Story Crossroads: The Newsletter (Vol. 3, Issue 5)

Published: Sat, 12/16/17

     
Story Crossroads: The Newsletter
I have a story.  You have a story.  We all have stories.

Volume 3, Issue 5
What to Expect
Know the traditions for each newsletter.

*  Latest News of Story Crossroads
*  Cap's Off to You! (people or organization profiles who use story)
*  Story Video (created or loved by us)
*  Story
*  Story Game

Latest News
House Concerts - Past & Future Celebrations (November-January)
House Concerts images
Join Us for the Next One...
We are coming upon our 21st House Concert as part of the Fundraising Series through Story Crossroads.  ​​​​​​​


Featured Story Artist:  Sam Payne

When: Saturday, December 16, 2017 from 7:00pm-8:30pm hosted at the Duke Home, co-hosted by Mary Duke & Sylvia Milner, at 4879 South 3145 West, Taylorsville, UT  84129 

RSVP:  Call/text Sylvia Milner at (801) 450-4439 or email [email protected]


About Story Musician Sam Payne & Performance

Whether it's the chill of the winter wind or the chill of facing your relatives, stories and songs from Sam Payne will warm you right up, giving faces and names to deep feelings about family, faith, and notions of home. 

"Fill-the-room stage presence. Totally iPod-worthy."
--Storyteller Kim Weitkamp

"The best voice at the festival."
--Utah Arts Festival

“Let's talk about storytelling: Sam Payne is a master at it.”
--Carma Wadley, Deseret News


Suggested Donation:  $15.00+/person, $25.00+/couple or family, though any amount welcomed, best for teens and adults


Details:  Refreshments served, Books and CDs available for purchase, all payment types accepted


Then in the New Year...a House Concert on Friday, January 5, 2018 at the Hedman Home in West Jordan, UT featuring Idlewild Duo (Dave & Carol Sharp) sharing Utah outlaws, skallywags, and pioneer stories and songs.  More details on webpage with flier.

Let us know if you would like to host a house concert.  Email [email protected].


The Story Taylors...Ever Since the Taylorsville Residency
The Story Taylors
​​​​​​When we started the Story Crossroads residency at the Taylorsville Senior Center, it was to last eight hours over the course of four days.  Instead, the group named themselves The Story Taylors and decided to continue meetingbeyond the initial workshops on the art.  Now, the Story Taylors meet every other Monday at the Taylorsville Senior Center from 5:30pm-7:00pm and perform at the Center quarterly.  The picture shows their rendition of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas."  Their next one will be in March 2018.  Anyone is welcome to join them.  Sometimes they explore other arts besides storytelling such as writing or readers theater.  No matter the focus, it is always about story.  Special thanks goes out to Judy Stanger, who is the Master Story Facilitator (wearing reindeer hat in the middle). 
Free Residencies to be Open to All--Latest List
Residencies image
Before our Festival in May, we always have free storytelling residencies open to the public throughout the Salt Lake County.  We also promote the free storytelling residencies offered through the Murray Storytelling Festival.  This Festival is one of many events that feed into Story Crossroads.  If you are interested in participating and/or hosting a storytelling residency, this is the time to contact us at [email protected].  We tend to have these six-hour or more residencies during January to March.

The List So Far:

Adults-

Riverton Senior Center, starting in February 2018, more details TBA, geared for adults

Taylorsville Senior Center, doing basics with the Story Taylors in 2018 on every other Monday night from 5:30pm-7:00pm, more details TBA, geared for adults

Murray Heritage Senior Center (through Murray Storytelling Festival), February 26-March 30, 2018, Mondays/Fridays, 10:00am-11:30am, geared for adults

Youth-

Murray Library (through Murray Storytelling Festival), January 20, 27 & February 3, 10, 24, 2018, Saturdays, 1:00pm-3:00pm, anyone in grades 2-12 can come

Liberty Elementary School (through Murray Storytelling Festival), February 5-March 1, 2018, Tuesdays/Thursdays, 3:45pm-5:00pm, anyone in grades 2-6 can come 

Field Trip Reservations Open for May 23, 2018
(Requests Already Coming In)
House Concerts images
Each year we have many students from elementary to high school who attend our annual Festival in May.  We had some schools that wished to be able to reserve as soon as school starts...and so we did!  Due to demand, we are limiting reservations to one or two sessions of the 9:00am, 10:00am, and 11:00am morning sessions with an optional interactive/hands-on session with the art at 10:00am, 11:00am, or Noon.  At least one sit-down story session is needed before doing an interactive/hands-on session, if desired.  You can submit your request through clicking here to our online form.  

Cap's Off to You
Celebrating your way of using story

Featuring:  Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF)

3-Time Funder through TourWest Grant
Western States Arts Federation


Before Story Crossroads kicked off, the Western States Arts Federation had already impacted me on when I received a grant to attend their annual Arts Northwest Booking Conference along with a tandem storytelling partner, Holly Robison, to Eugene, Oregon.  WESTAF is one of the major partners of Arts Northwest. We met a mentor in connection with this grant on how to build relationships with venue directors and fellow artists.  By recognizing WESTAF, we are also recognizing the National Endowment for the Arts provides the funds for the several grants to share with other arts groups.

 

Find out more the impact that the Western States Arts Federation has had and continues to have for Story Crossroads (click below). 

 

Story Video of the Month
Pixar created a series of short videos that explores the power of stories and can these skills can easily be adapted to how you use story whether on stage or at work or home.  You can continue beyond the video below of "Pixar in a Box: Introduction to Storytelling" at this link:  https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/pixar/storytelling.
If you or someone you know has a story video that you want us to see, then let us know about it and email us a link to it.  Who knows?  Perhaps we will be inspired to invite you to one of our Story Crossroads event?   Remember that the 3rd Annual Story Crossroads Festival is on May 23, 2018 with daytime sessions at the Murray City Park (495 E. 5300 S., Murray, UT) and the evening concerts at the South Jordan Community Center (10778 S. Redwood Rd., South Jordan, UT). 
Story of the Month

Song of the Armadillo
 
Artwork by Rowan North, [email protected],
 
Song of the Armadillo, from Bolivia

An armadillo longed to sing like all the other animals he heard in the rainforest. 

He waddled to the pond and sighed when he heard the frogs.  "Please, teach me to sing, frogs!"  The frogs only responded in their deep voices, "Armadillos are not meant to sing!"

Near the pond were some long blades of grass where some crickets chirped and chuckled.  The armadillo heard how those crickets sang.  "Please, teach me to sing, crickets!"  The crickets only responded with in their high-pitched voices, "Armadillos are not meant to sing!"

The armadillo no longer wished to stay in the rainforest and headed to town.  There, he saw many caged birds--from hummingbirds to parrots--singing from behind the bars.  Of all the songs sung, the armadillo most loved that of the canary.  He rushed to the bird.  "Please, teach me to sing, canary!"  The canary only responded with her sweet yet mocking voice, "Armadillos are not meant to sing...you could never learn such a skill!"

This hurt the armadillo beyond what any of the other animals had said.  The armadillo, about to cry, turned away.  Yet this particular canary cage was being carried by a famous musician.  The musician called to the armadillo, "I could help you, but you must wait a long time.  Are you willing to wait?"

The armadillo was filled with hope.  "However," said the musician,"You will need to wait until you died before such beautiful music could be made.  You do not want to die now when you are so young."

The armadillo spent many years at the feet of that musician and waited and waited and waited.   The musician shared that once the armadillo died, a beautiful stringed instrument would be made from his shell.  The musician encouraged the armadillo to still listen to the animals about him so that lovely sounds will come from that shell.  Finally, the armadillo passed away with a smile on his face, knowing that his dream of singing would come about.

The musician did as promised and traveled with that armadillo stringed harp.  The frogs heard it and said, "The armadillo has the most beautiful song!"  The crickets heard it and said, "The armadillo has the most beautiful song!"  The canary and all the other caged birds heard it and said, "The armadillo has the most beautiful song!"  And so it was and to this day known that the armadillo had learned to sing, and what lovely singing throughout the land.
     
Artwork by Rowan North, [email protected],
 
Story Game of the Month

Sing Me a Story
​​​​​​​Inspired by story "Song of the Armadillo"
Geared for Ages 12+

Everyone sits in a circle with their backs toward the center except for the person/armadillo who sits in the middle.  The armadillo taps on the shoulder of any person and asks, "Sing me a story?"  That person then sings on the spot with made-up tunes or familiar ones that starts a story.  The armadillo then taps on the shoulder again and attempts to either copy the song or to continue the story within the song.  If the armadillo copies it, then the rest in the circle need to vote on if it matched.  If it matches, then the person tapped becomes the new armadillo.  If it does not match--according to the vote of the group--then the person remains the armadillo and taps on another person's shoulder.  If the armadillo decides to continue the story within the song, then the group decides if it made "story sense."  This means that funny or strange things can happen though it makes logical sense in terms of the plot.  When the group is satisfied with the armadillo's continuation of the song, then the armadillo chooses who will be the next armadillo.  

Funders of Story Crossroads
​​​​​​​We appreciate funding from National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Utah Division of Arts and Museums (UDAM), the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF), the Nubian Storytellers of Utah Leadership (NSOUL), the Utah Humanities, the Utah Valley University, the South Jordan Arts Council, the City of Murray-Cultural Arts, Synergy One Lending-Suzanne Hudson, Rachel Hedman and many generous individuals who have made things possible.
 
Most pictures are taken by Steve Evans, our official photographer.  He is a photojournalist that travels the world.  He generously granted Story Crossroads permission to use his pictures.  You can find all of his images here:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/babasteve/
About Story Crossroads
What is Story Crossroads?
Steve Evans picture
Story Crossroads is a grassroots event that features 15 professional story artists as well as 50 community members telling for the main stage event.  Youth, community, and seniors will be taught through free storytelling residencies at libraries, schools, and other venues by certified story-teachers in preparation for this celebration.  Bilingual and cultural performers combine arts to bring the stories forward for the audience.  Enjoy stories told with ancient technique while simultaneously enjoying newfangled approaches to these traditions.  The 3rd Annual Story Crossroads Festival is on May 23, 2018 with daytime sessions at the Murray City Park (495 E. 5300 S., Murray, UT) and the evening concerts at the South Jordan Community Center (10778 S. Redwood Rd., South Jordan, UT).  Then, with an invitation extended across all borders, World Story Crossroads launches 2022.  
Utah Storytelling Guild
Until we tell again,

Story Crossroads


(801) 870-5799

PO Box 274
West Jordan, UT  84084