Our goal is to bring together and nurture people who tell, listen to, and love stories by elevating the art and power of
storytelling in all its forms into our daily lives.
Howard, Lynne Duddy, Alton Chung, and Rick
Huddle at the Eth-no-tec Summer Storytelling
Institute- 2004.
Huddle dine with Washington Storyteller's
Theater members Amy Saidman and Brad
Hills at the National Conference in
Bellingham- July 2004.
Anne at (503) 238-1203- annepenstories@aol.com,
or
Julie at (503) 247-9338- jstrozy@xprt.net
Storytelling has been a vital part of human life as far back in history as anyone can imagine, but it may never have been
more useful or necessary than it is today, because stories tell us who we are. That has always been their job, but when
the pace of change accelerates absurdly and when our definition of “community” seems to change with every headline,
then stories can provide invaluable guidance.
As storytellers, part of our work involves taking materials that have been preserved on the printed page and restoring,
reviving, and regenerating the tremendous power they possessed before they were tamed, allowing the music of the
words to come back to life. With voice, we repopulate them with life energy. With movement, we repopulate them with
kinesthetic energy. We set stories in motion.
Of course, that’s not all Guild storytellers are about, for we also provide stories of our own creation and whimsy and
doggerel and sometimes tales designed to bend and fold the imagination in brand new directions. But all of it serves the
tradition of the spoken word.
Wade Davis, anthropologist and explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society, recently wrote that, of the 6,000
languages now being spoken in the world, half are not being taught to children and so will soon be lost. In Davis’s words,
“At risk is a vast archive of knowledge, a catalogue of the imagination containing the memories of countless elders and
healers, warriors, farmers, fishermen, midwives, poets, and saints. In short, the artistic, intellectual, and spiritual
expression of the full diversity of the human experience.” What the Guild can do, and has done for sixteen years, is play a
part by honoring the pieces of that legacy that speak to us and through us. As Davis says, “These other cultures, so alive
and so magical, are not failed attempts at modernity; they are vibrant facets of the diamond of human experience.” May our
efforts help to keep the diamond shining.
Please check the calendar and join us at a first Friday storyswap, a third Saturday performance at the Kennedy School
Community Room, a fourth Saturday performance, or a workshop at the Cavatica Center. Check the schedule for details
and be sure to get in touch with us for more information. We’re storytellers; we’re delighted to talk.
Thanks and pass the word…
238-1203- annepenstories@aol.com, or Julie at (503)
247-9338 - jstrozy@xprt.net
