Kamishibai under the trees: Book Week 2012

Now this was a great day at the office.

It began with telling stories under the trees off the back of my bike. These are some new Kamishibai cards I've made using paper cut outs.

Following on from the busking I was invited to talk to senior students about my experiences working on the Canterbury Tales.

August and September is a wonderful time for storytellers in Melbourne as books and literature are celebrated at the Melbourne Writers Festival and throughout Children's Book Week.

Lyrebird! a true story. Coming soon ... November 2012

Coming soon... in November 2012

Lyrebird! a true story

‘Well heavens to Betsy! ..
You’re no ordinary chook!’

When Edith met a cheeky young lyrebird on her garden path, she could not guess that he would one day be known as ‘A Miracle of the Dandenongs’.
Soon, James the lyrebird was singing and dancing for Edith, mimicking the birdsongs and other sounds that echoed through the bush. Word of their friendship spread and people travelled from near and far to film and record James. But with people came change ...

This is a true story, retold and beautifully illustrated by Peter Gouldthorpe, celebrating a remarkable friendship between a gardener and one of Australia’s most extraordinary birds.

Published by Museum Victoria, 2012.

You can see archival footage of Lyrebird James in this short film version of the story made in collaboration with Malcolm McKinnon.

I never do anything in a hurry and this book is no exception. In the process of putting this story together, I’ve enjoyed many hours in the State Library, trips into the Dandenongs to observe Lyrebirds in display, visited gardens and interviewed many gardeners. You are too numerous to thank individually but I hope that in the coming months I will see you all again and I can share the book with you.

Visit Lyrebird! a true story and enjoy some beautiful photographs and the story behind the story.

Human Library. Special National Year of Reading event Saturday 25 August 2012

pictured: Some of the Human Books you can meet on the day. L - R Vinayak Hase, Ray Collins, Jasna Dolic, Ravi Stocks, Mariam Issa. Their stories are transcendent, inspiring, funny and moving and they are all true.

This week I had the pleasure and privilege of  

sharing my storytelling skills and working alongside Springvale Library in setting up their inaugural Human Library. Initially known as the Living Libraries, the concept developed in Denmark in 2000 and since then the idea has spread to over 45 countries. The central concept behind the Human Library is the strengthening of local communities through conversation.

Read about Human Libraries and be inspired. The Australian website provides resource kits along with everything you need to know to establish a Human Library in you area.

So ... come to Springvale and borrow a person not a book, for a conversation like no other.  Each ‘human book’ will have six, twenty minute sessions open to the public. Book a session with your chosen book and discover their life history. If you don’t know what to ask - sample questions will be provided on the day. 
Don’t worry if you miss out this time because there will be more human library events throughout the year.

Launch event: 3pm
Session 1:  4 - 5.30pm
Session 2:  6 - 7.30pm

FREE

Bookings essential: Book online here

phone: 1300 630 920

Springvale Library: 411 Springvale Road, Springvale (Mel Ref 79 K11) 

A Grimm Reminder with Matteo, JJ and Julia. 4 August 2012

pic: JJ Sheills and Matteo introducing A Grimm Reminder

A Grimm Reminder started out as a set of stories to celebrate 200 years since the first edition of Children's and Household Tales. With storytelling mates, Matteo and JJ Sheills, we presented our first Reminder in Belgrave Library and then moved on to Emerald for the PAVE Festival. It was always our hope that other tellers would join us as we moved about. At Mentone Public Subscription Library Julia Reichstein joined us with a very entertaining version of Rumpelstiltskin.  

Hopefully there will be more Grimm Reminders before the year is out. I've had a wonderful 2012 working with Chaucer (Canterbury Tales) and the Grimm anthologies. These stories are so engrained in our imaginations, we  (well ...I know I do ) tend to take them for granted.

pic: Julia Reichstein thinking about straw and its potential to be transformed into gold!

The Australian Children’s Folklore Collection begun in the 1970s ...

This tale begins when I set off to see Riley McCarron's storytelling show, Sleeping Kingdom, Waking Beauty at the Butterfly Club in South Melbourne. Which I have to say is splendid!


Following the show I was snapped.  This might look like an ordinary group of women out for the night but I can tell you they're not!


Let's break it down, starting from the left ... there's my Storytelling Australia (Vic) friend JB Rowley. JB is a writer, storyteller and educator currently enjoying fabulous success in the e publishing world with her books Whisper My Secret and Trapped in Gondwana. You can read more about JB here.


Then there's me squeezed between JB and Dr June Factor, Dr Gwenda Davey and Judy McKinty.


Most storytellers will have dipped into the work of these women which focuses on childhood and children's culture encompassing: colloquial speech, games, rhymes, jokes and insults.


In 1999 Museum Victoria formally acquired from Dr June Factor the Australian Children's Folklore Collection. This enormous body of work contains, not only countless artifacts but over 10,000 card files of jokes, taunts, rhymes .... The handover was celebrated with a few speeches and a fabulous demonstration of hand-clapping and chanting girls who I had the pleasure of directing. Well.. not sure if 'directing' is the right word. I gave the girls pages of rhymes and chants from the collection and together we edited them down to a bracket that took about 8 minutes to perform. In front of a large crowd of children, teachers and Museum dignitaries, the girls gave a stella performance. Further work was undertaken with my colleague Bettina Nissen on the collection to create a soundscape for the Museum - you can read more about that here.


A quick search on the net and you will find much to interest you about the work of Dr June Factor, Dr Gwenda Davey and Judy McKinty. The titles Far out Brussel Sprout, Real Keen Baked Bean, the Dictionary of Australian Children's Words, Expressions and Games, maybe familiar to you.


The Australian Children’s Folklore Collection (ACFC) was developed from research begun in the 1970s by Dr June Factor and Dr Gwenda Davey with assistance from volunteer curator Judy McKinty.


I highly recommend you explore this unique Australian collection with a visit to Museum Victoria website here

A Grimm Reminder: 4th August 2012

A Grimm Fairytales Afternoon

A GRIMM REMINDER was devised to mark the 200th anniversary of the initial publication of the Grimm Brothers fairtyales and showcases a selection of darker tales for a mature audience. 

Tellers from Storytelling Australia (Victoria) including Matteo, Jackie Kerin, Julia Reichstein and JJ - Retailer of Tales have put their collective heads together for this event.

image created by Matteo

Mentone Public Library.  (Rear of the Community Assistance and Information Bureau)

36 Florence Street, Mentone

3pm, Saturday, 4th August 2012

Entry: Gold Coin Donation

Bookings Essential:

Julia – jmrei1978@hotmail.com

Matteo – matubrem@yahoo.com.au

Grimm-D’Ouvres and Little Red Riding Beverage Provided

RSVP Thursday, 2nd August 2012

Award Winning Bush Verse & Stories 2012

This is the second time I've been anthologised in the Award Winning series. Two of my pieces made it into Award Winning Australian Writing Writing 2009. However this volume is a new concept from Melbourne Books. Award Winning Bush Verse & Stories 2012 edited by Max and Jacqui Merckenschlager, is the first nationally distributed anthology wholly dedicated to competition winners taking inspiration from the Australian bush and way of life.


Many of us storytellers have the folk festivals and folk clubs around Australia to thank for encouraging oral storytelling with events and competitions.


I give thanks to The Port Fairy Folk Festival, Woodford Folk Festival and especially my local folk club the Newport Fiddle and Folk Club.


Am I excited? Yes. I'm checking the post daily for my copy.


Full details at Melbourne Books.