Well, summer is winding down but storytelling is as alive and well as ever.  You can find many storytelling events on-line and the virtual experience will have you hooked on stories!  Then you will be looking for story events when we are able to be "out and about" more.  Timpanogos Storytelling Festival will be entirely virtual this year, giving you the chance to listen to ALL the tellers without having to choose.  It will be available for a small price for 10 days in September.  Check out their website.  This is an excellent opportunity to partake of storytelling (with amazing tellers) right from the comfort of your own home!  Remember, we are "wired" for story.  It's how we tend to naturally communicate...so try it out.

There is some exciting news in the "storytelling world"!  The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, one of the most prestigious in the world, is offering the entire festival on-line this year.  That means that for just $20.00 for your entire family, you can have a dozen professional and international storytellers in your very home.  Go to TimpFest.org to buy your ticket.  After the end of July, the price will be a bit higher, so do it now! The Festival will be held September 10-12, 2020, but will be available for viewing until September 20th.  This is a rare opportunity to hear each story without having to choose which location you want to attend.  You also can watch whenever and wherever in your home you want.  This is the perfect opportunity to see the magic that is storytelling!  You can follow this up by doing some storytelling of your own in your family.

Today, more than ever, we need storytelling.  Many of us are somewhat confined to our homes with less to do than usual.  Now that summer is here and the kids are more free, they are also looking for activities that keep their interest.  Rather than binge watching a screen, why not spend some time sharing stories?  Reading books together is wonderful and so is sharing tales of your childhood with your children.  I have found that nothing keeps the grandchildren gathered around the adults during conversation time than telling incidents from my own or my children's past.  Sometimes, they even try to be quiet so we won't "know" they're listening!  It's such a great way to pass on family traits, culture and knowledge.  In this day we need to draw closer to each other in meaningful ways.  Try story!

The storytelling community has really stepped up and given to the world during this pandemic.  Many opportunities to listen to world-class tellers are available on the internet.  The Story Crossroads Festival was held on May 13th and though normally a live event, it was done entirely through technology.  YouTube and Facebook still have sessions to tune into and watch.  I have been posting stories several times a week on Facebook, as have many other tellers.  If you search, you will find, and possibly get "hooked" on storytelling.  Then after this situation is past, you may want to search out storytelling events that are live and continue to enjoy the magic that is story.

Due to the Coronavirus all live storytelling performances are cancelled or will be done digitally.  So, while you're at home and "sheltering in place", consider using storytelling with your family.  Share stories with your children and help them learn more about their heritage. There are also great tellers who have put their stories on YouTube during this interesting time.  Check out my website at stories-by-laurie.com to see a couple of my recorded offerings of story.  Happy Spring!

The Weber State Storytelling Festival was last week and it was a marvelous experience being able to tell to great audiences and to hear the youth and professional tellers.  Our youth are tremendous and so poised on stage that it's a pleasure to hear them.  I was able to share the stage with a professional Japanese teller, Kuniko Yamamoto, that was truly a delight to hear.  The events are free and family-friendly, so plan on attending the last week of February in 2021! 

The Clearfield Storytelling Festival was held last Saturday (the first day of the Chinese New Year) and it was a lucky experience for all who attended.  We had 14 great storytellers who presented everything from mountain man experiences to puppets to personal stories with pizzazz!  Annie and Dan Eastmond (called Harvest Home) played music to all who entered the building and set the mood beautifully for the evening.  A big thanks to all who attended, told and helped in any way to make the event a success for the 14th year in a row!  Now, go home and tell your own stories.

Happy New Year and welcome to 2020!  During this cold and dark time of year, why not cuddle up to the fireside with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book?  or a good story?  You might even consider telling that story yourself to family and friends.  Storytelling has always been an important part of the winter season, as families tended to remain indoors more and find sedentary means of entertainment.  Don't let the TV and the internet tell all of your stories:  take an active part in that yourself!  Your family and friends will be glad you did--and so will you.

'Tis the holiday season and whatever holiday you celebrate, there are stories to help that celebration really ring!  Storytelling has been around since man has been and the tales of your culture are essential to pass on to the next generation.  Parties are more festive when a bit of story is involved; children learn about their families and traditions with story; important information about your faith and beliefs can be passed along with story.  Don't be afraid to discuss your important tales with others.  Hire a professional teller to help your celebration to be more festive!  Include things that need to be passed along the generations.  And don't forget, this chilly time of year was when ghost stories were traditionally told. Sit down by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa and a story.   Happy holidays!

The "ghostly season" is officially over, but I enjoy telling (and hearing) ghost stories year round.  Maybe some of you do, too.  I enjoyed sharing the tales and history of haunted Ogden, Utah last month and also telling Halloween stories to a couple of family-friendly groups at schools and libraries.  There is something about the chill and surprise endings of so many ghost tales that really appeals to me.  Now is the season of Thanksgiving and this is the perfect time to share family tales around the dinner table or at any family gathering.  One year I had all my children and grandchildren share their favorite family tale after the big meal on Thanksgiving Day and it was fun to hear what they enjoyed and especially fun for them to hear stories they may not have already known about their parents as children.  That is one of my best memories of the day.  Try sharing these stories and see how many memories you can make this holiday season.  Happy Thanksgiving!

The ghostly season is here and Ogden and Salt Lake City Ghost Tours are up and running!  It's so exciting to meet with people and tell them the history and paranormal activity of these two cities.  Check out the website at www.storytours.com and enjoy a family-friendly but spooky Halloween activity.  This month I will also be storytelling at the Morgan Library on October 21st and at Bonneville Elementary School on October 28th. Check out the upcoming events page for more information. October is the best time to tell tales, so get with your family, turn down the lights, put on the hot chocolate and enjoy some chilling time together.

September is here and that means that fall (and ghost story season!) is just around the corner.  Ogden and Salt Lake City Ghost Tours are excited and ready to entertain you at any time with the paranormal experiences and history of these two interesting cities. We have multiple tours in both locations, so check out the website. I also had the privilege of telling railroad stories at the Pioneer Village in Provo, Utah last month and the audience and I had a great time with the stories, the history and the tall tales that go along with that.  (Never let the truth get in the way of a good story!) What a pleasant way to spend a summer evening!  

Summertime is a great time to tell stories: around the campfire, during a walk in the woods, at a picnic or family reunion, at a festival or celebration.  Share your past with your children.  Share the folk tales of your culture (or another culture).  Add storytellers to your next celebratory activity.  Stories are what make us human, teach us how to interact with others and help the rising generation understand what is expected of them.  Don't let this time of year pass without sharing with those you love!

Yesterday I had the experience of attending a "Patriot Camp" and telling some stories about American history.  I did a "first-person" account of Sybil Ludington, a young girl who made a midnight ride to collect militia for an important Revolutionary War battle and also told a bit about Deborah Sampson:  a female who managed to enlist in the army during that war.  It was exciting to be able to educate some young people about exciting events in the history of the United States and let them know that even teens can make a big difference! What power there is in storytelling.

Summer is here and with it a fantastic season for storytelling!  Camping trips, picnics in the park, fairs and festivals, road trips....wherever you are and whatever you're doing, stories can make it better!  I have just finished telling for the Story Crossroads Festival in Salt Lake City and am looking forward to performances at the Gallivan Center and Pioneer Park in Provo, Utah during the summer months.  Ghost Tours are going year-round and there are many opportunities to tell, and listen, to stories.  Watch for opportunities to catch a professional teller at an outdoor festival and make sure you share family stories with those you love.  Make memories this summer with stories.

On May 10th we are celebrating the sesquicentennial of the "wedding of the rails" here in northern Utah--the time when this large country was finally connected from east to west, from "sea to shining sea", by the transcontinental railroad.  That event changed our way of travel and our lifestyle forever.  Many events are being scheduled to celebrate this and museum exhibits, concerts, songs and stories are being used to bring this to life for a new generation.  Check out the storytelling opportunities in the area this summer and enjoy a bit of history with your stories!

Storytelling events are happening in Utah and it's great to be a part of them!  I participated in the Weber State Storytelling Festival this past February and it is always a pleasure to perform in front of such gracious audiences and on the same stage with the national storytellers.  This past week I was able to watch Bil Lepp perform and that is a treat.  Next month will be the Story Crossroads Festival and I will be participating on May 15.  Good stories, good times!

The holiday season is upon us again, and whatever celebrations you have at this time of year, remember that storytelling is part of every culture!  Share family tales, religious stories, traditional tales or whatever makes you feel warm and friendly with others.  In Victorian times, it was the tradition to tell ghost stories at this time of year.  Why not?  Sharing with those you love is always appropriate and especially during a season that tends to focus on loving and giving.  So give of yourself to others and make some good connections to lighten the dark days of winter.

   Well, the haunting season has passed and it was great fun telling the ghost stories of Ogden, Utah the entire month of October.  One of our more haunted buildings was quite active...I guess the ghosts like to "show off" for their guests this season.  Haunted Salt Lake City, a new book that I recently co-authored, is in stores.  Read 13 stories about some of the haunted buildings in our state's capital. All four authors were involved with book signings this past month and we enjoyed meeting with people and sharing ghostly discussions.
   Thanksgiving is just around the corner and that is a family time that is made so much more meaningful with story.  My grandchildren are fascinated with stories of their grandparents, their parents when they were younger, and even ancestors they have never met.  It's important for children to have roots, so tell the stories that make them laugh, cry and think.  Have a happy holiday season!

This past weekend was an amazing storytelling feast as I attended the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in Lehi, Utah.  I heard tales that were funny, poignant, serious and spooky and they raised every emotion by the end!  Stories do that:  they take us out of our everyday lives and transport us to places we have never seen, places that don't even exist and put us in historical events we have not experienced.  It makes me excited to try to expand my own story repertoire and share the stories that are important to me.  Stories are powerful.  Share yours with others.