Once upon a time there was a lonely little holiday, until one day it came upon a big sign on the side of the road saying, in big red letters;
NATIONAL STORYTELLING DAY!
Storytelling is the great oral tradition of every human society, dating back before alphabets. Before writing, storytellers were our scholars, and our legendary shamans were the guardians of technology, history, medicine and culture.
Once writing took over the technical details, our storytellers became word artists, weavers of the fantastic and the very real, or some compelling combination of the two.
Stories are not jokes, but can be outrageously funny. They are not melodramas, but can produce tears. They are not history books, but are history, and stories can take you on incredible journeys and flights of fancy like no other medium.
A good storyteller has the heart of a poet and the timing of a jazz singer, never telling a tale exactly the same way twice, reeling you in, taking you on a ride to the very limits of believability, while always ringing true and familiar. It’s a gift and a dying art, but as long as there is Garrison Keillor, America still has a great storyteller.
•Suggested Activities: Engaging the mind’s eye.