This is the second time Sarah and I have been guests at this festival. When we were invited again, we didn't give it a thought - just 'yes'. The memory of this extraordinary event has stayed with us.
Stone the Crows is a gathering of mobile homes and caravans, a festival for the grey nomads. Rigs descend onto the site from the four corners of the continent. Participants enjoy workshops, entertainment and they catch up with each other over meals and games.
We took our two shows: The Amazing Case of Dr Ward and Tales from the Flyway and Sarah delivered two workshops: Learning the Violin and Using Libraries on the Road.
And over four nights we told bedtime stories at the Cocoa Club.
I also had the pleasure of participating in the radio play: We Were There: the story of Galliopli. This is a piece written by Jim Haynes using only the words of people who were actually there, taken from diaries and letters; deeply moving and heart breaking.
The
warmth, hospitality and good natured vibe of Stone the Crows is the
work of Chrissy Eustace, Jim Haynes and Grant Luhrs and the team they
assemble. What bowls us over is meeting so many people who are so
switched on and engaged in life; while some of us grow less adventurous
with age it seems that there are others who grow wings.
We love working in art galleries, our performances always feel like a good fit. But then we do enjoy telling stories under the trees.
This is the third Overwintering Project for me and the second for Sarah. The exhibitions are always moving and thoughtful and a percentage of sales is donated for shorebird research. So far I've been to the launch of Hobart, Wyndham and Angelsea and we have Altona coming up.
The car was packed with clothes for all weather, sound system (if required) and we took The Flock OZ to pop-up outside the gallery and at The Willows Tea House at Aireys Inlet, where we also told stories and promoted the exhibition.
So good to feel useful and not merely decorative.
And huge thanks to Bron Ives and Nan McNab for their generous hospitality.
And big congratulatory HUG to Kate Gorringe-Smith for all she does for the birds. Its a joy to contribute to the cause in the best way we know how - with stories and music.
It looks like, where I live is going to get a dedicated building that will provide focus for our local environment: the Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre.
I had a splendid day with my like-minded buddies participating in the inaugural event to raise awareness for this terrific project.
We created a pop-up flock of shore birds! My little video tells the story.
And Sarah Depasquale and I performed an edited version of Tales from the Flyway; perfect location and full house. This time we were on the back verandah of a cottage a couple of hundred metres from the sandy flats where shore birds gather to feed in Altona.
Many thanks to these wonderful people who contributed to the success of the day: Kate Gorringe-Smith, print maker, educator and brilliant advocate for the shore birds. Diver Matt, marine ecologist and one who never fails to get people excited about the wonders of Port Phillip Bay. Loraine Callow, all round top person who knows a lot about paints and what to buy and lots of other things besides.
Every year it seems there are more opportunities to connect with
storytellers around the world and it doesn't always mean jumping on a
plane and traveling thousands of miles.
The Federation of Asian Story Tellers is
hosting regular online story swaps. These story swaps are FREE and you
can either tell a story or tune in and listen.
I joined the November Story Swap and had a great time.
It's easy to participate. Once you've registered you're sent a link that
asks you to download the ZOOM software which is simple to install and
use. While being very enthusiastic about technology, I can be a bit phobic, so simple is good.
Roger Jenkins and Sheila Wee
host the Story Swap from Singapore and you can see people popping up on
the screen from around the world. Apart from the storyteller and Roger,
participants are muted but they can still chat. I took a screen shot of Meenu Sivaramakrishnan
in action. (Thank you to Meenu for allowing me to use this image).
This will give you a bit of an idea. You can see the dialogue box in the
corner. The chat has options so you can share your comments publicly or
message the tellers privately.
Its all excellent fun I have to say.
This is a You tube video of the first Swap held in September. Roger's
introduction is enthusiastic and no wonder, over 50 people checked in!
Have a look. Sometimes the audio struggles to stay in sync but if you
move the cursor along, you'll get a good feel for what it's all about
and the variety of stories and storytellers.
For more information visit FEAST's website. And maybe at the next Swap, I'll see you there.
Taking music and stories into 4 year old kindergarten with Sarah
Depasquale. These children are part of the Bush Kinder program run by
Hobsons Bay’s conservation rangers. Already switched onto the natural
world, the children were engrossed by the story of our migratory shore
birds. And how I wish the naysayers could see the response children have
to Sarah’s playing. Music in schools ... pleeeease!!!!
I've just returned from Hobart where I had the opportunity to present and tell a story at the Australasian Shorebird Conference: Losing their habitats - conservation and management strategies for migratory and resident shorebirds - University of Tasmania Sandy Bay campus.
This was my first venture into the science space and when I tossed my hat into the ring and was accepted, I suffered a bout of imposter syndrome. However that was fleeting as I couldn't have been made to feel more welcome and relevant.
The conference was preceded with the opening of the Overwintering Project Exhibition at the Moonah Arts Centre (Tasmania). The Overwintering Project is an environmental art project designed to bring visibility to Australia's most endangered group of birds - migratory shorebirds.
The project is the brainchild of print maker and curator and now friend, Kate Gorringe-Smith.
These are some examples of Kate's beautiful work.
It was pure joy telling the story of the migration of the Red-necked stint at the opening to a room of birdos. Very vocal reactions from the crowd!
Kate also had a presentation accepted and the two of us were programmed on the first day. I was disappointed that Sarah couldn't make it to the conference as she is part of the team but she was with me in spirit.
Kate and I felt well pleased with ourselves and our contribution. We learned a LOT and met extraordinary people and heard many inspiring stories. The overall impressions I was left with was the ability of scientists and citizen scientists to work together in a space of mutual respect and the role artists can play to support the environmental message.
I have friends who tell me that they would rather chew off and eat their own leg than tell stories in environments where the setting and elements are out of their control. I might have thought the same once but over the years, I've embraced the challenge of taking work out side of performance venues and into all kinds of spaces. I think I've become hooked on the challenge.
The Melton Botanic Gardens is the perfect fit for our stories; it is a place that celebrates and provides habitat for birds, including the migratory Latham's snipe as well as many spectacular plants and remnant bush.
The big flowering West Australian eucalyptus flower this time of year and if you missed me and Sarah, you can still see these wondrous plants blooming.
Once the environment is embraced, the relationship between listeners is re-calibrated as well. We love the informality and fun we have with the people who come to hear our stories.
Thank you Melton for inviting us to part of your celebrations. We had a top time!
While I could hardly be called a prolific writer of children's books, I'm passionate and particularly interested in non-fiction picture books for upper primary.
My two titles were published a while ago and are still in print and I meet readers, and convert new ones, wherever I go.
I couldn't speak highly enough of this festival, located this year at the Swiss themed resort, the Grindlewald, a few kilometres out of Launceston.
And while speaking highly and offering thanks, a HUGE ALMIGHTY thank you to Petrarch's Bookshop. Their pop-up shop at the festival was quite extraordinary and I, for one, found my wallet opening all by itself on numerous occasions.
My sessions were for middle and upper primary and years 8 - 12. I believe that what I have to share with students (my 'point of difference') is that I come to writing stories through telling stories. My mantra is: speak, write, read aloud.
It was great fun acting out stories with the young ones and introducing the older ones to stories told.
The Tamar Valley Writers Festival is every two years. Its a ripper!!!
What a treat to be invited along to tell stories as part of Under the Aalamaram International Storytelling Festival.
With Storyteller Craig Jenkins from the UK and Giorgiana Elena from Romania
The festival takes place across ten days, primarily in schools in Tamil Nadu, born of a dream of the organisers of Kathai Kallatta, a storytelling organisation founded to '...address the benefits of storytelling for children, adults, teachers and parents'.
From the 23rd August to the 2nd September it was nothing but stories, stories and more stories. The team was a mix of local tellers and guests from the US, UK, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and Romania.
During this time, it was estimated that between us, we told stories to over 8,000 children from kindergarten to middle high school. In addition, we ran workshops for the older students and teachers, and there were two public storytelling showcases.
There were times when we told stories to small groups and on other days, we were greeted by a sea of students.
It took a pano shot capture the numbers of students in this session
So many highlights during the ten days, but if I boil it down, the essence for me was the hospitality of the festival, the schools and the local storytellers and the good will of the international storytellers who supported each other as we adapted to the heat and the traffic.
The public concerts were a huge success and it was wonderful to see storytellers from different countries telling stories from their place with such warmth, polish and passion
'In the cosy comfort of the library, while outside an icy wind blew,
Jackie Kerin and Sarah Depasquale kept the audience spellbound with
their carefully crafted blend of evocative music, storytelling and
kamishibai. With impeccable timing, just as Dr Ward's amazing plant
filled case was aboard a ship, Australia bound, a particularly wild and
heavy squall of rain lashed the library windows and had us all feeling
like we were in fact afloat on a turbulent sea! A lovely session!'
Kamishibai (paper theater) is a Japanese way of telling stories. Once
popular in the 1930s - 1940s, it was swept aside with the introduction
of television.
But kamishibai is back and new stories are being published and there are
festivals and gatherings of kamishibai storytellers popping up around
the world.
Bernard Caleo
Bernard Caleo (comic book maker, actor, storyteller) and myself formed a Facebook Group
a few years ago, and calling it the AKA (Australian Kamishiba
Association), we hoped to gather kamishibai enthusiasts from around
Australia to share ideas and grow skills.
Daniela with her kamishibai stage and stories
We now have members from Victoria, NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia as well as a few overseas guests.
Tetsuta Watanabe's 1940s Japanese tale of 'Mr Carrot' was a favourite
With growing confidence, we decided to go public and so pitched ourselves to the Williamstown Literary Festival 2018 offering: a display, two shows, introductory session and workshop for children.
Anna telling a story to an enchanted crowd
The plan was hatched when Anna Manuel
said, 'Let's do it!' Anna shouldered a huge amount of the planning and
arrangements with the festival organisers: curated the showcase of
Kamishibai Stories for Kids and facilitated the workshop. Together with
her partner Anthony, she also designed our flyers and banner.
L-R: Alex Kharnam, Daniela Bücheler-Scott, Jackie Kerin, Matt McArthur,Tetsuta Watanabe, Anna Manuel
And I would like to express gratitude, on behalf of the team, to those
members of Storytelling Victoria who so kindly gave up their time and
helped us with the display table. We were overwhelmed by your
willingness to down tools and lend us hand.
And please, if you would like to be part of the fun, don't hesitate to join our group and follow our Page.
Sarah an I have become passionate supporters of any attempt to share information about the migratory shore birds that visit the wetlands in Hobsons Bay where we both live.
This is the fourth year we have celebrated World Migratory Bird Day, a global event with our local community and rangers.
And this year was especially wonderful as the Spotswood Primary School Choir joined voices with the Newport Community Choir in singing about the life of the Godwits, words by Barry Hill, music composed by Todd Mcneal.
Such a buzz to use the skills that we share to make a difference.
The Amazing Case of Dr Ward and Other Stories is a show developed by me and my wonderful collaborator, Sarah Depasquale.
Wandering through our local botanic gardens (the Williamstown Botanic Gardens), we asked ourselves the question, 'Where did all these exotic plants originally come from and how did they get to Australia?'
We discovered that part of the answer was 'the Wardian case', or as we like to say: 'The Amazing Case of Dr Ward!'
The problem of carrying botanical specimens on board ships had been ongoing for centuries. Then in 1833, Dr Ward (a plant enthusiast) experimented with sending some plants in a sealed glass and wooden case from London to Sydney and back again. The experiment was success and the transportation of plants was revolutionized (and the terrarium craze was also sparked).
Sarah and I have found our delight in this story to be infectious. Our local Men's Shed (Hobsons Bay Men's Shed) made us a couple of scaled down replica cases.
Neil Davidson, Mick Linsay, Philip Frisina Colin Dyall from Hobsons Bay Men's Shed
Jackie helping Loraine oil the cases at the Williamstown Botanic Gardens
Loraine Callow (who works part time at the Williamstown Botanic Gardens managed by the Hobsons Bay City Council) created a glorious set of illustrations for us to use in a Kamishibai (Japansese wooden storytelling box).
Dr Luke Keogh (environmental historian and curator with a special interest in the global movement of plants in the 19th and 20th century) offered advice and ecouragment and Nan McNab (editor and author) kept a close eye on us as we developed the story.
Sarah and I were invited to the 2018 Port Fairy Folk Festival and as part of a packed program of storytelling, we finally launched our new show into the universe.
I made a little video of Sarah and me at the Port Fairy Folk Festival. It will give you a glimpse into the kind of fun we have when out and about with stories.
The Amazing Case of Dr Ward and Other Stories
(suitable for an inter-generational audience and ideal for festivals)
When you bite into a mango and the juice dribbles down your chin, spread a picnic rug under a shady elm, or pop a fuschia bud, do you ever ask the question: how did these plants come to be in Australia? It is quite possible that the answer lies in a simple invention made of glass and wood.
In London, in the early 1800s, a doctor and enthusiastic amateur naturalist, accidentally discovered a plant growing inside a glass container. Aware of the difficulties of transporting live botanical specimens aboard ships, Dr Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward concluded that plants needed to be sealed in transparent cases, protected from salt spray, rats and clumsy sailors. The Wardian case (as it became known) revolutionized the transportation of plants and were in use up until 1962.
Sarah and I begin with the ripping tale of how Dr Ward developed his idea, and
we follow with two stories dedicated to specific trees (the golden elm and the weeping rosebud cherry)
and a story dedicated to the gardeners.
The Amazing Case of Dr Ward and Other Storiesis inspired by the Williamstown Botanic Gardens, designed by Edward La Trobe Bateman and opened in 1860.
Duration
45 - 50 minutes
Requirements
For audiences under 80 people:
4 metre x 3 metre space – preferably raised if the seating is flat
no amplification required
For audiences over 80 people we need:
4 metre x 3 metre space – preferably raised if the seating is flat
Digital projector for images
Radio mike for Jackie and a mike on a stand for Sarah
Cost available on enquiry
Visit Jackie's website HERE
0412 210 098
Sarah Depasquale and Jackie Kerin
Sarah Depasquale is a classically trained violinist, librarian, birdwatcher an gardener.
Jackie Kerin is a classically trained actress, storyteller in the oral tradition and author of several award-winning children's picture books, bird watcher and gardener. Learn more here.
Every couple of years I get an invitation to be part of the spoken word program at the Port Fairy Folk Festival. And in recent times I've had the fun of traveling with my musician colleague Sarah Depasquale.
Our program was packed with two shows: Tales from the Flyway (our piece that shines a light on migratory shore birds) and The Amazing Case of Dr Ward and other stories (a light-hearted look at how plants were transported around the world on board ships in the1800s), as well as a children's show, author presentation and judging the Pat Glover Storytelling Award!
We felt a bit daunted by the task, but Sarah and I ploughed through and enjoyed every moment.
The Children's Tent was huge and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little intimidated at the thought of all these energetic young ones. But it was a wonderful 45 mins of hilarity and the children were fantastic.
Port Fairy has a terrific bookshop Blarney Books and Art and offers a program throughout the festival. I was delighted to be asked to do an author talk. Always fun to switch from storyteller hat to author hat. And selling books and seeing children smile ... well nothing beats it really!
Huge thanks to Jim Haynes who manages the spoken word program and the Festival and township that organises the weekend. Its a privilege and joy to be invited to be part of the fun.
