Graphic Novels Melbourne. Fundraiser: 20 June 2012

Invitation from Bernard Caleo and Daniel Howard. For those who don't know, Bernard creates and draws the most exquisite stories for Kamishibai. His appearance at the Williamstown Literary Festival with a kamishibai version of the Nun's Priest's Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer was a knock out!

As well as the above, we are very happy to announce a new act as part of the presentation on the night:

A frame-by-frame projected version of Ben Hutchings' exquisite silent comic, Walking to Japan. If you've read this comic in its newspaper-format publication published by Milk Shadow Books, you know what a mesmeric journey it depicts.  Well, we are taking that story to the big screen. Very exciting stuff!

So book your ticket NOW at the 

 Graphic Novels! Melbourne! benefit page 

on the Readings website. Once you've clicked to buy, an 'add to basket' button comes up on the top right.  Proceed from there!

We really need your help to be able to afford to do the post-production on this film, which will become a document of a particularly brilliant time for the comics medium in our town.

Thank you for your support, it's much appreciated.

Yours,

Bernard Caleo and Daniel Hayward

Bernard Caleo

Cardigan Comics

cardigancomics.com

9497 8098

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Subscribe to MONGREL, a monthly comics pamphlet

Discover Graphic Novels! Melbourne!, a feature documentary about comics in this town

International Storytelling Conference NSW 2012

 I've been back for a week now, strapped in the car and off delivering stories to small people in the western 'burbs. But the Storytelling Conference (hosted by Storytelling Guild NSW)  is still occupying my mind. Such a rich weekend of story swapping and professional development. Not to mention the thrill of meeting other storytellers from the USA, New Zealand, Canada and of course from all around Australia.


I had a wonderful time sharing my adventures with Kamishibai and telling one of my original tales of the Victorian gold rush. Story friend, Gael Cresp, snapped me on her mobile phone at the Saturday concert. I'm standing in front of the glorious patchwork NSW Guild banner.

There were so many highlights during the weekend but one that I'm still turning over in my mind is Meredith Bird Miller's workshop on 'Geomythology' - looking at myths that contain shreds of truth about land-shaping events.


You can see some more pics and read more about the conference here.

Imagination Magic: Moorabool and Melton Shires 2012

Imagination Magic is a performing arts program for infants, toddlers and preschool children.

For several years now it has been a pleasure and a joy to travel west from Melbourne to the shires of Melton and Moorabool and tell stories, sing songs and share rhymes and chants with the very young and their carers.

As a story teller working in the oral tradition, I take pride in  having a head and heart full of tales for people of all ages. And let me tell you - these little ones are the toughest listeners of them all!

There are times when they sit mesmorised and there are times when at the end of a session I feel like I've been dragged through a hedge backwards! Working with toddlers - gotta be brave!

The Imagination Magic program is rich and varied and each session is different - there is something for every child to enjoy: drumming, dancing ... It's also a marvellous meeting point for parents and carers. And all for the cost of a gold coin.

Bacchus Marsh Tuesday 12 June

Ballan 26 June

Melton 28 June

Information about Imagination Magic:

Moorabool here

Melton here

Making a new kamishibai story: La Cucarachita

Three days of indescribable mess and I've finally finished making the cards for a new story for the kamishibai! 

I'm off soon to the International Storytelling Conference in NSW in June, there's the inaugural  Winter Kids Festival in July and then there's  Sweet Tidings at the Immigration Museum ... as if I don't have enough to think about! But I adore this story about the cockroach who falls in love with a mouse; very popular in Spanish speaking countries. I had an excuse to skype my storyteller friend Luis Correia Carmelo in Portugal, as I decided that I must speak some Spanish to go with. This little cockroach is thinking about all the sweet she would like to eat: un helado, un chocolatte ...

And ... um .. there's a pig (cerdo) in the story ...   

I have adapted this traditional story from a version I found in Montgomery Kelly's wonderful book available here

Champions Read: Storyteller for Bookweek 2012

Children's Book Week is the highlight of the year for storytellers and authors. Its a wonderful chance to meet our readers, tell stories and share news of our up and coming projects.

The theme for Book Week is Champions Read. I'm not sure if Phar Lap was great reader but if he was I'm sure he would approve of my story.

When I chose to write about this champion I had no idea how much research was involved and then I decided to write the story in verse! That's a story in itself!

Listen to an interview about the process of writing Phar Lap the wonderhorse and a reading here

Read more about my schools programs here

Bookings: 

The Storytelling Garden (03) 9569 6149. tania@storygarden.com.au 

or Creative Net

To purchase  Phar Lap the wonder horse (Illustrated by Patricia Mullins, pub. Museum Victoria): 

Melbourne Museum 

Boomerang Books

My second book Lyrebird! a true story will be out shortly and promises to be another winner.

Kamishibai in the UK, Italy and Australia

Here is some news of the international connections in my universe - happening because of Japanese kamishibai. Enjoy ...

At the top of this post is Derek Carpenter from the UK. Derek and I met .. well I don't remember how .. but it was to do with a mutual fascination in kamishibai. In particular, we both share an interest in the idea of swapping and trading stories around the world to boost our repertoire. So we set up the Kamishibai Library of Swaps. Well ... sadly we have not been inundated with folk keen to trade but we've had some fun. You can see Derek on a cold day in Newcastle in the UK with his rig and his story, The Two Brothers. And below is me in Australia on a very hot day, at the Comic Book Festival in Melbourne with the same story. Derek sent me the images as jpegs and I took them to my local printer and there they are!

Here is Roberto Leopardi in Italy. Roberto found me via my website and emailed me some of his adventures. Roberto believes he is currently the only gaito (street) kamishibai in Italy but hopes that some other young street artists are willing to learn. After 20 years of hand puppets, he started  two years ago with the kamishibai and says, 'no puppet show can give me same satisfaction and positive response from kids...' Roberto is currently developing a story about the arrival of the potato from South America to Europe in the 16th century for a local tourist association near Bologna.

You can learn more about Roberto here

and Derek Carpenter here

and of course I am here

Photos: Canterbury Tales Book Club. Williamstown Literary Festival 2012

For those of you  who have been following the story ...  this group of creatives is (mostly) connected through the Newport Fiddle and Folk Club. Sharing an interest in combining music, storytelling, dance and visual art and seeing the Williamstown Literary Festival on the horizon, they formed the The Canterbury Tales Book Club Project. An advance party approached the Literary Festival committee with a plan to present the results of the Book Club to the public and we were given the green light!. Clear as mud?

Well ... enjoy the pics! We had a fabulous time presenting lectures, re-tellings of some of the favourite Tales, Morris Dancing and songs.


Tales told: The Nun's Priest's Tale, The Miller's Tale and The Pardoner's Tale. Each of the storytellers took on their task in unique ways. Pictured at the top is Bernard Caleo (Nun's Priest's), comic book maker and Kamishibai storyteller. Chaucer would have loved it!


Next pics are my friends Catherine Ryan and Claire Saxby, lecturere and MC

And here is me and Danniel O'Connell - the Pardoner and the Miller 

Finally Simon Leverton - our Musical Director.


Thankyou Williamstown Literary Festival