The Under Ground Music Cafe, Story Arts of Minnesota and The Neighborhood Real Estate Team of Jim Jaeckels, Kellen Jacobson and Matt Havel are partnering up for a Halloween Extravaganza. The Under Ground Music Cafe will have a $5 pizza special...$5 for a pepperoni, sausage or cheese pizza. (regularly $8.00), and one scoop of ice cream for $1.00. From 5-6:30 PM the Neighborhood Real Estate Team will be giving away free pumpkins and at 6:30-7:30 P.J. Storytellers will tickle your funny bone with "Not So Spooky" Halloween stories. Featured tellers will be Pam Schweitzer, Sue Searing, Kathy Johnson and Rose Johnson. What a fun way to start the Halloween season.
Call for proposals for 2019 National Storytelling Summit
The National Storytelling Network is now accepting proposals for workshops and presentations at its 2019 annual summit, which will take place in the San Francisco Bay Area, July 25-28. Find more information at https://storynet.org/nsnevents/conference/cfp/.
The deadline to propose workshops and presentations is November 19. Information on applying for fringe, showcase, and story swap performances will be posted later at https://storynet.org/nsnevents/conference/summit-performances/.
Although workshop presenters do not need to be NSN members, members are given preference. SAM members who join NSN qualify for a 10% discount on NSN dues.
Northlands Confabulation 2019 - Call for Submissions
The call has gone out for submissions to the Northlands Storytelling Network’s 2019 Confabulation. Submit proposals for workshops, showcase stories, and fringe performances by OCTOBER 15. Submission guidelines are at http://northlands.net/confabulation/ The Confabulation will be held in Madison, Wisconsin, April 26-28, on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
Signifyin' and Testifyin' - Sept. 27-29
The 27th Annual Black Master Storytelling Festival, “Signifyin’ & Testifyin’,” kicks off on Thursday, September 27, and continues through Saturday, September 2. The featured tellers are Mama Koku (Atlanta, GA), Oba William King (Chicago, IL), Mother Minter (Charlotte, NC), Toni Simmons (Dallas, TX), LACA Bridges (Fort Worth, TX), and Beverly Cottman (Minneapolis, MN). Here’s the full schedule:
Opening Ceremony, Thursday, September 27, 2018, 7:00 - 9:30 PM
Perpich Center for Arts Education
6125 Olson Memorial Hwy., Golden Valley, MN
Opening Drum Call by Brother Ghana M’Baye Drum Troupe
Tall Tales and Liars Contest
Friday, September 28, 2018, 7:00 - 10:00 Pm
Ames Elks Lodge
1614 Plymouth Ave. N., Minneapolis, MN 55411
Grand Finale
Saturday, September 29, 2018, 7:00 - 10:00 PM
Minneapolis Central Library
300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis MN
Opening Drum Call by Voice of Culture Drum and Dance
ASL interpretation for Opening Ceremony and Grand Finale will be provided
All events are family-friendly, FREE and open to the public!
More information at www.blackstorytellers.com
“This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.”
Storytelling for Changing Times: Storytelling Festival on Sept. 15
Story Arts is partnering with Normandale Community College to offer a day-long celebration of storytelling on Saturday, September 15! Come revel in a full day of workshops, story concerts, open mics, and a story swap. Two of the in-depth morning workshops (led by Michael Dorer and Katie Knutson) are ideal for educators, who will receive CEU credit. The other morning workshop (co-led by Laura Packer and Loren Niemi) is designed for business and non-profit professionals, community organizers, and advocates. These in-depth sessions require pre-registration - $30 ($28 for SAM members).
At the 4pm closing concert, hear some of the Twin Cities' finest and most diverse storytellers, including performance coach, blogger and storyteller Laura Packer, Greg Pickett whose stories are as lyrical as they are street savvy, Christy Marie Kent, whose stories often explore the complexities of gender and faith, and story slam champion Nancy Donoval, whose repertoire ranges from traditional fairy tales to true tales of trauma and recovery. Hosted by playwright, musician, and poet Khary Jackson.
For more information, visit the festival web page: www.storyartsmn.org/festival.
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StoryArtsMN/
State Fair Story Tour - for SAM members
Master storyteller and SAM board member Loren Niemi is offering a State Fair "folklore" tour for SAM members on Thursday, Aug 30th. Regular adult admission to the Fair is $14 at the gate; the 30th is also "Senior Day" with a discounted admission of $9 for folks over 65.
Come for any or all of it. The tour begins at 5:00 PM at the Butterhead sculpture in the Dairy building with stops at seed crop art at 5:30, Ye Old Mill at 6:00, Steichen's grocery (in the alleyway next to poultry) at 6:30, and the food on a stick anytime, anywhere on the fair grounds. Stops at Fine Arts, Education and Craft buildings, Machinery Hill, the gondala chair lift (not to be missed), barns, midway, etc. are at your leisure between our tour around the scheduled stops.
Meet Loren at 5:00 PM at the Butterheads in the Dairy Building for a one-of-a-kind SAM storytelling look at the Fair!
Not a SAM member? Just click Join/Donate, above, and become one for a mere $20 to take advantage of this and future member benefits.
Register Now for the Storytelling Festival Early Bird Rates
Through August 15, pay the Early Bird rate for a morning workshop at "Storytelling for Changing Times, a Storytelling Festival" on September 15. Choose one of these exciting three-hour sessions:
- The Magic of Metaphor, led by Michael Dorer
- Working with the Brain to Make Learning Fun, led by Katie Knutson
- The Need for Storytelling in Today’s World, led by Laura Packer & Loren Niemi
Additional discount for SAM members! Find details and register on the Storytelling Festival page.
Storytelling Opportunities - June 20 Deadline!
Storytelling Festival 2018: Storytelling For Changing Times
Sept. 15, 9-5:30 at Normandale Community College
Storytellers are needed for the daytime concerts taking place during Storytelling Festival 2018: Storytelling For Changing Times. We are looking for tellers for the following categories.
Kid’s Concert: Family Friendly Stories For the Youthful and the Young at Heart
Journey Stories
Peace Stories
We welcome all types of stories: traditional, personal, and original. Stories need to be no longer than 10 minutes, including the introduction. If you are interested in telling during Storytelling Festival 2018, please send an email to storyartsmn@gmail.com, telling us the concert you are interested in participating in, and the story you are interested in performing. If we have more tellers than we have time for, the concert host will choose the tellers they feel will create the best concert arc. All tellers will receive a small stipend.
Other opportunities tellers will have to share stories during the day of Storytelling Festival 2018 will be a Traditional Story Swap and a Slam Styled Story concert. Both events will allow tellers to throw their name into a hat and it will be the luck of the draw.
If you are interested in telling, let us know by June 20th. Thanks for helping to make Storytelling Festival 2018: Storytelling For Changing Times, a great day of stories.
SAM Summer Meet & Greet - June 21
When: Thursday, June 21st, 6:30-10:00
Where: Minnehaha Park (see below)
Who: SAM Members
(If you are a member, a past member or are interested in learning about membership. This event is a great time to renew your membership .)
Why: Why not? Did I mention wine, beer, munchies, a story swap and friends? Join us for an evening of renewing old friendships and developing new friendships.
How to get there: Park shelter Wabun A is at the far eastern edge of Minnehaha Park. From Godfrey parkway, you take the road up towards the veterans home. Free parking, restrooms. Map.
Entries sought for the Great American Story contest
2017 Finalists in the Great American Story contest.
You are invited to enter the Park Rapids Lakes Area Arts Council’s third annual Great American Story contest. Judges will narrow the selections to four finalists who will perform the best-told stories at an event Saturday, Sept. 22at Calvary Lutheran Church in Park Rapids.
At the public performance, the audience will vote to select the top two storytellers among the four finalists. The two semi-finalists will be given a prompt and tell a 10-minute extemporaneous story. The audience will then select the winner.
First place storyteller will receive an award of $1,000. Second place will receive $500, and each of the other two finalists will receive $250. Lodging arrangements will be made if needed.
For entry information and rules for the Great American Story, please go to www.thegreatamericanstory.org. Entries no more than 10 minutes in length may be posted online or recorded on a CD or flash drive and mailed. Entry fee is $10. Entries must be posted on the website or, if mailed, postmarked no later than June 30.
Audience members have commented: “Park Rapids is such a thriving artistic community … Bravo!” “Sharing something from the heart and making it real make for a powerful art.” “It takes a special person to tell stories and keep us interested.
The Park Rapids Lakes Area Arts Council serves as an umbrella organization for 16 arts and cultural organizations in the greater Park Rapids area. Representatives from these arts groups, along with individual arts project champions, meet monthly to coordinate arts calendars, share information and incubate interest in new arts projects. PRLAAC also maintains a website - www.prlaac.org - and sponsors successful projects including Art Leap and Noon Hour Concerts.
This activity is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Region 2 Arts Council funded by an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the State’s general fund.
Storyteller line-up announced for Festival of Nations
Story Arts of Minnesota is producing the Cultural Heritage Storytelling Stage at the Festival of Nations, the most diverse, oldest and longest running multicultural festival in the Midwest. The Festival is organized by the International Institute of Minnesota, whose mission is to “help New Americans achieve self-sufficiency and full membership in American life.”
Following daytime programming for school students on Thursday, May 3, and Friday, May 4, the Festival and its Storytelling Stage will open to the public on Friday evening and continue through Sunday. Organizer Carol McCormick has lined up a stellar group of tellers, who will all share tales from their own cultural or ethnic heritage.
Thursday May 3
10:00 am Carol McCormick - Irish, German, Norwegian
11:00 am Beverly Cottman - African
12:00 pm Larry Johnson - Swedish, German
1:00 pm Banlang Phommasouvang - Lao
1:30 pm Native American Exhibition Dance
2:00 pm Laura Packer - Russian
Friday May 4
10:00 am Danielle Daniel - African
11:00 am Vicki Keck - German
12:00 pm Sue Searing - British
12:30 pm Native American Exhibition Dance
1:00 pm Monica Habia - Ghana
2:00 pm Christine Jenkins - Scandinavian
6:00 pm Russian Musician
8:00 pm Storytelling Concert
Carol McCormick – Czech
Rahjta Ren – Russian
Artika Tyner – So. Africa, Ghana, Tanzania
Saturday May 5
10:00 am Pam Schweitzer - German, Norwegian
11:00 am Phuoc Tran - Vietnamese
12:00 pm Margaret Meyers - Mexican
1:00 pm Kathleen Johnson - English, Scottish, Irish
2:00 pm Phuoc Tran - Vietnamese
3:00 pm Nancy Donoval - Czech, Slovak, Hungarian
3:30 pm Russsian Musician
4:00 pm Richard Rousseau - Russian
5:00 – 6:00 pm Tango Demonstrations
6:30 pm Russian Musician
8:00 pm Ghost Story Concert
Loren Niemi – Finnish
Nancy Donoval – English
Carol McCormick – Irish & German
Sunday May 6
12:00 pm Tango Demonstrations
1:00 pm Dorothy Cleveland – German, Polish
2:00 pm Pam Schweitzer – German, Norwegian
3:00 pm Kai Gottschalk- Chinese & Carol McCormick - Irish
4:00 pm Maren Hinderlie - Sami
Tickets:
Adult (18+): $11.00 (in advance) or $13.50 (at the door)
Youth: $8.00
Kids 5 and under: FREE when accompanied by paying adult
For more information and to purchase tickets online, visit: http://www.festivalofnations.com/
Confabulation! - April 27-29, Madison, WI
Minnesota will be well represented when storytellers gather in Madison, April 27-29, for the annual Confabulation! of the Northlands Storytelling Network. Richard Rousseau will perform at the Friday night showcase (open to the public). Loren Niemi will present a fringe show. Ward Rubrecht will emcee a slam. Several SAM members will lead or co-lead workshops: Dorothy Cleveland, Nancy Donoval, Margaret Meyers, Loren Niemi, Laura Packer, Richard Rousseau, Sue Searing, and Kevin Strauss. For a full schedule of events, visit http://northlands.net/confabulation.
Story Arts Members Enjoy Discounted Membership in the National Storytelling Network
Because Story Arts of Minnesota is an organizational member of the National Storytelling Network, members of SAM may take advantage of a 10% discount on the individual membership rate in NSN.
The mission of NSN is "to advance all forms of storytelling within the community through promotion, advocacy and education." They achieve this through a range of activities, including: an annual storytelling summit (this year in Kansas City, July 25-28); a quarterly print magazine and weekly online newsletter; Tellabration (TM), a worldwide celebration of storytelling; and awards recognizing storytelling excellence.
Individual members of NSN receive the weekly newsletter and quarterly magazine, access to online resources & databases, discounts to educational events, workshops and classes.
For full details on membership categories and benefits, please visit NSN's website, https://storynet.org
Show & Tell - April 7 benefit for Tellabration
Please join us on Saturday April 7 at a benefit for Tellabration 2018!
"Show & Tell" - an evening of traditional narratives, cautionary tales, unexpected turns, and the sheer joy power of storytelling.
Festsaal banquet space, Black Forest Inn
9 East 26th St., Minneapolis
Doors open at 6pm. Suggested donation = $10.
6:00-7:30 - Music, movies, improv, silent auction.
7:30-9:30 - Show & Tell with Mike Finley, Carol McCormick, Wayne Nelsen, Richard Rousseau, Ward Rubrecht, Sue Searing, Pam Schweitzer, Tom Cassidy
9:30-10:30 - Open mic (sign up for one of ten 5-minute slots)
Sponsored by: Cheap Theatre; Story Arts of MN; National Storytelling Network.
...And mark your calendars for Tellabration! Saturday, November 24, 2018, at Open Book, 1101 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis.
EXTENDED DEADLINE for Duke Addicks Scholarship to Northlands Confabulation
March 31 is the new deadline for scholarship applications to attend the Northlands Storytelling Network 2018 Confabulation in Madison, WI in April. The scholarship is earmarked for new tellers from Minnesota. Click here for information on applying.
SAM Annual Meeting & Open Mic - March 21
SAM Annual Meeting and Discussion:
March 21, 7-9pm at the Strike Theater
824 18th Ave NE Minneapolis, MN 55418
The annual meeting is just around the corner and you are invited. What a great time to renew old friendships and join the discussion of where SAM is heading from here. There will be food, frivolity and, of course, stories. After the short business meeting, we will be hosting an open mic for anyone who would like to share a 5-7 minute story.
Call for storytellers for Festival of Nations
Again this year, Story Arts of MN will sponsor the Storytelling Stage at the Festival of Nations on May 3-6, 2018 in St. Paul.
Carol McCormick is booking tellers for 30 minute slots sharing stories from their Ethnic Heritage. If you are interested in telling at the FON, please email Carol at mccobuch@comcast.net with your name, email, mailing address, phone #, available dates and times, and what nation(s) from your family tree that you could represent. Also include if you have stories for family and/or adult audiences.
Available times and audiences are:
Thursday May 3
10 am to 2 pm School Age
Friday May 4
10 am to 3 pm School Age
6:00 to 7:00 pm General Public
8 to 9 pm Storytelling Concert (3 tellers)
Saturday May 5
10 am to 5 pm General Public
8:30 to 9:30 Ghost Story Concert (3 tellers)
Sunday May 6
Noon to 5:00 pm General Public
Tellers will receive some free passes to the FON and be paid according to the funds available. (If you're aware of a foundation or nonprofit that might like to support the Storytelling Stage, please let Carol know.)
Call for stories for new digital publication, Midblessed: Stories from the Heartland
Michael Matthews, the Content Curator for a new online journal focused on life in America’s central states, recently contacted Story Arts of MN soliciting stories for the inaugural issue. Michael wrote, "Located at the crossroads of belonging and discovery, Midblessed is a story collective celebrating the spirit of America’s heartland. We trace the threads of Midwestern heritage--generosity, industry, and authenticity--across the patchwork of our native experience." For more information about this venture and how to submit a story, contact Michael at Michael.Matthews@midblessed.com.
Duke Addicks Scholarship Northlands Confabulation! 2018
Duke Addicks Scholarship
Northlands Confabulation! 2018
The Duke Addicks Scholarship has been set up to honor the memory of Mentor Duke Addicks, a storyteller well known for his ghost stories, stories from his native heritage, and of Minnesota characters such as Pigs Eye Perrant. He believed stories are powerful and can transform lives and communities. The Duke Addicks Scholarship is intended to assist new storytellers from Minnesota, with a financial need, to pursue their interest in storytelling.
EXTENDED APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 31, 2018.
Please provide the following information by email to storyartsmn@gmail.com with SCHOLARSHIP in the subject line. Please submit the application by March 31, 2018.
Scholarship funds include conference fee (not including the Friday master class). Meals and Northlands membership are included.
Name:
Address:
Phone:
Email:
Employment and/or Student Status:
Birth Year:
1. How did you hear about the Duke Addick’s Memorial Scholarship?
2. Why are you interested in attending the Northlands Storytelling Conference?
3. Describe your experience with storytelling and/or story listening.
4. What do you think you will do with storytelling in your life?
5. Describe in general terms your need for financial assistance?
Information about Northlands and the 2018 Confabulation:
http://northlands.net/
Download Addicks Scholarship information:
http://northlands.net/wp-content/uploads/Duke-Addicks-Memorial-Scholarship-2018.pdf
Read about Duke Addicks' life and work:
https://www.storyartsmn.org/news/2016/12/30/story-arts-remembers-duke-addicks-1
Santa Enchants Children at P.J. Stories
Santa Claus was the featured storyteller at P.J. Stories in December. He's shown here with emcee (and SAM president) Pam Schweitzer and two audience members, after the jolly old elf shared a wealth of Christmas lore with eager listeners.
P.J. Stories takes place on the 3rd or 4th Monday of the month, 6:30-7:30pm, at the Underground Music Cafe in St. Paul. Check the SAM calendar for dates. Different storytellers are featured each month. The event is free for kids and families, although tips are appreciated. Please join us!