brer rabbit
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We Are The Stories We Tell by Vanessa Thomas-Wilson
I believe we are the stories we tell. If we tell a victim’s story we are the victim, likewise the hero. Life has shown me that when we allow others to tell us what our story is we abdicate our power. Through crafting story I have made several discoveries about myself, my family, my place…
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We Are All Storytellers by Sandra Scott
When I was 17, I met my first storyteller. She was sitting on the floor wearing a “skirt of many colors” spread out around her, surrounded by children. It was at that moment that I knew I wanted to be a storyteller. My vision of what that meant back then was to tell tales and…
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The Why of Storytelling by Deedy Payne
I continue to be amazed that so many people are telling stories all over the country and the world. Who would think in this fast paced, media focused society driven by technology we would be telling stories and people are actually listening? Perhaps it is because we all have stories to tell and we…
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Irish Through and Through by Nancy Wolter
Unless native to this land, we Americans all come from someplace else. If not brought here in chains, against their will, our ancestors packed their bags and made harrowing journeys across oceans and other waterways. They came for a dream of a better place, a freer place, a place to make a difference. Some came…
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New Netherlands, Enchanting and Enchanted by Kaden Sheffield
No matter where we grow up, we view our surroundings as somewhat enchanted, I think. Mostly that’s because childhood itself enchants all it touches. Everything is new to us, and our young minds can pretend at the drop of a hat, transforming ourselves and the world. And of course, wherever we grew…
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Pulled Towards the Sacred by Pat O’Shea
Some things are harder to talk about than others. For example, people with relationship or money problems sometimes avoid casual conversations about relationships and money. (I know that not all of them do. Some of those people with problems seem to want to talk about only those problems.) And some people are just private about…
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Not This Time by Marilee Lasch
There is a song by Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs written in 1966 with the lyrics, "Hey there Little Red Riding Hood, you sure are looking good, you're everything a big bad wolf could want." When I was young, dating was a very, very important part of my life. Living in North Dakota, my…
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Inspiring Interest in the Philippines by Jared Lambert
I chose the Philippines as my culture area because I’ve been trying to learn more about the archipelago. I want to better understand the culture that my girlfriend comes from. While she helped me during the project she gained a renewed interest in learning about the stories and history of the country she…
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Gaining Storytelling Skills to Inspire Defiance by Michael Buster
Over the past nine months of developing as a storyteller, I’ve found that I gravitate towards stories that ought to be inspiring or are at least strong calls to introspection. The first story I ever told for class was the Native American story of Omni, a boy who through death and the choices of his…
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What Will I Learn Next by Stephanie Nowack
Since I have embarked on this new world of storytelling, I have learned so much more than I ever imagined. I have learned that…even the most basic human experience, like finding a good haircut, can be a story.I have learned that… even if you think you don’t have anything interesting to say, you really do!I…
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Storytelling Influences by Lorraine Gonzalez
When I taught 4th Grade I used to ask my students to imagine a world with no electricity. They would make a list of all the things they had to plug in to use. As they listed television, lights, computers, etc. they came to realize the importance of these “modern day” inventions. Eventually, they would…
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Road Trip Stories by Kathy Nakagawa
Growing up, our family car trips always included math problems from my mom as a way of keeping me and my brother and sister entertained. “What’s 25 + 18 – 3 divided by 4?” (answer: 10). Occasionally, she would stray from the math problems and tell a story. Sometimes they were about her crazy younger…