Doctor of Storytelling picks up Award -
Heather
Forest, a US storyteller based
in Huntingdon, New York State who graduated in her
PhD last year from Antioch University, Ohio, is picking up an
award this week at Aberdeen's Robert Gordon University for her
thesis - Inside Story: An Arts-Based Exploration of the
Creative Process of the Storyteller as Leader as an
example of excellence in digital theses online.
Much of Heather's work is
in the field of education and stories for children. She
has published books and recordings as educational resources
and is involved in 'Curriculum Ideas Exchange' where teachers
and storytellers can swap ideas to use oral narrative in the
classroom
Heather will be our
esteemed visitor to this week's FFF, and she'll probably
contribute a story or two to our DIY gathering, which is the
last before the summer break. So if you fancy hearing
from her, do join us at the usual venue at 7.30pm THIS FRIDAY
6th JUNE! Heather's website is www.storyarts.org
Something New for GAS
Satellite
meetings!
This is something different than our Friday
Flings. We are aiming to bring our stories out into the
communities around Aberdeen.
Please come along and join as for a time of
stories for all ages. A small donation is requested at
the door. Children under the age of 12 to be accompanied
by an adult.
If you require more information contact me on
Tel 01569 765616, mobile 07709 424 510 or gas_story@hotmail.com
Phyll
McBain (GAS Secretary)
Sad Loss of
Storyteller Duncan -
As many in the storytelling world will now be aware,
Duncan Williamson died at the age of 79 on Thursday, 8th
November. He had been ill for some time and after
several strokes recently, passed away, leaving the world
poorer for his absence.
Donald Smith, director of the
Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh said of Duncan
'He was uniquely gifted with a keen sense of poetry and
above all else a passion for wonder.' Our own
chair, Maggie Fraser recalls: 'He was the first traveller
I heard telling stories and that was nearly 30 years ago. All
my children heard him and always wanted more as did everyone
listening to him wherever and whenever he
told.'
Born on the shore of
Loch Fyne, the seventh of sixteen children, Duncan was
Traveller through and through. He has done everything in
his time, fishing, cooking, navvying, horse-trading, but when
he sang folk stopped and listened. He started to collect
stories, inspired by those he'd heard around the camp fire in
his childhood. With his fantastic memory, Duncan could
cast a spell over his listeners, and take them to the
story-world. From a dad in Fife, Duncan went on to be an
international storyteller, teacher and author. Let's
hope he's entertaining the angels right now with tales for all
eternity!
Maxwell MacLeod of the Herald
wrote a lovely tribute to him in Friday's paper. You can
read it here.
DUNCAN WILLIAMSON
1928-2007
Tales fae the
Gaels - After a
visit to the Outer Hebrides the last fortnight, I met
Chrisella Ross, who runs the Gaelic
Arts Agency in Stornorway, Isle of Lewis, and she
told me about their Gaelic Storytelling project - similar in
concept to our Persephone Project, focusing on folktales as
well as memories.
From their website, this quote
describes Proiseact Sgeulachdan: Established in 1999 the
Gaelic Storytelling project has developed numerous events
throughout the Western Isles to capture and regenerate this
ancient tradition. The Project has enabled events within the
community, local groups and societies, schools, youth groups,
festivals, arts centres and many others. A Database of stories
and storytellers has generated great interest in the community
and with further events being planned the Project is receiving
a very positive response.
Magic Circles The other
fantastic idea from this project is the 'i-paq', an MP3 player
device which people can borrow in the community shop, Uig
(Lewis), and walk across Traigh Mhor (The Big Beach)
hearing stories and tales recorded by academic, educationalist
and storyteller himself, Dr Finlay MacLeod.
Perhaps GAS could
do a storywalk too? It's an idea! Anyway, we are happy to link
up with Chrisella and the Gaelic Arts folk. The links to both
Sgeulachdan and the Gaelic Arts Agency are now on the Links
Page
Aberdeen City Library Local Studies Dept.
Purchases CDs to loan out
Fiona-Jane Brown,
GAS storyteller, here presents Catherine Taylor and Morag
Penny from the Central Library's Local Studies Department with
several copies of Oor First Tales, which will be
available for loan as part of a new local audio archive.
Susan Bell, of Aberdeen City Libraries said that the stories
were a great way of entertaining and educating both adults and
children.
Radio Scotland Helps Promote GAS
CD
Ken Gibson of BBC
Radio Scotland came to interview GAS storyteller, Fiona-Jane
Brown for the North East bulletin on March 14, at
7.50am. Ken chose to highlight the story How the
Buttery Came To Be, FJ's own composition, but omitted to
mention our launch! Hopefully Radio Scotland listeners
will be put in touch with us by our friends at
Beechgrove. Thanks again, Ken!
LISTEN
to the bulletin. (MP3
format)
GAS launches second digital
publication
St. Patrick's Day,
17 March 2007, will see the launch of Grampian Association of
Storytellers' second CD - Oor
First Tales - a collection of nine
favourite stories from the team, including 'The Tinder
Box', 'How the Buttery Came to Be', 'Anansi and the Hole to
China,' and our honorary President, Stanley Robertson,
the master storyteller, with a special tale with a very timely
warning - The Moose Trap.
The CD was made
possible by an Employee Action Grant from Shell UK, who
employs our own Pauline Cordiner, whose self-penned epic
'The Tale of Little Dan' appears on the disk, and she
also designed the cover. The whole techie bit was again
thanks to Sandy Noble and April Pressley, who gave their time,
their working space and effort to the CD since last
summer. Special thanks to the Banks and Keys families
who gave space, time and effort to support the project.
The official launch
will be at the Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, as part of our Storyfest
contribution - a story ceilidh for all ages - on 17 March from
12.30pm as aforementioned. Do come along and support
us!
Pre-launch copies
are now available! CDs cost £10 (plus postage if ordering
online) and are a fine example of what GAS do best! The
stories are suitable for all ages, though John's Troll story
may slightly upset younger listeners. Parents'
discretion will suffice! It's for the folk, by the
folk.
To order a copy,
simply email the usual GAS address or the web admin address
(grampianstoryweb@yahoo.co.uk) to request a copy, with your
address details, so we can send you an order form, or send a
cheque for £10 payable to Grampian Association of
Storytellers, to
Maggie Fraser, GAS
Chairperson,
Burnorrachie
Bridge Of
Muchalls
Stonehaven
Aberdeenshire
AB39
3RU
with address
details to receive your CD.
Outlets will
include:
- The Elphinstone
Insitute, University of Aberdeen
- Waterstones (aka
Ottakars), Union St, Abdn.
- Bruce Millers,
Union St, Abdn.
- Lemon Tree, West
North Street, Abdn. (order forms only)
- Better Read Books,
Neil Ross Square, Ellon, Aberdeenshire
- School of Scottish
Studies, University of Edinburgh
You can also get them
from GAS committee members, inc. Sean Gordon, Fiona-Jane
Brown, Pauline Cordiner, Grace Banks, Anna Fancett and Maggie
of course! See us personally or email, as we each have a small
stock.
If YOU would like to
provide an outlet for these top class traditional tales, let
us know and we will give you some to sell!
GAS joins the Stonehaven MRI
story-gathering
As part of the Stonehaven
Maritime Rescue Institute's oral history project, GAS
storytellers Maggie Fraser and Fiona-Jane Brown will be
storytelling in St Cyrus primary school on March 29,
2007, and encouraging the children to go away after
and create themselves or collect tales of the sea from
their familes. Craig Whyte, Project Coordinator, will
then record the children's stories for the project archive at
a later date.
So if your child goes
to St Cyrus school, make sure they don't miss this chance to
be part of the project archive!
Better Read, Better
Listen!!
Bill Kelly of Better
Read Books, Ellon, has kindly agreed to sell our
new storytelling CD. I visited him today (Wednesday
March, 7) and delivered some disks for him to display, and
promptly sold a disk to a drama teacher from the local primary
school who said she was coming to the launch!
Bill's shop sells
modern and antiquarian books, as well as maps, book lights,
book marks, and the like. There is also a Poetry Reading
at the shop every so often, so budding scribblers should pop
along and get details from Bill himself.
