It was quite the experience, not least for the reason that a number of the New Voices stayed together at an AirBnB. Although due to 'unforeseen' circumstances the sleeping accommodations were a little wonky, it worked out very well. So many deep conversations were held, stories swapped, and silly ping-pong games!
It was an early start on Thursday, the moon high in a dark sky, but watching it rise at the airport was fabulous. Arrived in Charlotte at a little before 9 am, got into the rental car and found a diner to have breakfast in!
After breakfast, I took a somewhat winding way to Woodruff, South Carolina to see the country I was in. I feel back roads more interesting to drive, and you see where you are better in terms of culture, too. It also allowed me to see a roadside attraction - Gaffney's Peachoid - a water tower where art imitates life, I think!Stone Soup Storytelling Festival has a segment called New Voices created by Linda Goodman. A bunch - this year 12 - of tellers are asked to perform as part of the festival. We do it for love and for the chance to get to come back, paid! A number of us decided, at the organizers suggestion and organization, to stay at a near-by AirBnB. Karyn Page-Davies is a wonderful organizer and planner and very full spirit. She could be likened to a sunflower rising up above the rest sharing light and happiness. Anyway, I arrived at the AirBnB. On Thursday and Friday it was pretty much just Paul Strickland, Jane Ogburn Dorfman, Rachel Ann Harding and myself, then we were joined by Cooper Braun, Mark Goldman, Yasu Ishida, Sheila Gray, and Sarah Beth Nelson. Apart from lots of tea and coffee, laughs to be had, table tennis, and stories shared and swapped, there were long deep conversations about life, storytelling and business. It was incredible. I would not trade that experience for anything.
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| Jane, Paul, me and Rachel Ann |
The whole weekend is filled with story. From the Lunch and Laugh at the Soup Kitchen; the Story Panel which Regi Carpenter nailed, along with Jeff Doyle, Tony, Sam and Kanute; and the opening concert all on Friday. We did look over the town of Woodruff and I saw a beautiful pocket watch. It was an antique and would have cost $75.00 which for an antique is not too bad, but I was thinking of the people at the Soup Kitchen and couldn't bring myself to buy it. There are people there who were struggling to put food on the table and the watch seemed to be frivolous to me.
Saturday began with amateur storytelling open mic where we heard some tellers who should be telling way more, and a young 13 year old girl who told a remarkable sci-fi story. This was MCed by a very capable daughter of Nicole Hazard who had MCed the panel on Friday. From there we went to the first New Voices concert which featured Sarah Beth Nelson, Sheila Gray, Cooper Braun, Meanie Knauff, Denise Mount and Rachel Ann Harding. All were good, some were brilliant, and my kitsune tale from Japan and was brilliantly told. Her pace, and delivery were top notch. Sarah Beth Nelson told the story of Dido in a way that surprised and delighted me. It was so good and filled with depth and humour. Melanie Knauff's personal story of bears and soda machines was a riot. She is quite a powerhouse and defiantly a good laugh. I met Sheila Gray at Sharing the Fire this year, and I think I met her once before, and her story was a great story from the Native American culture. Another story I liked a lot was the story of how Denise Mount's parents met. Denise's delivery was fabulous, and her story heartwarming. A whole set of love stories, pretty much.
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| The second set - Paul, me and Mark, Jane, Yasu, Lori and Omar |
Our New Voices MC, the very chirpy, wild and funny Lona Bartlett was the best. Her handling, introductions, and outros were perfection. The audience had been given a voting sheet with all 12 names on it, as the audience (and the tellers) were asked to pick ONE performer from each set as their favourite. This was incredibly hard to do. In both sets I had a hard time picking one person, and part of me was saddened I could not choose more, best of three would have been good! After each set, Lona had the tellers return to the stage space and ran through all the stories pointing out the tellers. Marvelous job, delivered with grace and humour. When Lona says of herself: "You might find I am a little crazy. And I am very good at it!" she is not kidding. I loved her MCing us. The performance order for both sets were decided by drawing from the Soup Bowl of Destiny! Which brings me to lunch.
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| Getting eaten by a dragon for lunch |
Afterwards I went with others to see Jeff Doyle tell to kids at the local library with Kanute. Jeff has a way that brings kids out of themselves which was great to see. He thoroughly entranced them. Kanute had fun too.
Paul I left to get back to the performance space for New Voices part two. Paul and I first met at the Jonesborough Storytelling Festival last year at the Exchange Place. The National Festival's way to introduce new tellers to the event. I loved the tale Paul told then and I enjoyed his company then too, although it was brief. Hearing him again here in Woodruff, confirmed everything. He is brilliant. His stories are so well crafted, clever, funny, playful and yet insightful. His stories, although tall tales which will have you crying with laughter speak of the deep truth of life at times if you are willing to see it. See Paul if you get the chance, you won't regret it. He wasn't the only one to hit the mark, Jane Ogburn Dorfman also told a brilliant story, delivering with gentleness and depth. A wonderful mix of personal narrative and folk tale, beautifully done. The set was opened by Mark Goldman who told an historical story. It was incredible and the ending a total surprise. I cannot give it away, as I hope he will be making this story more available. Yasu Ishida was another clever and thoughtful performer. His story about time travel was remarkable and the end was just astounding, catching everyone, it seemed, out! Quite brilliant. I very much enjoyed his company both at the performances and in person, very gracious human being, and enthusiastic, too!Omar and Lori Hansen are tandem tellers and did a great traditional tale. The humour and fun they obviously had on stage made it all the more enjoyable. And I told The Goat from the Hills and Mountains! People seemed to enjoy it.
You might think that was it for stories but no! After a short break the storytelling returned in the form of a liars competition - Say What?! That was a lot of fun and we got to see more of Cooper, Paul, Jane, and Lori and Omar (although theirs was not a tall tale, but a folk tale), Sarah Beth and other storytellers too. Paul won the main prize which did not surprise me, although I really enjoyed Jane's tale too, and that was a very good fib.
A bunch of us went out to supper together. And when I say a bunch, I mean a bunch! Imagine a couple of tables filled with storytellers - well, here's what it looked like! Yep, it's a busy chatty two tables!
Fortunately we didn't have to be up until a bit later on Sunday for the Sunday service at the local First Presbyterian Church. The Reverend Steve Phillips presided with Regi and Tony Marr adding to the service. I liked what everyone did and the pianist, Madeleine McEntire was fabulous.
This was followed by another mass-eating fest for brunch. No photos, just great conversations about a fabulous weekend of tales.
Woman of the weekend - Karyn Page-Davies without a doubt. The organizer of the weekend, a sunflower standing above all giving radiance and smiles wherever she went, apparently oblivious of the whirlwind of a festival going on around her, yet orchestrating the thing! I met so many wonderful people, heard so many great tales, and need So Much Sleep now it almost hurts!
If you ever get the chance to visit this festival, please go and support it. The people there are great, the stories told are remarkable.
https://www.stonesoupsc.org/
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