Newsletter - Fireside Story League

January • 2015
Fireside Storytellers’ League of Tacoma
A service organization comprised of both men and women who are interested in the art of storytelling.
Next Meeting
Our next meeting will be Monday, January 12th at 6:30-pm and will be held at
the Puyallup Public Library, 324 South Meridian, Puyallup, WA 98371. Mr. Larry
Krack has volunteered as both Designated Storyteller and Refreshment Host.
Stories begin at 7-pm. Guests are welcome.
Fireside’s Officers:
President, Earl Brydson
Vice-Pres. (Vacant)
Secretary, Penny Tennison
Treasurer, Kathleen Benoun
Service Coordinator,
Eileen Beckowitz
Editor, Penny Tennison
www.firesidestoryleague.org
Fireside is a member of
National Storytellers League
January
A Review of our Last Meeting:
Name Tags—the name tags were not ready for December’s meeting, but it is
promised that they will be ready in time for January’s meeting. Membership
Roster—the new roster is out. Fireside has approximately eighteen members.
As Fireside seems to have its share of procrastinators, the number is subject to
change.
Treasurer’s Report--instead of a report by the Treasurer, here is a report on
the Treasurer: she was absent because she and her husband were on a cruise
of the Mexican Riviera! Word has it she was even wearing sun dresses!
Decadence! She better have a good story!
Service Report by Eileen Beckowitz: Peoples Community Center is a new
storytelling service. No one has been assigned to it regularly, but Joy has
volunteered to tell on Dec. 19, and Penny volunteered to tell on Jan 29th.
Eileen will need a volunteer for Feb.
Location of Next Meeting: Because the UP meeting room is not available to
FSL in January; we will meet at the Puyallup Public Library instead.
Stories--This meeting included our holiday cookie exchange. There was a
delightful array of sweets. After everyone made their selection and got a cup of
cocoa, we settled into an evening of storytelling:
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Joy Ross, in memory of Elsie Hilton, told about Mikey, a physically
disabled child whose dream was to play baseball with the other kids. This
was a story that Elsie had told in the past.
Penny Tennison told O. Henry’s, “The Gift of the Magi.”
Judy Urschel presented a humorous Christmas Q&A.
Larry Krack told about, “Life on the Olympic Peninsula; a fable about “Why
deciduous trees lose their leaves”; a story about a Winter Solstice party,
and another called “Gift to Mother Earth.” Cont. on page 2
Fireside Story League’s Fireside Log
Maggie Jehn, who taught English-as-a-Second
Language for forty years, described how children,
who came from all over the world, quickly adapted to
the Christmas traditions of Montgomery County.
o Viki Snow told us her memories of Christmas in New
Zealand and Fiji, where, of course, December comes
during summer.
o Eileen told about a young Jewish woman in Nazi
Germany who survived difficult times through the
heroic aid of a German woman.
o
December Storytelling Services
By, Eileen Beckowitz, Service Coordinator
18th—Penny visited King's Manor Assisted Living.
19th—Joy Ross greeted, for the first time, the residents
at the Peoples Retirement Community
20th—Penny, told at Franke Tobey Jones Care Center,
where residents always have a fine selection of stories,
including Penny’s family anecdotes.
A while back, The Tacoma News Tribune gave fine
coverage to the L'Arche Tahoma Hope Community. I feel
guilty that I have not been reminding all members of
those charming adult residents who need storytelling
programs in their lives. Amanda, of L’Arche, contacted
me last spring to request a teller. The desired time was
in the morning, 10 or 10:30. The half hour program could
enrich their daily schedules. The address is for Tuesdays,
12306 Vickery Ave. E, and on Wednesdays, just down
the street, 11716 Vickery Ave. E, Tacoma. Please, check
your calendars and let us discuss the possibilities at the
January Meeting.
January • 2015
Stories & Music from Around the World
Sunday morning, from 9 to 11
Special message from Mary Dessein, host of
Global Griot, Radio KSER90.7FM:
Charlotte Blake Alston will be
heard live on Jan. 18, 2015! She
is a master storyteller, and breathes life into
traditional and contemporary stories from Africa.
She is a musician and plays a variety of instruments
including the mbira and kora. She sings. She is a
regular performer at the Timpanogos Festival.
If you want to listen again later, you can hear it for
two weeks after broadcast at the website
www.kser.org.
Interested in being a radio program host? Global
Griot, KSER 90.7 FM, and Mary Dessein are looking for
recruits - her two radio storytelling compatriots, Aarene
Storms & Jim Beidle, have retired from Global Griot.
KSER is a local, community public radio station in
downtown Everett. Global Griot is a unique live program
of stories, music, live performers, the occasional
musician, and the segment, 'Conversations with Writers,'
as most writers are storytellers. Contact Mary if you have
questions, interest, or wonderments:
[email protected] 425-879-4650.
From Dr. Margaret Read MacDonald: SAVE THE DATE!
The Fourth Annual
Powellswood Garden Storytelling Festival
Eileen.....
Waiting
Dreaming of honeycombs to share
With her small cubs, a mother bear
Sleeps in a snug and snowy lair.
Bees in their drowsy, drifted hive
Sip hoarded honey to survive
Until the flowers come alive.
Sleeping beneath the deep snow
Seeds of honeyed flowers know
When it is time to wake and grow.
Harry Behn
July 24-25 in Federal Way, Washington.
This year’s tellers will be: Antonio Rocha, Kevin Kling,
Motoko, Lyn Ford, and Donald Davis.
With Antonio’s mesmerizing mime, Motoko’s delightful
Japanese tales, Lyn’s heart-warming “Afrilachian” stories,
Kevin’s humorous personal tales, and Donald’s inimitable
life tales, we should have a great time!
On Friday there are workshops: Kevin Kling--Stories of
Healing: Chicken Soup for the Chicken, 9-am to 12, $60;
Antonio Rocha--Transitions in Eloquence, 1-pm to 3:30,
$55. Donald Davis--Personal/Family Story Intensive,
9-am to 3:30, $115. Also on Friday, Tea with the Tellers,
$15.
Cont. on page 3
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Fireside Story League’s Fireside Log
The Saturday concerts begin at 10-am and continue until
5-pm. The ticket price for all this entertainment on Saturday is, $15 for adults; $30 for a family pass. FMI, or to
register, http://powellswoodfestival.com
Up-coming Storytelling Events
January
10th & 11th--Two opportunities for Uplifting Storytelling-7:30 p.m. Saturday, or 2 p.m. Sunday.
The folks at The Jewel Box Theatre, in Poulsbo invite you
to join them for a unique program of storytelling and
poetry. The poets are two of Kitsap County's favorites, Al
Gunby and Craig Gurney. Al will be presenting poems
from his new, beautifully illustrated book, Lady Hood, a
Celebration of Hood Canal. Craig is a well-known cowboy
poet and will have you laughing as he regales you with
his motorcycle adventures.
The storytellers are Northwest celebrities; Denise
Dumouchel of Bainbridge Island and John Clausen of
Belfair. Denise is a dynamic teller of folk tales and
hilarious personal misadventures. John has traveled all
over the globe sharing his stories, from Africa to the
Yukon. He will be telling different stories at each
performance. The show focuses on humor and the
positive side of life, so come, laugh, smile, and be
uplifted--it's January, we need it. Tickets are $10 at the
door. The theater is located at 225 Iverson St. in Poulsbo
(across the street from the Post Office). More information
at jewelboxpoulsbo.org or (360) 697-3183.
16th--SSG’s Haller Lake Friday Evenings, 7:30. Haller
Lake Community Club. A trio of regular tellers from Fresh
Ground Stories will be the "Spotlight Tellers," sharing
moving, funny true stories that happened to them. Open
mike will follow. Free (donations welcome). Snacks
provided. FMI: Cynthia Westby at
[email protected]
February
8th--8th Annual Coyote Tales Storytelling Festival
on Vashon Island. Featured tellers are, Merna Hecht,
Steve Jones, Janet McAlpin, Gloria Two-Feathers.
Sunday, February 8, at 2pm (doors open at 1:30pm) at
the Open Space for Arts & Community, 18870 103rd
Avenue SW, Vashon, WA 98070. Ticket price - adv: $40
family/$20 individual, door: $45 family/$25 individual.
FMI: www.openspacevashon.com
January • 2015
On Going Storytelling
Second Tuesdays
Story People of Clallam County. 7-pm. Pt. Angeles
Public Library. FMI, contact Alice Susong, 360-683-8630.
http://www.clallamstorypeople.org.
Second Wednesdays
South Sound Story Guild--Featured teller at 7 and a
story swap/open mike at 8. Find them in the lobby of the
Olympia Center, 222 N Columbia in downtown Olympia.
FMI: www.southsoundstory.org or Billie Mazzei,
[email protected]
First Thursdays
Moth Story Slam open-mic. Doors open at 7-pm, stories
at 8-pm. Fremont Abbey Arts Center, Seattle, $8; $16
premium tickets. Info: themoth.org/events
Last Thursdays
Auntmama's Storycorner—7-pm- 8:15-pm. Madison
Ave Starbucks, 4000 E Madison Ave, Seattle, WA 98112.
Ph. 206 329 3736. Free. FMI, www.auntmama.com
First Fridays
Storynight at BLTC ( Better Living Through Coffee)
Event includes featured storytellers and an open mike 7-9
p.m. 100 Tyler St., Port Townsend, WA 98368.
Suggested donation is $10. FMI, [email protected]
Stories at the Bridge: A Story Swap--First Fridays from
7 to 9 p.m. The Bridge Coffee House, 2150 N. 122nd St.,
Seattle. FMI, contact [email protected].
Or Listen, on Radio or Internet
Sundays. Storyteller Auntmama on 91.3 FM or kbcs.fm,
8:30 a.m., in “Walkin’ the Floor” program. Also on
Modays at 3:20-pm.
Vinyl Café, Sundays at 12-noon. KUOW-94.9 fm. Host,
Stuart Mclean. The program includes fictional stories,
written by Mclean, that can be humorous or nostalgic.
There are also personal, true, short stories that are sent
in by listeners. The rest of the show includes essays,
music and descriptions of the many communities that the
show is broadcast from when on the road—a sort of
Canadian travelog. It offers excellent examples of the
personal story.
Fireside is on the web:
www.firesidestoryleague.org
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