StoryWeaving

Some of the stories I have collected and adapted for telling.

  • Glimmers in the Darkness ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ about 30 minutes
    From Gary Schmidt’s book of the same title. A collection of four tales (including The Wonder) reflecting the Jewish experience around and during WWII. These are presented within the frame story of a rabbi’s daughter telling the tales in a concentration camp.
  • The Rumor of Pavel and Paali ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ about 20 minutes
    A tale of cruelty and survival. A pair of twins make a heavy bet and the winner attempts to destroy his brother after the loss. According to the tradition of many tales, what one had intended for evil brings his brother great fortune.
  • The Stolen Child ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ about 20 minutes
    In order to buy back her child, a mother must find a way to offer the faerie folk something they can find nowhere else.
  • The Carnival Daughter ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ about 20 minutes
    A child, burned by the eyes of an evil Enchanter, is lost in the clamor of her own mind until a gentle stranger comes and speaks peace in the midst of confusion.
  • Old Romance ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 7 – 20 minutes each
    Stories of men and women: how they meet and how they live.

    • Love– a Beauty and the Beast variant from Belarus. In this version the beast is given the head of a pig for his insistence at marrying a girl of his own choosing: the daughter of a merchant— a man who later washes up on the island of the prince’s banishment. Suddenly we understand why the beast would request that merchant’s youngest daughter…
    • Pine Trees for Sale– a clever wife helps her husband outwit the powerful lord who wished to steal her. A story from Japan.
    • Duke Roland’s Quest– a young man is willing to do anything for the love of his lady, never thinking of whether she values him as much.
    • The Prince and the Orphan– a variant of Cinderella from Benin, unique in its lack of physical transformation.
  • Family Favorites ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 3 – 10 minutes each
    A collection of humorous, clever, and cautionary tales for all ages. A sampling of the tales that have entertained for generations.

    • Lazy Jack– the boy who always does *exactly* as he is told.
    • The White Deer– in which a young man with many needs is offered a single wish.
    • Half a Blanket– reminds parents it is their actions that teach.
    • The Whale’s Burning Heart– where Raven, again, learns too little, too late.

~ ~ ~

I like to call what I do StoryWeaving, because I want to have the chance to say, It’s different than what you think.

I have preschoolers, and I tell them stories, but my weaving of stories is different that what happens with them.

And the stories I am drawn to tell, as a whole, are far more mature than the commonly presupposed audience visualized for “storytelling.”

So there you are: I am a StoryWeaver.

When I took my first telling class I was 22 and never realized how much of my heart Stories would come to own. While in the years since then I’ve accrued half a bucket of experience, it’s all been at a trickle. I never planned for a way of displaying it. So this will have to do for now.