Folktale
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Girl Power Stories by Marian Giannatti
I want to tell “girl power” stories. I want heroines with feminine characteristics such as subtlety, humor, quiet assurance, courage, wisdom and patience. I want to find girls and women who are not afraid to stand up to evil, be it supernatural or in their neighborhood. I want to depict girls and women who use…
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A Modern Little Red by Chrissy Dart
Jack Zipes sings praises for the 1996 film Freeway written by Matthew Bright, starring Reese Witherspoon and Kiefer Sunderland. This is a modern version of “Little Red Riding Hood” containing elements of tale type 333. The wolf poses as the grandmother, the wolf kills the grandmother, the wolf meets the girl on her way to…
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“There are Wolves in this World” by Chrissy Dart
SAM THE SHAM AND THE PHARAOHS wrote a song titled “Lil’ Red Riding Hood.” The first verse of the song, which is the wolf’s voice, goes as follows: Owoooooooo Who's that I see walkin' in these woods Why, it's Little Red Riding Hood Hey there Little Red Riding Hood You sure are looking good You're…
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Review of SMCC’s 2014 Tellabration by Rosanna Fierros
Tellabration 2014 was a great learning experience. The telling was fantastic and the professionalism shown by the tellers was great. Each of the stories had their own connection with the audience. Some singing, others telling bold and confident and of course the humor stood out. The personal stories told by…
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Stories Are the Thing We Need Most in the World by Sandy Oglesby
Before words were written there was only one way to tell your story. You spoke it. If you really liked your story, you honed it inside your head, you saw the pictures you wanted your friends and family to see, and then as you spoke them aloud, you added gesture and tone of voice and…
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Building Bilingual Elements into Your Storytelling by Gail Kimzin
In the Southwest, bilingual stories in Spanish and English are very popular due to our close proximity to Mexico, the Hispanic influence and a general positive attitude of that culture among non-Hispanics. Two bilingual storytellers, Joe Hayes and Olga Loya have gained much popularity as they tell tales of New Mexico and México. So, how…
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Pondering the Personal Story by Chrissy Dart
Lately, I have been pondering “the personal story” and how it relates to art and how it relates to life. I was looking through an art book about the artist Grant Wood, most famously known for his painting “American Gothic.” This painting never really spoke to me, but so…
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Tales of Cats Without Tails by James Ashcroft
On the Isle of Man, the cats have no tails, but that does not mean they or tale-less. In fact those cats that live their lives tail free have many tales. Some of their tales explain their tail-less origins: Noah was getting ready to close up the ark, but the Manx cat was too busy…
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“Without our culture we have no identity” by Tricia Phillips
One night as I was skimming through Facebook on my phone this painting came up. I looked at it with familiarity. I thought, "How do I know this?" Then it hit me. I remembered this from when I was a child. The picture above is 'Old Father Story Teller' by Pablita Velade. I remember looking…
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The Cloak of Manannan by James Ashcroft
If anyone wishes to discover what the Isle of Man is about and hopes to be able to make an effective delivery of Manx folktales, one must pull back the Cloak of Manannan and reveal the beauty of the island's people, history, beliefs, and culture. As with many cultures…
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My Personal Story by Marian Giannatti
Telling a personal story is challenging – one can’t rely on a time-honored folktale or myth that has been told in a million different ways. One has to dig deep, and disclose something that is humorous, enlightening, heartwarming or downright sad. Not an easy task, at least for me. It takes a different type…
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Can I Tell You a Story? by Seferino Ruiz
So you want me to tell you something good? I’m all ears (yours). So just sit back and imagine with me, because I tell stories. I see wondering eyes. Wondering how is the story going to end. I see sleepy eyes from the one who studied too late. I see folklore and myths as a…