A CT. Maritime Story from Geneology

     Digging through the reams of family tree material for a perfect story could be a needle in a haystack, but is more like a diamond in the rough.  From the start I had an idea that Uncle George would have a story to tell. He was eccentric - maybe, artistic - for certain, and lived over 100 years ago - perfect! Geneology can be a treasure to a storyteller!

     Now that I had a place to begin, the search narrowed to a singular branch in the family tree that was  vibrant in the times when our nation was struggling through the Civil War. It is part Connecticut history as well since Uncle George was born and raised in New Haven. The son of a sea Captain, George was raised on the docks of New Haven with the world at his front door. Early on he was allowed the benefit of the old sea salts stories as they gathered evenings  in the store near a crackling wood stove.  He had fishing pole, a small sailboat of his own, and free range of a world class harbor town. This boy, began his own life adventure when at 16 he set out to become his own man. Thrust from a carefree childhood into the need to make and pay his own way he began his story wandering the streets of New Haven in search of the inspiration that would seize his imagination and provide apprenticeship and keep.
 
     George lived a story that came down through time and left behind reminders of his talent and his determination. Like the lives of characters in books his father brought from ports all over the world he crafted a life worth remembering and sharing. I am working on several short pieces from his childhood right now. Preliminary tellings to try out a surprise entrance and a  twist at the end which I love to add to my storytelling have been done and the tweaking of George's story continues. Research continues of New Haven in his lifetime, and a comparative to today where Dunkin Donuts marks the corner of Church and Chapel street where his life was forever changed.

My stories have a goal performance, the first is the Mystic Seaport Sea Music Festival  with storytelling stage. I plan to share these Connecticut gems on that stage June 10 between 12 and 4. www.mysticseaport.org  Mystic Seaport in collaboration with the Connecticut Storytelling Center www.connstorycenter.org have come together to bring a number of tellers to a two day story stage at the annual event. I am excited to introduce these tales as part of the event when I share the stage with several storytellers all with sea story repertoires. I believe Uncle George would be delighted that his story is still being told and in a venue like Mystic Seaport that honors the heritage of Connecticut maritime history.

Parts of this performance will also be shared June 3 at Mansfield Historical Society opening day Rte 195 Storrs, CT. and at Scotland ( CT.) library July 12 at 6 p.m.Sea Stories and Sea Chanteys. I might even practice a piece at VoiceMail open mic storytelling on Tues ( special day) May 29,  at Mansfield General Store in Mansfield Center. https://www.facebook.com/update_security_info.php?wizard=1#!/pages/VoiceMail-Open-Mic-for-Storytelling-at-Mansfield-General-Store/197283876991691

Now I just have to tell you the final reason I was drawn to share a bit of Uncle George, and invite you to come hear the rest of the story. It is his name, George Story!

Longears in Connecticut - Donkey News

Friday, May 4, 2012

The Day - Timely respect for the longears | News from southeastern Connecticut

The Day - Timely respect for the longears | News from southeastern Connecticut
written by: Suzanne Thompson

The link takes you to a article in The Donkey and Mule Show Saturday at Bishop's Orchard in Guilford, CT. I'll be there announcing. Come join the fun!!

My Friend Jassper owned by John & Melissa Lavoie

Awwww! Got to love a face like that!

There are several other events throughout New England for the Donkey and Mule enthusiast.

Sage sports a fly mask for pleasant trail riding

Online enjoy the Donkeys Here

For my favorite online piece about Donkeys check out this blog about Jassper & Tobassco's Daycation :
http://carolynstearnsstoryteller.blogspot.com/2010/08/maze-ing-give-donkey-and-ice-cream-cone.html

Mom Will You Be in a Ad?

Story, this ad has it. I connect with all the mothers. I remember weekends in bleachers, 5 a.m. at the pool, sunburn after a horse show. Coffee was a staple in the get the kids delivered shuttle I ran.

In just a couple minutes this ad takes us there, brings back those mornings and celebrates motherhood.This is a stellar example of storytelling in advertising/ marketing and it is aimed right here at me. I am like many of those Moms and missing the days when my kids were living Olympic dreams, or on a personal quest in athletic learning. I miss the shuttle, the quiet rides, the moments.

Now I am thinking how do we tell this story as a spoken word artist. I will watch it again, feel choked up, remember a morning so common among mornings and create a story that captures that special moment. Do you have a Mom  story?

Other links of similar content:
http://carolynstearnsstoryteller.blogspot.com/2011/12/rye-beach.html

http://carolynstearnsstoryteller.blogspot.com/2011_11_01_archive.html

http://averycan.blogspot.com/

This baby girl has a bucket list, and her parents are making her life as special as they can while they have her please read more and pass it on!


http://averycan.blogspot.com/

I won't say anymore today her story is so powerful it doesn't need my words.    Carolyn

Days 2 and 3 Middle School Student Storytelling

I began the Vacation Arts Experience 2012 offered by EastConn  www.eastconn.org with the distribution of stories to the middle school age students. They had 3 minutes to  scan a story and move to the next, until they found one they wanted to read  through. By the end of their first class in storytelling they had read the story and created it in  Play-doh, felt or a cut and paste mural.  Here is the link to report on Day 1:
 http://www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.blogspot.com/2012/04/teach-storytelling-to-middle-school.html

Repeating the story to partners as they finished a project reinforced the details in the student's minds, and had them telling right away. This felt board was made using a science fair tri-fold, a can of spray adhesive, and  a large piece of felt from Walmart!

Day 2 began with a cartooning session. We might call it storyboard, but these middle school kids are familiar with the term "cartoon". Tell your story in  8 squares. I had to remind them  frequently this isn't art, you are not being graded, it is a learning tool.

This felt image and the cartoon before it both depict the story of "The Harvest That Never Came". You can read it at www.aaronshep.com/stories.015.html  I appreciate Aaron Shepard's website it had the length and age recomendations along with genre, culture, theme. I found a couple of stories there that fit my needs with these kids.

Day 3

Using ideas I found through Karen Chace's website and blogs  www.storybug.com  and www.karenchace.blogspot.com  I helped the students focus on finer details of their story.  I shared my resources with the students, a side lesson in cooperative work with others in the same profession.

We used this art gallery to highlight specifics of the story. They liked moving from place to place to add to the gallery. Keeping them up and moving kept the energy flowing and the excitement high.

Students drew in their main character to that gallery. I asked them to think about what the character looked like to them. Labeling parts of the story helped when referencing it and the descriptions and images helped them become better acquainted with their story character.

Another gallery was filled with scenery images.

This gallery introduced smell to their story. What  does a jail cell smell like, deep in a forest what do frogs smell? What did Black Beauty smell at the horse fair?

The final Gallery was to tell about the weather during the story. Each stop on the gallery tour made them take time to think about description and  create an inner vision of the places in the story.

3 Hours  with me in 3 days and we need to share our stories. It is not enough, but what we had. I did not want a stage experience in this fast paced Arts camp and was happy when an 11th hour idea hit.   We moved into our room to find this campfire ready and waiting. It had felt flames and was accompanied not by Smores but Oreos!  Everyone sat in a circle and shared their stories and  cookies.

From that campfire two students found the strength and  desire to share stories with families at the end of the 3 day Arts Experience. I was able to share with families a brief background of the story experience and invite all the families to listen to their students story at home.

Teach Storytelling to Middle School Students- YES!

Saying yes to teaching a spring vacation storytelling class was a "no brainer", as the kids say. I love helping kids discover their voice and the power of story.....


Day One

 Four rotations will come to me over the course of the day. Each group will have a high school aged guide. They will stay with me for one hour, then move on to the next art offered in this Vacation Arts Experience sponsored by EastConn  an educational service.  www.eastconn.org  I must introduce the stories and engage them in activities that bring them back wanting more. We need  to get a story framework in their head in under an hour.

A group arrives all the desks have stories on them in print, they all look alike from the door.  We introduce ourselves around and mention a favorite story we have seen, heard, or read.  They have  3 minutes to read the intro to the story." GET UP AND MOVE TO A NEW DESK AND STORY" We take several rotations and already a couple students are hugging a story not wanting to leave it. I allow them to keep what they have been attracted to. 4th  desk, if they haven't found one I make some suggestions and share some books that might entice a student.  Everyone has a story, now we can read through to the end.

Project Time - Getting our Hands on the Stories

This Play-Doh creation blew me away!

This is the story of the Christmas Truce during WWI near Ypres, France. Note the German's Christmas tree, wounded soldier in "no mans land" and soldiers in trenches. 30 minutes, start to finish and he understood the story! Try this link to read a version of event:  http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/christmastruce.htm

While some students worked in Play-Doh others were making cut and paste murals from magazine pictures. On the second day they will switch and make the other project.

            Here a student with a finished mural tells a friend his story, this one tells of El Coqui the little frogs of Puerto Rico  and the race where they earned their singing voice. Here is a link to the legend:
http://voices.yahoo.com/el-coqui-native-frog-puerto-rico-5306039.html 

                                                   
Here a student laid out her version of events from Chris Allsburg's " The Widow's Broom".  http://www.amazon.com/The-Widows-Broom-Chris-Allsburg/dp/0395640512

Felt boards were used for other students who again tried a different hands on the story project on day 2.

Come back soon or follow to find out about day 2 and day 3 of the Vacation Arts Experience/ Storytelling with Carolyn Stearns Storyteller.
www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.com


another post about story and education:

http://www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.blogspot.com/2012/01/school-day-and-story-night.html



                              

Musical Bones

We continue  in nautical mode for at least this post. I have been on a  four week adventure to learn sea chantey music through a class at Mystic Seaport www.mysticseaport.org  It has been so much fun!!!

Any day that starts out looking this nice, well you just know it will be a good one!!  Today, our final class we were prepared to show off what we have learned. Each of us had a lead in  at least one chantey. I added playing Shenandoah on my harmonica to mix. Most of us joined Don Sineti on banjo playing bones.

                                                                      
              This image shows the bones in hand ready to play. This pair came with the class and are made of Rosewood. The are slightly convex and look like over sized tongue depressors. The bone nearest the thumb is anchored ( held still in place) by the middle finger an the second bone taps out the rhythm through motion of your hand and snap of the wrist. Think of using a fly swatter and you will get the motion.    
         Here is a video clip ( under a minute) of our first attempts at the bones, the banjo background music really helped.

            
 Wikipedia has info on bones and some pictures:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bones_(instrument)

There is a Festival for bones players: http://www.rhythmbones.com/