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

Club Vision: "Do I Sound All Right to You?"

Every so often I receive a call from Club Vision, a group of people who are blind and meet three times a week for lunch and entertainment at the Elks Lodge.

I hoped that I would receive a call and be able to schedule a time with them to practice one of my premiere stories.

My wish was granted.

I asked, "You know how normally I tell stories for an hour and then I'm done? I wondered if I could tell one big story and receive feedback instead."

"Sure."

The "big story" was the Colombian tale The Gardener's Wife. I hoped Holly Robison's schedule would be free so the harmony and songs could be shared in the way it would at the premiere.

She was.

Then I thought about my gestures and movements. I still wanted to tell it with these elements though most of my audience would not be able to see them.

I needed the story to be physically remembered as well as to the images and plot within it.

When the focus was on the Gardener's Wife, then I sat down. When it was in the palace with the King and Queen, then I stood up.

Yet, for today, the test was on the sound.

Could the story be strong enough without the visuals?

Though, my own hearing was crazy.

You may remember the post when my left ear seemed clogged. I had to rely on sound from my right ear.

Well, when we got to a part in The Gardener's Wife where the Girl "ooooo"s while on the Quest, I could not hear Holly.

I thought she missed it so I asked afterward, "Why didn't you "ooooo" at that one part?"

"I did!" she laughingly stressed.

Hmmm. And with the premiere in a few days, I did not see any moment to schedule a doctor's appointment.

Despite my lack of hearing, my audience heard well.

Most of their compliments was on the songs. They loved the harmony.

One person mentioned that the story seemed repetitive.

That comment made me smile because stories usually have things repeat at least three times. It is part of story structure.

The person did not elaborate whether "repetition" was a good thing or a bad thing.

I took it as a good sign when a lady asked more about the premiere. Though she heard one of the three stories, she seemed interested to attend the whole event.

I gladly shared the information.

Wow. The premiere is only five days away.

My internal countdown clock must have its "ticks" and "tocks" connected to my heart.

Maybe the people at Club Vision heard that, too!

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

Jr High Results are In (Period 7 of 7): The Changeling

These are the results of period seven (out of seven periods) at Snowcrest Junior High School.

It was through the help of Denae Palm, an intern from Weber State University, that we had these school sessions scheduled in the first place.

The "deal" was that after I told the story, then each student would receive an index card to answer the following questions--
1. What images or pictures were in your head as you heard the stories?
2. What emotions/moods were felt in the story?
3. What theme or "moral of the story" would you create after hearing the story?
4. What story scene did you like the best?

The Changeling Feedback Results from Period 7:

Images/Pictures

• Baby ||||
  
• Mother/Mrs. Sullivan |||
  
• Changeling/Ugly Baby |||||||
  
• Market |
  
• Grey Ellen's House ||
  
• Church |||
  
• Fireplace and Fire |||
  
• Bridge ||
• Rocky Path ||
  
• Mrs. Lynch's Boy ||
• Clinging to Skirt ||
  
• Fairies |
  
• Poker |||
  

Emotions/Moods

• Happy ||||||||||
• Sad |||||||||||
• Excited |
• Confused |
• Anger ||
• Mystery ||
  

Theme/Moral of the Story

• Don't think too highly of something.
• Trust people.
• Don't have too much pride.
• Don't brag. |||||
• Don't think too highly of your baby.
• Listen to people.
• Be grateful for what you have.
• Don't trade your baby for a fairy.
• Be humble.
• Don't praise out loud.
  

Favorite Scene

• Mrs. Sullivan showing off her Baby |
  
• Mrs. Sullivan with Mrs. Flanagan and her Flailing Arms ||
  
• Neighbor Responses ||
  
• Mrs. Sullivan talking with Grey Ellen for wisdom |
  
• Cracking Eggs on Floor/Brewing Eggshells |
  
• Cackling from the Changeling and revealing of Age ||
  
• Mrs. Sullivan trips with Poker to put down Changeling's throat ||||
  
• Changeling switched back for Baby |||||
  

Other Comments:

• "I did not like the mother of the child. She made me grumpy."
• "I pictures stories/books very easily. So this was easy to picture. You are a great storyteller!"
• "Thank you!" (with smiley face)
• "I thought that I must have been like that."
  

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

Jr High Results are In (Period 6 of 7): The Changeling

These are the results of period six (out of seven periods) at Snowcrest Junior High School.

It was through the help of Denae Palm, an intern from Weber State University, that we had these school sessions scheduled in the first place.

The "deal" was that after I told the story, then each student would receive an index card to answer the following questions--
1. What images or pictures were in your head as you heard the stories?
2. What emotions/moods were felt in the story?
3. What theme or "moral of the story" would you create after hearing the story?
4. What story scene did you like the best?

The Changeling Feedback Results from Period 6:

Images/Pictures

• Baby ||||||||||||||||||||||
  
• Mother/Mrs. Sullivan ||||||||
  
• Changeling/Ugly Baby ||||||||
  
• Mrs. Flanagan
  
• Neighbors
  
• Market ||
  
• Old Lady/Grey Ellen ||
• Grey Ellen's House ||||
  
• Church |
  
• Thatched-roof House ||||||||
• Hen House |
  
• Fireplace and Fire ||
  
• Bridge |
  
• Village
  
• Mrs. Lynch's Boy
  
• Fairies |
  
• Eggs and Eggshells |||||||||||
• Blue Eyes |
• Flailing Arms ||
• Pot |||
• Wonderful Thoughts |
• Clouds |
  

Emotions/Moods

• Scared |||||||
• Happy ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Mad, Anger ||||
• Annoyed ||||
• Sad |||||||||||||||||||||
• Confused ||
• Worried ||
• Proud ||
• Anxious |
• Preoccupied |
• Interested, Entertained ||||
• Tired |
  
• Loving ||
• Boastful |
• Relaxed |
• Creepy |
• Funny |
• Surprised |
• Weird ||||
• Cool |
• Desperation |
• Guilt |
• Denial |
• Exasperated |
• Depressed |
  

Theme/Moral of the Story

• Don't brag./Don't be too proud. |||||||||||||||||||||||
• What comes around goes around.
• Don't always go looking for good things when it might be bad.
• Listen to others that want to help.
  
• Don't brag too much or people might start thinking bad things.
• Don't take pride in your things.
• Listen to others. ||
• Loving out loud serves no purpose.
• Never show off your baby./Don't brag about your baby. |||
  
• You don't need to show off your stuff. ||
  
• Don't ask everyone what they think when you can do it yourself.
• If you talk about your babies, fairies will come and get it.
• Don't take pride in everything./Don't brag about everything. ||
• If your baby gets kidnapped, do whatever it takes to get it back.
• Don't be an arrogate and seek out others' compliments.
  

Favorite Scene

• Birth of Mrs. Sullivan's Baby |
  
• Mrs. Sullivan showing off her Baby |
  
• Mrs. Sullivan with Mrs. O'Malley in Church |
• Mrs. Sullivan with Mrs. Flanagan and her Flailing Arms |||
  
• Baby was switched for Changeling |||||
  
• Attempts for Mrs. Sullivan to get her Baby back ||
  
• Mrs. Sullivan talking with Grey Ellen for wisdom ||
  
• Cracking Eggs on Floor/Brewing Eggshells |||||||||
  
• Cackling from the Changeling and revealing of Age ||||
  
• Mrs. Sullivan trips with Poker to put down Changeling's throat ||||||
  
• Changeling switched back for Baby |||||||||||||||
  

Other Comments:

• "Rocks!!!!!!!!!! How long have you been storytelling?"
• "I like your hat."
• "I liked in the church with Mrs. O'Malley. She reminds me of my grandma."
• "U R so good!"
• "You have a cool hat."
  

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

Jr High Results are In (Period 5 of 7): The Gardener's Wife

These are the results of period five (out of seven periods) at Snowcrest Junior High School.

It was through the help of Denae Palm, an intern from Weber State University, that we had these school sessions scheduled in the first place.

The "deal" was that after I told the story, then each student would receive an index card to answer the following questions--
1. What images or pictures were in your head as you heard the stories?
2. What emotions/moods were felt in the story?
3. What theme or "moral of the story" would you create after hearing the story?
4. What story scene did you like the best?

The Gardener's Wife Feedback Results from Period 5:

Images/Pictures

• Baby coming down Winding River |||||||||
  
• Hermit |||
  
• Dancing Tree |||
  
• Talking Bird ||||
  
• Water ||
  
• River |||||||||||||
  
• Village ||
  
• Pearls from the Squash |
  
• Boys as Crystal Balls |||
  
• Gardener's Wife |||
  
• Husband |
  
• Garden |||||
  
• Mountain |||
  
• 3 Sisters |
  
• 2 Boys ||||||
  
• Girl ||||||
  
• King |
  
• Kingdom ||||||
  
• Gossip Lady |
  
• Dog |
  
• Cat |
  
• Stick |
  
• House |||
• Clearing ||
• Jungle ||
  

Emotions/Moods

• Happy |||||||||||||||||||||
  
• Curious |
• Sad ||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Touching |||
• Loving ||||
• Shocked |
• Surprised ||||
• Excited ||
• Puzzled |
• Anger, Mad ||||||||
• Anxious |
• Disappointment |
• Scared |
• Joy |
• Amused |
• Tired |
• Interested |
• Hopeful |
• Emptiness |
• Envy |
• Curious |
• Humorous |
  

Theme/Moral of the Story

• Everyone has someone who loves you.
• Don't let your sisters deliver your baby if they're jealous of you.
• Everyone has somebody who loves them.
• At least one person loves you. No one can take that away.
• If you put your mind to something and listen to others, you can accomplish or get anything.
• Be happy with what you have and good things will come. ||||
• Sadness can turn into happiness.
• Don't be selfish.
• Be happy and try to make things better.
• Don't feel jealous.
• Accept what you're given, even in disappointment, in life.
• Don't switch babies.
• Good things come to those who wait.
• Everyone can help each other. ||
• Don't get mean or you'll get in trouble.
• Don't stop dreaming. Never give up.
• Whether you have a child or not, you can still be happy.
• Do not listen to the voices in a harsh way.
• Everyone's a family.
• Be happy with what you are given because someday you will get much more.
• Be careful what you ask for.
• Always have faith in everything and that good things will come.
  

Favorite Scene

• Beginning--Gardener's Wife looking out |
  
• Gossip Lady shares the news to Gardener's Wife |
  
• Baby was switched for Dog, Cat, or Stick |||
  
• King and Queen reactions to switch ||
  
• Baby coming down Winding River and loved by Gardener & Wife |||
  
• Gardener's Wife sings to Baby and/or Grandchildren ||
  
• Toddler got into the Garden |
  
• Quest for the 3 items |||||||
  
• Boys transformed into Crystal Balls ||
  
• Girl saved the two Boys ||||||||
  
• Pearls spilling from the Squash |
  
• The End--when everyone is happy and reunited ||
  

Other Comments:

• "I loved all of the story. All great."
• "Favorite scene? All of it."
• "What happened to the dog, cat, and stick?"
• "Those are eerie sisters."
• "Beautiful."
• "There are actually evil sisters."
• "P.S. I loved the story!!"
• "What happened to the stick, dog, and cat?"
• "I felt happy for the women."
  

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

Jr High Results are In (Period 4 of 7): The Gardener's Wife

These are the results of period four (out of seven periods) at Snowcrest Junior High School.

It was through the help of Denae Palm, an intern from Weber State University, that we had these school sessions scheduled in the first place.

The "deal" was that after I told the story, then each student would receive an index card to answer the following questions--
1. What images or pictures were in your head as you heard the stories?
2. What emotions/moods were felt in the story?
3. What theme or "moral of the story" would you create after hearing the story?
4. What story scene did you like the best?

The Gardener's Wife Feedback Results from Period 4:

Images/Pictures

• Baby coming down Winding River ||
  
• Talking Bird |||||
  
• Dancing Tree |||||
  
• Leaping Water ||||
  
• Pearls from the Squash ||||
  
• Boys as Crystal Balls |
  
• Gardener's Wife ||
  
• River |||||||||||||
• 2 Boys ||||||||
  
• Girl ||||||||
• Dog ||
• Cat |||
• Stick ||
• House ||
• Village |
• Quest |
• Garden |||
• Hermit |
• Orange Blossoms and Orange Tree |
• 3 Sisters |
  

Emotions/Moods

• Happy |||||||||||||||||
• Anxious |
• Laughter |
• Mad, Anger ||
• Sad ||||||||||||
• Excited ||||||
• Loving |
• Loneliness |
• Surprise |
• Shocked |
• Worried |
• Greed |
  

Theme/Moral of the Story

• Do not take for granted what you have.
• Never lie, cheat, or steal. ||
  
• The power of love.
• Don't steal your sister's kids. ||
  
• You are always loved.
• You should love all things.
• Be kind to people when they help you like how the queen let the lady move into the castle.
• Don't lie. ||
  
• Always keep believing.
• Love can come from anyone.
• Be careful for what you do in life.
• Be careful what you wish for. |||
• Don't steal children.
• Kindness to others. ||
  

Favorite Scene

• Beginning--Gardener's Wife looking out |
  
• Gossip Lady shares the news to Gardener's Wife |||
  
• Baby was switched for Dog, Cat, or Stick ||||||
  
• Baby coming down Winding River and loved by Gardener & Wife |
  
• Quest for the 3 items ||
  
• Meeting the Hermit ||||
  
• Girl saved the two Boys ||||||
  
• The Speaking Bird to the King ||
  
• The End--when everyone is happy and reunited |
  

Other Comments:

• "I saw pretty much everything. You were a wonderful storyteller."
• "I liked it. The dog, cat, and stick babies were funny, but I expected the stick to be a duck."
  

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

Jr High Results are In (Period 3 of 7): Forsaken Brother

These are the results of period three (out of seven periods) at Snowcrest Junior High School.

It was through the help of Denae Palm, an intern from Weber State University, that we had these school sessions scheduled in the first place.

The "deal" was that after I told the story, then each student would receive an index card to answer the following questions--
1. What images or pictures were in your head as you heard the stories?
2. What emotions/moods were felt in the story?
3. What theme or "moral of the story" would you create after hearing the story?
4. What story scene did you like the best?

***Please note that as I knew Forsaken Brother would be a sad story, and you never want to begin or end on a sad note, then I told a two-minute funny story at the beginning and then a five-minute happy/tender story at the end. However, the questions were geared for the middle story.

Forsaken Brother Feedback Results from Period 3:

Images/Pictures

• Boy ||||||||||||||||
• Wolves ||||||||||||||||||
• Boy turning Wolf ||||||||||||||||||||
  
• Lodge ||
• Dying Father ||||||||
• Dying Mother |||||||
• Sister ||||||||||
• Brother |||||||||||
• Lake ||||||
• Canoe |||
• Basket ||||
• Raw Meat ||||||||||
• Food ||||||
• Torch ||
• Snow |||
• Maple Tree |||||
• Fish |
• Spear |
• Wind |
• Trees |||
• Planting Seeds ||
• Village ||
• Mountains |
  

Emotions/Moods

• Sad |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Starvation, Hunger |||||||||||
• Happy |||||||||||||||
• Guilt, Regret |||
• Loneliness |||||||||
• Revenge |
• Emptiness ||||
• Curious, Interested ||
• Excited |
• Mysterious |
• Maddening |
• Loving, Caring |||
• Scared ||
• Depressing |
• Mourning |
• Grim |
• Calm, Relaxed |
• Eerie |
• Confused |
  

Theme/Moral of the Story

• If you ignore someone, they will eventually change and slip away from you.
• Love your family. ||
• Don't trust anyone.
• If you make a promise, keep your promise. ||||||||||
  
• You turn into what you hang out with.
• Care for one another. ||
  
• Never leave your family alone when they are sick.
• Be kind to everyone. |||
• Never leave another behind. ||
  
• Don't leave anyone out./Include everyone. |||
  
• Never forget your promise.
• No matter what know your family will always love you.
• People leave each other all the time.
• Don't forget anyone; happy when you remember and sad when you forget. ||
  
• Pay attention to your brother so he doesn't turn into a wolf.
• Pay attention to who you are with.
• Don't forget about the ones you love.
• Learn to take care of yourself.
• To try your best to eat right and not starve, and you can become someone else.
• Even though your family can be mean or you don't like them, in the end you always love them.
• Stay with your family.
• Obey your parents and you won't be in trouble.
• Don't take what you have for granted.
• Don't turn your back.
• This is a family that needs help.
• If you do it too much you turn into it, like the boy eating with the wolves.
• Pay attention to people.
• Don't lose yourself.
• Love your brother.
• Don't be rude./Don't be mean. ||
• Don't leave people alone.
• Don't be stubborn.
• Everything changes, and some things are changed in ways that you may never expect

Favorite Scene

• Sister and Brother make promise, Family together |||
  
• Sister cares for Boy in Springtime |
  
• Boy waits for Sister |
  
• Boy under or within Maple Tree |
  
• Boy crawling for Raw Meat |
  
• Boy accepted by the Wolves, let him eat ||||||||||
  
• Brother fishing and then recognizes the Boy on shore |||||
  
• Brother rushes to Boy as transforms ||
• Boy chants to Brother ||||
  
• Boy transforms into Wolf |||||||||||||||||||
  
• Sister mourns the Broken Promise ||
  

Other Comments:

• "Some kept me on the edge of my seat."
• "I learned how werewolves came to be. Haha."
• "Can you find the stories on the web?"
• "I picture stories/books in my head all the time. So I saw everything clearly. You are a great storyteller."
• "My favorite scene is when the boy turns into a wolf. I could just see it. It was great."
• "How did you learn how to play the guitar like that and how much did it cost?"
• "Very good detail. Keep doing what you are doing."
• "The music was amazing. Great voice!"
• "Great detail! UR really good! Gr8 story! I love UR stories." (with some smiley faces)
• "I thought your actions and the background music was really good."
• "I saw the whole story and details you told. I bet you sing well. Josh plays that thing really good."
• "I pictured a bunch of wolves around a carcass pretty good because I have seen it before except there were flies. That was my favorite part, too. Don't ask why. Maybe it's cuz I am vegetarian."
• "I could picture everything okay, and I was able to see the background and the characters."

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

Jr High Results are In (Period 2 of 7): Forsaken Brother

These are the results of period two (out of seven periods) at Snowcrest Junior High School.

It was through the help of Denae Palm, an intern from Weber State University, that we had these school sessions scheduled in the first place.

The "deal" was that after I told the story, then each student would receive an index card to answer the following questions--
1. What images or pictures were in your head as you heard the stories?
2. What emotions/moods were felt in the story?
3. What theme or "moral of the story" would you create after hearing the story?
4. What story scene did you like the best?

***Please note that as I knew Forsaken Brother would be a sad story, and you never want to begin or end on a sad note, then I told a two-minute funny story at the beginning and then a five-minute happy/tender story at the end. However, the questions were geared for the middle story.

Forsaken Brother Feedback Results from Period 2:

Images/Pictures

• Boy ||||||||
  
• Boy turning Wolf |||||||
• Village People |
• Wolves |||||||||||
• Raw Meat |||
• Dying Father ||
• Dying Mother ||
• Winter-Maker ||
• Field |
• Forest |
• Snow ||
• The Eyes |
• Maple Tree |||
• Lodge |
• Brother ||||
• Lake ||
• Canoe |||
• Sister |
  

Emotions/Moods

• Sad |||||||||||||||
• Happy |||
• Sorrow |
• Depression |
• Confused |
• Loneliness |||||
• Serious ||
• Neutral |||
• Relaxed |||
• Inspired |
  

Theme/Moral of the Story

• Keep your promises. ||||||
• Don't trust your brothers or sisters.
  
• Love your family. ||
• Keep your promises or you'll lose the ones you love.
• Don't turn your back on each other.
• Be honest and loyal to your parents.
• Be nice to your brother.
• If someone is dying and you tell them to keep a promise, keep that promise.
• You should help other people out.
• Be loyal to your family.
• Listen to your parents.
• Never leave your brother alone or else you might lose him.
• We need to try hard to love our family.
• Don't turn your back on each other.
• The sister shouldn't have left them.
• You are not supposed to leave family. ||
  
• Stay with family and love them. Things change.
  

Favorite Scene

• Boy confronts Blizzard |
  
• Boy under or within Maple Tree |
  
• Winter-Maker sweating after drinking Soup |||
• Boy crawling for Raw Meat ||
  
• Boy accepted by the Wolves, let him eat |||||
• Brother fishing on the Lake ||
  
• Boy transforms into Wolf |||||||||||||
• Boy chants to his Brother |
  
• Boy-turned-Wolf follows the other Wolves |
  

Other Comments:

• "Your performance was breathtaking."
• "Is it hard to tell that story in front of people? How do you get into a profession like that?"
• "In the Forsaken Brother story, it didn't really make sense to me that the mother and father died and made the sister and brother promise to not forsake each other or something like that. No one would just leave their family and come back, so I personally didn't like the story that much. It just didn't make sense to me."
• "I couldn't really relate to the stories and I lost interest."
• "How long have you been telling stories? (to Rachel) How long have you been playing guitar? (to Joshua)"
• "Do you like your jobs? (to Rachel and Joshua)"
• "When did you start storytelling?"
• "How long did it take Josh to learn his guitar part for the story?"
• "How do you make your guitar do that?"
• "I saw a little boy hungry. Ready to die until he saw a pack of wolves."
• "Interesting how the boy turned into the wolf."

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

Jr High Results are In (Period 1 of 7): Forsaken Brother

These are the results of period one (out of seven periods) at Snowcrest Junior High School.

It was through the help of Denae Palm, an intern from Weber State University, that we had these school sessions scheduled in the first place.

The "deal" was that after I told the story, then each student would receive an index card to answer the following questions--
1. What images or pictures were in your head as you heard the stories?
2. What emotions/moods were felt in the story?
3. What theme or "moral of the story" would you create after hearing the story?
4. What story scene did you like the best?

***Please note that as I knew Forsaken Brother would be a sad story, and you never want to begin or end on a sad note, then I told a two-minute funny story at the beginning and then a five-minute happy/tender story at the end. However, the questions were geared for the middle story.

Forsaken Brother Feedback Results from Period 1:

Images/Pictures

• Blizzard ||
• Boy ||||||||
• Raw Meat |||||
• Boy turning into Wolf ||||
• Lake ||||
• Wolves |||||||||||||
• Maple Tree |||||||
• Dying Father |||
• Mother |||
• Sister |||
• Brother ||||
• Forest |||
• Village |||
• Basket |
• Fish |
• Deer |
• Lodge ||
• Flap of the Lodge |
• Soup |
• Winter-Maker |
• Fire ||
  

Emotions/Moods

• Sad |||||||||||||||||||
• Caring |
• Anticipation |
• Mystery |
• Surprised |
• Sorry |
• Depressed |
• Angry ||
• Happy |||
• Loneliness |
• Mourning |
• Intense, Excitement |||
• Failure, Loss |
• Joy ||
  

Theme/Moral of the Story

• You should listen to what your parents tell you.
• Don't forget about the ones you love. ||
  
• Losing a brother.
• They disobeyed their father and then everything went wrong cause they didn't listen.
  
• Never leave family behind./Stay with your family. ||||
• When you lose a family member you can mourn but you should not mourn forever.
• Obey your parents. ||
  
• Don't leave people alone. ||
  
• If you make a promise, keep it. |||||
• Always listen and do what you are supposed to do so you don't fail.
• If you need food and love, find something that will help you get through.
• Don't get separated from family.
• Appreciate your family.
  

Favorite Scene

• Sister looks into Boy's eyes |
• Boy eating out of Basket ||
• Boy confronts Blizzard |
  
• Boy under or within Maple Tree ||
  
• Winter-Maker sweating after drinking Soup ||
• Boy crawling for Raw Meat ||
  
• Brother rushes to Boy as transforms ||||
  
• Boy transforms into Wolf ||||||||||
• Boy-turned-Wolf follows the other Wolves ||
• Brother searches for Sister at the Village |
  
• Sister mourns the Broken Promise |
  

Other Comments:

• "It was just a cool story for me, mostly."
• "Well, you need to keep promises made. I mean, if the brother and sister did, the boy probably wouldn't have become a wolf."
• "Thanks, you guys, for coming. It was awesome."
• "I loved all of it!! When did you start to love telling stories?"
• "Rachel, are those the only stories you tell? What other ones do you tell? Thanks so much for coming!"
• "How long does it take to get all of the music and memorize the story???"
• "Happy my brother's not a wolf!"

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

Another Jr High School: "I'll be here all day!"

Guitarist Joshua Payne traveled 27.67 miles to my house and then we carpooled 29.78 miles to Snowcrest Junior High School.

And we woke up really early so we could kick-off the practices at 7:45am.

Between the Wahlquist and Snowcrest Junior Highs, I have chalked up a couple hold-your-eyes-open-with-toothpick days.

It was worth it because today would be our chance to tell seven different times, three of which would be with Joshua Payne for the Forsaken Brother story. Then I would continue with the two sessions with The Gardener's Wife story and two sessions with The Changeling story.

Tia Shaw and Marci Chapman, the two teachers who arranged the gathering with the students, showed us a classroom with a raised up stage.

Perfect!

It was through the help of Denae Palm, an intern from Weber State University, that we had these school sessions scheduled in the first place.

Results from:

• Period 1--Forsaken Brother
  
• Period 2--Forsaken Brother
  
• Period 3--Forsaken Brother
  
• Period 4--The Gardener's Wife
  
• Period 5--The Gardener's Wife
  
• Period 6--The Changeling
  
• Period 7--The Changeling

I was thrilled to have so many practices in one day. All the premiere stories were tested.

I admit that I was surprised in the amount given for the donations.

It seems there must have been a misunderstanding. I had asked Denae Palm to communicate with the schools that each session would be $50 since it was a practice rather than $200 for my normal rate.

Snowcrest Junior High must have heard "$50" and did not think about the multiple times I was telling.

That meant I was expecting $350 in donations.

Instead, I got $50. . .for the whole day.

Again, I was happy to be able to practice, but I was counting on that money to help with the other expenses related to the premiere.

I knew that I was polished and did just as well as if it was labeled as an "official performance".

I let the reduced amount pass, though I did tell the school what I normally would be paid.

The $50 was justified as the same price for be a substitute teacher for the day.

I thought I put many more hours than what a substitute would in preparation alone!

Oh well. I will chalk it up for "misunderstanding".

Did I mention I was happy to have the chance to practice and get the feedback?

Crazy enough, it was during one of the Forsaken Brother sessions that Joshua broke a string on his guitar.

Rather than replacing the string, he discovered that the sounds had a more eerie sound, which worked for the Ojibwa tale.

He promised to not replace the string for the premiere, too.

Seems like it was meant to be for that string to break!

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

Elementary School Practice: Surprise Results & Check

I was honored to tell for the 5th graders for being "best behaved" of the upper elementary grades at Bates Elementary School.

Singer and story buddy Holly Robison met me at the school as she would harmonize for two songs within the Colombian story The Gardener's Wife.

Thank you to Denae Palm, an intern from Weber State University, for scheduling school practices such as this one.

The "deal" was that after I told the story, then each student would receive an index card to answer the following questions--


1. What images or pictures were in your head as you heard the stories?
2. What emotions/moods were felt in the story?
3. What theme or "moral of the story" would you create after hearing the story?
4. What story scene did you like the best?

Feedback Results:

Images/Pictures

• Baby coming down Winding River |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Hermit |||||
  
• Tree with Talking Bird and Water ||||||||||||||||||
• Mule ||
• River ||||||||||||||||||
• Forest |
  
• Village |||
• Pearls from the Squash |||||||||||
• Boys as Crystal Balls |||||||||
• Gardener's Wife ||||||||||||
• Husband ||||
• Garden |||||||||
• Mountain ||||||||||||||
• 3 Sisters |||||
• 2 Boys ||
• Girl |||||
• Queen ||||||
• King |
• Kingdom |||||||
• Gossip Lady ||
• Dog |||
  
• Cat |
• Stick ||

Emotions/Moods

• Excited ||||||||||
• Calm, Peaceful |||||||||||||||||
• Happy, Joyful ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  
• Sad |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Lonely ||
• Curiosity |
• Beautiful |
  
• Magic |
• Jealousy ||||
• Annoyed |
• Un-loved |
• Mad, Anger ||||||||||
• Confused ||
• Scared ||
• Disappointed |
• Resentment |
• Laughing |
• Surprised |

Theme/Moral of the Story

• Appreciate what you have./Love what you have. ||||||||
• Do not ever believe you can give birth to a stick.
• Don't be in such a hurry.
• Listen. ||
  
• A family is a family.
• Never trust your sisters. |||||
  
• If you wait long enough you will get what you want.
• A wish may come true.
• Your parents love you no matter what.
• Do not hurt people's feelings.
• The sister should have lived and the queen forgive them.
• Be more careful. ||
  
• You will always have a family.
• Do what you have to do.
• The oldest isn't always the best.
• It does not matter what happens. You are a family.
• Even if you do not know your parents, you still love them.
• Everything will eventually be all right. ||
  
• A family is a family no matter what.
• Don't trick or you'll pay for it.
• You are loved no matter what.
• Plan things out wisely.
• Take what you have.
• Let it always be a good day.
• Honesty is important. Dishonesty can kill you.
• Everyone is loved no matter what.
• Everyone has a family.
• To tell about adopted kids. ||
• Be thankful for your family.
• Joy is contagious.
• Always stay calm in tough situations.
• Don't have sisters.
• Don't switch a baby.
• Love your parents.
• A family that was split up but get together again.

Favorite Scene

• Beginning--Gardener's Wife looking out |||||
• Gossip Lady shares the news to Gardener's Wife ||
• Baby was switched for Dog, Cat, or Stick |||||
• Baby coming down Winding River and loved by Gardener & Wife ||||||||||
• Gardener's Wife sings to Baby and/or Grandchildren ||||||
• Baby Girl was born ||
• Quest for the 3 items ||||||
• Meeting the Hermit |||
• Angry Boy |
• Cup of Blood to warn that something was wrong ||
  
• Girl was humming while on Mule ||
  
• Boys transformed into Crystal Balls ||||||
• Crystal Balls turned back into Boys |
• Girl saved the two Boys |||||
• Pearls spilling from the Squash ||||||||
• The Speaking Bird to the King ||
• Two Sisters get caught for their crimes |
• The End--when everyone is happy and reunited |||
  

Other Comments:

• "I felt like I was there."
• "I liked your singing. You sing good. You are good at telling stories. You're a great storyteller and singer."
• "Good Job! Loved the singing. To both of you."
• "I pictured all of it."
• "A very nice story! One of the best I've ever heard! The BEST STORY EVER! Love the singing!"
• "I really liked the story!"
• "I think it was messed up that the sisters switched the babies with a dog, cat, and stick."
• "I felt cool!"
• "I saw the whole story."
• "This story made me very happy and it also made me smile."
• "I felt filled with happiness as you told this story."
• "I felt better about not having a sister."
• "I pictured a talking bird and that is WEIRD."
• "I felt like I was waking to go get the bird, branches, and water."

Until I read these comments and saw the pictures they drew, I wondered if the story had any positive impact.

The audience was so quiet--almost too quiet--that it worried me.

Holly seemed to think things were fine. She also pointed out that I was not feeling 100% healthy and that the school knew this was a practice. For that reason we were paid lower than what normally would have been given.

Interestingly, the school still paid my full rate.

As this performance was labeled "practice", I could not accept the full rate. I returned the check for $200 and asked that the agreed donation price for a practice session of $50 be given instead.

They could always pay the $200 when I am invited back to tell a polished program.

Of course, practice or not, I always try my best.

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

Jr High School Practice: Early Rise for Feedback

Telling stories at 7:45am has been the earliest I have told stories.

I had that chance while practicing The Changeling at the Wahlquist Junior High School for the 7th graders.


Thank you to Denae Palm, an intern from Weber State University, for scheduling the school practices such as this one.

The "deal" was that after I told the story, then each student would receive an index card to answer the following questions--
1. What images or pictures were in your head as you heard the stories?
2. What emotions/moods were felt in the story?
3. What theme or "moral of the story" would you create after hearing the story?
4. What story scene did you like the best?

Feedback Results:

Images/Pictures

• Baby ||||||||||||||||
  
• Mother/Mrs. Sullivan ||||||||||
• Changeling/Ugly Baby ||||||||||||||||
• Mrs. Flanagan ||||||
• Neighbors ||
  
• Market ||||||||
• Old Lady/Grey Ellen ||||
• Church ||||||
• Thatched-roof House |||||
• Fireplace |
  
• Bridge ||||
• Village |||||
• Mrs. Lynch's Boy ||
• Fairies |||
• Eggs and Eggshells ||
  

Emotions/Moods

• Happy ||||||||||||||||||||||
• Sad ||||||||||||||||||||||
• Mad ||||
• Desperate ||||||||
• Suspense |
• Eerie |
• Scared |||
• Annoyed |||
• Horror |
• Frustrated, Irritation ||||
• Triumph |
• Pitiful |
  
• Thankful, Grateful ||
• Excited |||||
• Loving, Caring ||
• Proud |
• Curious |
• Crazy |
• Nervous, Worried |||
• Relieved |
• Sympathy |
• Amazement |
• Funny |
• Sorry |
  

Theme/Moral of the Story

• Don't praise your babies/kids too much. |||||
• Don't have such a big ego.
• Be thankful for what you've got.
• Don't brag. ||||||||||||
• Like your babies and let them cry a little bit.
• The more you boast the less you are liked.
• Listen to others. |||
  
• You don't need to brag about your baby. . .and don't brag about anybody's baby either.
• Trust people.
• Not everyone needs to say something about your baby.
• Do not flaunt your baby.
• Simply think of how grateful you are.
• Do not judge people by their looks.
• Don't ask for praises. |||
  
• Tell people nice things and do nice things for them.
• Don't be mean just because somebody tells you to.
• Don't brag but still be happy on the inside.
• Do nice things for other people.
• Be humble. ||
• Something bad can happen when you brag.
• Sometimes bragging is not a good choice.
  

Favorite Scene

• Birth of Mrs. Sullivan's Baby |
  
• Mrs. Sullivan showing off her Baby ||
• Baby was switched for Changeling |||||
• Attempts for Mrs. Sullivan to get her Baby back |
  
• Mrs. Sullivan talking with Grey Ellen for wisdom ||||
  
• Cracking Eggs on Floor/Brewing Eggshells ||||||||
• Cackling from the Changeling and revealing of Age ||
  
• Mrs. Sullivan trips with Poker to put down Changeling's throat ||||||
• Changeling switched back for Baby |||||||||||
  

Other Comments:

• "I saw that people were going to scream cause they were getting bugged every day." (by Mrs. Sullivan)
• "My favorite scene is the whole thing. I liked it. It sounded like a wonderful place."
• "When I heard the story there was not one thing that was vivid to me. I could see everything very clearly."
• "As you told the story I felt like I was seeing a movie. Every emotion was plain to me."
• "I could picture a lot of the story because the hand movements gave a more visual picture like when she cracked the eggs."
• "Was it dark or morning when the baby changed?"
• "She over smothered that child. She had nothing to do with the fairy baby."
• "Kinda just pictured all as we went."
  

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

1st Day of Official School Practices: Jr. High to Elementary

Many times I practiced with one person in the audience. That "one person" would be my story buddy.

It was finally time to test the Family Famine: Hunger for Love stories with a "real" audience.

Denae Palm, as an intern help from Weber State University, scheduled some times for me with local schools.

Today I traveled to two schools: Wahlquist Jr. High School to perform at 7:45am and Bates Elementary School to perform at 1:00pm.

I told The Changeling at the junior high and The Gardener's Wife with Holly Robison at the elementary school for the 5th graders.

On this particular day, I was ill.

Not ill from nerves, though perhaps some could be attributed to this kind.

I was ill from having little sleep and many projects to complete.

Before reading the responses from the students on what they thought of the stories, I thought I did great with the Junior High group and so-so with the Elementary group.

Then I discovered, I did better than I thought, especially for the Elementary group.

See the responses from the Junior High group here or the Elementary group here.

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

Perfection: The Practice I was Anxious For

At last the day came when guitarist Joshua Payne, upright bass player Geoffrey Rayback, and I could practice on the same night. . .in the same room.

I was familiar with the way Joshua played his guitar to merge in the telling of the Forsaken Brother story. I was anxious to hear how Geoffrey would add to the already-awesome combination of music and story.

After reviewing with Geoffrey and Joshua the basic storyline and where certain sounds were key, it was time for the first telling as a trio to begin.

Joshua blew a couple times on his guitar for soundscapes to summon the winds, and then I followed it with "It was summer. About an hour before sunset."

Part of mind thought and told the story while another part of my brain was listening to how the guitar and upright bass were working together.

Luckily, Julie Barnson, my story buddy, as well as her daughter were there as the audience.

The first time through the music was heavier in sound so that Julie and her daughter had some tough moments to hear the story.

We started the story a second time.

Again, Joshua blew a couple times on his guitar for soundscapes to summon the winds, and then I followed it with "It was summer. About an hour before sunset."

This time it felt the perfect volume between teller and musicians.

In fact, the whole performance seemed perfect.

Towards the climax, when the brother sees the boy on the shore, the extra bass brought a steadiness to the scene while the guitar symbolized chaos. The speed and intensity heightened as the boy became more and more like a wolf.

My own telling strengthened.

We were building on each others' energy.

When we were done, Julie and her daughter applauded loudly.

I celebrated.

We had it.

We only had to wait. . .oh. . .13 days to share this merging of arts at the 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

Nanabozho & The Unofficial Elementary School Practice

For most of Monday, January 26th and for part of Tuesday, January 27th, I told stories at the Bonneville Elementary School in Salt Lake City.

I did five sessions for the K-2 grades, three sessions for the 3-4 grades, and three sessions for the 5-6 grades.

Since the theme for the 3-4 graders was of Utah and Native American stories, I added the Nanabozho and Winter-Maker story to the set.

This is a story that is told within the Forsaken Brother story.

I knew the Nanabozho story could stand on its own.

Besides, today was usually when I met with Julie Barnson, my story buddy for Forsaken Brother. In some ways, I still got a little practice time in.

Not only did the Nanabozho story go well, I thought it was my strongest out of the set.

My confidence boosted and I smiled on the drive home from the school.

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