Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 8, 1995 TAG: 9506080095
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Come on out Saturday to the first-ever Blue Ridge Storytelling Festival. Presented jointly by the newly formed Blue Ridge Storytelling Association and the Roanoke County Department of Parks and Recreation, the festival will be in Green Hill Park at 10 a.m.
It's not just for grown-ups. There'll be stories for - and even told by - kids. After all, childhood is when most people get their first taste of tale telling.
For example, when Kathy Carter was growing up in Bedford County, her parents would improvise stories about Br'er Rabbit to distract her from the worrisome rumbling of a thunderstorm or the oppressive prickle of summer's heat.
When Carter grew up and married, she added to her parents' repertoire her own personal-experience stories, such as accounts of her always-into-something baby brother, Steve, and told the tales to her daughter, Jennifer.
Pulaski native Cat White's childhood was filled with not necessarily flattering stories about his Appalachian ancestors. While still just a kid, he auditioned three times before finally being accepted into Pulaski County's Appalachian storytelling troupe, APPALKIDS, where he started telling tales to help preserve his heritage and dispel its hillbilly stereotypes.
Carter is president, White is secretary and Jennifer Carter is treasurer of the Blue Ridge Storytelling Association. Barbara Wassel is its vice president.
How the group came to be is a story in itself.
``In October, I'd gone to the national storytelling festival in Jonesborough [Tenn.] and got to see some big-name tellers and do some networking,'' Carter explained. One of her contacts turned out to be a woman from Mississippi, who gave her both the inspiration and information to follow through on her long-standing desire to start a local storytellers' group.
A Roanoke City library assistant, Carter recently sat in the main branch's Brody Room, where the group's monthly meetings are held. She was calm and controlled, except for her wayward hands, which she explained must move in order for her to speak.
Her favorite stories, she and her hands said, are ``trickster'' tales about small but wily animals using wit to overcome adversity. She also likes shaping stories about her own American Indian and African American heritage.
``When I'm telling, I literally take along a supply of aspirin, a jug of water [to counteract dehydration] and a towel,'' White said of his all-over-the-place, fall-on-the-floor (if need be), bumps-and-bruises telling style. A storyteller for seven years and a full-time professional since 1993, White recently released his first audio collection of Appalachian stories and songs. It's called ``Cat Tales'' and sells for $11.50 (call 980-CATS).
One of his favorite story forms is the ``Jack Tales,`` which are about a charming vagabond who gets into but always manages to wiggle out of tight spots.
``He might be named Pat in Ireland or Ivan in Russia. In the Appalachian mountains, he's Jack, which is a standard, well-known name,'' White said.
Jennifer, a seventh-grader at Addison Aerospace Middle School whose days are filled with classes in computer sciences, rocketry, stellar construction, flight simulation and astronomy, hasn't yet formed a story preference or telling style. But she's inspired to think about it while among the approximately 25 professional and amateur tellers, curiosity seekers and listeners, who have been meeting at the main library at 2 p.m. the second Sunday of each month since November.
The group hopes to eventually build up a treasury from which to make yearly donations to a worthy cause. For now, though, its $10 annual fee gets members a newsletter and lots of camaraderie, direction and support. For information, call 362-5338.
At the meetings, it's emphasized that storytelling involves a lot more than just remembering and reciting words. Typically, participants network; swap stories, handouts and telling tips; and do exercises to strengthen their interpretative skills. They might lie on the floor or deep-breathe to relax.
To develop characterization through voice and posturing, they might interpret how a talking frog or elephant would look and sound. They might become a gnarled old tree to practice projecting visual imagery through body movement. Always, they're working on ways to get and keep their audience involved in the tale.
``Telling is an art,'' White stated. ``The teller weaves and spins the tale and takes it into his own body and makes it a part of himself. No two tellings are ever the same.''
The 20-year-old National Storytelling Association, based in Jonesborough, Tenn., says that aside from the obvious practitioners, telling often is used by educators to foster learning; by librarians to enhance reading and fight illiteracy; by parents to increase ``lap time'' with their children; and by clergy to strengthen sermons and counseling. Telling also is therapeutic, say both the association and White, who uses stories in his work with problem children at Pulaski Middle School.
Telling is even a powerful business selling tool. Studies show that top salespeople make extensive use of stories, metaphors and analogies in their sales presentations. An article in the November 1994 issue of the national association's ``Storytelling'' magazine says many business executives now make storytelling a basic part of their company's sales training.
The association's yearly festivals and conferences are major events among the storytelling community, peopled by participants from around the country and the world. Saturday's festival in Green Hill Park won't be quite as impressive, but, hey, it's only the first. It will be dedicated to deceased parks and recreation department director Darrell Shell, who was committed to bringing a storytelling festival to the Roanoke Valley.
Since March, at the invitation of the parks and recreation department, local schools have held storytelling competitions among grades 3-5; 6-8 and 9-12, with the goal of having the winners compete at the festival. Ten students from 10 area schools are expected to vie on Saturday.
And to appeal to a broad audience and demonstrate some professionally polished telling, Doc McConnell of Rogersville, Tenn., will put on his nationally acclaimed ``Old Time Medicine Show''; David Massengill of Bristol, Tenn., will brew up his blend of storytelling and folk music; Kathy Pierce of Phillipsburg, N.J., will emboss her tales with snatches of poetry, song and unusual musical instruments; and Gwynn Ramsey of Lynchburg - in bib overalls, chambray shirt and coon skin cap - will regale the audience with traditional folk tales told in Southern Appalachian Mountain dialect, enhanced by tunes on his harmonica.
Local association tellers - including Carter, Jennifer and White (on open mike) - also will participate, and there'll be other open-mike opportunities for teller wannabes.
A craft show also will be part of the festival, and various foods will be available.
Tell a friend.
BLUE RIDGE STORYTELLING FESTIVAL: Saturday at 10 a.m. in Green Hill Park. Admission is $4. Call 362-5338 for information.
Blue Ridge Storytelling Festival
Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Green Hill Park Admission $4
9 a.m. Gates open (Student tellers' judging begins)
STAGE TENT
10 a.m. Doc McConnell Kathy Pierce\ 11 a.m. Ruth Walton Demetria Tuckeri
11:30 a.m. Andrea Greene Kathy Carter & Jennifer Carter
12 p.m. David Massengill Gwynn Ramsey\ 1 p.m. Barbara Wassell Open Mike
1:30 p.m. Kathy Carter Open Mike
2 p.m. Andrea Greene Ruth Walton
2:30 p.m. Introduction of Barbara Wassell
student tellers
3 p.m. Kathy Pierce David Massengill
4 p.m. Gwynn Ramsey Doc McConnell
by CNB