Hannah Harvey workshop "Connecting Across Cultural Borders"

Story-sharing can connect us across cultural borders of all kinds—across age, race, geographical lived contexts, and more—even boundaries as close-to-home as connecting with your own children!  Have you ever been misunderstood, or misrepresented, in someone else’s understanding of your story?   Have you ever wanted to connect with someone across a cultural border, but you weren’t sure how?  In this interactive workshop, we’ll learn and share stories about how we humans make culture, how we form cultural borders (often using stories!), and how we can listen and respond to others’ stories ethically and with compassion, for community-building and greater understanding. 

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Charmaine Crowell-White workshop "Storytelling for Youth"

This storytelling workshop is designed to help students become better storytellers. Activities range from warm-ups for the storytellers’ tools, (body, voice and brain) to working in an ensemble to present a group folktale.

Participants will be introduced to drama games, improvisation, pantomime and tableaus designed to enhance storytelling for beginners.

The workshop will give participants the opportunity to work with others to tell stories as effectively as we can and have lots of fun!​

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Barbara Fornoff "Story Swap" workshop, sign up at  the VASA table in auditorium in the morning

This story swap is a chance for you to tell your true personal story, in 5-7 minutes, in a supportive group.  Here are some story prompts that may inspire you:

 My worst day ever, My best day ever, The day everything changed, My favorite journey, Home sweet home, or a story that you really want to share. 

There will be a timekeeper to make sure everyone gets a chance, and please make your story family friendly for all to enjoy. 

Put your name in the hat for an opportunity to take center stage during the Potpourri from 3:00-3:55!

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Dovie Thomasson workshop "Before You Speak" Preparing for Storying/Storytelling With Intention

Every person has their own way of preparing a story—their own answer to the question “How?” This is not a workshop about “How?” but a conversation about “Why?” It’s more conversational and participatory than “exercise-oriented." What sort of self-interrogation should take place before we pick up a story and start shaping it to our own voice and experience?

Whether it’s the selection of a traditional story from folklore: Why should/shouldn’t I attempt this? Or a personal or family story: Why would anyone outside my personal “bubble” care about this story?  Or a historical story: Why does this speak of my intention or to this audience? Why me? Why/Am I the voice to share this narrative? Beyond that there may be a perceived “right” to tell (like not copywritten-protected), it needs to be seen as essential that the speaker has a responsibility to the listeners, the story itself and its origins. These questions will guide the conversation.

Participants are welcome to bring questions that they’ve wondered about or given some thought to as they prepare, so that this truly becomes an opportunity for sharing our thoughts, questions, and intentions.

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Stories and Yoga Workshop with Children- Sue Berres and Ruth Goldeen

Join us in creating a new story as a group, using our minds and our bodies. We’ll bring the story to life line by line with our words and matching yoga poses. Bring your creative mind, your love of movement, and your sense of fun to this engaging class. 

The littler ones are welcome to attend with their grownup. Older children who can handle a class on their own are welcome to join us while their grownups enjoy the stories on the main stage.

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