Tellabration!, A Celebration of Telling
By Carol Mon
The ancient oral art of storytelling is making a comeback. Not that it ever really went away; it just had been pushed aside by stories in books, music, and movies. But now the weavers of tales are pushing back and bringing storytelling into public arenas for everyone to enjoy. Everyone means adults too! Long believed to be entertainment for children at libraries, adults are now being reintroduced to the magic of oral tellings through a worldwide event called Tellabration!.
Seventeen years ago Connecticut storyteller, JG (Paw Paw) Pinkerton conceived the idea of an evening of storytelling for adults. He believed, given the opportunity to hear more mature and interesting stories (no more Little Red Riding Hood), adults would enjoy the chance to use their imaginations and attend a storytelling concert. He chose the Saturday before Thanksgiving for the telling celebration and then went hard to work finding tellers and an audience. Mr. Pinkerton still produces a Tellabration! in Rowayton, CT drawing all adult crowds of close to 300 year after year.
There is no need to drive to Rowayton to take part, there are Tellabration! sites throughout the state each year. Proceeds from the event go to support the Connecticut Storytelling Center, a non-profit organization located in New London, dedicated to supporting the growth of storytelling.
In the years since its inception Tellabration! has grown and spread from its humble beginnings in Connecticut to sites on 6 continents. Here in Connecticut the growth has been steady getting a big boost last year. The Connecticut Storytelling Center last year coordinated more than 30 separate sites working with libraries and individual producers to make 2003 the biggest year ever in the Tellabration! history.
Carol Mon is a Professional Storyteller and author of Ten Telling Tips for Talkers – Storytelling Tips Everyone Should Know. She works with organizations and professional associations teaching their employees and members how to communicate more effectively through powerful stories. For more information visit http://www.carolmon.com or call 860-214-3249. You can email her at carolmon@carolmon.com.
Permission is granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site so long as the paragraph preceding is included and contact information is provided. Thank you.
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P.O. Box 310595
Newington, CT 06111
carolmon@carolmon.com
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