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The Celery Story by Elizabeth Wunsch
I have the privilege to work for the world’s first food bank, St Mary's Food Bank, here in Phoenix. Every year we have the honor to be the recipient of the National Association of Letter Carriers yearly food drive. It is a one-day national drive that originated here in Phoenix and spread throughout the country.…
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Insights and Gratitude by Pat O’Shea
When I started this journey to learn about storytelling, I expected a lot of intellectual effort would be required to stimulate creativity, to think differently. However, I never expected storytelling to be physically or emotionally challenging. Consequently, I am so grateful for the support I find in the classroom and the materials. I feel that…
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Saying Yes by Nancy Wolter
Sometime last summer, I can’t remember exactly when, my sister Patti called to tell me what I had to do now that I had retired. “You have to take this trip with me, it’s a small group of women, we travel to Morocco, the price is great, the trip has been highly recommended!” I asked…
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Who Am I (As a storyteller)? by Myranette Robinson
When I first tried to answer this question, I was just as excited as when that statement is spoken at a job interview: Tell me about yourself. I always wanted to answer the interviewer in the following way. Whatever I bring to this position, it will not tell you who I am. I am not…
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Playing Your Hand by Chantel Freed
Should someone in a traditional role have the right to change and step outside that imaginary box? Change, in that question, is a very powerful word because sometimes there is no controlling it. However, that does not mean it is a negative thing because it might just be different from the norm. To…
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Life Follows Art by Sharon Winters
When I was working on my M.A. in humanities in the 1980s, the idea that Life Follows Art was commonly discussed at the University of Texas. Since then I have often wondered about this idea and its correlation with the power of story. I wrote my…
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What I’m Really Looking For by Jeffery Miller
When I introduce myself at storytelling events, I'm regularly asked when I started telling stories. Inevitably, I answer something like, "As long as I can remember." I grew up the third of three boys in a household that didn't really talk much. Well, we'd talk, but not about anything that mattered. It was…
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Blood Isn’t Enough by Jeffery Miller
A lot of people think I look Asian. That makes sense, because I am. It used to be that being an Asian in America made you exotic. I’m not completely Asian, though, only half. The other half is German and Irish. Ironically, it seems that that’s the part that makes me exotic. It’s also interesting…
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Pieces of a Puzzle by Elizabeth Wunsch
I remember sitting in my Grandparent’s living room on warm summer days. My Grandfather would be holding court in his recliner as my brother and I and a token cousin would be simmering in mischievous contemplation of the day ahead. As if he sensed our impending assault on the neighborhood, my Grandfather would suddenly burst…
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Performance Jitters by Sharon Winters
When I was in law school and I was called on to explain a case my knees shook so bad I thought I would fall down. I practiced with friends and my mirror. I read books about performance and went to a performance coach who had also written a book about being calm when performing.…
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Rested by Chantel Freed
When one dreams, is the dreaming about finding the story, telling the story, reading the story or living one’s story? The answer could be none of them, all of them or maybe just one of them depending on how one is resting. When I finally found a sense of inner peace, my spirit was able…
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The Advantage of Research by Myranette Robinson
I had found a Native American Story that I wanted to tell that was from the Zuni culture. I had some questions regarding their history, and lifestyle. The story had as its main character a hummingbird so, of course, I wanted to know its importance to the Zuni. I found a couple of…