By Garth Gilchrist. Growing up in the forests of western Washington, wading up maple-canopied streams and scrambling through the branches of big fir trees, I was happy. I still draw on those memories, and the leafy stories they spawned. They provide me with a good deal of my own sense of roots, values and identity. […]
The Healing Power of Nature Images in Story
by Allison Cox. A small ad on the back page of the local middle school newspaper read: “seniors wanted for oral history project. The Journalism students would like to interview you to learn what life was like in previous decades. Please call if you are interested.” “This newspaper is distributed for free all over the
Sharing Our Stories, Intertwining Our Lives: Strengthening Community Ties Through Oral History
A Korean Folktale Retold by Bonnie Malouf. Once upon a time, many years ago there lived a man and his wife. They were very happy together and kind to each other. They delighted in their life together, working and enjoying life side by side. They kept their house, worked in their fields, and tended a
by Kathy Murphy. Imagine a small group of older people sitting in a living room. I begin to tell stories. Someone in the audience might fall asleep, or interrupt me, or get up and leave. Or, something magical might happen… I am a freelance storyteller, working mostly with senior adults in long-term healthcare facilities and
Connecting Across the Years: Storytelling in Assisted Living Centers
by Kimberley King. When I got there, the camp was buzzing like a hive of angry bees. Teenage girls were stomping about, slamming doors, cursing, shouting, threatening to run away. The friend who had asked me to tell stories met me at the car. “We’ve had a major blowout,” she told me. “Maybe you should
The Twin Faces of Sorrow: Stories That Help Heal Grief and Rage
by Anonymous. There are stories hidden in our daily food. I dedicate this story to all the women in America with cancer in their breasts. I love cows. I love their lovely dangly pink udders and their patient luminous eyes. I love their milk and drank it every day growing up in the forties, until
by W. Kirk Avery The names have been changed but not what happened. Many years ago now, a simpler time and life space perhaps, what was real then was just never before written down. With each passing season, fewer and fewer folks who actually lived in the village back then are still around even to
A Celtic Tale Retold By Angela Cay Klingler. Do you have pets? A cat? A dog? Fish? Birds? How about a snake, iguana or rat? Certainly there are differences between the kinds of pets people have. Take a cat or a dog for instance. One minute a cat will thread itself around and through your
By Caren Neile. Teller Noa Baum’s new show, “A Land Twice Promised,” details four women’s experience of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The show is based on Noa’s childhood in Israel, as well as on countless stories from her mother, her Palestinian friend Juana LaBolle, and her friend’s mother. In this interview with HSA Social Action Committee
A Land Twice Promised: A Conversation with Noa Baum
by Margaret Jones. Every week for a year, the routine was the same. At 4:00 p.m., I packed my bowl, a bag of rock salt, some small white candles and a story. I then drove five miles to an apartment complex that housed teen parents and their kids to conduct a storytelling session. Each week,
