ushers. A 10% deposit was due to reserve the date, and the full theater rental amount was due one month before the event if ticket sales did not cover it. As our first event with them, the box office almost forgot about us, so I had to check in with them to start ticket sales at least two months prior. Four days before the event, only 25 of 100 tickets sold at $15 each. We were worried! We would later find out that the Florida Weekly Newspaper wrote an article on the front page of their entertainment section to go with the event listing that we submitted. This free paper is read widely by people looking for local things to do. Our event was on a Monday, and we were shocked to discover that the show had SOLD OUT over the weekend! The event was a HUGE success. We presented our best ten stories, got an amazing emcee, and the audience gave us a standing ovation. We had brought storytelling into the mainstream entertainment world. With success behind us, we knew that we could do it again. We went to another theater in Fort Myers, told them that we had a sold out show in Naples, and gave them the newspaper article. They booked us for January 2017. The non-profit theater promoted the show with their connections to local newspapers. We promoted locally to Toastmasters, local social groups, and local communities. Marketing has been key to our success. Our financial agreement with this theater was different. The theater took the risk, did the advertising, ticket sales, and also took the potential profits. We would supply the volunteer talent of local storytellers. It was another HUGE success with 135 seats SOLD OUT! Now we thought, Let s make it an annual event. The next storytelling showcase event was born, all new stories, and an all new name, The Elephant. Our event has stories that you will never forget and It s HUGE. It s even bigger than The Moth. Our showcase events always include the range of stories, including personal stories, tall tales, fractured fairy tales, and literary tales. We have ten tellers of diverse backgrounds, telling their best stories. The Elephant II was in Naples in April 2017 and in Fort Myers in January 2018. Stay tuned! We plan to continue. The Elephant never forgets. The Elephant III is schedule for Monday, April 23, 2018, at Sugden Theatre on Fifth Avenue in Naples, Florida. Get your ticket: $20. We are going to SELL OUT again! OpenDreaming.com/elephant
8 Naples Tea and Tales Presents Tales and Tea Event Calendar Thursday March 8th Irish Tales will be our March Event. Wear your green and sip some green tea as you listen to heartfelt Irish Tales. Thursday April 5th Tall Tales will be the highlight of our April Event. Enjoy a beautiful spring night with lively tales. Thursday May 10th Brambles English Tea Room 340 5 th Ave South, Ste. 102 Naples, FL 34102 Phone: 239-262-7894 Website, Bramblestearoomnaples.com bramblestearoomnaples@gmail.com Rhonda Brazina Lisa Leonhardt, Dr. Joel Ying, MD, Mary Lou Williams A complete afternoon tea, featuring ovenfresh scones, assorted tea sandwiches, fresh fruit, sweet desserts and three accompanying teas. $35 per person includes all your food, tax, gratuity and entertainment. When you call we will need your credit card information to secure your reservation. You will be charged the day of the event. Cancellations will not be accepted 24 hours before the event. We will have a raffle for a free Tea Pot and other small items at the end of the event. Doors open at 6 p.m. High Tea is served at 6:30 p.m. Storytelling 7:00 8:00 p.m. Make your reservation Today! Call 239-262-6165
9 T r u e S t o r i e s T o l d L i v e The Moth hosts live storytelling events in cities around the world. The ideal way to experience The Moth is live and in person, where you can feel the electricity in the room and be a part of the visceral dialogue between teller and audience. Learn more about Moth events here. The Moth in Miami is at Olympia Theater. Map and Ticket Information Tuesday, March 10 theme: Caught May 8 - Ego, June 12 Endings Put your name in the hat to tell a personal story to a live audience at The Moth storyslam. Doors open at 6:00, stories begin at 7:00 buy tickets and learn more at The Moth Events T h e P u b l i c S t o r y t e l l e r TRUE STORIES OF LIFE IN SOUTH FLORIDA Sundays, 4pm on www.wlrn.org or 91.3 FM and 91.5 FM in South Florida, Also featuring performances by professional storytellers. H e a r A S T O R Y - T E L L A S T O R Y I LL TELL YOU MINE IF YOU TELL ME YOURS Story Circle First Monday of the month, every month: 4:00-5:00 PM Come with a story or just your curiosity. Tell it like it is, how it was or how you wish it were. You never know what you will hear. This has become one of the most popular story circles in South Florida. Vera Fried leads the stories and encourages the tellers. Call Vera at (561)637-8893 Hagen Ranch Road Branch Library. 14350 Hagen Ranch Road, Delray Beach 33446 Click for map
10 G u i l d s a n d C l u b s S c h e d u l e s m a y c h a n g e. C a l l t o e n s u r e l o c a t i o n a n d t i m e. Listen North Palm Beach County Storytelling Guild Fourth Thursday of each month, 6:30 PM The meeting consists of a learning experience focused on a specific storytelling skill. You are welcome to tell a 5-7 min. fairy tale, folktale, scary story, bible story, family or personal story. Palm Beach Gardens Library, 11303 Campus Drive, Palm Beach Gardens, FL Contact Mickey DiSeina at msmickeystory@gmail.com BROWARD COUNTY STORYTELLING GUILD Contact Jo Bridges, gotojo@yahoo.net, 954.583.0705 or 954.612.1896 Palm Beach County Storytelling Guild First Monday of the month 5:00 6:30 PM Hagen Ranch Road Library, 14350 Hagen Ranch Road, Delray Beach, 33446 (561) 894-7500 Vera Fried will host a group of listeners, tellers and those interested in finding out more about storytelling. Learn what other storytellers are doing, work on and improve your stories Contact Vera at (561) 637-8893 NAPLES STORYTELLING GUILD Fourth Thursday of each month, 7:00 PM Informal circle to share stories. Listeners welcome. 2335 Tamiami Trail N, Suite 206 Naples, Florida 34103 Contact Dr. Joel Ying: joel.ying@gmail.com Click for details. Tell FORT MYERS GUILD, TAMIAMI TALE TELLERS Third Thursday of each month, 7:00 PM Grand Court Retirement Community, 8351 College Parkway, Fort Myers, 33919 Contact Mary Lou Williams mwfortmyers@aol.com MIAMI DADE STORYTELLIERS A new group is forming For meeting information contact Sheri Friedman or Tanya Chen 305-794-0329 Blu Moon Studio of Art http://artclassesinmiami.com