I spent my childhood in Santa Clara, CA, a suburb of San Francisco during the years it went from orchards to Silicon Valley.   I recall being about three, standing on the hearth of the fireplace, hands in my pockets, singing loudly about the events of my day. My kind family listened every night before dinner not realizing they were watering the seeds of storytelling.

I went to college in Northern California to study English.  I worked at the campus day care center and found I loved working with kids.   I changed my degree to Child Development. I then went on for a Masters in Counseling.  I put myself through college by working in an amusement park and in day care centers where I developed a love for telling stories to young children.

I am a child therapist and have a huge and full play room.  I write Play Dough off my taxes and get to hear and tell stories all day long.

Judy Herr told me about Spellbinders as the poor dear has heard a lot of my stories throughout our friendship.  Though I don't wear the Mickey Mouse ears any longer, I do tend to sing the stories of my life to unsuspecting audiences often.

I am most comfortable telling stories to very young children, yet as I expand my story list I find I enjoy telling to older kids with longer attention spans.

My hobbies include writing, biking down hill (though I find this requires a good deal of uphill riding), eating (though I find this requires a good deal of cooking), going to the movies (big screens and Milk Duds make the movie) and hiking with my dog, Ella, while I practice telling stories.

I got to tell a story to an audience of nearly a thousand people once and when I finished and they clapped enthusiastically. I raised my hand up in the air like a rock star casually thanking the crowd as I left the stage.  I really liked that feeling of raising my arm as a thousand people clapped; but then again, I really like the squeals that erupt from first graders when in Stephanie's Ponytail some girls' ponytails cover their faces and they accidentally walk into the boys' bathroom.  I guess I like enthusiastic responses.

I think the turning point in my storytelling was one afternoon, a good six months after becoming a Spellbinder, when I arrived early for a Special Event.  I had the good fortune of hearing Ruthmary tell Stephanie's Ponytail.  I recall the angels sang and the voice of God said, "Ah, that's how you do it." 

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Thanks Elizabeth for sharing a little more about yourself with us.  I think we would all agree that we've all learned a lot from Ruthmary and can continue to learn from each other.  I, for one, want to learn more about the great voices you use to tell your stories!  I'd also like to see you in those Mickey Mouse ears!

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Have you ever used your storytelling skills in venues other than elementary school classrooms?   Have you told stories for family gatherings, a social club, or anywhere else?  If you have please share your experiences with your fellow Spellbinders!

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 On Friday, October 16th Grand Junction's  Mesa County Spellbinders and Mesa County Library have teamed up to present our first annual Storytelling Concert!

The professional storyteller who will be featured is Jane Treat.  A few Mesa County Spellbinders will also be sharing some great stories so it promises to be an exciting event.

The concert will be held at at 7:00 p.m. at First Christian Church, 1326 N. 1st Street. 

Jane Treat will also conduct a workshop for all interested Mesa County Spellbinders at the Mesa County Library (Program room) from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The concert is open to the public and promises to be fun for the whole family-school ages through adults.  There is a $5.00 donation requested and proceeds benefit Mesa County Spellbinders.

For information call Rachel at 243-4442, or check events at Mesa County Library's website.

 

A few Spellbinders shared their favorite parts of the festival at our September meeting.  It seems unanimous that it was a wonderful experience!

Gertraud Jones said it was an incredible experience!  The talent and gifts the storytellers had were awesome.  The unique and varied personalities and presentation styles made it all worth the trip!

Susan Bilbo said that she has had access to some great entertainment in her life; theater, concerts, and more, but that does not compare to the phenomenal performances at the festival..and all for less than $40!

Crystal Britton said she has gone before, but missed a couple of years.  She was glad she attended this year as it was indeed great.  She also pointed out that the resources (cd's, books, puppets) on sale at Fanfare during the festival are also a big plus.  She and Evelyn Kyle both pointed out that the use of golf carts to help people with mobility issues get around was a wonderful aspect of the well-run event. 

I had two highlights of my experiences this year I'd like to share.  The first was that I got to be a backup singer for Bill Harley!  Well, along with a few others.....OK, so it was a couple of hundred, so what!  Build Me up Buttercup will never sound the same again!  Also, the workshop on writing and telling historical tales with Syd Lieberman was an awesome experience.  Since I am working on a story about the Gettysburg address, and Syd and Adrienne Lieberman have written and told an awesome story about Gettysburg it was a match made in heaven!  They even graciously agreed to have their picture taken with me.  You can find out more about Abraham & Isaac: Sacrifice at Gettysburg at their website.

 
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Special Note:  The next event at Timpanogos is a Fall Retreat (October 19th to 23rd.)  This is an intensive workshop with Syd & Adrienne Lieberman, "Historically Speaking: Capturing Place and Time." You can go to the Timpanogos website to check it out.

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