STORYTELLING NEWS FROM DOWN SOUTH

By Anna Jarrett

Published in Telling Tales, Australian Storytelling Guild (NSW) Spring 2006. 

Telling Tales newsletter is available by subscription. Select articles are available on Australian Storytelling Guild's website

STORYTELLING NEWS FROM DOWN SOUTH

©Anna Jarrett

Life "down south" continues to be a wonderful experience. I'm getting to know the community through all my community storytelling projects and performances.

Last year my focus was on being booked and being heard at local venues and I enjoyed telling stories at preschools, festivals, libraries, vacation care centres and community service programs. This year my focus has been on project based work which is a great way to help grow a storytelling culture within the community while creating a sustainable business. As a community storyteller in a rural region, I'm finding my work to be diverse, challenging & very exciting. I'm currently working on 7 different projects, 3 of which are locally based. I smile as I dig out my old drama folders and really draw from my 20 years of creative arts experience to run a new kind of workshop. I'm loving working with storytelling as a foundation for all creative workshops from the Poetry Week Project with Mogo Primary to the Art & Story Project with Eurocare Community Services. I'm also working as a Story Consultant on the Eurobodalla Shire's Celebration Event for its Centenary.

Earlier this year, I presented the third of a series of creative storytelling workshops for the Bega Valley Child And Family Network. I have been designing and presenting these workshops in collaboration with a local Aboriginal Storyteller, Cheryl Davison, and two local artists, a songwriter and a visual artist. This type of collaborative work is really rewarding as it draws from existing local resources, building new skills and broader community links. I'm finding that my initial training in community arts, back in my Macquarie Uni days, is a strong background to the work I'm doing now across community sectors and across disciplines. One of the things I've noticed about doing more project work is that there's a lot of time spent planning, writing grants, and facilitating project direction. I'm enjoying the challenge and look forward to writing a lot more about my projects soon. I've already published some articles on my website.

I don't get up to Sydney much these days, but I'm enjoying regular visits to Canberra as I'm rostered as a Storyteller at the Story Place in the National Museum. Its a wonderful opportunity to tell stories regularly, with a diverse audience and a very interesting venue.

I'd love to hear from any other storytellers who are doing project based work. It’s been particularly exciting for me to be working with John Hockney this year on our new "Yourstory-Yourlife Workshop". Look for the info on this event in the calendar section.

Happy stories everyone.
Anna Jarrett
Long Beach, Batemans Bay

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