World of Stories

Limited Edition CD

2012-01-12T08:01:00.000-08:00

It is with great excitement that I have a new project coming up and I need a little help! This is my first foray with Kickstarter, but would love it if you could take a look: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/simonbrooks/simon-brooks-storyteller-new-limited-edition-cd Many thanks, Simon

Stories and discussions about faerie tales!

2011-12-21T06:26:00.000-08:00

A friend and colleague of mine, Megan Hicks, has started a discussion on faerie tales. It is open to anyone interested in the subject. Each month a question will be asked and folks are encouraged to respond. Check it out! http://fairytalelobby.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/two-simpletons-were-walking-along-one-day-when/ Happy Holidays everyone. May your festivities be wonderfilled. Peace, Simon

Simon Brooks, storyteller does it again! This time he gets GOLD!

2011-11-03T10:09:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled and honoured and humbled that I have been given the Gold Award by Parent's Choice for my third CD, A Tangle of Tales. This, I feel is really my best recording to date, and a lot has to do with the help I had along the way - Rob Brookes, Steve Glazer, Rick Barrows, Rachel Clark and Stevens Blanchard, all who contributed greatly to this recording. The music, which I feel surpasses

The day in the life of a storyteller

2011-10-27T04:08:00.000-07:00

Well maybe not a day, maybe an extended day ending on Sunday morning! I had three performances on Saturday, and all were outdoors. I left the house on Saturday morning at 8.15 am for the first performance in Lebanon, NH at the Food Coop in Centerra Place. I set everything up, did a sound check, got a little shopping in and then walked around telling families I was about to begin, trying to

True Stories, Honest Lies: Storytelling in a suit: the art and craft of business storytelling

2011-10-19T04:16:00.000-07:00

True Stories, Honest Lies: Storytelling in a suit: the art and craft of business storytelling This post by Laura Packer is well worth a read. In fact many, if not all the posts on Laura's blog are worth reading. More companies these days are looking to better themselves in the market place where things are very tough right now. Storytelling can help and storytellers have the skills to help.

Recording Family Stories

2011-10-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

My grandfather on his own milk wagon with milk from his own farm. When I was growing up I loved visiting with my Grandad. Even in my late teens and early twenties I would ride my push bike over to their house to be with my Grandad. I loved talking with him and finding out what he had done in his life, although just being in his presence was good enough for me. He died in 1981. One thing I

New places to see storytelling

2011-09-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

This coming weekend there is a new venue for storytelling in the White Mountains. If you want to get away for a weekend and listen to stories then this is for you! There will be about 16 storytellers there performing in three separate venues which allows anyone to find something they will like. There is a place for adult tales, family tales and tales for young children! And at $20 for an

Collecting Stories from people, from the sidewalk and from the internet.

2011-09-01T06:54:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Harris talks about the stories we have and share and what he has done with them!

CD Love Story Review

2011-08-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

I have a confession. I am always very weary of true life stories. I have a confession. I like good ones that have a point and make you look at yourself. I love funny ones that have a point and make you look at yourself. I never ‘got’ personal story telling until I heard Laura Packer and Meg Gilman (many years ago before I knew them), who both made me think, wow that’s cool, but I

4th July

2011-07-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

Well, what a weekend! I saw fireworks in Manchester, NH on the 3rd; and then the parade in Hanover and nearly got to the Old Home Day in Grantham today, the 4th, but was beat! I think it is great that America celebrates it's "birth" as a new nation, a mere 235 years old. This is such a young nation - there are not many nations that can celebrate it's birth.When I left college and got my first

Community and communication

2011-06-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

There are many communities. There are political communities, communities of friends and family, storytelling communities, work communities and those that thrive all have something in common: good communication. Without communication everything would fall apart, crash. Take the community of the road as an example. This might be the best to examine how communities can survive or die with

New CD out now!

2011-05-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

A Tangle of Tales is now available at CDBaby.com!

TED, and CD release party

2011-05-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

First of all a quick line to say that my CD release party went well. Lots of people showed up on the overcast Saturday morning, which was great considering how much sport was going on! Even my own family had another appointment with a friendly, rival lacrosse team! And quite of few of those who were there bought the CD! I felt it was a great day, and we all had a good time. Tracy Memorial

Connecticut Storytelling Festival

2011-05-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

Wow! What can I say? A great event, well hosted, wonderfully attended, fantastic tellers, and great hosts - all at the Connecticut Storytelling Festival in New London, CT.. I have never been to the Connecticut College before, where it was held and I found there one of the nicest looking campuses I have seen. A huge green, old stately buildings, art installations all over the campus, music

Earth Day Everyday

2011-04-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

Earth Day has been and gone, but we should be conscious of our environment everyday. My family went to see a documentary called "Bag It!" which is all about plastic. Christine Giordano who made it did not think that plastic was bad, she just thought that we could do a damn sight better job of recycling and making better products - such as getting rid of single use plastic bags. We, at home,

Working the Crowd

2011-04-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to the Mount Washington Resort and Hotel, New Hampshire to tell stories at the travel summit they were hosting for Discover New England. If you want to visit the Mount Washington Resort and experience this event, it runs until tomorrow, the 6th April. And the one room I was in I think is a great reason to go. I arrived with plenty of time to set up after I found the room I was

Artwork done!

2011-03-22T05:21:00.000-07:00

Artwork for new cd: A Tangle of Tales. CD by Simon Brooks Artwork by Rob Brookes (c) 2011 So for those who might have seen something like this two days ago, this is now the finished artwork! And Rob Brookes, once again did a bang up (really, really good) job! And what, I hear you ask, are the stories? Well I will tell you the title of one - The Fly! See it there? I am hoping to be able to '

Sharing the Fire of storytelling at the New England Storytelling Conference

2011-03-22T05:19:00.000-07:00

The League for the Advancement for New England Storytelling grew from the storytelling conference, Sharing the Fire. And that is what happens - the fire of storytelling is shared. This year was the third year in Rhode Island and next year will be moving to Albany, New York. Although I was there in the mode of photographer, and as such was not really able to participate fully in any workshops,

Music for CD Three

2011-03-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

Stevens and Simon Well, the Latham Layabouts got together another time. And then last night Rick, Rachel, Steve and I went into the studio with Stevens Blanchard in Fairlee, Vermont to lay down the tracks for the music for the CD. We have been very fortunate in getting Rachel Clark involved as she has added, with her own tunes, a new dimension to the CD collection. Maybe a few people who

Grants now available

2011-03-01T07:02:00.000-08:00

Great News! I am now Grantable! I am a NEST artist. If you would like to hire me and are based outside of New Hampshire you can apply for a grant through the New England Foundation of the Arts. Here are the details: New England States Touring (NEST) provides support to nonprofit organizations based in New England for community-related activities by select New England performing artists from

Music and stories

2011-02-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

One of the hardest things to do for my CDs is work out music to go between each tale. I have been really lucky in that I have two very good friends who are also great musicians. Without them the music would not be as original or good as it is. Last night I met with the core members of my story band, Steve Glazer and Rick Barrows, and this CDs guest star, Rachel Clark. Somehow each CD has

Happy New Year - Ancient Stories, are they relevant today?

2011-01-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

There are many things that the ancient stories can help us with today. Mostly inspiration. You can’t take a story at face value, otherwise we end up with pure entertainment. Looking deeply at the stories we can learn a lot and see ourselves staring back at us. Not much has changed really if you think about it. There is still greed, corruption and war usually over what others have that

Playing sometimes get Tangled.

2010-12-08T05:55:00.000-08:00

Being a stay-at-home Dad as well as a storyteller, I get to watch my kids more than, I think, the average working parents for the obvious reasons! We play a lot and we always seem to make up stories to accompany the games. Even games like "Guess Who!" a game with two boards covered in different faces. Each player then picks a card with one of those faces on it and each player has to guess, by

Half Way Dead!

2010-10-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am not half way dead, but half way through the Halloween "season" of storytelling! I have been to some great places, and seen some wonderful costumes, and met fantastic people. Sometimes I have had packed rooms in larger libraries, some have been small crowds in more humble libraries, but all have had a great community. Sometimes you see similar costumes - three batman's (or batmen

Summer: here and gone - part two

2010-10-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

In mid-September, already the leaves were turning fast. There were cool mornings and the super hot days. As I walked with the kids to school there were bright red leaves at our feet; a few here and a few there. Someone said to me it was the dry weather. I believe it is also because of the cold, cold mornings. Or is that the maple sap? I can never remember. So summer was here and now it is

Summer: here and gone - part one

2010-09-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

Summer has flown by. It has been a wonderful season that has not quite finished yet. One more gig at Mount Washington where I have spent many Friday evenings entertaining the guests. It is advertised as a family event and families come in all shapes, sizes and ages, which is always fun. Trying to figure out what to tell for each very different group is sometimes a challenge and always a joy.

Playing Acustic, sort of

2010-08-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had three gigs, one in Lebanon, New Hampshire, one in Bretton Woods, also NH and the other in Fairlee, Vermont. The one in Fairlee is at Ohana Family Camp, a wonderful organization. I have been going there weekly and this weekend was my penultimate performance for the summer. I have had a great time there and my telling has been deep, telling stories I do not always get to

Staring Down a Hole

2010-05-04T15:02:00.000-07:00

There is something very humbling about sitting at the top of a very big hole and looking into it, especially when the hole is the Grand Canyon. This was not my first trip to the Canyon, but this was the first time we went as a family. As I sat there, half way down and half way up, just like the Grand Ole Duke of York, I felt so small in the vastness of the Grand Canyon. I used my camera to

Story Slam in Boston

2010-04-12T04:45:00.000-07:00

SLAM OF ALL SLAMMERS! THE BIG MOUTH OFF is the final contest in Boston’s first story slam season, produced by massmouth and will be held. 6PM on APRIL 20th 2010 at in the Boston Public Library’s Rabb Auditorium, Copley Square, Boston MA. massmouth has hosted an exciting series of story slams.Come hear the winners of the monthly slams plus one People’s Choice entrant compete for the grand

Stories from far away

2010-04-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

There is a ‘small town’ in the Upper Valley called White River Junction and in White River Junction, Vermont is a store called Revolution. If anyone says that there is nothing to do in the Upper Valley I say, “Oh yes there is, there is plenty to do around here, you have to know where to look – start in WRJ at Revolution.”Kim Souza, founder and the co-owner of Revolution along with some other

Open Fields Auction Eggs

2010-03-15T05:52:00.000-07:00

I am very lucky in many ways, and although this is not related to storytelling, it is related to story. One of my all time favourite childrens' book illustrators, Trina Schart-Hyman, used to be a huge supporter of Open Fields School in Thetford, VT. She is sadly departed from this world, and we lost an unbelievable talent. When, in 1996, the school was donated some goose eggs for the kids to

Never ending stories

2010-01-05T06:16:00.000-08:00

This morning my son, aged nine, and I were walking through the snow to the school bus stop. Aidan began talking about never ending stories. I sometimes use this 'trick' on him at bedtime when he really should be asleep and wants a story. I tell him a really short never ending tale and then he is happy. Somewhat, anyway. He wanted me to tell him the one I told the other day about his sister,

Granite State Storytelling Festival

2009-10-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

First of all, I was honoured to be able to tell at the First Ever Granite State Storytelling Festival and had a great time with Karen Chase with whom I shared a stage.I went to the festival as both teller and listener. It’s about an hour drive from Orford, New Hampshire with the family, and we found all the locations easily and it was nice they were all so close to one another. The town of New

Halloween Events

2009-10-13T06:35:00.000-07:00

It's snowing! It's not even Halloween yet!I heard this story about one of my favourite writers, Charles Dickens. One day he walked into a bar and ordered a martini. The bartender asked if he wanted an "olive or twist?"I just wanted to remind folks that it is THIS COMING weekend Saturday 17th October is the Granite State Storytelling Festival in New London, NH. And here are a few dates you

"More Second-hand Tales" Wins Silver!

2009-10-01T07:34:00.000-07:00

I am not one to usually blow my own trumpet so I will thank Steve Glazer, Rick Barrows, Greg Gundlach, Stevens Blanchard, Rob Brookes, Peter Blodgett and all my storytelling comrades for helping me achieve a silver medal for my 2nd CD "More Second-hand Tales". Please visit:http://www.parents-choice.org/product.cfm?product_id=26681&StepNum=1&award=aw for the full lowdown. Needless to say I am

I can't spell CLiF

2009-09-24T07:25:00.000-07:00

I have recently been to a conference that is held bi-annually - the Children's Literacy Foundation Conference held in White River Junction, VT. It is a wonderful event where rural librarians get together and ask a panel of peers who have excelled in doing something really well how they do it. They also have a great key speaker. I have now met and seen Katherine Patterson and Natalie

Waits River Elemnentary School

2009-09-08T07:45:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from a great gig at Waits River Elementary School, East Corinth, VT. It was a late start to their school year due to construction - 6 days late, and I was invited to perform first thing in the morning in front of all the kids and some of their parents as well as school teachers and administrators. I only had a very short 30 minutes, but managed two stories: The True Story

New Upcoming Performances

2009-09-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

I have two new dates to tell folks about and I will begin with the second!I have been asked to tell tales at the First Ever Granite State Storytelling Festival which is to be held on the 17th October at the Tracy Memorial Library in New London, NH. There will be 24, yes twenty four storytellers at this event at four arenas, so no matter what sort of storytelling you like to listen to there has

Summer Stories

2009-09-03T05:57:00.000-07:00