Know the traditions for each newsletter. |
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Some traditions include: * 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
Explore the Story Crossroads website
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What is Story Crossroads? |
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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. Explore the Story Crossroads website
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House Concerts - Past and Future (August-October) |
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We are coming upon our 18th House Concert as part of the Fundraising Series through Story Crossroads. In August, Wendy led us in singing "The Brady Bunch" theme song that was sung with gusto and then followed it by comparing her family to the Brady Bunch. We are thrilled for this series to continue during the summer. In September, Jan C. Smith and Suzanne Hudson will do a more family-focused event geared for
ages 8 and older with the known and not-so-known folk and fairy tales. In October, Glastonbury Duo (Dave and Carol Sharp) will return to our usual teen/adult audience with Celtic stories and songs using instrument and vocals of that style. We love all these amazing events. Join us and spread the word.
Upcoming House Concert:
Twice Upon a
Time: Folk & Fairy TalesFriday, September 29, 2017, 7:00pm-8:30pm
Hurley Home 143 West 5900 South Murray, UT 84107
Jan C. Smith & Suzanne Hudson – Story ArtistsThese two tellers transport people with their humor, drama, and flair. While Jan C. Smith represented the Western Region at the 2017 National Storytelling Conference concert, Suzanne Hudson led the Utah Storytelling Guild and performed in venues across the state and
beyond. Now see how these two story artists transform folk and fairy tales to hit home for today’s world. Stories are best for ages 8 and older.
Plus...another House Concert on Friday, October 13, 2017 at the Gourley Home in Cedar Hills, UT featuring Glastonbury Duo (Dave and Carol Sharp)
Go directly to the House Concert page on the Story Crossroads website
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Field Trip Reservations Starting Now for May 23, 2018 (Requests Already Coming In) |
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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. Go directly to the Online Form for Field Trip/Large Group Requests
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Time to Schedule those Free Storytelling Residencies Open to the Public...Let Us Know! |
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Before our Festival in May, we always have free storytelling residencies open to the public throughout the Salt Lake County. Last year we had facilitators at three different senior centers with two geared for adults and one geared for multi-generations starting at age eight. 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.
Go directly to the Teaching Story page on the Story Crossroads website
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Celebrating your way of using story
Featuring: Dianne de Las Casas (Posthumously)
Dazzle & Sparkle Queen,
Storyteller & Writer Extraordinaire, Champion Promoter and Advocate for All Arts |
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Dianne de Las Casas brightened any room, actual or virtual. She invited challenges, encouraged tenacity in herself and others, and did this all with sparkle. She embraced fears and taught others how "the scary" was more of a friend than a foe. Whether at conferences or book signings or performances, she treated everyone as if the friendship was a forever one. She
continues to inspire today.
Find out more the impact that Dianne de Las Casas had for Story Crossroads and beyond by reading more at our blog (click below). Read the Complete Blog Post on Dianne de Las Casas
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This video is to honor the late Jan Andrews, who founded the Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada. She was an organizer and a performer, as can be seen as she tells this folktale that originated from
Wales. 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).
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Susu and the Magic Mirror, from Bolivia Susu's mother
died when she was yet small. Her father, a rich and kind man, raised his daughter as best he could until he decided it was time for him to marry. Yet, soon after the man married, he noticed that it was hard for him to stand or walk as he always did with his daughter. The father told Susu that he did not know how long he would live though at least Susu had her new stepmother to care for her.
Unbeknownst to the father, the stepmother hated Susu and let it known to Susu. Though, the stepmother told Susu to keep it their secret as it would grive and hasten her father's death if he suspected anything. One day, Susu saw her stepmother talking to an owl within a hollow of a tree. The stepmother then saw Susu watching her and led Susu towards her father yet out of earshot.
This scene looked like a lovely mother and daughter moment to the father and gave him comfort. As for Susu, the stepmother whispered for she and the owl to hear, "I hate you!" To which the owl fly in the air and repeated, "Hate you, hate you, hate you!" The parrots heard and also repeated, "Hate you, hate you, hate you!" Susu was surrounded by such terrible words though what the stepmother said next was worst of all. "Your father will die soon. Then all
his riches will be mine!" Before Susu could run to warn her father, the stepmother said, "Say nothing, or your father will fall dead this moment!"
Meanwhile in some close by hills, a herder of goats named Huathia watched Susu from a distance but was too shy to talk with her. One day, Susu watched a falcon swoop in the sky and shine something from its beak that it was
carrying. Susu watched the falcon sweep into a bush and fly back up without the shining thing. She ran to the bush and picked up the smooth silver disc that reflected like a mirror. Instead of hurrying home, she found Huathia and an old herdsman and enjoyed their company by the fire. She showed them what she had found. The old herdsman recognized the mirror to be a magic mirror owned by someone long since dead. He said that whoever looked in it saw his face as
others saw it, but whoever owned the mirror saw something else...the true feelings and spirit of that person. He said that Susu was now that owner.
Susu had the old herdsman look at the mirror. He still saw his wrinkles, though Susu peered from behind and saw a young bearded man that shone with kindness and gentleness. When Husathia gazed at the mirror, Susu saw instead a
face of eagerness, gentleness, and strength. Susu wondered if such a mirror could reveal why her father had such a strange sickness. Susu asked if Husathia could accompany her home. The old herdsman agreed to care for the goats while Huathia gathered his bow and arrows and flute.
While walking to Susu's home, Huathia told Susu of a strange thing he saw the other night.
Under the light of the moon, Huathia had heard and saw frogs, owls, bats, and serpents. All these creatures gathered in a circle with a two-headed white toad in the center. The two-headed toad then said, "Who knows where hides our queen?" The other creatures answered, "The toad, our queen, lies hid unsought, beneath the stone that men have wrought." Huathia wished he knew what it meant.
They arrived to Susu's home and Huathia was invited by the weakened father to join for a meal. Then the stepmother came. Huathia played on this flute. All were happy but the stepmother. Then Susu told her father and stepmother how she had found a mirror but said nothing of its magic. The father looked at the mirror and Susu could see her father's face of honesty and bravery. The stepmother snatched the mirror. Susu stepped to the
side to see and instead of seeing a woman, Susu saw a two-headed white toad. Then Susu watched as two white snakes slithered around the two-headed toad. Susu held back her horror so that the stepmother did not know that Susu now knew the truth. Her stepmother was a witch.
Susu looked up and saw in the distance a large grindstone. It was so large that one person could
hardly lift it and grass had overgrown it. Now as she saw it, the verse that Huathia had heard came to mind, "The toad, our queen, lies hid unsought, beneath the stone that men have wrought." She realized that the grindstone had been carved by man. She led Huathia away and walked to the grindstone. Susu asked him to ready his bow and arrow and aim at the bottom of the stone. She would lift the grindstone. Underneath was the two-headed white toad. The
father looked in their direction and called out, "That is the same creature that torments me in my dreams!" Huathia shot the toad, but then two white snakes fell from the roof nearby. Huathia took two more arrows and split them asunder.
Three evil things had died that were all a part of the stepmother. When those bodies turned to dust, so did the stepmother. The
sickness the father used to feel disappeared.
Years passed and eventually Susu and Huathia married. Her father celebrated and all was well in that land.
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Explore the Story Crossroads website
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Susu's Magic Mirror Inspired by story "Susu and the Magic
Mirror" Geared for Ages 8+
Sit in a circle except for one person standing outside the circle. This one person is like Susu who can use her mirror (cupped hands) to see the truth about people. As Susu walks around the circle, she chooses someone to tap on the shoulder. Susu
says, "Would you like to look in my mirror?" The person replies, "Yes, I would." Susu pretends to place the mirror in that person's hands who then uses their own cupped hands. The person looks "normal" when looking at the people in the circle. Then the person follows Susu outside the room or a distance away and looks toward Susu and reveals either a more angelic/better person or a more demon/evil person. This provides a mystery for all the others. Susu
continues to discover the truth about each person either randomly or in order around the circle. When she knows the truth about everyone, she then tells what she will then do. For example, if one or more person was "evil," then she needs a plan and part of the plan could be counting on those who were "angelic." If everyone chose to be angelic/better people, then she can decide how to celebrate with them and shares that plan.
Explore the Story Crossroads website
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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. |
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