Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Tools of the Trade


Yesterday this t-shirt picture appeared on a friend's Facebook page. It immediately resonated with me and many of my colleagues. 

We don't question that a plumber or doctor needs to be paid. We know their fees not only cover their expertise but the everyday tools they need, whether it’s a wrench or stethoscope, to do their work.

I was once asked, “You get paid to talk?” This question came from a well-loved nephew who was standing in my home office at the time, his back to the floor to ceiling shelves filled with folktale books and my sound system on the floor next to him.


A few years ago storyteller Andrea Lovett and I wrote this list for LANES (League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling) as a guide to help potential clients understand why we should be “paid to talk.” Unfortunately, it is no longer on their site but I offer a synopsis below.


Our home office needs: 
  • Books
  • Computer
  • Internet access
  • Electricity
  • Phone/Cell Phone/Answering machine
  • Miscellaneous supplies

We attend the following to hone our skills:
  • Storytelling and Marketing Workshops
  • Conferences (This may require airfare, hotels, food, car rental, etc.)
  • Retreats
  • Festivals
  • College (Yes, there are Master Degrees in Oral Tradition)

To promote our business requires:

  • Website design, maintenance and hosting
  • Brochures
  • Business Cards
  • Posters
  • Stationery/stamps
  • Studio time to record a CD
  • Sound equipment
  • Reliable cars and gas to get to and from gigs
  • GPS to find our way to you!

To sustain our business we need:

  • Performer's Insurance
  • Advertising
  • Marketing

So the next time you want to invite a storytelling artist for your church group, business, school, library, wedding, etc. please remember the time, tools, and preparation it takes before the storyteller even arrives at your door. It will ensure
 your next event ends with the words “happily ever after" for you, the artist, and the audience!


Karen Chace 2011 ©
This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Working the Waterfront - Tales of the Fisherman

New Bedford Fishing Boats
Yesterday I spent some time in New Bedford, Massachusetts at the annual Working Waterfront Festival. It is a two day event celebrating commercial fishing at the port that is currently the number one fishing port in the nation.

I offer you some resources in honor of the remarkable men and women who work long hours so we may enjoy fresh seafood on our table.



STORIES

The Fisherman and His Wife – Grimm
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm019.html
The Fisherman and the Bear – USA
http://tinyurl.com/5sa45e5
The Fisherman and the Merman – Scottish
http://tinyurl.com/6akeg5w

The Fisherman and the Piskies – England
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/efft/efft27.htm

The Fisherman of Shetland – Welsh
http://worldoftales.com/European_folktales/Welsh_folktale_23.html


The Fisherman’s Son – Slavic
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/sfs/sfs76.htm

The Lucky Fisherman – Nigeria
http://www.vshineworld.com/library/stories/4/115/the-lucky-fisherman

The Mermaid and the Poor Fisherman – Chile


The Selkie Bride – Scotland
http://www.weingartdesign.com/TMaS/Stories/tmas1-SelkieBride.html


The Three Wondrous Fishes – Austria
http://oaks.nvg.org/ta5.html


BOOKS

Charting Nature - Books on Fishing : Children's Books Videos & DVDs
http://www.chartingnature.com/book-category.cfm?cat=3800
 
 

CRAFTS


Fisherman Bear Paper Craft
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/dad/mpaperfisherbear.htm

Fisherman and Dog Fish Costume – Just in time for Halloween!
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/fisherman-dogfish-662494/


CURRICULUM

Discover Education – Lesson plans for K-5 based on The Fisherman and His Wife.
http://tinyurl.com/64a6wqw
T
he Fisherman – Lesson plans, activities and more.
http://tinyurl.com/65kpyrj

Fish and Under the Sea Lesson Plans – This page also offers songs, arts projects, games and more.
https://www.oercommons.org/authoring/6398-fish-and-under-the-sea-storytime-lesson-plan/view



READER’S THEATER

Urashima Taro - Japan
http://motoko.folktales.net/PDF/urashimaplay.pdf



ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Looking for more stories and more related to the sea? These three links will lead you to previous blog posts with additional resources.

Trolling for Tales
http://tinyurl.com/6fj293h

Hot Fun in the City
http://tinyurl.com/6aq7apz

Mermaids – Sirens of the Sea – I know, mermaids are technically not fish but they do live in the sea! http://tinyurl.com/69gzfrb

Picture above courtesy of http://www1.umassd.edu/specialprograms/mawh/


Karen Chace  2011 ©
This blog post was painstakingly researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my newsletter via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.