I haven't started the travelogue but I've got a trip report on the National Storytelling Network conference at the bottom of this entry. It's a slightly edited version of what I sent Margaret to put in the newsletter. What's remarkable is how much faster I got it done than the trip report from my work-related conference in Moscow last month, which I finally finished on Friday. It might have gotten done a bit earlier, but I was particularly swamped with meetings and things to follow up on. I'm sort of caught up, though I do, of course, have things to do. I'm also rather annoyed at somebody I need to talk to who has not been returning phone calls.
As for the weekend, I had a lot of household stuff to do. I finished one project, which involved organizing all of the index cards I've scribbled down info on about books I want. It's all in alphabetical order in file boxes now. Next big organizing project is probably finishing with the photos and negatives. I also ran some assorted errands, including a trip to Tyson's Corner Center to get film developed, buy new linens, and replace my walking shoes.
Today was occupied with more housework (e.g. cleaning the bathroom, doing laundry, etc.). But I went out with the realtor to look at condos. We went to five complexes - two at Tyson's, two in Falls Church, and one in Vienna. One of the condos at Tyson's had a great layout, lots of room, and is cheaper, but it's really not walkable to metro. The two places in Falls Church were both good locations, but neither really blew me away. (one did have a great bathroom though, with an oversized soaking tub.) The one I looked at in Vienna was the best of the lot, with a fabulous little home office area (in addition to two bedrooms), but the master bedroom is weirdly shaped. We're going to go out next weekend and look at other places in that complex and the one next to it and I'm reasonably sure something there will work for me.
Here's the conference report:
The 2007 NSN conference was held in St. Louis . The conference venue was a bit strange, since two hotels were used and, while they were a short walk apart, the signage was not very clear. Almost everyone I talked to got lost the first time (that I got lost should be no surprise, given my notoriously bad sense of direction) and it appeared that both workshops and fringe events held in the Tower suffered in attendance. By the way, people who stayed in the Tower got an extra dose of sleep deprivation Friday night, when they got evacuated at 3 a.m. due to a fire in the laundry room.
The opening session included a nice musical tribute to Saint Louis gospel, blues, ragtime, R&B, and rock which had a lot of the crowd up and dancing in the aisles. The short schedule of the conference, with no events outside the hotels, made this about the only view of the city many participants got,though I had flown in early to do some tourism in the area. It was a tough act for Thursday nightıs keynote speaker Ron Turner to follow. He had been the keynote speaker at the 1987 conference in Saint Louis and reviewed some of his remarks from then, emphasizing the need to expand the horizons of what storytelling can do. He posed three challenges for the future: 1) build public awareness of the value of storytelling in society, 2) create a forum for critical dialogue with other sectors, and 3) increase funding for storytellers at a monumental scale. He emphasized that we donıt have to sell out anything, but we shouldnıt be content to find our own way along the margins, and need to be central. One specific comment he made was that we need to develop a weekly national NPR program on storytelling. For those who worry about mass media, he quoted a Chinese proverb, "When a tiger enters the temple, make it part of the ceremony."
Jo Radnerıs keynote speech on Friday morning picked up on the same conference theme of "where weıve been, where we are." She talked about the needs for more public knowledge of storytelling and more performance opportunities and noted that most of the obstacles to achieving these goals come from inside. She discussed several assumptions about storytelling and how they both help and hurt us. She particularly called for reducing storytellingıs dependence on big, high-visibility festivals, which can both promote the art and limit it. (Yeah, but I still admit I'd jump at a chance to be on the stage at Jonesborough.) She also called for the creation of conservatories and mentoring.
The Friday panel discussion on excellence talked as much about commitment to the art as about anything else. The best remark I took away from it was Dovie Thomasonıs comment that we need to show a seriousness of purpose and intent even when being funny. Saturdayıs panel discussion was titled "Wisdom from Wise Ones" and was primarily a chance for the three panelists ( Belden Lane , Onawumi Jean Moss, and Jay OıCallahan) to talk about their experiences as storytellers. (Onawumi talked a bit much about her sexuality, which was entertaining but of dubious relevance. I don't really care who somebody does or doesn't want to sleep with unless I'm the person involved.) There was also an international panel, which was somewhat abbreviated as people needed time to get dinner before the Oracle Awards. Limor Shiponiıs observation that storytelling in Israel is primarily to adults was the most interesting thing I learned there.
There was a wide mix of workshops, swaps, and fringe performances to choose from. I went to two swaps (Jewish Stories and 1-3 Minute Stories) and two fringe performances. (Actually, I went to three swaps - I completely forgot about the open swap I went to on Friday night, which was just OK.) Of the fringes, Linda Gorhamıs "Red Light Reflections" was the highlight, with a piece about her courtship with her husband, a moving story about her fatherıs return from the Vietnam War and a Motown infused retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, though Iım not sure her linking device (the idea of using red lights to stop and think) was needed.
Willy Claflinıs workshop, "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?", consisted largely of his description of how he developed his show about Gamble Rogers and the decisions he needed to make along the way. He also suggested other performers whose work might be suitable for similar tributes, such as Marshall Dodge.
Rachel Hedmanıs workshop on telling to college audiences was very well organized. She had some great ideas on resources for finding out what the personality of a specific campus is and where one might then market oneıs telling. Priscilla Howe, whose workshop was on story songs and stretches, also had an excellent handout, as well as providing a lot of fun for those of us who need to move around after lunch. The only problem is that a week later Iım still walking around humming a couple of her silly songs.
And, of course, itıs always great to just spend time with other tellers. I came home energized, with a long storytelling "to-do" list. Next year in Tennessee!
Copyright 2007 Miriam H. Nadel