Build Your Brand at the National Storytelling Conference!

Designed by Karen Chace

Every year the National Storytelling Conference brings together storytellers, educators, librarians and business entrepreneurs to network and learn from each other. There are pre-conference workshops in the healing arts, for those working with youth, producers and organizers, and Master Classes with some of the best and brightest, and that’s all before the main conference begins! This year, the conference will take place in Arizona and there is still time to register! Check out all of the amazing offerings at the link: http://storynet.org/conference/index.html .

I am delighted to be co-presenting a business workshop with Simon Brooks. Here is a brief description:

Branding, It Doesn’t Have to Hurt!  "Steer" the audience to you. It doesn't hurt to be branded; in fact, it might hurt your business if you’re not. Branding will help your image, professionalism and visibility. Build strength and trust with potential clients; define your personal and business persona. Discover how to subtly create awareness and recognition with your client base and become memorable! Laptops encouraged but not necessary.

For a taste of some of the topics we will cover, head over to our blog piece for the National Storytelling Network at the following link: http://blog.storynet.org/branding-it-doesnt-have-to-hurt .

We hope you can find time in your busy conference schedule to join us and brand your business! Friday afternoon, July 25 at 1:45. We promise, it won’t hurt a bit! Look for the star logo at the top of this blog on our workshop room door at the conference. We will be waiting with lots of information to get you started...and chocolates!

And while you’re in Phoenix/Mesa here are some wonderful sights to enjoy.

ATTRACTIONS

Arizona Guide – Historic places, national parks, events calendar, etc.

http://tinyurl.com/7bujxmy

Visit Mesa – Specific sections for the Active Family, Foodies, Explorers, Transportation, Sport Enthusiasts and Culture Seekers.

http://www.visitmesa.com/

Visit Phoenix – Information on restaurants, events, arts, nightlife and more. Make sure to check out the Hot Sheet Blog.
http://www.visitphoenix.com/index.aspx

Downtown Phoenix – Information on light rail, busses, shuttles and parking information. http://www.downtownphoenix.com/getting-around

RESTAURANTS

Additional information on local restaurants.

Open Table: Phoenix restaurants.

http://www.opentable.com/phoenix-restaurants

Open Table: Mesa restaurants.

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/restaurants/

TRANSPORTATION

Downtown Phoenix – Information on transportation Light rail, busses, shuttles and parking information.
http://www.downtownphoenix.com/getting-around

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport – Information on taxis, shuttle services and limos.
http://skyharbor.com/transportationparking/limosandtaxis.html

 

MISCELLANESOUS

Groupon offers wonderful discounts on area attractions, restaurants, and more while you are in the Phoenix/Mesa area.

Groupon deals in Phoenix

http://www.groupon.com/local/phoenix

Groupon deals in Mesa
http://www.groupon.com/local/mesa

STORIES

Folktales specific to Arizona and also tales of animal and flowers indigenous to the state.

American Folklore – Arizona folklore at your fingertips.
http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/united-states-folklore/arizona-folklore/

The Cat and the Fox – Russia
http://folklore.mashaholl.com/tales.php?page=catandfox

Coyote Spills the Stars – Native American
http://www.worldoftales.com/Native_American_folktales/Native_American_Folktale_7.html

Coyote Mythology – A number of Native American stories and information on the mythology of coyotes.
http://www.native-languages.org/legends-coyote.htm

The Legend of Lotus – West Java/Indonesia
http://indonesianfolklore.blogspot.com/2008/10/legend-of-lotus.html

How Raccoon Got His Coat – Native American
http://www.native-languages.org/legends-coyote.htm

Origin of the Saguaro and Palo Verde Cacti – Pima/Native American
http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/OriginoftheSaguaroandPaloVerdeCacti-Pima.html

The Raccoon and the Blind Man – Native American

http://www.aaanativearts.com/native-american-legends-oral-stories/380-unidentified-legends/438-the-raccoon-and-the-blind-men.html#axzz35PLaigAc

Sister Fox and Brother Wolf – Russia
http://russian-crafts.com/russian-folk-tales/sister-fox-brother-wolf.html

 

Karen Chace 2014 ©

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.

 

 

Fools, Tricksters, Festivals, and Spring!

Hodja in a Yellow Caftan
by
Osman Hamdi Bey, 1905

"Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb
like the sun, it shines everywhere. "
William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

On the first day of the month, known as April Fool's Day, we are given free reign to play good natured jokes on friends and family. Many different cultures shared days of foolishness around the start of April. The Romans had a festival named Hilaria on March 25, rejoicing in the resurrection of Attis. The Hindu calendar has Holi, and the Jewish calendar has Purim. Perhaps there's something about the time of year, with its turn from winter to spring, that lends itself to lighthearted celebrations. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aprilfools1.html

Hodja is one of our favorite fools, and there are many stories associated with this interesting character from Turkey.

Nasreddin Hodja - Information and stories about the beloved character of Turkish tales, including reading comprehension exercises. This website is also a portal to many other Hodja sites.
http://www.cs.biu.ac.il/~schiff/Hodja/index.html

A well-known Trickster in Oral Tradition is Anansi. Anansi is one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore. He is also known as Anase, Kweku Ananse, and Anancy; and in the Southern United States he has evolved into Aunt Nancy. He is a spider, but often acts and appears as a man. The story of Anansi is akin to the Coyote trickster found in many Native American cultures.

The Anansi tales are believed to have originated in the Ashanti tribe in Ghana. (The word Anansi is Akan and means, simply, spider.) They later spread to other Akan groups and then to the West Indies, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles. On Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire he is known as Nanzi, and his wife as Shi Maria.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anansi

Jamaican Anansi Stories - Tricksters are universal figures in folkore and Anansi is one of our most beloved. This site offers a wide variety of Anansi tales as well as trickster folklore from various cultures. The text also includes transcriptions of folk music, and a large collection of riddles, all cross-referenced with folklore studies from other cultures. There are also musical notations in some of the texts for the musical among us! http://tinyurl.com/6huzob

And what would April Fool's Day be without some laughter?

Tales of Laughter – What better way to jump into the month of fools than reading Tales of Laughter from 1908? A collection of familiar and not so familiar tales from Russia, Ireland, Spain, France and many more countries from around the globe. They are sure to have you smiling with delight!
https://archive.org/details/talesoflaughtert00wiggrich


The first day of spring this year was March 20 and soon, colorful flowers will be blooming here in the east, which calls for some stories about spring and the sun!

Apples4theteacher.com - Fourteen stories to celebrate the wonderful season of spring. http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/spring/short-stories/

How the Sun Was Rescued - Siberia
https://tinyurl.com/2976yx7x

Saving Spring – Scandinavia
https://www.thehindu.com/children/saving-spring/article17578551.ece  

The Spring Beauty - Native American/Chippewa
http://tinyurl.com/2tkbl2

Why Cats Sit on the Doorstep in the Sun - Rumania
http://tinyurl.com/2xga8h

Earth Day is April 22. What better way to celebrate than sharing stories about our beautiful planet?

Earth Cakes, Sky Cakes – Folktale from Vietnam
http://tinyurl.com/dy6dsv

When The Earth and Sky Were Married - Folktale from Muria/India
http://tinyurl.com/cw34y8

Earth Care – World Folktales to Talk About
A limited preview of this excellent book by Margaret Read MacDonald. You can read some of the folktales online, but I bet you will want a copy of your own.
http://tinyurl.com/aap7ug

After we leave the month of April it will be time to celebrate and explore the cultural celebration of Japan's Children's Day or Kodomo no Hi.

Woman Playing with a Child
with a Tengu Mask

by Kitagawa Utamaro
1795-1802

Japanese Folk Stories and Fairy Tales - Thirty-three folktales collected by Mary F. Nixon-Roulet and published in 1908. You can download the book for your own files.
http://tinyurl.com/ckvg49

Kids Web Japan - A number of Japanese folktales for you students to read. Later, they may explore the culture of Japan using different links. http://tinyurl.com/bqjbur

CURRICULUM

Fables and Trickster Tales From Around the World – From Edusitement, lesson plans, information and stories, everything you need to introduce your students to those globe-trotting tricksters, Anansi, Brer Rabbit, Fox, and Rabbit. 
https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plans/fables-and-trickster-tales-around-world 

Leap into spring with ABC Teach.com Counting games, math facts, printables, word searches and more.
http://tinyurl.com/bqmmvc

Flowers in the Classroom – Grades 5 to 8 Language Arts: Legendary Flowers lesson plan including myths, folktales and legends of flowers. http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=46597

Planet Pals.com - This is a colorful, fun and information filled website on all things Earth: Lesson plans and activities for both teachers and parents, the history behind Earth Day, coloring pages, puzzles, clip art and so much more. http://www.planetpals.com/index.html

Japanese Folktales Lesson Plans for 3-6
https://www.clevelandart.org/sites/default/files/documents/lesson-plans/cma_lesson_ao_japanesefolktales.pdf 

Teacher’s Resource Guide: Japanese Art and Culture Outreach Kit - Although you may not be able to borrow the actual kit, there are many helpful curriculum ideas in this guide you may duplicate on your own.
http://jsma.uoregon.edu/sites/jsma.uoregon.edu/files/PDF/JapaneseArtandCultureKit.pdf

Activity Village – Make your own carp kite or origami to celebrate Kodomo no hi (Children’s Day). There are many other crafts, activities and printables to make this Japanese national holiday shine! 
https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/childrens-day

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2009 ©

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.