Program Description
Event Details
Back by popular demand! Have you always enjoyed telling stories? Ever considered storytelling in front of an audience? The Storytelling Institute, a free six-week course presented by the Storytellers of San Diego, is open to everyone who would like to hone their skills in this ancient art form. The Institute culminates in an optional storytelling slot for each participant at the San Diego Storytelling Festival here at the Coronado Public Library on March 16, 2024.
Registration is requested for the January 23 introductory session. All registered participants will receive a copy of the book "How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth." All other sessions are walk-in, no registration.
SYLLABUS:
Jan. 23 - "The Power of Personal Narrative: Finding Engaging Stories in Your Life" with Marilyn McPhie
Jan. 30 - "How to Learn a Story" with Patti Christensen
Feb 6. - "Shaping and Sharing your Story" with Aunt Li-Anne
Feb. 13 - “I Was There: History & Us” with O.J. Mozon
Feb. 20 - "Fun with Stories: Folk Tale Parodies" with Jim Dieckmann
Feb. 27 – "Integrating Gesture and Movement” with Mindy Donner
March 5 - Optional coaching session for those participants who want to tell a story at the Storytelling Festival - with Aunt Li-Anne
CLASS DESCRIPTIONS:
Jan 23 - “The Power of Personal Narrative: Finding Engaging Stories in Your Life” with Marilyn McPhie
Our lives are filled with stories! In this workshop we’ll dive into our memories -- the people, the places, the triumphs, the disasters, the memorable moments -- and emerge with stories worth sharing in family gatherings, business settings, podcasts, memoirs, on social media, onstage, and more.
Jan. 30 - “How to Learn a Story” with Patti Christensen
Once you have picked a story, how do you learn it? This interactive workshop will cover traditional and innovative tools that storytellers of all levels of experience and learning styles can use to learn a story and make it their own.
Feb 6. - "Shaping and Sharing your Story" with Aunt Li-Anne
You have a great story, and now we want it to sparkle! Engage! Flow! How do we do that? Structure! Aunt Li-Anne will be sharing techniques for shaping our stories so that our audiences will want to hear what the stories and storytellers want to say.
Feb. 13 - “I Was There: History & Us” with O.J. Mozon
Many of us were "there" when "it" happened. Let's discover how to story our historic moments so others can be there.
Feb. 20 - "Fun with Stories: Folk Tale Parodies" with Jim Dieckmann
Participants will be exposed to a wide array of folk tale parodies published in literature, as well as several originals told by the presenter. We will analyze how the parodies are constructed, and each student will undertake the process of creating a simple parody based on a well-known folk or fairy tale.
Feb. 27 – "Integrating Gesture and Movement” with Mindy Donner
This workshop will provide tools and practice to deepen your story with the thoughtful integration of nuanced gestures and movement. The class will experience warmups and theater exercises to sharpen our senses and reflexes. We will share our stories in small groups, and sign up to share in front of the whole group (optional).
March 5 - "Coaching Session for Festival Tellers" (optional) with Aunt Li-Anne
Participants in the Storytelling Institute are invited to tell their story onstage at the San Diego Storytelling Festival on Saturday, March 16 at the Coronado Public Library. Aunt Li-Anne will coach participating tellers on their performance for the festival.