pippin spring 2015-19-4 - storytelling toronto nicole fougère. faculty include many of our na...

Pippin - Spring 2015 1

INSIDE

Toronto Festival of Storytelling 2015 ........................................ 1 A Note from the Editor ................................................................ 2 Nota Bene ......................................................................................... 2 Our Stories Are our Wealth by Dini Biggs ................................... 3 At the Button Factory in Waterloo by Dawne McFarlane ................ 5 The Metamorphosis of a Storyteller by Tom Molloy....................... 6

Voices in the Trees by Tom Molloy ...........................................7 The Tony Sutkaitis Story by Molly Sutkaitis .................................7 Elizabeth Laird at the Toronto Festival of Storytelling ........8 The Patchwork Ceilidh Quilt bt Lizzie McDougall......................9 Events .............................................................................................. 10-12

Vol.19, No.4

The Toronto Storytelling Festival - March 19-29, 2015 Dan Yashinsky: Fes val Director’s Note The Toronto Storytelling Fes val was hatched in a small café in Kensington Market in l978, and took flight on April 1, 1979. The café is long gone, but the fes val has gone on to be-come one of the world’s top urban storytelling cele-bra ons. The 2015 edi on welcomes an amazing group of storytellers, mod-ern troubadours, tradi on-keepers, spoken word ar sts, prize-winning writ-ers, scholars, ac vists, and yarnspinners. Our fea-tured storytellers include Ababa Tesfaye (Ethiopia), Elizabeth Laird (England), Bryan Perro (Quebec), Ron Evans (Me s), Arthur Frank (Le ng Stories Breathe), Jean-Pierre Makosso (Congo/BC), Regina Macha-do (Brazil), Richard Wagamese (BC), Columpa Bobb (Manitoba), Leigh-Anne Kehler (Manitoba), Joan Bailey (Lancashire/USA), Jo Radner (Maine), Michael Parent (Maine). From closer to home, featured tellers in-clude d.bi young anitafrika, Itah Sadu, Bob Barton, Celia

Lo ridge, Jan Andrews, Emma Donoghue, Katherine Govier, Queers in Your Ears,

Sage Tyrtle, Shelley Kidwell, and many more.

The Fes val will also be offer-ing our first-ever Storytellers’ Camp from Wednesday, March 25 – Friday, March 27. The camp is led by interna onally-renowned storyteller Bob Bar-ton, Brazilian storyteller/arts educator Regina Machado, and dancer/teller Nicole Fougère. Faculty include many of our na onal/interna onal guests, and each day is packed with crea ve explora ons of storytelling, oral history, sto-ries in the curriculum, personal and family narra ves, African and First Na ons tradi ons, and much more. Storytelling is slow litera-ture. In an age of instant noo-dles and lightning downloads, of rush hours and split sec-onds, storytelling is where im-agina on travels at its own unhurried pace. You can’t rush reverie and you can’t double-click on wisdom. For that, you just have to relax and lis-ten. So to find your storyteller, I invite you to meander, stroll, and perambulate over to any one of the fes val’s many homes and habitats.

2 Pippin - Spring 2015

**NOTA BENE**

PIPPIN is the newsletter of Storytelling Toronto

The Storytellers School of Toronto is a registered, non-profit organization that provides a creative home for a community of storytellers,

listeners, and story-explorers. Our mission is to inspire, encourage and support storytelling for listeners, tellers and those who have not yet heard. Since 1979 we have been providing courses and workshops; holding gatherings, festivals and events to celebrate and present the art of storytelling; supporting the creative work of storytellers; and producing publications about storytelling and storytellers.

Pippin Editor Dawne McFarlane

Design/Layout chris cavanagh

Listings Marylyn Peringer

Program Leaders Festival Director: Dan Yashinsky

Resident Teachers: Marylyn Peringer, Lynda Howes StoryFusion Cabaret: Heather Whaley and the Backseat

Balladeers

Website: [email protected]

Board of Directors 2012-2013

Office Director Dian Marie Bridge

© Storytelling Toronto

(formerly Storytellers School of Toronto)

Ph: 416-656-2445 Fax: 416-656-8510 www.storytellingtoronto.org

601 Christie St., Suite #173 Toronto On M6G 4C7

[email protected]

Sweeping the floor, arranging the chairs, pu ng the ke le on. By the me we do this, so much has already been done. The guests have been invited, the stories gathered, food lovingly prepared. Before that, ideas were hatched and warmed and shaped. Before that, the stories were told. And before that... Whether storytellers gather in a kitchen, cafe, school, or theatre-

whether we're guests or hosts- whether the weather is wild or wooly- we find we are welcomed in. Into the story, into the gather-ing, into deep and las ng connec-on with each other. This is the

gi of story. It could be found at a spectacular fes val, a spontaneous gathering, or anything in between. You'll find it in these pages, and at the Toronto Storytelling Fes val. Welcome.

Dawne McFarlane

A Note From the Editor

Karen Blair Joanna Chapman-Smith Beth Cox Carol Farkas Angela Hansen

Chryslyn Pais Paul Robert (President) Qaid Silk (Treasurer) Hildy Stollery Molly Sutkaitis

Every Friday night

since 1978 storytell-

ers and listeners

have been gather-ing in downtown

Toronto. Each

evening is hosted

by an accomplished

storyteller. Anyone

is welcome to tell a

story. Every Friday

night is unique.

Time: 8:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. 2 Sussex Street, Toronto. www.1001fridays.org

Suggested donation: $5.00 Innis College Café

(corner St. George, one block south of Bloor St. W. St. George Subway - St. George St. exit)


by Dinny Biggs, Coordinator The Village of Storytellers (VOS) is nearing the end of its third year as a project by Storytelling Toronto and culmina ng in Fes val par ci-pa on each spring. Our goals have been to strengthen social inclusion, community en-gagement, audi-tory skills, and language learn-ing. The first year involved mostly elemen-tary school stu-dents, and the second year involved adults and a er school groups. This year we shi ed the age focus to work with seniors and elders, or as many par cipants preferred to be called, older adults. The shape and poten al of the VOS project con nues to evolve based on older par cipants’ reflec-

ons this year. A major theme in this year’s project addressed the interrup ons to the transmission of personal and cultur-al legacies when children and youth are not hearing stories passed down by elders.

Another theme was the sheer enjoyment experienced with intergenera onal ex-changes through storytelling.

Three storytelling groups were formed during the fall of 2014 at Central Neigh-bourhood House, TD Centre of Learning and out of the Regent Park Community Health Centre. For eight weeks we met

once a week, laughed, listened and shared personal and family stories or tradi onal folktales from the many different cultural roots of par cipants. Many in the group were grandparents and very much en-

joyed the valida on of oral story-telling, not only to help children learn in first languages, but also to re-establish the importance of the oral tradi on in many cultural groups from around the world and now living in Toronto. One of the Somali elders was in-sistent that Somali Canadian youth need to learn about their earlier history and oral tradi on, in contrast to what is most o en heard and seen now as depicted in media images of violence and poor condi ons. The elders are very pleased that the Somali youth who met with them and professional storyteller Ruth Dan-ziger will be on stage for the Fami-

(Continued on page 4)

2014‐2015 Village of Storytellers Project, Year 3

Our Stories Are Our Wealth

from l to r: Ambaro Guled and professional storyteller Ruth Danziger with Somali elders at Regent Park Community Health Centre.

from l to r: Professional storyteller Marylyn Peringer and Project Coordinator Dinny Biggs with one of the Bengali speaking participants and interpreter


ly Day event Feb.16, 2015. The youth will each tell a tradi onal story they heard the elders tell in Somali and have now learned to tell in English. VOS par cipants in Central Neighbour-hood House Women’s Club spoke Manda-rin, Bengali, Swahili, Tamil and English. Each weekly session witnessed their grow-ing confidence with auditory skills, their delight in connec ng to each other’s sto-ries, and the pleasure of making new friends. We learned that ‘story’ is a uni-versal language. The third group also met weekly and each me recalled yet another story told to

them from their own childhoods long ago. One story would spark another being re-membered and the a ernoons went by quickly. The group was enthusias c about the experience and they have requested space for the storytelling club to con nue on its own. The fourth VOS group involved grade 7/8 students collabora ng with older Regent Park residents, sharing stories of the ‘days before revitaliza on.’ These personal sto-ries highlight the resourcefulness of a

neighbourhood with many resident-led ini a ves and memories to celebrate. The older residents were keen to have stu-dents hear these posi ve stories to coun-terbalance the be er known nega ve ones of Regent Park’s past. Led by profes-sional storytellers Jennifer Lafontaine and Emmy Pan n, the students linked visual and audio place-based stories to produce a community digital story map for future reference.

Funding for VOS has been gratefully pro-vided through the Toronto Arts Council of the City of Toronto, The Daniels Corpora-on, Toronto Community Housing and TD

Bank Group. During the fall of 2014, com-ponents were supported through New Horizons for Seniors Program community-

based project funding from the Government of Canada. This is a new grant for the VOS project re-quiring project par cipa on of older adults in leadership roles; an exci ng com-ponent we con n-ued building into the project this year. Project support was also much appreciated from the many volun-teers and staff through communi-ty organiza ons

and agencies including Regent Park Com-munity Health Centre, TD Centre of Learn-ing, Central Neighbourhood House, Nel-son Mandela Park School, Community Story Strategies, SCAARP, Artscape, ArtHeart, Team Northern Legs Southern Fists, York University Faculty of Educa on-Regent Park site, and Parliament St Branch of Toronto Public Library. My sincere thanks to Rita Cox, Marylyn

Peringer, Ruth Danziger, Rubena Sinha, Emmy Pan n and Jennifer Lafontaine who modelled ac ve listening, storytelling demonstra on and helpful coaching of par cipants as emerging storytellers. Their enthusias c and talented contribu-ons along with the ongoing support of

(Continued from page 3)


(from l to r: One of the Tamil speaking participants and interpreter with professional storyteller Rubena Sinha November 2014 Village of Storytellers Project, Storytelling Toronto

(from l to r: Professional storyteller Rita Cox with participant, and several of the participants at the TD Centre of Learning Storytelling Club


The students in Sherri Gilbert’s classroom (Sherri at bottom left) at Nelson Mandela Park School with community storytellers and Emmy Pantin and Jennifer Lafontaine (bottom right) of Community Story Strategies - January 2015 Village of Storytellers Project, Storytelling Toronto

Dan Yashinsky, Fes val Director, enriched the experience for all involved. My congratula ons to all the par cipants who emerged as community storytellers in this year’s Village of Storytellers pro-ject. Thanks also to the interpreters as-sis ng on this project; Abukar Amudi, Ma-

riam Ahmed, Safia Hirsi, Fatuma Hied, Calavathy Waithlingam, Afroza Sultana, Sue Chin and Lan Chan. The project could not have proceeded without the leader-ship of Neil Clarke, Abukar Amudi and Mariam Ahmed as community hosts and Deany Peters, Sureya Ibrahim, Angela Crichlow, Safia Hirsi and Ambaro Guled as community advisors.

It has been my pleasure and privilege to coordinate the Village of Storytellers pro-ject and hear the amazing stories told by all the people involved. As one seventy year old par cipant said to me as she le her first session in the Village of Storytell-ers project this year, “At last, someone is listening.”


by Dawne McFarlane Through the crackling cold and gli ering swirls of blowing snow, I was ushered into the warm and cosy January/15 Stories Aloud evening at The Bu on Factory. We stomped the snow from our boots and admired the arts and cra s adorning the gallery before se ling into our seats. An old bank sign (remembered by those of us with silver in our hair) “Next Teller Please” hung on the wall beside Derek Brisland’s pain ng of the treasured Story Barn. Memories of the years of magical story-telling gatherings there live large for many. A diversity of tellers from the worlds of business, engineering, edi ng,

visual and performing arts warmed the evening with poetry, songs, and stories. Many of the stories were original ones. An enthusias c group returned early the next morning for my workshop offering, “The Gesture of Sto-ry.” It’s a delight to be welcomed into a storytelling community where all of the faces are new and yet there is such a comfortable feeling of being at home. It’s well worth the drive to The Bu on Factory for these diverse and original evenings at Stories Aloud on

the second Friday of each month. I hear -ly suggest leaving Toronto before 2pm, and dining at one of the lovely local res-taurants before the storytelling.

STORIES ALOUD:

At The Button Factory in Waterloo

Image Credit: Neil De Boer, Villagephotography.ca from buttonfactoryarts.ca


by Tom Molloy MBA, MSc., DTM Coming to Storytelling from the rigid discipline of formal speech-es and business presenta ons was, for me, like having shackles removed and running free for the first me – I was free to move an audience in completely new and different ways. The goal was no longer to sell a product/idea or convey an unpleasant/difficult message, all of which, by the way, can be done beau fully with a story; but instead, to en-thrall, enthuse, entertain even edutain (edutain: to educate while entertaining) the audience. It is exhilara ng to evoke laugh-ter, to bring tears, and on occasion, to cause shock and awe. Each story I tell has a uniqueness, a rhythm and pace of its own; it moves rapidly to convey joy, hap-piness or movement and slows to convey sadness, intrigue or terror. Some mes that terror was in me. Stories are so pow-erful and this power can be truly felt by how the audience reacts. And telling a story- well that feeling is incredibly inde-scribable. What is perhaps strange in this meta-morphosis is how many of the skills used in formal speeches and business presenta-ons are transferrable to the storytelling

forum. Skills like pausing, pacing and mak-ing contact with the audience. In a formal speech we use pausing to allow the audi-ence to “catch up,” to fully understand our idea or message. We do the same, and more, in storytelling. We pause frequently to keep our audience’s a en on, but that’s not the only benefit derived from pausing. Pausing can also create tension and atmosphere. I learned from formal speaking that it is harder, if not impossi-ble, to ‘win’ back an audience lost by speaking too quickly or by being overly complicated in our language or syntax. Pausing really helps. It was always recom-mended to “Keep it simple and straight

forward (Kiss).” The Kiss principle is as useful in stories as it is in formal speaking. I think one of the more important lessons learned from my formal speaking experi-ences is this: the a en on span of the audience is approximately 90 seconds. In the formal se ng I could use a joke or anecdote to keep or regain the audience‘s a en on, but this can present a huge challenge to me as a storyteller. How do I maintain the audience’s a en on through-out my story? And how can I do this with au-thored stories? That’s a chal-lenge. To tell you the truth I have never told an authored

story word for word; my memory isn’t that good! My versions are adapta ons. They have to be adapta ons be-cause I know that whenever I see the audience’s a en on dri ing, I will ad lib, make a joke or repeat an anecdote. Thankfully, I seem to be able to do that without affec ng the story. Wri ng my own sto-ries makes this a li le easier because I can easily introduce an anecdote, quip, joke every 90 seconds or so (this trans-lates into 150 – 180 words for my speaking rate of about 120 words per minute: another

idea I picked up from business presenta-ons). Maybe this is why I write my own

stories. It gives me leeway to engage the audience in my own peculiar way. To be honest I don’t know why I write stories. I just know that storytelling (and wri ng for the purpose of telling) is so libera ng and so much fun that I doubt that I’ll ever pre-sent formally again. If I do you can bet several stories will be included; that way I’ll never be boring again!

The Metamorphosis of a Storyteller (Or, I used to be really boring)

from l to r: Michele Braniff, Tom Molloy, Dawne McFarlane, Anne Busby, and Derek Brisland at Stories Aloud

Tom Molloy at Stories Aloud


To celebrate World Storytelling Day in 2012, the Baden Storyteller's Guild per-formed before a live audience at the Wa-terloo Region Museum and produced a CD of the concert, “Voices in the Trees.” Members of the Guild performed original and authored stories to a packed audi-ence. Both the concert and the CD were an amazing success. The experience of

being recorded while telling added anoth-er dimension for the tellers and remains a wonderful record of the Guild's perfor-mance on that day. This project was supported by a grant from the Waterloo Region Arts Council and used local talent for all aspects of the project. The concert was recorded profes-sionally by Mackenzie Jordan who also

designed the sleeve. The proceeds of the sale of the CDs covered all the costs in-cluding ckets and posters, and provided funds for future Guild projects. The CD was distributed free of charge to all local libraries and schools. “Voices in the Trees” will be available for purchase at the 2015 Toronto Story-telling Fes val.

Voices in the Trees by Tom Molloy

by Molly Sutkai s Recently I visited Art Spiegelman's exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontar-io. Spiegelman's cartoons are philosophically astounding. I spent most of an hour looking at the story of how his father survived the Holocaust. I plan to return to this room again and again. This visit triggered in my mind the stories my late husband Tony Sutkai s told of his experiences during World War Two. Tony was born in Lithuania, one of the Bal c States, in October of 1926. His first job, a er he le school, was in the office of the head man of the villiage in which he lived. He had a good life up un l the day that the Nazis headed for his vil-lage, taking prisoners of all the young men they could find. Word of mouth alerted his parents to the fact of this danger and Tony was sent to live with his aunt in another part of Lithuania un l the danger would pass. It was on his return to Paduabaie that the Nazis caught him. He was then taken to the capital city of Villnus. There he spent the night sleeping on the hard floor of a castle. That was the first me he had ever been away from his vil-

lage. Early in the morning the next day, he was put on a ca le train. For the next two days and nights, squeezed like sardines, without food or drink, he suffered the unbearable closeness of human flesh and the terrible stench that resulted in being

deprived of toilet facili-es. A er a long me the

train stopped in a forest clearing and the cap ves were allowed to get out to relieve themselves. Tony told of using the leaves of broad leaved plants to wipe his rectum. One of the most horrible things of this journey was being deprived of the

ability of going to the toilet. Thirst was also a factor in the discomfort of the jour-ney. The soldiers all carried guns and were not re cent about using them . The train eventually stopped in Germa-ny at what was to become their living quarters; a slave labour camp where sol-diers carrying guns were always present. Tony was given a canvas bag and ordered to fill it with straw. That was to become his bed. He was given watery soup made from thistles. The next morning the pris-oners were marched at gunpoint to an airport. From dawn ll dusk he was made to load bombs onto airplanes. He had to do this with very li le food and always the soldiers held guns pointed at the slave labourers. The events of the day were always supervised by gun to ng soldiers. Hard work, li le food, and li le sleep were the rou nes, day in and day out- always at the point of a gun. This went on from 1942 ll 1945. One day an older man, who had been the church organist in the village that Tony came from, no ced that the Nazi guards had become less vigi-lant than they normally had been. He sug-

gested to Tony that they simply walk away from this slave labour camp, and that was what they did. So with only the clothes they had on their backs, they set off. Sleeping under hedges, they walked by night and slept by day. Tony had a handkerchief which he used to drain water from a stream which he then drank. Some mes he ate grass when they could not find vegetables from farmer’s fields to keep themselves alive. They travelled more or less by in-s nct. Then one morning when they were sleeping under a hedge in a field, the voice of the wife of the farmer spoke to them. She told them the war was over. She said there were people who spoke like they did who were living in a displaced persons camp nearby. She pointed the direc-on. Tony and his organist friend found

the camp. The people there were just si ng around looking sad with no energy, exuding apathy and staring into space. Then one day some new people ar-rived. A sugges on arose that they ought to start a school. The person who made the sugges on happened to have been the Minister of Educa on in pre-war days. Classes began which helped the morale of the camp. Time passed and a delega on from Russia, Britain and the United States of America arrived. The camp was to be emp ed and the occupants were to be returned to their own home countries. When the first Lithuanian was told to go to the truck for people to go to Lithuania, that person refused to enter it. The dele-


The Tony Sutkaitis Story


gates could not understand why this re-fusal was happening. Through translators the story came out that the Lithuanian Displaced Persons did not want to return to Lithuania, as Lithuania was now under Russian occupa on. They did not want to return to Lithuania for that reason. So ada-mant were the Lithuanian Displaced Per-sons that arrangements had to be made to transfer these people to either the USA or Britain. Tony chose to go to Britain and eventu-ally went to a Displaced Persons Camp in England. There he worked on a farm. Every evening he went to see the same movie night a er night for a week at a me. In those days in England the same movie was shown weekly. Tony learnt English from watching these movies. He had a very good ear for languages. A er a me this camp closed and Tony moved to London. He got a job in an insurance company, went to night school and did comptrolling work in the insurance office. He evaluated risks involved for new business. At that me Tony did not know any-thing about his family nor did they know of his whereabouts. Then one day, by this me it was 1964, he met another Lithuani-

an in London who told him the Russians were now le ng le ers through. He was able to contact his family. On discovering

how bad things were he sent them food parcels and actually sent them enough money to have a new home built on their small holding, as the one they were then living in was falling apart. Tony had heard from other Lithuanian exiles that Canada was the place to go. In 1964 he immigrated to Canada. I had emigrated in 1963. In 1965 the group of women with whom I lived was breaking up. One went back to Switzerland another returned to South Africa. Heather was going on a round-the-world trip, and I was le with a big house and a big rent. I then wrote on a 3X5 card this message: Single woman looking for accommoda on- reasonable rent. I got quite a few answers but none of them interested me un l Rhoda called. I went to see the apartment in the house where her mother lived. It was what I had been looking for. As we were driving back Rhoda asked me, “Why aren’t you mar-ried?” I replied “I am 32 - I am much too old to get married now.” “Nonsense,” replied Rhoda. “I was 35 when I got married and I now have two beau ful daughters. You are depriving a good man of a good wife!” Well it is easy to put a guilt trip on me. So I asked, “Do you know any eligible bachelors?”

“Yes,” she responded. “One is my hus-band’s assistant and the other is the son of the president of the firm.” “Is either of them Catholic?” “Yes,” said Rhoda, my husband’s assis-tant is. Would you like to meet him?” “Yes, that might be nice,” was my reply. So Rhoda arranged a dinner at her home. The day a er this dinner the others at work asked how I had got on with my blind date. I responded that it was a no-go as he had hardly said a word the whole evening. The response to that was that Tony was an observer! Over the next few months Rhoda ar-ranged another two dinners. I went back to Glasgow for Christmas and my mother asked how my social life was going. I told her about Tony and she replied, “I think there is something there.” I returned to Toronto. Rhoda asked asked if I‘d like to come to their place in Orillia for a weekend. I went, and Tony was there as well. That Friday we stayed up talking ll 1a.m. I realized that Tony had all the

quali es that I’d been looking for in a hus-band. We started going steady, got en-gaged in March and married in July. I had been teaching Sunday School in Beaverton, so we had the marriage service in Beaverton and the recep on at Rhoda and Dan’s second home in Orillia. The rest is history.


by Carol Farkas Elizabeth Laird has published many books, including “When the World Began; Stories collected in Ethiopia.” This was a book I read when my late husband Brian Scorthorne and I returned from Ethiopia in 2003. It is with great an cipa on that I, as a Board member of Storytelling Toronto, will greet and meet Elizabeth Laird this March. Now what is my backstory connec on with Ethiopia? And why do I tell their ta-les? My late husband Brian Scorthorne and I had toured Ethiopia in 2003 with the tour group Adventures Abroad (which Brian called misadventures abroad) for 2 weeks.

We stayed in Addis Ababa for a week and a half a er the tour was over. While on tour we visited many parts of Ethiopia, and at the Blue Nile Falls in Bhar Dar I met secondary school student Agu-mas who wanted to be a guide up the slip-pery access to the falls. I did not climb, but we talked. He and I became fast friends and began correspondence first by mail, then email for 8 years. Once email began in Bhar Dar, he had to go to the post office to receive my emails and the money I sent him via Western Union. I helped put him through tex le school, as well as assis ng with school uniforms and malaria medi-cines for him and his sister Mara.


Elizabeth Laird at the Toronto Festival of Storytelling!


The Patchwork Ceilidh Quilt by Lizzie McDougall www.lizziemcdougall.co.uk (Editor’s Note: I met Lizzie at the Sco sh Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh, where this magnificent quilt was spread out for all to dream into. I asked her to write about it for Pippin.) STORIES STITCH US TOGETHER; Espe-cially tales that have been told for genera-

ons. Tradi onally in the Highlands of Scotland, the Ceilidh is where songs, tunes and stories are shared. All ages gather and contribute by playing a tune, making the tea, telling a story, even sweeping the floor, crea ng a sense of shared commu-nity and connec on to the past and to the future that is a simple but precious joy. Times change, and even Ceilidhs are changing. Thankfully, despite the impact of pop music and all the wonders of the modern world, there has been a remarka-ble resurgence of par cipa on in tradi-onal music making in the Highlands.

Tunes that were on the verge of being forgo en are now well known, loved and played by many young musicians. Today Ceilidhs are full of tunes with some danc-ing, which is wonderful. However, I am worried that storytelling has been a bit forgo en and that the stories may be-come lost. I love stories and I love pictures. I am par cularly fascinated by the pictures that stories make in peoples’ heads. I had a

picture in my head of the fragments of old Highland tales sca ered by the winds like wee bits of rag caught in the trees. I have created a number of art and story-telling projects to involve Highland youngsters in their rich heritage so they know their stories, including a series of storypanels which I take with me in the car to venues around the Highlands. The

only problem is I can’t get them on a plane. Last year my sister-in-law Brenda Sanders returned from six years in Saudi Arabia, where she had become a patchwork expert. As a welcome home I gave her a copy of a book I had illustrated. A week later she gave me an amaz-ing appliqué version of my picture of St Columba and the Monstrous Wurrrm! What’s more, she was keen to work on a project in the Highlands. And so was born the Ceilidh Quilt project. We wanted to make a Patchwork Quilt that would bring to-gether the gener-

a ons and celebrate the stories and songs of the Ceilidh. We were grateful to receive a small grant from Crea ve Scotland. I invited Chrissie Stewart too as she has a wonder-ful voice, repertoire of songs and a great ability to get a crowd singing. We visited a number of older folk in the area for wee house Ceilidhs and gath-ered some important de-tails to old tales, including the exact loca on of Tor-ridon’s Pipers Cave (it’s beside the Fairy Mound). We followed this with sessions in local schools, encouraging pupils to sketch images of the songs and stories. I devel-oped these sketches into designs, then Brenda and I

led appliqué workshops which were a ended by people of all ages. Brenda then quilted the Ceilidh Quilt together. Since then I have taken the Ceilidh Quilt to many places, o en leading sessions where children s tch a wall hanging inspired by the stories to take home, so that they can take home a story and take care of it. The Ceilidh Quilt is featured each month in Highland Life Magazine. I can take the Quilt on a plane, so who knows- maybe one day I will bring it to Canada.

Lizzie McDougall & Chrissie Stewart with Brenda's patchwork

Lizzie McDougall with Ceilidh Quilt


*NEW LISTING*Storytellers for Children present Children’s Friday Night Storytell-ing, March 27 and April 24, 2015, 6:30-7:30pm at Pegasus Studios, 361 Glebe-holme Blvd., Toronto PWYC, suggested donation $5 per family. RSVP to April, (416) 515-2855

“Coffee and Tales” every 3rd Thursday of the month, 7 pm at the Sleepless Monkey Café, 1000 Islands Mall, Brockville. Info:

Host Bill Lalonde, [email protected] (613) 342-0136

The Guelph Guild of Storytellers meets at 7pm on the second Wednesday of each month at the main branch of the Guelph Public Library, 100 Norfolk St. Open mike for 5-minute stories. Experienced tellers with longer stories are encouraged to con-tact us in advance for a spot on the pro-gram. Info: Sandy Schoen, (519) 767-0017, [email protected], www.guelpharts.ca/storytellers

Belleville Storytellers meet on the 1st Thursday of each month at the Belleville Public Library, 254 Pinnacle St, at 6:30 pm. Info: Micki Beck, [email protected]

Dan Yashinsky, Storytelling Toronto’s storyteller-in-residence, and a roster of other storytellers host Bread and Stories most Saturday mornings 10-12am at the Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St. In winter we’re indoors at the Storytell-ing Toronto office, Suite 173.. Open to sto-rytellers, listeners and those who like to “talk” story. Come and be mentored as you try out new or familiar stories. In-fo:[email protected]

1,000 Friday Nights of Storytelling con-tinues every Friday evening at 8pm at the Innis College Café, Sussex Ave. and St.George St., Toronto. Cost $5. Open to all who wish to listen or tell. (416) 656-2445, www.1001fridays.org

EVENTS — Spring 2015

Every effort has been made to present current information. Sometimes the completion and delivery of Pippin is subject to the volunteer hours available to produce it.

As a medical anthropologist and socio-linguist, as well as an Ontario Ministry of Health HIV/AIDS researcher, I was inter-ested back then in the situa on in Ethio-pia. I was able to work with the major HIV/AIDS group in Addis Ababa and link them to receive material from the AIDS Commi ee of Toronto. I have many stories about that experi-ence. For example, there was an HIV tes ng clinic down the road from where we were staying. We went there and I was impressed with their set up. Then two days later the clinic had disappeared. I later found out it was one of the sham clinics, re-using needles and hence helping to spread HIV. We met the director of the Habesha Breweries who told us of his plans to get a white van filled with beer cans, take it to rural areas and use the side of the truck to show a video of fa-mous soccer stars talking about the im-portance of using condoms. We were told

that Ethiopia was a soccer crazy country. I told him I thought it was a great idea to use celebri es as an educa onal tool. Later on our we saw some kids playing soccer with a rolled and ed bundle of plas c bags. We stopped and cha ed with their "captain" who was a senior in grade school. Once back in Canada I was able to get a Canadian junior soccer team to do-nate some equipment to them. While traveling to Gondar in a 5 jeep con-voy, the jeep ahead of ours rolled over in a deserted area. I was amazed that sud-denly people emerged from the bleak countryside to assist us. Our Ethiopian driver was stunned but not injured. And of course there were many stories about the Queen of Sheba, and the Arc of the Covenant. We saw the building in Ax-um where the Arc is kept. We a ended a Holy Day celebra on where the mock Arc was to be brought out and walked to the Cathedral, St. Mary of Zion. Many had come to a end the fes val, some walking for days. But on that day, it was deemed by the Chief Astrologer that it was “not

auspicious” for the Arc to come out. I s ll enjoy the term, “not auspicious!” Back to Addis and our guest house. The owners' son Carl, a famous Ethiopian soc-cer player, had been playing with a profes-sional soccer team in New York State when he became ill. He was HIV infected. His wife had been infected during a blood transfusion when giving birth. He was now a strong supporter of HIV educa on. Carl and his dad would o en come and sit with us in the evening on their small pa o and tell us some of their folktales, customs and tradi ons. That was before I was a storyteller. If I had been one then, I would have wri en these tales down to tell again. Now I am a teller of Ethiopian Stories, since discovering Elizabeth Laird’s book as well as The Fire on the Mountain by Har-old Courlander and Wolf LesLau, and The Lion of the Path by Hugh Tracey. This la er book incorporates music for the mbira/sanza/kalimba/finger piano which I o en play to accompany my telling. This is a good sample of my collec on.


Elizabeth Laird cont...

GATHERINGS


PERFORMANCES

Storytelling Circle meets every Tuesday at 2:15pm at #6 St. Joseph Street, an artis-tic resource centre for people at a cross-roads in life. All are welcome. Info: Molly Sutkaitis, (416) 239-1345

Stories Aloud meets on the 2nd Friday of the month at the Waterloo Community Arts Centre, 25 Regina St. S. Waterloo. 8pm. Info: Open storytelling, cost $5. Info: Derek Brisland, [email protected], (519) 634-9128

The Baden Storytellers Guild meets on the 4th Friday of the month, at the Water-loo Community Centre, 25 Regina St. S., Waterloo. Info: Derek Brisland, (519) [email protected]

The Ottawa Storytellers meet for their Story Swap on the first Thursday of the month, 7pm At Library and Archives Cana-da, 395 Wellington St, Room 156, free ad-mission. Info: [email protected]

The Ottawa Storytellers also sponsor Stories and Tea every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at The Tea Party, 119 York St., Ottawa, 7pm. Suggested donation: $8 or pay what you can. Info: [email protected]

The Dufferin Circle of Storytellers meets the 1st Thursday of the month, 7:30pm. Info: Nancy Woods, (519)925-0966

The Brant Taletellers Guild, welcomes tellers and listeners to its monthly gather-ings September to June, 7 – 8:45pm, on the first Wednesday at the Station Coffee House and Gallery, besides the Brantford VIA Station. Visitors welcome. Fair Trade.coffee, Steam Whistle beer, wine and snacks can be purchased during meet-ings Info: [email protected]

The Durham Folklore Storytellers (formerly Durham Folklore Society) meets every 3rd Thursday, 7:30-9:30pm in the Seniors Day Activity Room, Northview

Community Centre, 150 Beatrice St. E., Oshawa. Info: Kathleen Smyth, [email protected] or www.durhamfolklorestorytellers.ca

Cercle de conteurs et conteuses de l’Est de l’Ontario se réunit pour une soirée de contes décontractée style “Café” au Salon Richelieu du MIFO, 6600, rue Carrière, Orléans. Venez faire plaisir à vos oreilles en partageant et en écoutant contes, legendes et bonnes histoires. Entrée libre. Dates: les 20 février, 19 mars, 23 avril. Contribution volontaire suggérée. Infor-mations: Laurent Glaude, (613) 859-1978, [email protected]

The Hamilton Storytelling Circle meets at Temple Anshe Sholom, 221 Cline Ave N., Hamilton. Info:BarryRosen, [email protected]

The Montreal Storytellers Guild meets the 4th Tuesday. of the month at the West-mount Library. Info: Christine Mayr, [email protected]

Phyllis Broom Walker tells Anansi stories and helps you learn the times tables the Jamaican way on March 11, 2015, at The Women’s Art Association of Canada, as part of their Winter-Spring Luncheon Pro-gram. Lunch 12:30, followed by storytelling at 1:30. At 23 Prince Arthur Ave.,Toronto. Tickets $30, storytelling only $15. Reser-vations: Cal Lorimer, (416) 922-2060, [email protected]

Antonio Rocha, actor, storyteller and mime, who appeared in the St.Mary’s Sto-rytelling Festival in 2005 and 2008, returns for two concerts. For adults: Friday April 10, 2015, 7:30pm at St. Mary’s United

Church, 85 Church St. South. $20, stu-dents $15 Tickets: Nancy Vermond, (519) 284-2698, [email protected] For families: Saturday afternoon April 11, in Stratford. Time and venue TBA. Info: Nancy Vermond or Gail Fricker, (519) 272-1039, [email protected]. Antonio is also giving a voice workshop (see WORK-SHOP listings).

Storytellers for Children will be participat-ing in the 2015 Toronto Festival of Story-telling on Sunday March 22, 10:00 – 11:30am at the YWCA, Elm Centre, 150 Elizabeth St. $5 adults at door, children free. Info: www.torontostorytellingfestival.ca

The Great Big Enormous Storytelling Afternoon features members of Storytell-ers for Children sharing tales at Riverdale Farm on Saturday June 6, 2015, 1-3pm. By donation. For info, or if you would like to tell, contact April,(416)615-2855,[email protected]

The 2015 Toronto Storytelling Festival runs March 19 - 29. Performances take place at the Aga Khan Museum, YWCA Toronto, Gladstone Hotel, The Japan Foundation Toronto, Canadian Gay and Lesbian Archives, The Ismaili Centre To-ronto, Aki Studio Theatre, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto Public Library, and many other venues around Toronto. Featured tellers include Jan Andrews (Ottawa), Eliz-


This newsletter is made possible in part by a grant from the Ontario Arts Coun-cil’s Literary Festivals and Organizations Operating Funding.

abeth Laird (England), Louise Profeit-Leblanc (Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation), Regina Machado (Brazil), Ababa Tesfaye (Ethiopia), Michael Parent (USA), Jo Rad-ner (USA), Arthur Frank (Alberta), Leigh-Anne Kehler (Manitoba), Joan Bailey (England/USA), Richard Wagamese (BC), Ron Evans (BC), d.bi young anitafrika, Emma Donoghue, Celia Lottridge, Itah Sadu, and many more. We're also offering our first-ever Storytellers Camp, running during the festival. Led by Bob Barton, Nicole Fougère, and Regina Machado, and with storytalks and workshops by many of our out-of-town guests, it will be an inten-sive three days of story exploration. The whole program can be found at www.torontostorytellingfestival.ca.

Storytellers for Children 6th annual Three Wishes Festival takes place June 12 and 13, 2015, at Pegasus Studios, 361 Glebe-holme Blvd. Concert and workshops TBA. Info: (416) 2855, [email protected]

The Parent-Child Mother Goose Pro-gram offers a Teacher Training Work-shop dealing with its philosophy, objec-tives and material (rhymes, songs, story-telling) plus logistics on running the pro-gram. This two-day workshop is being offered on two occasions: Friday April 10, 9:30 – 4:30 and Saturday April 11, 9:30 – 3:30. Instructor: Ruth Danziger Friday June 19, 9:30 - 4:30 and Saturday June 20, 9:30 – 3:30 Instructor: Megan Williams At the

Centre for Social Innovation Annex, 720 Bathurst St., Toronto. $330, $290 if regis-tered one month in advance. Cost includes training manual, rhymes and songs booklet and other resources. Registration: (416) 588-5234, [email protected]

Building on Your Experience in the Par-ent-Child Mother Goose Program is a one-day workshop designed for experi-enced PCMG teachers who have complet-ed Level One certification. Participants will share observations, methods, challenges and joys and receive feedback fresh ideas and new material to use in their programs. Friday May 8, 2015, 9:30 – 4:30 at The Centre for Social Innovation Annex, 720 Bathurst St., Toronto. Facilitator: Celia Lot-tridge. $170, $155 if registered by April 8. Info: (416) 588-5234, [email protected]

Antonio Rocha, actor, storyteller and mime offers a workshop, Beyond the Voice, on Saturday morning April 11, 2015. In a session filled with fun and move-ment, participants will learn how to use body language to enhance their storytell-ing. Fee: $40. Venue in Stratford TBA.

Info: Gail Fricker, (519) 272-1039, [email protected]

Info: (416) 656-2445 or www.storytellingtoronto.org

Threads: In-Depth Exploration of a Fairy Tale. Saturday April 11, 10am – 4pm, and Sunday April 12, 2015, 1 – 4pm. At The Textile Museum of Canada, 55 Centre St., Toronto. Instructor: Michelle Tocher. Fee: $150/$134 early bird (by March 28).

Storytelling I: First Steps Into the Art of Storytelling (Spring) May 9 – 11, 2015 at the North York Central Branch of the To-ronto Public Library. Instructors: Lynda Howes, Joan Bailey. Fee: $270/$244 early bird (by April 24)

Summer Intensive, open to beginner and veteran storytellers. July 16-19, 2015, at The Church of St. George the Martyr. In-structor: Marylyn Peringer. Fee: $416/$391 early bird (by July 2)

T he Story te lle rs Sch oo l of Toron to g ra te fu lly acknowle dge s the supp ort o f the fo llo wing g ove rnm en t a gen cie s:

STORYTELLING TORONTO

COURSES

WORKSHOPS

pippin spring 2015-19-4 - storytelling toronto nicole fougère. faculty include many of our na...

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