Inspiration: It Starts With One Story

The Family Famine Series started with one story.

Then another story.

Then another story.

Finally, by 2014 I hope to have 120 new stories in the series.

But is that the end? Of course not.

Something as basic--and precious--as family relationships touch our souls with intensity.

Despite the new stories that will be part of this Family Famine Series, you could say that there is an "ancestral" story that has been the foundation even before I officially named this series.

As a sophomore in high school, I told my first official story entitled "Big Kihuo, Little Kihuo" from the Vakishamba people in Africa. At the time, I was fascinated by the not-so-happy-yet-satisfying ending. The father and son relationship also made me curious.

Since creating the Family Famine Series, I have returned to this story. As a student I connected with the adolescent Kihuo, the son. As a 30-year-old, I ponder more about the father--or at least about parents in general.

Yes, my husband and I do not have kids yet. We are in the middle of the adoption process. Though knowing that perhaps in the next six to twelve months we have have a little one in the home, I wonder what kind of relationship I will have with my children.

As they grow older, will I acknowledge their independence?

Will I provide room for their creativity to bloom?

Would they feel comfortable coming to me in need?

A story told shares more about the storyteller than the culture from which it came.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com/

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com/

Family Famine Series Site: http://www.familyfamine.com/
Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/rachelfans
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Road Trip for a Book: The Storyteller's Sourcebook

I explore several libraries with my most regular stops with the Salt Lake County Libraries and the Davis County Libraries.

Living in Layton, the Central Branch of Davis County is the closest one to me at about 10 minutes from my home whereas I tend to find the best selection at the Whitmore Branch of the Salt Lake County Library system after a 45-minute drive.

I assumed that the Central Branch would have a copy of the coveted book "The Storyteller's Sourcebook: A Subject, Title, and Motif Index to Folklore Collections for Children 1983-1999" edited by Margaret Read MacDonald and Brian W. Sturm.

There were some pages I needed to continue my research on possible opening stories for my premiere. I aimed for the Reference Juvenile Literature section as that was where I found it at the Weber County Library on November 19th. It was not there. I checked the computer to be sure. There was not a copy at any of the seven branches of the Davis County Library system!

I glanced at my watch. It was 5:35pm. The Weber County Library closed at 6:00pm on Saturdays.

I ran to my car and drove as fast as I could knowing it would take from 20-25 minutes to drive depending on traffic.

I forgot about the Christmas parade.

The road that headed east and usually taken to the library was closed due to the parade.

I headed more north, looking to east at every intersection to see if this part of the street was open. No luck. I wondered aloud, "How long is this parade?!"

By this time it was 5:53pm.

Finally, I saw where the parade ended and zoomed until I saw the blessed building: Weber County Library.

I did not care that I parked crooked. I was here. I bolted for the doors. I knew exactly where this book was and grabbed it from the shelf.

Then the copier had to be. . .temperamental (to put it nicely).

After a few battles and asking for a librarian's help, I made the copies of the pages in the book that listed all the motif codes in connection to family and folklore.

If you read a previous post, you may wonder I did not make copies of these pages as the book was in my hands on November 19th. My response would be "Why do we do or not do things?" Sometimes there is not a clear answer.

Yet I had the copies now and felt more prepared to find the opening story for the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" premiere.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Hansel & Gretel and Their Other "Homes"

While listening to the Hansel and Gretel opera created by Engelbert Humperdinck, my mind wandered into the story and then back to the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production.

Though the opera was sung in German, I was familiar with the tale and imagined what was happening. I realized that the Hansel and Gretel story had two elements: family abuse/abandonment and the lack/excess of food. Interestingly, the lady who sings for the Mother is often the same one to sing for the Gingerbread Witch.

Some people may think that the story involves a stepmother, though originally the mother was the one who sent the sent the two children into the forest to die. As this story was based on the Medieval times, it was not uncommon for parents to leave their children in the forest so there were less mouths to feed. Storytellers are aware that fairy tales have many elements of truth to them.

Though the Hansel and Gretel story intrigued me, I was not interested in telling the German version. I wanted to find a story with similar motifs and themes from another culture. The trick was to find a version that was authentic to the culture rather than being an adaptation of Hansel and Gretel that used another name.

Then "The Storyteller's Sourcebook: A Subject, Title, and Motif Index to Folklore Collections for Children 1983-1999" edited by Margaret Read MacDonald and Brian W. Sturm flashed to mind. At the time, only "The Storyteller's Sourcebook" was the title I remembered and the connection to MacDonald. When I arrived at the library, this book was in the Reference Juvenile Literature section.

The book used the Stith Thompson Motif Index, the enlarged version of classification of fairy tales, rather than the original Aarne Thompson Motif Index.

Since the Hansel and Gretel story was so common, I knew I could look up the title and see what motifs were listed. Then I noticed other categories where I may find other stories appropriate for the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production.

These were the codes found for Hansel and Gretel:

• G412.1.1
• Type 327A
• R135
• G526
• G512.3.2
• B469.4

These categories caught my attention:

• G400-G499 = Falling into Ogre's Power
  
• G500-G599 = Ogre Defeated
  
• C200-C299 = Eating and Drinking Tabu/Taboo
  
• T0-T699 = Family Life, which includes: Love (T0-T99), Marriage (T100-T199), Married Life (T200-T299), Chastity and Celibacy (T300-T399), Illicit Sexual Relation (T400-T499), Conception and Birth (T500-T599), and Care of Children (T600-T699)

Any combination of C200-299 with T0-T699 will likely be stories to pursue for the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production.

These codes and categories will act as my compass to find the other "homes" where stories like Hansel and Gretel may appear.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Latin Tales with the Right Aroma: Pantheon Books

I can never seem to leave a bookstore empty-handed. The trip to Barnes & Noble was no different.

The book that caught my eye was "Latin American Folktales: stories from Hispanic and Indian traditions" edited by John Bierhorst. When I saw it was published by Pantheon Books, I knew I had struck gold. Books from this publisher have fantastic notes in the back on each of the stories and even lists the Aarne-Thompson (At) Motif-Index.

I became more fully aware of this fact due to my Storytelling Masters program at East Tennessee State University. More specifically, Dr. Joseph D. Sobol urged two publishers when considering collections of folktales: Pantheon Books and the University of Chicago Press.

With guides to the AT, then I could be guided to other version or variants of any stories that I would want to add to the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production.

As I scanned the Table of Contents, I searched for titles of stories that may suggest family relationships as the center focus. Not all can be gained from titles, but it is a start. If it had family connections as well as references to food or famine, then it intrigued me more.

These are some that caught my attention first:

• "Mother and Daughter" from Columbia, yet only half a page so it would be hard to develop
  
• "The Witch Wife" from Columbia, which reveals the strange eating habits of the man's wife and the consequences for the husband when he discovered why
• "The Three Sisters" from Columbia, where three sisters said who they would marry and the kinds of foods they would expect from each husband

I need to read the whole book, though sometimes research and story development means I cannot read from cover to cover as I would prefer.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Trek for "This is the Right Place" Venue

I have yet to announce an official venue for the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production premiere on February 9, 2009.



One thing is certain--I will perform at Brigham Young University.

Now I have set an additional date. My trek to the BYU campus will be on Tuesday, October 21st. I will already be in the area as some storytelling friends, Wendy Gourley and Nannette Watts, are performing in combination with the Utah Valley University Contemporary Dance team in Orem, UT (neighboring city to Provo).

While at BYU, I do not expect to have a place reserved though I do hope to meet the people over scheduling. Depending on the costs to reserve the place, I may need to secure sponsors.

While on campus, I will also attempt to meet with:
1. Family Science professors
2. Folklore professors, including the two who have been advisers for the BYU Storytelling Club since I jumpstarted it in 1998
3. Humanities professors
4. Education professors
5. Art professors
6. Theatre Media professors
7. Current BYU Storytelling Club President

I will likely have a follow-up day to return to the BYU campus for the professors I cannot see on Tuesday.

Though I am a proponent for the use of technology for networking, I still place the most value in meeting people face-to-face. Once I have met someone, then I feel more comfortable communicating through mail, telephone, and email.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

"Message in a Bottle" approach to Story Marketing

Instead of throwing a bottle into the sea and hoping someone will respond by mail, the Internet has transformed how people can communicate through chain objects in what has been dubbed "serial collaborations".

I am convinced of the marketing potential in these trends.


Have you heard of any of the following?--

• BookCrossing
• Geocaching
• Letter Boxing
• Flat Stanley
• Travel Mascots
• Where's George?
• Travel Bugs
• Roaming Gnomes

Rather than dreaming of the places that your object has traveled, ID numbers are connected to the item before being "set free" so that when people find them, they can register it online.

My Dad and brother have GPS systems and so they occasionally geocache. Sometimes Mom goes along if the quest sounds exciting enough. I went once with my parents.

I was amazed to discover the different types of serial collaborations as shared by Lynne McNeill while at the "Metamorphoses: An International Colloquium on Narrative and Folklore" on the University of Utah campus held from October 2-5. She is a professor of English and Folklore from Utah State University and presented her paper "Message in a Bottle: The Unspoken Narrative of Serial Collaboration." She has also written "Portable Places: Serial Collaboration and the Creation of a New Sense of Place" published through Western Folklore in Summer 2007, which you can find here.

The intrigue lies in that the communication is blindly put out in the world in search of another like-minded individual. McNeill saw the interaction as "serendipitous and meaningful but not burdensome" as communicating with strangers does not require any maintenance of the friendship.

My mind raced as how storytellers could use these serial collaborations to promote the art, or even a specific program such as my "Family Famine: Hunger for Love."

As I gather more stories and decide what ones will be shared for my narrative production, I would like to publish a book. Whether it would be self-published or done through a publishing company is yet to be seen. However, if I were to "release" the book through BookCrossings, I could watch its travels around the world and receive comments as to the stories within.

I asked McNeill, "Wouldn't it be great if there were more books of folktale collections out there?" She nodded her head and could tell the direction I was going with it.

If we worry that kids or even adults are reading as much of these folktales as we would like, why not send some out through BookCrossings? If each storyteller put out at least one book and each book reaches at least 10 people, can you see the potential?

I would urge the same idea for any storyteller/author. Every time you publish a book, send at least one copy through BookCrossings. You could even "release" the books from different spots as you tour. People would comment after reading it and perhaps these comments could be used for marketing materials.

This idea has a fun factor that, if done by many storytellers, could transform into a phenomenon.

Now I challenge you to think of the other types of serial collaborations listed above and think how a storyteller could apply them.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Orphans in Folklore--A Comparative Study

At some point we have all felt isolated or alone. For some of us, this thought is fleeting while for others it is a fact of life. . .at least until we discover our families.

It is not surprising that folklore has reflected these feelings.

MyLinda Butterworth, dear friend from East Tennessee State University Storytelling Master's Program, emailed me a link to the article "From Folktales to Fiction: Orphan Characters in Children's Literature" published by Melanie A. Kimball through Library Trends of the Winter 1999 edition. The bibliography alone is worth the read, though this comparative study also shares the patterns found among orphan tales.

Kimball stated that the orphan is the "quintessential outcast, operates in isolation, and thus makes the perfect hero figure."

The orphan is many times the victim of hostile actions from verbal abuse, physical abuse, emotional trauma, and even treat of death. Fortunately, any mistreatment usually is answered by punishment for the offender.

In the meantime of having justice, the orphan is forced to face obstacles alone without having a family member to say, "Come with me." or "Things will be all right." Although, the spirit of the dead mother, which embodies the essence of love, provides some form of supernatural help.

Kimball observed that instead of the orphan leaving home to become independent, the orphan is "finding a home after coming from nothing."

Much more was shared by Kimball's article and I encourage you to read it. As for me, I will review the bibliography and see what books can help in research for the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production.

Thank you, MyLinda, for the lead!

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Soucouyants, Ezili Freda & other Caribbean Tales

Caribbean folklore is intriguing as I know little of this culture or of the supernatural figures that abound in it.

European, African, and many North American stories (excluding Caribbean) are commonly found in the repertoire of most of the storytellers I know, to include myself.

I absorbed what several professors shared at the "Metamorphoses: An International Colloquium on Narrative and Folklore"on the University of Utah campus held from October 2-5, 2008.

However, my hand and wrist seemed unable to capture all the notes desired from the paper "Caribbean Animal-Human Metamorphosis and (Post) Colonial Agency" presented by Aliyah Khan, Professor of Caribbean Literature and Postcolonial Theory from University of California--Santa Cruz. My unfamiliarity with the culture crippled my speed.

I approached Khan and asked if she had recommendations of Caribbean folklore to research that related to the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" narrative production. She was kind to share a couple ideas. She was also willing to confirm authenticity of Caribbean culture in relation to any story I decided to tell.

Two supernatural figures require more research:

• Soucouyant--Old woman, mainly from Trinidad/Tobago areas, who transforms into a ball of fire by night to suck the blood of animals and humans, especially babies.

The Soucouyant often targets babies who are born a few nights previous. If the mother does not watch, then the baby may die. Some ways to protect are to wrap the baby in blue (references to water) or to scatter rice as the Soucouyant cannot leave until all the grains are counted. If she still is in her ball of fire form after sunrise, then she is destroyed. This could be a mother/child relationship piece for "Family Famine: Hunger for Love".

• Ezili Freda--A light-skinned Creole woman, from Haiti area, that is the Vodou goddess of love and luxury. She is doomed to unrequited love and she is often pictured with her heart pierced with a knife.

As the embodiment of femininity, there is the potential of finding stories that talk of fertility and barrenness and from there leads to motherhood.


To explore more about Caribbean tales, here are some sites:

• Bibliography from American Museum of Natural History
  
• The Franklin H. Williams Caribbean Cultural Center (no stories, though place to make connections)
• Wikipedia Caribbean folklore
  

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller