Traveling to Nebraska

 Ever since I heard the album Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen, I have wanted to go. I recently got the chance to visit. Hazard, however, was an hour north of where I was so was not able to get there this time!

 

Last week I took off for Kearney, Nebraska for five days of storytelling at schools, their library and finally at the Country Club for the evening festival performance. I got back yesterday after a day and a half of flying and long layovers in airports! The trip was a lot of fun, and work. Flying over a snowy Mid-West was wonderful. The last part of the flight was on a small plane filled with eight people, including the crew! (The journey home had a packed plane, and I was told that “packed” was more normal.) The snacks were way better than the ‘usual’ airlines, too. The people of Kearney are friendly and the organizers took care of both myself and Priscilla Howe who was the other featured teller. In the days we were there I told over 30 stories at 12 presentations, did a visit to the local tv station to promote the event with board member (and awesome human being) Marlene Hansen, and presented a 3-hour workshop to college students studying to be Social Studies teachers at UNK.

Priscilla Howe with one of her puppets. Priscilla also tells the epics and very fun personal narrative tales!

 

Priscilla visited a senior center, and a bunch of schools too. We got to hang out with each other, and also with Allen deBay, another storyteller. Allen is from Kansas and tells mostly personal stories, but on Festival Day before my segment, he told an original story to the families, which went down well. Robin Bennett, another local storyteller/author, also told an original story before Priscilla told her family stories (pictured above) as part of the festival. The whole week was a lot of fun and Priscilla and I, although good friends before, were great friends after the festival. The events were well planned, the schools happy to have us, and the audience appreciative of the stories. The drivers, and there were many, were super people, not just driving us to the gigs, but showed us around a bit. And Priscilla taught me how to play dice! (No money was at stake during the game of dice!)

I have to admit I need to be more aware of my age during performances! At one school I was performing for two hundred and fifteen 6th graders and was having a lot of fun. I was in an auditorium, on a stage, raised four feet from the floor. As I was jumping down to get in amongst the kids, I ran back and launched myself from the floor up onto the stage. I made it, but only just. The next time I went up the steps!

Allen and I made a short visit to the Archway Museum, a tribute to the adventures and people who moved to Nebraska, the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails, and all roads that led West. Priscilla was doing something else, although we did invite her. It was a very interesting stop. There was even a 1950’s open-top Cadillac which Allen and I wanted to take for a spin! Sadly, there was no way to drive it out of the museum, and I had to wonder how they got it in there in the first place! I also got to see the Platte River, a very important place in America’s Western history and featured in many of the Western books I read with my Grandad.

Kearney is a wonderful town of about 14,000 people and is typical, I was told, of the mid-west with its many brick buildings. I would love to go back another time, maybe in the spring or summer and visit some of the other sights there.

An old grocery store which was empty for a number of years and is now a bar and gallery. So glad they kept the original signage

One last thing about the trip: On the way back home there was a very short time period where I had to get from one gate to the next. Walking quickly (it’s rare that I run these days, but I do walk quickly) I got to my gate for the fourth and final leg home as they were calling my group, the last, to board. Sitting on the plane, looking through the window, I saw my one suitcase waving at me from the airport. I waved back, and felt awful leaving it in Washington, DC, but we were reunited this morning and the case was very happy! Unpacking, I found that TSA had opened my case and tickled it, so it had a fun time while we were apart! I will be telling that story (as told to me by my suitcase) on Story Story Podcast on the 1st March.

I hope you are doing well.

Peace,

Simon

Bak 2 Skule - It's Been a While

  

 

I had no idea!

  I had no idea how much I had missed it (well, I really did, but...)

     I had no idea how much fun it would be to see young people get excited about stories after two years of not being in a school.

       I had no idea how out of shape I have become!

This last week I had two school gigs. And it was brilliant. Both were very different, but both were in-school, in-person and very much live. The organizers, librarians, and teachers were wonderful, and seemed so happy to have in-person events going on. The kids, very much the same!

Curious looks and glances were made by children as I made my way through the halls with my gear. "Hallos" were called out, along with the Big Question: "Who are you, and what are you going to be doing here?" So many crazy thoughts went through my mind in answer to that: special agent, location scout for a film, building inspector, but I just said: "I'm going to be seeing you later, to tell stories to your grade!" Eyes wide! That put a bigger smile on my face!

Tuesday was a big rush of a day. I packed a banana for lunch and an apple for the ride home. It was going to be a half-day visit. Three presentations for second and third graders, then kindergarten and first graders, ending with the fourth and fifth graders. Then a workshop for the latter group - invitation only!

I had my stories polished and planned, the PA set-up in the cafeteria, my drum warmed up! But then the kids came in, we started chatting and things changed. I shared some personal narratives about being a kid, long, long ago, before moving into the folk and fairy stories. I talked about the importance of reading, and playing, and spending as little time as they possibly could on t.v. and devices, and that music was also really cool without the videos and think about playing an instrument. Music is a language spoken all over the world. The principal popped in and out, other teachers who were not looking after the young folks listening came and went.

We laughed a lot. As did the teachers. I told some more thoughtful stories which provoked smiles. One group left and another shuffled in. I grabbed water, looked at my notes, and played the penny whistle. I played the same tune three times, but each time it was a different song. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, followed by the ABC song kids learn, and then Ba-ba Black Sheep. I do not profess to be an accomplished penny whistle player, but the kids and teachers liked it, groaned and rolled their eyes when I started the third song. They waved good-bye and the older kids, the nine and ten year olds came in. Another sip of water, and banter. "Ah, here we have the Big Kids!" They strutted a little taller before sitting down on the cafeteria floor. I showed them a map I had painted of Scandinavia and asked if they knew what was where, and a couple did. I then began a story from Finland. The kids were great. So many smiling faces, so much chatter at the end, talking about the stories, their favourite parts, the wonder of it all.

It was then time to rush into the library and get set up for the workshop. We didn't have much time, but I was able to cram a bunch of stuff in, and have some of the students tell their stories, give them different kinds of feedback, before they had to go. The kids were amazing, as they had chosen to work through their lunch break. Their attention wandered at times, as did mine - we had all been at it for a while, but we got quickly back on track. One young lady who really didn't want to share her story, ended up volunteering to tell her tale! And it was good. There's something so empowering for kids to be actively listened to, to share their own stories, and be heard by their peers and teachers.

I left on a high from that morning.

Tuesday night I had another gig but it was a virtual presentation with TBD Storytellers for grown-ups. A fun night with some great stories, but a late night. The next day was prep for Thursday. Thursday was only two presentations, and no workshop. This school was very different from the previous school on Tuesday. A much larger school. Their policies were slightly different in that the classes, if we were to present inside, would not all be allowed to be together, and that one group would be in the library with me, the other classes would watch through streaming live. It was cold and windy and the report said there would be rain, so we moved into the library. A laptop was set up in front of me, I stuck the map up on the white board along with a photograph of a cave in England's Lake District (it's where a dragon used to live) and I began.

Again watching and listening to the kids, this time fifth and six graders, was wonderful. The story of the cave has a dragon in it. At first it is only a voice, the kids don't know who it is in the cave speaking to the kid in the story. But when it comes out that it's a dragon, there's a rush of quick conversation on what they thought it was. And the look on their faces at it being a dragon was so heart warming.

I say that the kids have similar challenges in both schools, but there were differences. When we talked about sweaty palms (one character was very nervous), I asked who had felt that way, and had anyone ever been the principal’s office. Eighty percent of the kids raised their hands! We talked about devices, writing, stories, books. The laptop was treated as a person in the audience. I got close, very close to the camera lens, I made faces for the camera as much as I did for the audience and I asked teachers to put forward questions in the chat feature. It seemed to work; a teacher came out afterwards to tell me the kids were engaged! This is the first time I have got immediate and unsolicited feedback about virtual work. After two years, it seems I have it.

We talked about all sorts of things related to the stories I told, and it was wonderful. Again the kids left chatting about what had happened and the tales told. Teachers talked about the way the kids were not used to having to sit for so long and pay attention (class periods are not sixty minutes long), and how much joy they exhibited - some kids who had not done so since March of 2020. It was great to hear. And I hear similar things from other storytellers - the joy stories bring, the connection stories create with the kids, the peering over the walls some teachers have slowly built up since the beginning of the pandemic.

One thing I did discover today, Friday morning, was that I am Exhausted! Before the pandemic I was doing this sort of work all the time, in and out of schools, dashing around the countryside, presenting, working with teachers, but since March 2020, not so much. So I now need to get this Dad-bod into shape so when I next go out (in a few days) I won't be quite as tired at the end of the day!

Do you feel like too?

Peace,
Simon

Moving! or having "an apartment"?

 As my website has morphed and changed over the years, and I have switched providers I have always used Blogger as my, well, blog! Then in 2020 things started to get a little odd, shall we say. Flying back from the UK in March of 2020 I was receiving  emails canceling performances. I scrambled and changed the way I did business, and adapted, and looked for storytelling work. And it came. But the blog fell by the roadside.

 I had thought with my current provided, I would move everything there, but there are things I cannot do there, that I can here. So I don't think I will be moving, but will have a small apartment of blogs over on my website. And I hope I can get this blog rolling again. If you want to see what I put in the 'apartment,' it's here: https://www.diamondscree.com/news

Welcome, or Welcome Back!

 I learned a lot of new stories in 2020, but with the event of on-line work, this meant I had to learn even more because people were seeing me from all over the world, and at many more venues (on-line). Normally I would have been able to use the same story at quite a few in-person venues, as people in a new town, or festival would not have heard them. This all changed with the event of on-line work. And I don't think this will change totally. We shall see!

 With the world seemingly going to Hades in a hand basket, I think stories are needed more than ever. Especially the folk and fairy tales, myths and legends. These stories teach us about tyrants, about uphill struggles, the world around and give us hope. There are stories which teach about tyranny and how it comes to be - teaching us to watch out for it. The stories make us think, and I believe there is little of that going on. We hear 'stuff' and are triggered. We have no, or very little tolerance to hear what other people say. We can no longer have discourse. Sharing folk and fairy tales, I believe, can open up discourse. They can poke a hole in a reality which rapidly deflates - they can shatter the mirrors and blow away the smoke. And what I think right now is so important, is that they can make us laugh, and by golly we all need some humour in our lives! There are a couple of places (again with the two homes!) where I have shared videos of recordings I made. There are here: https://www.youtube.com/c/SimonBrooks

and here: https://vimeo.com/smbrooks

 I recorded an album in 2019 and 2020 which released in 2020. It's called A Flight of Tales, and of course has artwork by Rob Brookes! Marek Bennett, comic book artist and musician was the guest member for the band. My website has most of what I have released for sale as both physical CDs and downloads if you are interested.

https://www.diamondscree.com/merchandise

 I also started a new podcast in 2020 called Lindyline. Although it started off as a serialized book, it has morphed into traditional tales, some public domain literary tales, and original stories for kids. You can find that here: https://smilinsimon.podbean.com/

 I have been invited, once more, to Timpanogos which I thrilled about. It is a wonderful festival out in Utah and this year, will, we hope, be live and in-person! And what a line-up! Donald Davis will be there, of course, and Ed Stivender will be MCing. The rest of the line-up are, from left to right, Donna Washington, Doug Elliot, Josh Goforth, Lyn Ford, Megan Wells, Nestor Gomez, Randy Evensen, Regi Carpenter, Tim Lowry and Willy Caflin. Some of these folks are not just colleagues, but over the years have become friends. Others I have not met before and am looking forward to seeing and meeting. I am also working on a bunch of new stories! This all happens in September, so plenty of time to prepare! If you want to know more: https://timpfest.org/

 It was a little hard going from 6,000 people here at Timpanogos in 2019, to telling stories to a camera in 2020, I have to say!

 So what's new? I made a lot of friends on-line, and got to see some remarkable storytellers from all over the world. Things are slowly going back to in-person. I am booking gigs for the Summer Reading Program at libraries, schools, and camps, and festivals - mostly, at this point, in-person. Keep an eye open on the calendar for those sorts of things. https://www.diamondscree.com/new-events

 So what's new with you? Any plans? Any great books you've read? Let me know! I would love to hear from you!

Peace,

Simon

Old Books and research

I have always loved old books. When I was a kid I loved the design of paperbacks my parent read, especially the Pan and Penguin titles. There was a style I loved. Although those paperbacks had cool covers, there was something about reading and holding a hardcover book. There seemed way more permanence with these books. Visiting places like Hay-On-Wye, a city of books I have seen grow over the years, I know that paperbacks have a much shorter life and are passed on far more readily. Hardcovers stay in a home for much longer. So it is wonderful when you find a treasure. I recently came across a fabulous book by Molly Bang called The Buried Moon and other stories.
The tales come from England, India, and China. One story is retold by Ms. Bang by combining a Japanese story and the Grimm story of Wolf and the Seven Kids. I know a Chinese version of this tale - Lon Pon Po. 

A story I found in The Buried Moon and other stories I had not read or heard before which excited me no end. I am now on the search for other versions of it. Maybe you have heard of it. It's called William and Jack and te King of England. The King of England is not really in the story, so the title might be a little misleading. It is about two brothers who look very similar (twins?), who go on an adventure. The first brother goes without his mother's blessing and gets pierced by a thorn and falls into a deep slumber. This is a sort of male version of Sleeping beauty, but his brother comes to his rescue. The younger or second brother goes on to be gifted a cloak of invisibility and shoes of flight and saves a woman and defeats a devil. It's a great story.
And so begins a black hole of researching a story!

As a storyteller, I read a lot of folk and fairy tales. In the quest to find great stories to tell I do not seek out literary tales (copyright issues) and I also try to find at least two, hopefully three or more versions of the same story. One reason for this, is that someone went to a great deal of effort to find and share a story. If I can only a single source, I get in touch with that source (author or storyteller) and ask permission to tell the story, or where I might find some other sources. Right now there is a very fun story from Japan I am trying to find another version of! Why do I do this? Because I make money from what I do, and I believe in being ethical. Teachers, librarians, parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents etc., do not have to do this, but it can be a lot of fun (as well, sometimes, a lot of work).

Some stories don't need to be set in a particular place when a tale can be found in one form or another anywhere on the planet. But when a story has strong cultural anchors, one should keep the story in its place - its home. Stories can be like people - there are world citizens, and those who/which do not leave their country/culture (sometimes home town)! Digging and delving into story variants and alternate sources often puts you on the trail of other stories, and can lead you to new stories you might never have found otherwise. If something doesn't make sense (a word, phrase or what seems to be a mis-placed action), I look into it.

A story which seems overly reactionary - a camel allows a donkey to fall to its death, for example – can come from a culture which has a harsh or reactionary past. Sometimes these places in history, you might discover as I did with this particular tale, were always being invaded. It was a dangerous region in which to live. When the donkey and camel escape from their captures (in the story I think it was a farm of sorts) they promise when they cross the hills and deserts to be quite. But the donkey is so thrilled at being free, it begins to sing. They are heard and are chased. The camel is able to flee safely however, the donkey comes to an untimely fate.

Researching some of these folk and fairy tales can be incredibly educational, and is a great way to explore the world, its cultures and histories. It can also be a black hole, but a very fun one! Doing this sort of research with your kids (or the kids of others if you are an educator or librarian) is a sneaky way to teach with the fun of stories. If you are doing this research on your own, you can add a lot to the stories you end up telling. You can give them far more depth and richness than some re-tellers of stories provide, and keep (or return) the roots solidly on the tree of story.

Anyway, back to Molly!

The book is filled with amazing illustrations by Molly Bang, who has written a book about what makes a good artist. That book is called Picture This. It is about how to ramp a story's illustrations up from sort of scary to down0right frightening! I think I might have to get that book too!
What books and stories have you found. Shoot me a message or email me and let me know.

Molly Bang, The Wolf in Disguise, Copyright Molly Bang, 1977