From Stories of Broken to Stories of Mended with Kintsugi Narrative Practices

Many have been labeled 'broken.' But whose story is this? Kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pottery highlighting and honoring the cracks rather than hiding them, is a perfect metaphor for a guided discussion and exploration of layers of meaning. We will explore broken, pieces, and the glue in our lives that allows us to mend and navigate challenging times. Narrative Therapy Practices honor and acknowledge the layers of influence that impact our view of self, other and the world around us. Melding these two practices is an opportunity to question, deconstruct and create a preferred story.

This session is for anyone interested in exploration of healing and applied story as it relates to Narrative Therapy Practices. Storytellers, Teachers, Librarians and especially anyone who works in service of healing story practices.

Creating Stories that Matter

In this hands-on workshop, you will learn the essential characteristics of story construction and explore strategies that result in powerful and significant narratives.

Story Play

Participate in a variety of innovative activities in voice, gesture, and body language based on my book Story by Story and 19 years teaching a successful storytelling program. The activities will improve your story landscape, story characters, and assist teaching artists and educators who currently work with students. These tools are especially useful in the classroom to assist students with writing assignments and presentations. Interactive activities have been adjusted for Zoom but can be easily adapted for an in-person format. Bring a short, untried story to work with during our time together. Come ready to play!

Finding the Perfect Grant or Fellowship

Being a working artist is hard work, but many organizations, agencies, and foundations want to make it easier for you to do what you love and get paid a living wage. Come learn about several funding options and clearinghouses, and then spend time in guided research.

AUDIENCE MATTERS: a practical "playshop" for deeping audience engagement.

With sleeves rolled up we will play in pairs, duos and groups.  Time-tested exercises help storytellers of all experience levels hone techniques that make stories compassionate, mesmerizing and memorable in order to allow an audience to sink into the story, engage their imagination, empathize with the characters and bring them home with stories in their hearts! Circle of Excellence winner and 30 year storytelling veteran, Megan Wells leads this playful exploration of audience P.O.V.

Lesson Up! Creating Lesson Plans for Teaching Artists

As a storyteller teaching artist you are often required to produce a few different levels of lesson plans as you get hired to do a workshop or residency. Experienced storytellers and teaching artists Linda Marchisio and Nicolette Nordin Heavey combine their knowledge as contracted teaching artist and certified public school teacher to lead you through the process of lesson planning. From high level summaries that propose student outcomes to detailed plans that include material review, activities and reflections, this workshop will give you templates and get you started. Bring your ideas, your stories, your questions and, if available, a lesson plan you’re working on. Time will be provided to research relevant learning standards and receive peer review

An End to It or How the Tail Wags the Dog

This workshop will explore the essential characteristics and importance of story endings and their relationship to narrative structure. Moreover, you will learn an important strategy, which like the wagging tail of the dog, creates an essential rhythm that energizes the whole. 

Writing a Successful Grant Application

Once you know where you want to apply for funding, you need to convey your ideas clearly and concisely. Come learn grant writing tips and tricks, including the crucial revision step. Up to two work-in-progress grants may be submitted in advance for group critique. (If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact the office.)

Find the Funny: Using Humor in Storytelling

Humor is a powerful technique in telling stories, not only for tall tales and funny stories, but also to help audiences open emotionally to more difficult stories. Humor can be effective in providing “comic relief”, allowing an audience to hear important but troubling stories without becoming overwhelmed. Yet there can be pitfalls, so it’s important to understand what makes humor work and what to avoid. Through discussion, examples and exercises, students will discover different types of humor, and will learn techniques for discovering the humor inherent in their stories, and presenting that humor effectively.

Bringing It Back To Nature (Storytelling With Nature)

Remember the days when you were six or seven years old? Maybe you were laying down on you back in the backward or on a trail when you gazed up at the sky and your imagination ran wild. The clouds, trees, rocks and animals came together with characters and an adventure. Before you knew it, you created a story in your head. This is an inspiring workshop that will bring your class back to nature while learning some incredible storytelling techniques. You will walk away with new nature stories and outside activities to use with your students.

Storying Your Classroom

The magical Mr C (Jeff Cauthen) is a master teacher who covers mandated curriculum by inventing student activities based on Fran's folktales. You will experience their field-tested examples and practice designing your own classroom activities to foster language arts, reading, STEM and geography – through stories! Fran will reveal the impact of these activities on student test scores. She brings decades of experience as a teaching artist in extended K-12 residencies nationwide and overseas.

Time Travel: The Magical Power of Story Intelligence to Help Us Imagine and Create a Better Future

Brain research is showing us that our brains are powerful simulation machines, deftly attuned to assisting us to envision the future we want to create. In this interactive program, I will share some of the latest thinking on how "story" and the brain have evolved, and take participants on a personal journey to discover how they can supercharge their imaginations using the power of story. We will look at personal futures and collective futures, and explore how the narrative tools of our imagination can enable us to craft a better story for ourselves and our society.

Making Sense of Life: Creating stories that bring peace and comfort to those approaching death. Providing focus and impetus for those who wish to live more intentionally before they reach that stage.

In my work as a Hospice Chaplain I have frequently seen a patient given great peace when, through story, they are able to glimpse a full picture of the impact that their life has had on others. They understand more clearly the legacy they are leaving behind. Seeing this full picture also helps people with years ahead of them to focus their energies on the things that bring them joy.  In doing so they discover ways they can best impact and influence others long after they are gone.Part lecture, part hands on interactive storytelling, fully inspirational. Come with paper, pencil, and an open mind.  Besides laughter, and insight, you will leave with new stories that help to define the age old questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What legacy will I leave behind?

Kind Stories

Kind acts are empowering for all involved. Kindness means; caring, consideration, and generosity, and asks nothing in return. It often take us out of our comfort zone, and enlarges our hearts. Elisa and Lani will guide participants in brainstorming their personal kind story memory seeds, and then in growing one into a story for telling in small and then larger groups, as time allows. HSA sponsors monthly Kind Story Concerts to inspire, foster and honor kindness, and to counteract the meanness present in our world. HealingStoryAlliance.com.

A Storyteller's Guide to Self-Publishing: Always Wanted to Write and Publish a Book? Here's How

Author, Storyteller and Self-Publishing Consultant Robin Moore will guide you through the steps needed to affordably self-publish your book in both print and ebook editions on the Amazon.com platform. We will explore the pros and cons of Self-Publishing vs. Mainstream Publishing. Robin will walk you through the three phases of book creation (Editorial, Publishing and Distribution) using examples from the more than forty books he has published using this Indie method. You will emerge with the tools and resources needed to take your book from initial concept to a beautifully-designed book available to a world-wide readership on Amazon.

The Simplicity and Power of Open Face Puppetry

Including puppetry in your programming can be simple but have a big impact; you don’t need a puppet stage and the puppet doesn’t even need a voice, you can also use them online. Come learn about using puppetry to accent your performances. It’s a great technique to use to tell in tandem, pull in audience members, or to simply capture attention. Open face Puppetry also has endless possibilities for classroom management, teaching concepts, telling a story, and including those who would otherwise not participate. You will walk away with manipulation techniques, proper care of your puppets, puppetry vocabulary, resources, and ideas for using puppets in your storytelling performances; stage, classrooms, and online.