Mesa County Spellbinders
Once Upon a Time....May 2010 - Vol 2, Issue 4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
|
Greetings! Welcome to Mesa County Spellbinders Newsletter! A little bit about us: The Spellbinders organization is
dedicated to restoring the art of oral storytelling in order to connect elders
to youth, weaving together the wisdom of diverse cultures throughout time. This newsletter is sent to you by the Mesa County
Spellbinders and is published once a month. Enjoy! |
Thoughts on Mother's Day
|
 I know Mother's Day has passed, but I wanted to share something with you that I found recently. I posted this on my Facebook page:
I want to share something I read the other day. It was in an article in, of all things, Cooking Light magazine May 2010. It was titled "Celebrating the mothers we miss so much" by Kate Meyers. It caught my eye because I do miss my mom. Kate writes:
"Anyone who has lost a loved one comes to understand that grieving is a necessary part of healing, and that there's no right way to do it. For me, celebrating my mother in memory gives me a joyful place to go when I am sad--a place where she still is. This sort of celebrating is available to all of us, but it requires practice and repetition lest it slip away, lost in the vast commercialism of Mother's Day."
I then included a few "story sparks" for my friends to use to find those memories they thought they had lost and to help them "practice" the kind of celebrating the author is talking about.
Hope your Mother's Day was great!
|
Profiles in Storytelling
|
 Each month we feature one of our many Mesa County Spellbinders, telling you a little bit about them, their background and experiences, and bits of wisdom about their adventures as a Spellbinder. Since we only get to see each other once a month this is a great opportunity for us to really get to know each other better. This month we get to know Janice Hogue a little bit better. |
|
|
|
Spellbinder Profile - Janice Hogue
|
 I
hail from a small town (Hayti) in eastern South Dakota, growing up on a dairy
farm. I was the middle child and I
think the grandma's girl. My
sister was four years senior to me and therefore started milking with the folks
long before I could. My brother
was only 15 months younger than me, so by the time I was ready to do a lot of
farm work he was too (being a boy of course.) As a result I spend a lot of time in the house with Grandma
and housework. When in the field, it was to drive truck for harvest.
I
have two children, both grown. My daughter lives in Denver and my son is a
resident of a MDS group home. I
have two stepdaughters. My
grandchildren consist of lots of dogs at this point. My husband is the Director of the Cameo Power Plant.
I graduated from Aberdeen
State Teacher's College and taught English in South Dakota. I also taught at Grand Jct. High in
English and English as a Second Language. After a few years I found out that
someone else probably liked the classroom more than me, so I moved on. I went
to the US Postal Service, and just retired after 29 years of being a mail
carrier.
I love to be outdoors, which
is probably why I enjoyed being a carrier. When I remarried I took up
snowmobiling, and we generally ride 100 miles or so in a weekend in the winter.
I am interested in all outdoor things so I bike, golf, ski, and roller blade (with
a helmet).
I have joined the local wood
carvers group and hope to one day be able to contribute an eagle cane head for
a cane to be presented to a veteran.
I trained in September of
2009, so this is my first year as a Spellbinder. I have a friend who tells
stories (but is not a member) whom I have always loved listening to. I was also a drama student, so when I
heard about the group, I thought it would be great fun. I had talked to the library people, but
really got going after seeing the booth at a Senior Fair two years ago.
I don't have a favorite type of
story. I've done a variety of things in this year, and enjoy them all as long
as they are action-filled.
I would not pick to do a
story if I did not love it. The first one I did in training will be special
(THE SCALLYWAGS by D Melling) I love anything I do.
I currently tell for 1st-2nd
combined classes. I do three
classes at Tope Elementary. I have
also participated in two special events for the group, gone to the Boy Scouts
with tall tales, and to a retirement residence to tell.
Sometimes it is hard to think
of just the right "attention getter". I wanted to add the sound of hammering to the story of John Henry and
needed something that was easy to have along. I tried spoons and thimbles. Neither was handy. . .then as I was getting dressed to go to
the school I happen to clink my rings against the belt buckle. PERFECT!
The best words of wisdom I have is to be yourself. Of course, enjoying the story you do is important too!
Thanks, Janice! We are fortunate to have you as part of our chapter!
Back to top
|
|
Spellbinders Show & Tell
|
 Alas, I was not at the workshop in April, so I will have to include the details in next month's newsletter. I hear that I missed something really special! Look for more information next month! Stories are shared at every workshop and are a great resource for other Spellbinders. If you've missed these stories there are links that give you some resources for either the full text of the story, or places that you can purchase or download stories. I am also sure that the library has many of these books so check that resource too!Back to top |
Bits & Pieces You might also like to know.....
|
Reminding you again:
In past issues I've included a link to Nelson Lauver's website, The
American Storyteller. For those of you who were here when he came to
speak to us; you might be interested in knowing that he is writing a
memoir. If you are a Facebook member you can go to his page and read
some excerpts! UPDATE: Nelson's website server crashed and took with it all of his stories stored there as well as the backups! He is in the process of re-building it so stay tuned....
And some new bits and pieces:
It's never too early to think about Timpanogos Storytelling Festival! This year's summer festival will take place September 2-4. Visit their website to see who will be there as well as other retreat activities with Carmen Deedy (July 2010) and Donald Davis (November 2010.) Check out the timpfest website for more details! Our group usually arranges for discounted tickets as well as accommodations for the summer festival, so stay tuned!
*Having a problem with the Spellbinders National Website? Contact Catherine Johnsonso that she can correct any problems and/or help you troubleshoot.
Back to top
|
|
We hope you find this newsletter useful. Please let us know what you would like
to see in future issues by clicking Newsletter Feedback to send your
suggestions via email.
Thank you for your contributions and support to our
organization. If you know of
someone who might enjoy this newsletter please forward via the link below.
Sincerely,
|
Karen Hurst
Spellbinders Mesa County
|
|
|
|
|
