tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87647977025683351122024-03-10T20:23:49.923-07:00Language, Literacy and StorytellingA Discussion About the Links Between Storytelling, Language and LiteracyDonna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.comBlogger380125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-74219845696455988412023-05-11T05:24:00.002-07:002023-05-12T06:08:56.005-07:00Crowd Control From from The Stage: Some Strategies<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQ_Hg84Bx7df5ylpesIgRFAeYi_uiGEnskbQwbs3MJjfaybemxEbUzuNlO7KdocFPN3dSN8h6lehmeI-Bjq58UlPOA9tqc2B2YRdfXK0mqAJcIJo7EdsJu952s3iprlUQduUtBVVSTnFSpEAMUzUnncpHvpAb0umDCCw1F-zyxWrrkkjdTFDO-hW7/s960/11069357_867262699982045_8082153073896193514_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQ_Hg84Bx7df5ylpesIgRFAeYi_uiGEnskbQwbs3MJjfaybemxEbUzuNlO7KdocFPN3dSN8h6lehmeI-Bjq58UlPOA9tqc2B2YRdfXK0mqAJcIJo7EdsJu952s3iprlUQduUtBVVSTnFSpEAMUzUnncpHvpAb0umDCCw1F-zyxWrrkkjdTFDO-hW7/s320/11069357_867262699982045_8082153073896193514_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Anyone who has ever performed for kids knows that you will sometimes find yourself in front of: </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">- A group of wriggly, squirmers. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">- The kid who will not sit down</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">- The kid who is going to work hard to distract all of the other kids around them. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">- The kids who have worked hard to sit next to the one person they mean to talk to for the next 45 minutes</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">- The kid with no sense of boundaries and cannot keep their hands to themselves</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">- The kid who has brought something really distracting to the assembly</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Most of the time, the stories I tell are built to help these audiences throw off energy in a very controlled way so they can be successful listeners. I don't often have to</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkKIKfhX5P673J6IKFGeFt4lwJSbaJrHC2vIgmzf1q1-BliPpjo6WN27uL_qchESz33Xxkg4F-ZlshKIVUDf5RzAIzrozfjfzVP-LTnwluhQiSYRdJxTbXg2Wylv5FSBLWAZyg_IF69ABOjdzM53lOfhnxlsl3UvSZLlpLvksfp6BzBJHHkDqRvZy/s275/images.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkKIKfhX5P673J6IKFGeFt4lwJSbaJrHC2vIgmzf1q1-BliPpjo6WN27uL_qchESz33Xxkg4F-ZlshKIVUDf5RzAIzrozfjfzVP-LTnwluhQiSYRdJxTbXg2Wylv5FSBLWAZyg_IF69ABOjdzM53lOfhnxlsl3UvSZLlpLvksfp6BzBJHHkDqRvZy/s1600/images.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"> intervene to help the kids stay on track, but there are a few things I can do from the stage if I have to. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">In my perfect world, the teachers are on it and are doing crowd control, but that is not always the situation.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Many times, the teachers find themselves watching the performance and not the kids.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I get comments like, "I enjoyed that as much or more than the kids!"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">That is wonderful. I am glad the adults get lost in the stories. Unfortunately, it makes my work a bit more challenging at times.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Over the course of my three decades doing this work, I have tried to come up with ways to help the audience and me get through a show together.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The best way to do this, in my experience, is to get the audience to monitor their own behavior in a constructive way.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Here are 4 strategies I employ.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAg_JCi4P-hxB9_jug8EQj_q7kEUkqM9QxNNRNkKrc1YQEmbsdFVYuKUg7-a4Sns47z4LKgaRBSiGpbJZMJEcPbqdkS7ta0seIEcIuHa7pyLUas-FL7MZ3WWNKiWCAQ2WMj5FYAvr7GL2v0J7jn5tE2LK4PXCdOxXgRsOFHl8eG4yWJYhuSGHJsDq/s1600/13418556_1212590355419492_7232389785224059284_o.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAg_JCi4P-hxB9_jug8EQj_q7kEUkqM9QxNNRNkKrc1YQEmbsdFVYuKUg7-a4Sns47z4LKgaRBSiGpbJZMJEcPbqdkS7ta0seIEcIuHa7pyLUas-FL7MZ3WWNKiWCAQ2WMj5FYAvr7GL2v0J7jn5tE2LK4PXCdOxXgRsOFHl8eG4yWJYhuSGHJsDq/s320/13418556_1212590355419492_7232389785224059284_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>1</b>. When the kids are sitting "criss-cross applesauce" on the floor, I use a simple phrase to help keep them focused on their bodies. I typically use this with Kindergarten through second.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Okay, everyone,</b> I want you to look down at your bodies. Are you sitting criss-cross applesauce? If you are, great! If you aren't, then you should sit that way. If you are up on your knees, the people behind you can't see. if you ever hear me say, "Check your body", it means <br />someone is up on their knees. Please look down and make sure it isn't you.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. </b>When a kid is focused on being disruptive<b> </b>I single out that behavior and try to get the kid to redirect.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> Sometimes they are so wrapped up in their own thing, they don't even realize you are talking to them.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Then I say, "You know, I can see you</b>. You are not invisible. Are you okay sitting there? Would it help you to be more successful if you sit somewhere else?"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This is something I use with 3rd grade and older. The whole point of this is to alert the teacher that they have a kid who might need to move. I sometimes give a student who is being repeatedly disruptive a chance to correct the behavior. If they continue, I ask them to move. If I ever have to do that, it typically stops anybody else from repeating that behavior. The kid has to be really disruptive for me to do that, but I will.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. </b>I include a stretch break for the youngest listeners. The first story in a set with littles - up to second grade - usually lasts about twenty five minutes to half an hour. I don't typically tell more than two stories per set with anybody. Anyway, after the first story, we spend three to four minutes stretching. We stretch sitting down, and then we stand up and stretch. The standing part includes marching.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This allows the youngest listeners - who have been focusing for a big chunk of time to get up and blow off some steam. Here is the stretch on their feet.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Okay, everybody! </b>We are going to do a standing stretch break. Watch me so you'll know what you are supposed to do!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">When you hear me say the word "Go" you will stand up and stare at me. I am going to stare at you. Then, we will march. (I start marching) The reason we are doing this is because you have been sitting so still. We need to get your body moving, your blood circulating!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">When I hold up my finger over my head, we are going to march in one circle!"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">(I show them what I want them to do)</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg01sndVohdqiltD2e17dbPwqD56fUGzwhpNLn63meyCd8Zgi9MsZH2EB-5eWokmKG1T6eGpOXyPpf1vyFxm0119g2LdWiVUr4VTdyu5rbM8NaD2lYy0zmK0XPjq0L1ZGO2bTfgk9pJEjNmF8zKb5fEWhIGPdpd4j3g3SjHtqWU6k8oeO7rNEjIl4y0/s452/OIP-1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="452" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg01sndVohdqiltD2e17dbPwqD56fUGzwhpNLn63meyCd8Zgi9MsZH2EB-5eWokmKG1T6eGpOXyPpf1vyFxm0119g2LdWiVUr4VTdyu5rbM8NaD2lYy0zmK0XPjq0L1ZGO2bTfgk9pJEjNmF8zKb5fEWhIGPdpd4j3g3SjHtqWU6k8oeO7rNEjIl4y0/s320/OIP-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.perquimansarts.org/donnawashingtonnov2019.html" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">After that, were are going to MARCH!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">(I march vigorously swinging my arms in an exaggerated fashion)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Then, we are going to raise our arms to the ceiling and take a deep breath. Then we are going to let it go. Then, we are going to take a deep breath. Then we are going to let it go.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">We are going to raise our arms and s<a href="https://www.empowher.com/community/share/when-you-cross-your-midline-exercise-you-get-boost-brain-alertness-creativity-and-me" target="_blank">tretch across the midline</a> to activate one side of our brain! Then we are going to stretch across the midline on the other side!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Take a deep breath! Let it Go! Then we are going to sit down and I will tell you One More Story!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">After that, we do the stretch together.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. </b>Releasing a large audience quickly - This is usually done if I have multiple sets and I need to get the previous audience out of the room as quickly as I can.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>I need to find out which is the best grade level in this room.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Is it the Prek?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Is it the Kindergartners?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Is it the first grade?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Is it the second grade?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This is how I am going to find out.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The grade that gets out of here the quickest and quietest? That's the best group. I am going to let your principal know which was the best grade.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">(This also works with the 3rd - 5th grade set.)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Turn and look at your teacher! Find them wherever they are and stare at them. Now, you can't get up until you get this signal. Everyone look </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGG5ZlETGzNpCqzZ8kgcLByDooDM1qPBBQLEzlnoJA5FWVLVm-PYT9z_nd99uB2rFXg-InlxRa3kQUAUEto1DMGpDlezauqnTVY0vdb9nt4fcmj1gjYlYI3OGaZqPcCLvGoOQ4R6IrIunMMNw9N7tDLrAgNsxd1_xM7fuANowFoG2nbVvuCcWlCJCA" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="1000" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGG5ZlETGzNpCqzZ8kgcLByDooDM1qPBBQLEzlnoJA5FWVLVm-PYT9z_nd99uB2rFXg-InlxRa3kQUAUEto1DMGpDlezauqnTVY0vdb9nt4fcmj1gjYlYI3OGaZqPcCLvGoOQ4R6IrIunMMNw9N7tDLrAgNsxd1_xM7fuANowFoG2nbVvuCcWlCJCA" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/9267-storyteller-donna-washington-visits-sierra-foothill-charter-school" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;">at me for just a second. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">(I make a gesture for the teachers to use. It is a universal "rise" motion)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">You got it? Great! Look back at your teacher. Now, I am going to be listening to see which is the quietest group. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Don't stand up until you get the signal, and then follow your teacher out as quickly and quietly as you can. I don't even want to hear squeaky shoes.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Also, teachers, please don't stand them up all at the same time, that will defeat the purpose.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">(Sometimes I offer to donate books or CDs to their media center if they are really quiet. Sometimes I just tell them I will let the principal know. Depends on the school)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Keep your eyes on the person in front of you so you don't have gaps in your lines!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I listen the entire time, praising the groups who are quiet and well- behaved - which is typically all of them.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">It is a great way to get them out quickly without confusion. It is also very quiet. It helps me transition to my next audience!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Usually, the only people talking are the teachers, but I try to get them to model good behavior as well.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">So, there you have it. A few strategies I have for keeping a large number of students engaged, involved, and monitoring their own behavior.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Hope they are helpful!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">If you are willing to share your own strategies, I would LOVE to hear them. I am always learning!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Happy Telling!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-13281639494975081082023-04-27T06:07:00.002-07:002023-04-28T10:23:42.600-07:00In The Trenches: When Audiences Need Storytelling<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihxGV-qMpliT90jVt51W8wijKcunirJYcoLG-VOJVt4o26i9xjgmM6QK712xZ-L06PMmFURqjXcjx19bATGkkbR9MybucW9EE9Fi29eTKqbxx8TKQtA7bQpA2jLlEYgynW2KoZ0XhpcQ3K3XQX8JGJc1rHWFQiW2FbVNfw3mpZN9zRVWc_yT9clobu" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihxGV-qMpliT90jVt51W8wijKcunirJYcoLG-VOJVt4o26i9xjgmM6QK712xZ-L06PMmFURqjXcjx19bATGkkbR9MybucW9EE9Fi29eTKqbxx8TKQtA7bQpA2jLlEYgynW2KoZ0XhpcQ3K3XQX8JGJc1rHWFQiW2FbVNfw3mpZN9zRVWc_yT9clobu" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Sometimes storytelling is easy. You walk into a space and the audience is full of people who have chosen to be there. They are excited to see you in particular, or someone else there, and they can't wait to start. They know exactly what they are in for and they are strapped in and ready for the ride!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRBurZ4T1FVgNxCKYuGWYQuSp4JQzC4YOkbvm4IObDPdp0jvs3jTZ6swRsSDPlkZKSWn8izi7R71r77qatAXUeEwlgRQzUoqr4nm9gJVlhPl1BZ1DtwfdCDuOEF7fCt2jbLLFwKE-TUC2K_11un9BYXiSJhnK2gliOU3dHgOmurL760DA5PkdP2lwR" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes storytelling is about satisfying an interest. You walk into the space and the audience is captive, but enthusiastic - think school<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgc0ARV6TTB2c4I93yicr7a-YQMN8G5DZyfB2jcnwS1XDvQ8h46-nuDr-Tf_NScrUuDVtowQIciFpcEs_tY5unvblO9NJ60GOq99Ti9yysRBo65Ocp9E12BCMe_FivFqL2_5bz_G8VIkwylVCv7qEYc5IH-MRZ5_R0Zbe62o5gVvVbuXNn_jnIwAhWF" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgc0ARV6TTB2c4I93yicr7a-YQMN8G5DZyfB2jcnwS1XDvQ8h46-nuDr-Tf_NScrUuDVtowQIciFpcEs_tY5unvblO9NJ60GOq99Ti9yysRBo65Ocp9E12BCMe_FivFqL2_5bz_G8VIkwylVCv7qEYc5IH-MRZ5_R0Zbe62o5gVvVbuXNn_jnIwAhWF" width="320" /></a></div>assemblies or conferences. They have some idea of what you are going to do, or none at all, but they understand why they are there and are at least curious about what is happening.</span></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Sometimes storytelling is about telling to your ancestors - Thank you, <a href="http://www.timtingle.com/" target="_blank">Tim Tingle.</a> You show up and there are fifty chairs and only three people are sitting in them. My philosophy about random public performances is that as long as the audience outnumbers me, it's a <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfnIDIl51G1S89eTEsWstB-7-sHVwvM0mA1A8EXJmqmK8OvNruxkm1PYDmXu74CEHUrlERoRqP7SRGzYxl7rPIvSmeWfyKv_UCxNLB7aYnE3rymjN45NSI3IzidhwTO0DedAXWb3KrvQT0QIjDiFfsmEIPZeD1ZGxhpxxOkKWqZJnDs1wx0FKEkiJf" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfnIDIl51G1S89eTEsWstB-7-sHVwvM0mA1A8EXJmqmK8OvNruxkm1PYDmXu74CEHUrlERoRqP7SRGzYxl7rPIvSmeWfyKv_UCxNLB7aYnE3rymjN45NSI3IzidhwTO0DedAXWb3KrvQT0QIjDiFfsmEIPZeD1ZGxhpxxOkKWqZJnDs1wx0FKEkiJf" width="320" /></a></div>show. That means I will perform my lungs out whether there are two people in the audience or two hundred. Tim Tingle says that if you have a show where not many people show up it is because your ancestors wanted to see you work so they took the chairs. I love that. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">My ancestors have seen me perform a great deal!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Sometimes storytelling is a nightmare. You show up and they have put the storytelling area in a stall between an ice cream truck playing tinny tunes, and a petting zoo. You are near the mainstage where they will have bands all day playing really loud music. You have no amplification. There is no place for the listeners to sit, and you have a one hour shift. (I discovered that if you charge the venue a goodly amount, they either won't hire you or they give you a better situation.) I leave these events and make a note to never say "yes" again.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Then there is the kind of scenario I found myself in a couple of weeks ago. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I think about this as storytelling in the trenches. It is where you have been hired into a venue by someone who is determined that the kids in this area <i>need</i> storytelling. Nobody asked if they wanted to hear stories or anything like that. There is no culture of the kids in the area coming to the venue for anything but recreation and nothing short of exotic animal shows or magicians. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">So, I roll up to this venue. It is small - not a problem. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">They have set up nine chairs - not a problem. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The room has tables, foosball, pool, and there is an area for basketball through a set of double doors - not a problem.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">There are five adults sitting in the back. Nobody is sitting in these nine plastic chairs near me.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">There are two pre-teen looking boys playing with the pool table equipment. There is also one girl who looks like a young teen, having some kind of snack.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">When I arrive, the kids pay me no attention. The woman at the front desk says, "What are you gonna do?"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I explain.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">"Oh. Okay. Set your stuff up over there." She points.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I have my sound system. I go over and set it up in front of these chairs. My past experience with these situations tells me that some pre-teens or teens will not come over and sit in the chairs because they are too cool to sit and listen to a storyteller, but they will happily listen while pretending to do something else. So, making sure everyone in the room can hear me is a must.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I assume this is going to be an ancestor show. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Time arrives, and still, nobody is there. So, one of the women in the rec center excuses herself and leaves. I announce I will happily tell to the staff. There are five adults in the room and these three teen/preteens, so that is more than enough. I am told to wait.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ten minutes later, the woman returns and she has got six grouchy teenagers with her. The three other teen/preteens stop what they are doing, and sit in the plastic chairs. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">During the entire event to follow, Teens/preteens trickle into the room, and not only do they fill up the chairs, but they have to sit at the benches at the long tables behind the plastic chairs. About half of them come in and exchange words with the others. Sometimes friendly...sometimes not.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Let us be clear about what is happening.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXikLD7tBwnIdBFSHFGH58ouAaEpXlfNEhGDHepWWivp5d-Pw4A_xzxF-V5aQA1WvCsE9QjWjnGnLO3yyn5hQSLUJ5lIoYYHf2qHtWG98nuIh_r2-J4eEQbmWIEtqWPlMJVcrtNBBN3jSdCk9RPjco-uAgn_5670CSddecY8Ae0Ov2nediLkho32ex" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="168" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXikLD7tBwnIdBFSHFGH58ouAaEpXlfNEhGDHepWWivp5d-Pw4A_xzxF-V5aQA1WvCsE9QjWjnGnLO3yyn5hQSLUJ5lIoYYHf2qHtWG98nuIh_r2-J4eEQbmWIEtqWPlMJVcrtNBBN3jSdCk9RPjco-uAgn_5670CSddecY8Ae0Ov2nediLkho32ex" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=61UzCr8t&id=D8D8C5BE71E5C6B22929216865594F21B65CC3CA&thid=OIP.61UzCr8tIOEZ0GY617MX2AHaHa&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fi.pinimg.com%2foriginals%2f61%2fd4%2f14%2f61d414bafd3ee212330d4b8449880e94.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.eb55330abf2d20e119d0663ad7b317d8%3frik%3dysNctiFPWWVoIQ%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=2117&expw=2117&q=images+of+a+table+of+snacks&simid=608019068678928021&FORM=IRPRST&ck=F2E111ABF66E19C40A11A7446C93AC7E&selectedIndex=0&idpp=overlayview&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">They are here for the snacks that will be available after the event. That is what they are expecting.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Over the course of the next forty minutes, I engage in a battle with the audience.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>First</b> - I must tell stories that they find worth listening to despite being bribed with snacks.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Second</b> - I must not tip them over into aggression. This is a possibility because it is obvious some of the kids have beef with each other. As new teens join the group, there is a moment where I must stop telling as they shuffle around and reestablish the pecking order in the room. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">There is a battle playing out in the background that has nothing to do with me. These kids are on a boil with each other, and I don't know why.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">One kid, in particular, is being snarked at. They are saying things like, "You're slow!" and "Don't even look at me!"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The girls who come in make that smacking sound with their mouths when they see other members of the group. The guys are of every size you can imagine from huge to small but clearly not little kids, but they could all be about the same age - genetics.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The kid everyone is piling on is named "Sincere", but everyone calls him Sin. He loves being called Sin and informs me almost immediately that this is who he is. His twin sister, who looks to be older than him by a couple of years, but obviously isn't, is named "Success". She is clearly the put together one in that duo.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I start with Morgan and the Pot of Brains because of all of the name calling.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Right at first one of the big guys is trying to play the clown and distract from the tale. I make the deal with the audience that I have to make sometimes.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">"Guys, I'm only here for 45 minutes. I promise I won't be here longer than that. Let me do my job. You might even have a good time. After I'm done, the rest of the day is yours."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The big guy quiets. I think he was surprised I called him on it. The rest of the group stops paying attention to him, and after he is unable to get the attention he needs, he starts watching as well.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">One of the girls in the front spends most of the performance surfing on her phone and sharing what she is reading with the girl next to her. They giggle at inappropriate times, but if I make a scene about these two noncompliants, it isn't worth the fight. What am I going to do? Demand her phone? The other kids are giving her looks. They know she is being rude. The other adults don't intervene. This girl could be a social timebomb. If I confront this behavior, things could get out of hand.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The rest of the audience is with me, and we end up having a great time.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I get to the part of Morgan and the Pot of Brains where Morgan can't solve the riddles. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sincere, the kid everyone has mocked as being stupid when they saw him does something no other kid has done in the years I have been telling this story. He figures out the riddles the second he hears them. They are obvious to him. Not only that, he is keyed into the performance on a basal level. His eyes never leave me. There are several other kids like this as well. They have left the building and they are walking through story with me. The adults are not bothering with the kids. They are also walking with me through story.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The woman who organized the story <i>need,</i> was there. She wanted me to do tongue twisters with this group. I had not prepared the ground for that, but she asked, she's paying, so I did. The kids were non-responsive to them. She was disappointed! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">She'd seen me do tongue twisters with elementary school students earlier. Her grandchildren had been in the audience. She was amazed at how that one simple thing changed her grandkids. They started looking for tongue twisters and practicing them. They were speaking more to each other and their parents. She wanted the kids in this group to have the same experience. I get that. Unfortunately, Storytelling doesn't work like that. Different audiences key into different things, and different audiences need different kinds of input. It isn't magic.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">When the set was over, I asked the kids what they wanted to do. Several of them snickered and said, "Go to college."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">I asked what they wanted to study there. They stared at me as if such a thing had never occurred to them.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">I asked what they liked to do. I got the usual - play sports, but none of them offered an academic response. Most just stared blankly.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">This doesn't mean they haven't thought about it. It just means they weren't prepared to say anything like this out loud in present company.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">They did ask a few questions when we were done...not when I asked if they had questions, because nobody did at that moment, but after the bulk had gone for snacks. A few of them came up to me and asked quietly.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">They wanted to know if this was really my job. They asked where I was from - they hadn't started listening when I explained that earlier. They told me they were going to look for me online. One of them asked me to sign her skin.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">As I finished packing up, a commotion started between the kids. There was yelling, the threat of violence, and Sin and Success backed out of the building as tempers flared.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">"Don't you ever touch me again!" and other things were yelled.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">There was an exodus of most of the teens. They all ran out to the parking lot. A tall gentleman ran out there as well.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I continued to pack my stuff. As I did, one of the adults who'd wandered in during the performance spilled the tea.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sin has been banned from the center for striking a staff member. She was shocked to see him there. He is bad news - violent, disrespectful, dangerous to others. (He was one of the original kids playing over at the pool table) She was the staff member he struck. She quit after that.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Success is the opposite of Sin. Everyone loves her, but she is protective of her brother.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sin has beef with lots of other kids. He doesn't go to school, and he is a nuisance to everyone.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">My heart broke for Sin. He clearly needs someone to help him find another way, but it doesn't appear he has that. He is as convinced as Morgan was that he is bad and stupid. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The adults in the room were surprised at how well the teens did sitting and listening. They were apologetic about the one girl phone surfing, and the girl who kept humoring her. They pointed out that some of the kids were watching me like a laser.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The adults loved the performance and they were impressed I could hold the teens' attention. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I am always surprised when people's biggest surprise is that I can hold kids' attention for long periods of time. From principals to parents, people are surprised by it. Heck, organizers are surprised I can hold adults' attention!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I guess this is why people think there has got to be magic involved.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, I finished and walked out of the building. There were a few teens still there.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">They told me that I was good at telling stories, they told me which ones were their favorites, and they wanted to help me with my stuff. I let them. Then I left.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">On the way home, I had one of those drives where I reviewed the experience in my head. I came to a conclusion...</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Darlene was right. They <i>needed</i> stories. If I am ever invited back to that venue, I will happily return.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Happy telling.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-16763499582729512232023-04-01T05:26:00.008-07:002023-04-01T06:26:52.562-07:00Kinetic Writing - With Ninth Graders<p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxnpDi5db9bQaGPlKqzxWtSqDvhAB2Zq6EjyBMk0P7XmFqwEH9iiBUiSqXc7cJxmQlK0xsaMosPQ0kk3tm2Bcc42Nxd2wGvtzm9lqpuhcc_rqW94Gn-WRaJoJsxOMau16Dtv8YvOJxG6VdpBvFM0bMZ-HZVmN-bgVMbmiykVIZYDZM3VKjnwNfq1P/s4032/IMG_6749.HEIC" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxnpDi5db9bQaGPlKqzxWtSqDvhAB2Zq6EjyBMk0P7XmFqwEH9iiBUiSqXc7cJxmQlK0xsaMosPQ0kk3tm2Bcc42Nxd2wGvtzm9lqpuhcc_rqW94Gn-WRaJoJsxOMau16Dtv8YvOJxG6VdpBvFM0bMZ-HZVmN-bgVMbmiykVIZYDZM3VKjnwNfq1P/w400-h300/IMG_6749.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the Schools </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I spent the week with ninth graders. Lots of them. I was in a couple of schools that don't often get any outside funding for visiting artists or artists in residence. We spent the week working with kinetic writing.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Kinetic writing is the act of engaging the body and the brain in writing activities before you put pen to paper. I am a huge fan of this type of work with children.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">For starters, writing is a different language. You don't write exactly as you speak. When we are speaking, we have the advantage of the pitch of our voices, the intensity of our movement, our expressions, our energy, and how emphatically we express ourselves. The majority of our person to person contact is not with words. Writing is nothing but words. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I start by asking the kids if anyone likes writing. If they hate it. If they are ambivilent about it. Most kids said they hated it. A few said they didn't mind it. Only one or two in each class said they liked to write.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I found out that in NC, they stopped administering the writing test in fourth grade, and so some elementary schools stopped teaching writing. That sounds odd, but schools have so many assessments, they teach to the tests, and if they are not testing something, they don't teach it. I found out that the eleventh graders were learning what nouns were.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I told them why I write books. I explained that when I was a kid, I didn'thave many books where the kids in them looked like me or my family. Several of the kids nodded and one of them - a black girl - folded her arms and just nodded emphatically. I love magical realiism, and most books with black girls in them didn't get to go on those kinds of adventures. They didn't get the magic or entry into fantastic worlds, and that was what I wanted for myself. So, I am determined to write books where girls and boys who look like me get to have that kind of magic when they read.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I explained that we need their stories as well. They will be in charge of our country in the coming years, and we need them to be ready for that. Some of them look stunned that this was their job!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I also explained that if you really want to control people, you control what they read, and what they have access to. Banning and Burning books isn't necessary if people never even bother to write their stories or share their experiences. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Their voices are powerful. Their experiences are important. Most of them were surprised by that.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyivPtfyWChdUcz7rdJ2YpPBVJxCG5ivxXREauWw7if33jfK2eDm59ozoYvAp_kkaVWyGFKV_Q6r9u0qngvc6LcHJpifYdS2P9HQZgikBpPtNxQVD4T06zfzUbsk7Pn5xk_teF_bZjAvSdldrkoHn40YjAh8JH1nUveE-QxtAM9Af-yuqMMzQZ_Rqm/s4032/IMG_6743.HEIC" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyivPtfyWChdUcz7rdJ2YpPBVJxCG5ivxXREauWw7if33jfK2eDm59ozoYvAp_kkaVWyGFKV_Q6r9u0qngvc6LcHJpifYdS2P9HQZgikBpPtNxQVD4T06zfzUbsk7Pn5xk_teF_bZjAvSdldrkoHn40YjAh8JH1nUveE-QxtAM9Af-yuqMMzQZ_Rqm/w400-h300/IMG_6743.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing the Story Game</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">After that, the students played "The Good Thing Was/The Bad Thing Was" It is a story game. I love story games!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2016/11/play-is-best-way-using-language-games.html">https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2016/11/play-is-best-way-using-language-games.html</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">We had a wonderful time, and when we were done, we had a writing exercise.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We did compound writing. Compound writing is a low stress way to get kids to write something.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. First, before anything - They put their names at the top of the page!!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Each person writes the first few lines of a story. They need a character, setting, and a problem. They can use the same process we employed during the circle story creation. We have been talking about launching stories for a bit, and they have had a chance to create at least one in group.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Once there was a _______________. The good thing was _____________________. But, ___________________.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">They aren't required to follow that format, but if they can't think of anything, they are welcome to do it that way. They only need a few sentences, but they can write as much as they want as long as they stay in the parameters of what is in the beginning of the story. (5 minutes)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. The papers are then passed in to the facilitators, and everyone gets someone else's paper.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">4. The next person skips two lines, and moves into the middle of the story. They write the next part. (5 Minutes)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">5. After they finish writing, the person folds down the beginning of the story so that the only thing showing is what they wrote. The papers are passed to the facilitator.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">6. The next person reads the middle without looking at how the story started, and write what they think comes next based on what they read. They do not end the story. (5 min)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">7. The person folds the paper so what they just wrote is at the top. Papers are passed in to facilitator.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">8. When they finish writing, they turn the paper over to the back (blank) side of the page. The draw two lines to divide the paper into three parts. They pass the papers in to the facilitator.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">9. The next person reads the last thing that was written, flips the paper over and at the bottom on the back in the last third of the page, they write what they think happened at the end of the story. (5 minutes)</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">10. Papers are passed to the facilitator.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">11. The next person who gets the paper reads the end of the story and writes what they think would belong in the middle of the story that would fit with the ending. (5 minutes)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">12. Papers are collected.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">13. The last person reads the middle and the end and tries to figure out how this whole thing began. They write the beginning of the story. (5 minutes)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">14. After this, they turn the paper over, read the name of the original writer and return their paper.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Now, the original writer has two complete stories. They can read what was written, but they don't necessarily have any idea who wrote what!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I have some rules - </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. You can't kill your character - That is the easiest thing to do. I call that lazy writing with the kids. They must figure out some way to deal with the chaos they write into these character's lives.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Don't put anyone in this class or anyone you know in these stories - This is to prevent bullying or embarrassing someone.</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhXTFc0vAHv-PMJ1XC8l7nxfj2SCw2ie57JSFltYJtOHFKfDomR07mx1b88io5SqVFiZR2bMEmqf6M4VX15eIqw12IEOZNoOYfKe1vnmlNarapPK6092zsEbri9ezTSCtQQ4Vx3LSTOQQNBTuCzL8RCwtOtFSymNhpJD6rIi4ro_jMJCdGoM1mrC_/s4032/IMG_6745%20copy.HEIC" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhXTFc0vAHv-PMJ1XC8l7nxfj2SCw2ie57JSFltYJtOHFKfDomR07mx1b88io5SqVFiZR2bMEmqf6M4VX15eIqw12IEOZNoOYfKe1vnmlNarapPK6092zsEbri9ezTSCtQQ4Vx3LSTOQQNBTuCzL8RCwtOtFSymNhpJD6rIi4ro_jMJCdGoM1mrC_/s320/IMG_6745%20copy.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They got down to it!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;">When I told them at the beginning of class that we were going to write, they groaned. I expected that I might get one or two kids who absolutely refused to write anything.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The teacher was expecting that some of the kids would not write anything.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">All of them wrote. They wrote with enthusiasm! They wrote with gusto!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> Some of them kept writing even after the five minutes ended. There was absolutely no way to tell that any of those kids hated writing.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">One of the kids, a tall, athletic boy, started his story by writing only one sentence. He dropped his pencil like a mic drop, folded his arms and stared at me in defiance. When I collected the papers and redistributed them, he was surprised. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"Man, I feel sorry for whoever got my paper," he muttered.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Half way through the exercise he said aloud, "Come on, people! Try to be creative! I hope whoever has my paper is trying to come up with something good!"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">One of the boys who had come in with his hood up and tried to actively look like he didn't care what was happening said, "I can't wait to get my paper back."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Everybody wrote.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">When the kids got their papers back, they loved reading them.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Some were annoyed at what people had done to their characters.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">All of them were amazed at the way people saw their characters.</span></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vcybYGm-kCM7zhFsHuq6Yh3HWJXov2b-hiEVt4aKd441GJFp4gk7zQ5nRJha2pdSUdY7TJeLdyJGTZDLpV-_otv2ot55dkaIdCatmbzpbwtmwTvRVlxnTVWwyNcJH7Gh23Qy8bo1pRMqlb1piaNytMgWERpzoeCyV5BbllSn-04dw0CEjH2R0lBZ/s4032/IMG_6747.HEIC" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vcybYGm-kCM7zhFsHuq6Yh3HWJXov2b-hiEVt4aKd441GJFp4gk7zQ5nRJha2pdSUdY7TJeLdyJGTZDLpV-_otv2ot55dkaIdCatmbzpbwtmwTvRVlxnTVWwyNcJH7Gh23Qy8bo1pRMqlb1piaNytMgWERpzoeCyV5BbllSn-04dw0CEjH2R0lBZ/s320/IMG_6747.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On a lecture in one of the classrooms</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">Some were annoyed because the story veered into love story or sadness or sci fi!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">All of them loved it.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The teacher was amazed everyone wrote. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Some of the students didn't speak English, and they had interpreters, and they wrote their stories in Spanish and traded papers with others writing in Spanish.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It was quite a week.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />I don't have the patience to be a teacher. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I salute teachers. Their job is difficult, they don't get paid enough, and they are under appreciated!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I do like helping kids realize they might actually enjoy writing.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>That</i> I can do!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Happy Writing!</span></p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-67853081259011799802023-03-24T08:29:00.002-07:002023-03-24T08:29:23.897-07:00Kinetic Storytelling - How to tell a 45 minute Story to Little Kids<p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmSCXJfdyO40Lw-HkbLMQz-nik_YlBgtnytqUmt0fv3Lh_6Ygc6Ao98va7rwGgCE2DWQpCHz8Fdig2hjsMQiUrUuNOv44hcXw3rQEoXjbcTP2PQXLLhLEpm4dPI15ROLEMcPa5UY8M5mSx297TZS-AHykY6LGH4E9kfgu08QuA0SgWTIRdr9wVrJc/s1280/333854726_716944280216327_8810838559346231818_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmSCXJfdyO40Lw-HkbLMQz-nik_YlBgtnytqUmt0fv3Lh_6Ygc6Ao98va7rwGgCE2DWQpCHz8Fdig2hjsMQiUrUuNOv44hcXw3rQEoXjbcTP2PQXLLhLEpm4dPI15ROLEMcPa5UY8M5mSx297TZS-AHykY6LGH4E9kfgu08QuA0SgWTIRdr9wVrJc/s320/333854726_716944280216327_8810838559346231818_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Kinetic Storytelling - Engaging The Whole Body In A Story </b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This past week, I did a quick pic and comment about telling a 45 minute story to little kids. Several people asked about how I do this. It occurred to me that this is a subject I don't think I've ever covered on the blog. So, let's get into it...</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>My Favorite Ways to Group Audiences - </b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I create story sets that are eduationally and socially emotionally appropriate for various age groups in school settings. </span></p><p>Pre-K - 2</p><p>3 - 5<br /></p><p>6th</p><p>7th</p><p>8th</p><p>9th - 12th alone or in any combination</p><p>College Presentations - I often talk about the craft as I tell the stories</p><p>Other venues/Family/Adults only</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Composing Story Sets -</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">School sets tend to run about 45 minutes. I usually only tell two stories per set. The first story lasts about twenty-five to thirty minutes. The second story lasts twelve to fifteen minutes.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The rest of the time is filled with introductions, community building discussion, and Q&A with the audience.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I have several reasons why I use that structure.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4wsRO5jzmCgYta-x0nsBVQON7WBCJg9AWbqZgWXKNXE3EMvAz2h0NEi0YWccvwfeQFdN1Xv8-Qz-KsRm2uyvdM3JRLVKmesD2gYrEG-X6jXtzZvMnaKR7nIzOmzp5XWrAdbETETa-GHNgVPPf4S20uP5Ii-2wOHqyaewub6AWYXX0iGdUlaJmf9s/s1600/Assembly_Donna_Washington_021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4wsRO5jzmCgYta-x0nsBVQON7WBCJg9AWbqZgWXKNXE3EMvAz2h0NEi0YWccvwfeQFdN1Xv8-Qz-KsRm2uyvdM3JRLVKmesD2gYrEG-X6jXtzZvMnaKR7nIzOmzp5XWrAdbETETa-GHNgVPPf4S20uP5Ii-2wOHqyaewub6AWYXX0iGdUlaJmf9s/s320/Assembly_Donna_Washington_021.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Transitioning from story to story breaks an audiences out of one reality and into another. You should reset the audience every single time you tell them a new story. if you don't give them a palate cleansing between stories, they brains can get tired of listening. If you transition them too much, their brains get tired of listening. Think about it as a to do list. The longer the to-do list gets, the harder it is to remember all of the things on it. For stories to stick, keep the number low!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. For story sets with the smallest kids, if I tell them two stories, I do a physical stretch break between the first and second story. The reason for this is to allow the most antsy ones to move a great deal, and the rest to stretch, march, do isolations, make noise, laugh, and/or wiggle. Once we've done deep breathing and moving about, the littles are ready to listen once more.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. I don't typically stretch <br />the older elementary. The transitions are typically enough. However, if I get a really wiggly bunch, I might well do it.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Sometimes, the plan changes!</span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Every now and then, I shake it up and choose one of the 45 minute stories for a story set.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There are reasons why I do this, but mostly it is because when I have little bitties, it is easier to do one highly participatory story than try to transition them.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The point of a 45 minute story? training the Literacy Brain in young listeners. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Emergent readers need to learn some basic higher level thinking skills that are essential to literacy </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">- <b>predictive behavior </b>- </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Short term predictions help you figure out what is happening moment to moment in the story</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Long term predictions are about synthesizing information from the story so you can guess how you think it might conclude.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">If your brain isn't focusing on how events are put together and how they might unfold through predictive behavior, you are just listening to a random serious of unrelated things.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtIXPJ-I3PK1CQRBj3GfsekUM06tKE3luRllRDaf0Y6Ue3oFWJmQX1SqtaBfui2xiYpNaRi0dcEDCYehr_ys7NifhDW8mKY3qMieJ1u-UDxOM-sr713mqpJHj6YWT93KWElTpAvokk4MsuvnaKfuq3VNLOqib9LRnVk5iQJzvMH9ggxta30gK9X84/s124/Unknown-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="124" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtIXPJ-I3PK1CQRBj3GfsekUM06tKE3luRllRDaf0Y6Ue3oFWJmQX1SqtaBfui2xiYpNaRi0dcEDCYehr_ys7NifhDW8mKY3qMieJ1u-UDxOM-sr713mqpJHj6YWT93KWElTpAvokk4MsuvnaKfuq3VNLOqib9LRnVk5iQJzvMH9ggxta30gK9X84/s1600/Unknown-1.jpeg" width="124" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">-<b> recall </b>so that your brain starts recognizing foreshadowing. That also helps with continuity.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">- <b>visualizing language</b> - turning language into images</span></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Crafting A 45 Minute Story</span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">How do you craft a 45 minute story for little kids? Here are some tips.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. The story should be highly participatory.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Lots of repetition</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. The repetition should happen in "chapters". </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">-Some repetition happens in the first chapter and then falls away.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The next chapter has a different set of repetitions </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The repetition should be a signal that something is about to happen</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A repetition that allows for predictive or recall behavior can/should carry through multiple chapters</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">4. Lots of physical movement attached to the verbal repetition.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">5. The structure should allow for listeners to cement certain refrains so that you can go back to them when you need them.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Example - Rumpelstiltskin</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0Pvbk_aAYpnSIQprQ1f2I0OqInT1vS-FFpUkKAfcVGb0WedDnIFFug_FCXoet__zJk0DcvVHwhXRVWfG7a-dWJjBqCVhFShqz3N2UKx_-wxbh14EIpl0urvIzwy0QxdDjlSc_ThLC9lQQUeBqdgYxmUmE5D0PIV3dN1FgRLCECkvlhUmZgK28Ldr/s142/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="131" data-original-width="142" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0Pvbk_aAYpnSIQprQ1f2I0OqInT1vS-FFpUkKAfcVGb0WedDnIFFug_FCXoet__zJk0DcvVHwhXRVWfG7a-dWJjBqCVhFShqz3N2UKx_-wxbh14EIpl0urvIzwy0QxdDjlSc_ThLC9lQQUeBqdgYxmUmE5D0PIV3dN1FgRLCECkvlhUmZgK28Ldr/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" width="142" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">When we first meet this little man, he agrees to spin straw to gold. He has Three repetitive participatory actions.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">- When he arrives, I make a sound - Ding, ding, ding, ding, - and move my hands around in a large circle. This is always his arriving sound from that moment until he shows up at the end of the story to try to take the baby.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">- When he agrees to spin straw to gold, he asks, "What will you give me?" in a sing song voice and holds out his hand. He repeats this action the first 3 times he appears. By the second time, most kids say this with me, and the last time they all say it.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">- When he spins the straw to gold, he "Rolled up his sleeves" I mime rolling up one sleeve. "And Rolled up his sleeves" I mime rolling up the other one. "Then he said, "Stand Back!" I say this in his little squeaky voice and make a motion with my left arm. "Stand Back!" I make the motion with my right arm. After that I break into his little spinning song and move my hands as if I am spinning a wheel.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The listeners join that little action usually from the second time, and they are all in on the third.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I go through that sequence when he spins the straw to gold.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Each of the gold spinning events is a chapter. Different things happen, but the repetitive events mark the beginning and end of that chapter. It helps the listener know what to expect.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As the storyteller, I transition out of that section of the story with information. I tell the listeners that time has passed, Anna married the king, and she had a child. The next chapter starts with the audience initiating a sound from the last three chapters.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> "Anna was sitting in the nursery rocking the baby when she heard a sound she hadn't heard in almost two years. What was it?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The listeners immediately make the ding sound and move their hands in a circle with no further prompting. We are now in the next chapter of our story.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Rumpel doesn't spin anything in this new chapter. The refrain he gets is that when he shows up to the queen, he asks in a loud, somewhat mocking voice, "What's my name?!" and there is an accompanying body, face, and arm gesture that goes with it.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Understand that this is just one of the characters in the story. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miller has his own refrain that we learn at the beginning of the story. It ends before we ever even meet his daughter. The purpose of his initial refrain is to get the audience used to make a loud, silly, refrain without my prompting them. They learn that they will be doing this in the story, and they don't typically need me to tell them to participate after the start. They just decide on their own when they want to do it. I only give them prompts if I am asking them to initiate a new chapter or movement in the story.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Anna has her own refrains during the spinning straw to gold thing.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The king has his own refrains when he is taking her to spin straw into gold.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The travel between the various rooms full of gold or straw have their own refrains.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As you can probably imagine, it is an exhausting story to tell!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Since you don't transition the kids between stories, they are highly invested in the tale as they take part in the action. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldbe_haNvHhgqcQ3KgSd8dHtMzdlGz1iaWl714LmeN9chucegVM0VkY4LwmjetLcCr4umykCs7pZCOuCcgIsUWIF5ooJE1G0j5pImHgJgwgEyCynMfCbYsR-HYjcMRP9zKn3wafehu8tsTzfQRw43MUPFcA4JAdcHjxSiTWAJNfGNG0HvqB3XmrfA/s275/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldbe_haNvHhgqcQ3KgSd8dHtMzdlGz1iaWl714LmeN9chucegVM0VkY4LwmjetLcCr4umykCs7pZCOuCcgIsUWIF5ooJE1G0j5pImHgJgwgEyCynMfCbYsR-HYjcMRP9zKn3wafehu8tsTzfQRw43MUPFcA4JAdcHjxSiTWAJNfGNG0HvqB3XmrfA/s1600/images.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>If you connect the physical, verbal, and visual images to the story, you can get kids to sit for<br /> an hour without realizing that's what they've done. <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">At some point, if people want to know the specific detais, I will break down that entire 45 minute story and explain how each chapter/movement works;</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Until then - </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Happy Long Form Telling!</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-74020290455171665612023-03-15T19:45:00.004-07:002023-03-15T20:02:41.077-07:00We Are Recovering: One Story At A Time<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDDVOdD5TPzQc_uxK5_hqM1yQJLUytIr5HDe69LLtBS3Fv_esmdp3YsioHyqrizABfYXGMY4Mge_itLiztCYzOCBAjojC-I80Qu9tyekKZ4zxGtdyBYwxrmMKP3ED2BsPmFPzT2TvPlVM3uW5KU3PTqAEY99x-bcXiTfNIF_TMwGJxsSc0Vc6Qy823" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDDVOdD5TPzQc_uxK5_hqM1yQJLUytIr5HDe69LLtBS3Fv_esmdp3YsioHyqrizABfYXGMY4Mge_itLiztCYzOCBAjojC-I80Qu9tyekKZ4zxGtdyBYwxrmMKP3ED2BsPmFPzT2TvPlVM3uW5KU3PTqAEY99x-bcXiTfNIF_TMwGJxsSc0Vc6Qy823" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />The work has come back with a vengeance, and I am telling all over the country in lots of venues. I am loving live audiences. I am in front of lots of children of all ages! </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">When I first enter a school, I ask a few key questions so I can get a feel for what I am in for with the students.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"Tell me about the kids."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"Does your school have any major concerns?"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"What are you most proud of?"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"How is your literacy rate?"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"What kind of arts programs do you have?"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It is a basic set of questions designed to get me to a set of stories that is going to be best for whatever group I'm about to see.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Since returning to touring, I have added a new set of questions:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"Have you noticed any difference in your students since returning full time?"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"How are students adjusting to being back in school?"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"What sorts of behaviors are you noticing?"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Some of the things I've been told are expected. Students were home on technology for a while. They could lay down, eat, walk around, and do any number of things while online. They have been with family 24/7 and they couldn't get away from them for over a year or more. </span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3-31UmOEQjE09vN7lsiGmwbbpCPiiVECE0Uo9F5l1ce4kXHHh7b41dYliH3LKA38L7Iz3bLOEgrG02zroKbWz6V78h-38-WRvRVDGMpz47Jt3vkqnLogXhdhnRZSH_4aRayh5HHU8xkwU7M1xNOObIMRt2TO7Wct4CPLNM-gFQ5Khi9g1k5ubhS9K" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="680" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3-31UmOEQjE09vN7lsiGmwbbpCPiiVECE0Uo9F5l1ce4kXHHh7b41dYliH3LKA38L7Iz3bLOEgrG02zroKbWz6V78h-38-WRvRVDGMpz47Jt3vkqnLogXhdhnRZSH_4aRayh5HHU8xkwU7M1xNOObIMRt2TO7Wct4CPLNM-gFQ5Khi9g1k5ubhS9K" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">They couldn't be in physical spaces with their friends. They didn't have to learn how to meet new people, lget along with people they didn't like, be frustrated, angry, or grumpy in public. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Studentes were with parents or grandparents. Their needs could be met pretty quickly, and some households have neither structure nor discipline. Some homes have too much discipline. Some are running free!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Taking students out of those situations as they are developing and dropping them back in school has caused some interesting issues to appear - </span></p><p>Administrators Say:</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">- Students are much less mature</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">- Students have more issues with anger</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2X8HwkhCvuRTkKEBoW-4PBP-4EQgQ3xujmDoM3O66F1Ut8KltNYuXz9a3LIU8dkZVDq2UW_5b317lxRvWfUHcMNmLKprnuutZ8QzUudoPnMH7OeHiBE85ZshSrHl4a0mrox4uE1awvaNi-E2CwTkhOW2BXygRntGSQMoOJeTo918GHyFR6v81kNE0" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2X8HwkhCvuRTkKEBoW-4PBP-4EQgQ3xujmDoM3O66F1Ut8KltNYuXz9a3LIU8dkZVDq2UW_5b317lxRvWfUHcMNmLKprnuutZ8QzUudoPnMH7OeHiBE85ZshSrHl4a0mrox4uE1awvaNi-E2CwTkhOW2BXygRntGSQMoOJeTo918GHyFR6v81kNE0" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />- Students don't know how to keep their hands to themselves</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">- Students are not great with personal boundaries</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">- Students don't know how to socialize</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">- Students don't listen well </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">- Students aren't sitting well</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">- Students are having far more problems focusing</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">- Students are less patient</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The above list is for all schools no matter the socioeconomic status of their population. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It should surprise no one that schools which typically have less funding or service populations that are not as affluent were suffering through extra layers of problems.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The main problem rural schools seem to be facing is attendance. Apparently, if school is online for a couple of years, there isn't much reason to attend. Parents have been taking the kids out of school or just not bothering to send them.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">They have gotten out of the culture of schooling. This is affecting everyone from Kinders all the way through highschool. In fact, it was a highschool administrator that first brought it to my attention.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Apparently, having children in school cramps the parent's style if they have something else they want to do. So, they just take them out of school whenever or don't send them at all.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjh1HPWsaWtJdBFPUck9L3MCmGpYy1V7wUJlj99lm-qDMoTgu5218T_mU1eTURgvA9TIOTj_AXo2qsLVUylFouGEJdqpixEVw2UXhtXWdsPOWxpV7tgs82iwdh-vIFLR6BR6qqV4Zf3rLyxdAs5pXLGV9p_x9xVNSbUcjTlFrW5cMlER0MhquubA6uh" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="1090" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjh1HPWsaWtJdBFPUck9L3MCmGpYy1V7wUJlj99lm-qDMoTgu5218T_mU1eTURgvA9TIOTj_AXo2qsLVUylFouGEJdqpixEVw2UXhtXWdsPOWxpV7tgs82iwdh-vIFLR6BR6qqV4Zf3rLyxdAs5pXLGV9p_x9xVNSbUcjTlFrW5cMlER0MhquubA6uh" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />These kids are falling further behind.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Today, I had a long discussion with a child psychologist who told me that she had been in charge of technology when she first got a job here in NC. This was right before the pandemic.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">They had the following issues - </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Most of the students did not have Chromebooks. In Wake County (our capitol county) every student has one provided by the district. this was not true in some of the poorer districts.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. The state moved swiftly to try to rectify what has been a huge problem that nobody was really dealing with until everyone had to go virutal.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">3. When everyone got a Chrome Book - and the process for making that happen in these rural and poor counties was a nightmare - the next problem arose.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">4. Many of the households had no internet access. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I assumed wrongly that most people had some kind of access. The world is full of smartphones, right? I have heard so many people say "every three year old can work an iPad". That has certainly been true of my neices and nephews. What I failed to realize is that internet access is still privileged, and lots of people don't have the option or the money to connect. In some places, there isn't any infrastructure so you can't connect even if you want to. There are swaths of our population who do not have access to the digital world.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Spectrum stepped in and tried to get some kind of boxes to each home that didn't have access to pick up connectivity and give these kids a fighting chance, but it was hit and miss at best. Most families with Kindergartners gave up.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There are holes in our systems that were glaring, and we as a country were caught with our privilege blinders on. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There are still glaring holes, and we as a society don't seem to be all that keen to deal with them. Well, that discussion is for another post.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Needless to say, the kids who struggled with connectivity have a whole other set of problems to deal with.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The COVID kids are going to have many hurdles in their future. I wonder how we are going to deal with this as they matriculate.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As for me?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, my performance has changed a bit. I am leaning in and letting the kids tell me what they need. How much interaction? How much discussion? What stories do they need?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I learn with every show.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZyAdp-FOM_9k-J7AioA1xyllxGYmksKY77br9iPGeGVK66vlT5ot9ZBIJd7TVOcy2bO14ACm3g4LsqpLYcWfXvRnzzjelbrobuBqBO2cXkxvFzWI8f88ezBELj7aCFDwcPldYmhGTfSkNQchpakwmGziJZNoDadpl-k9O4n6g1vXAsIlyG-E_kvgQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="510" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZyAdp-FOM_9k-J7AioA1xyllxGYmksKY77br9iPGeGVK66vlT5ot9ZBIJd7TVOcy2bO14ACm3g4LsqpLYcWfXvRnzzjelbrobuBqBO2cXkxvFzWI8f88ezBELj7aCFDwcPldYmhGTfSkNQchpakwmGziJZNoDadpl-k9O4n6g1vXAsIlyG-E_kvgQ" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">There are some things that haven't changed. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">At the end of the story set I hear these comments </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Kid - You're not a storyteller, you are a comedian!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Kid - You are the best storyteller in the whole world</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Kid - You're going to be my new background</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Kid - I've also been to - Whatever state, country, or place I mentioned in the storytelling</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And there is the hugging.</span> </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I am getting them from kids of all ages...even fifth graders, middle school kids, and high school students. They all want physical contact. Even some of the adults are hugging me. That's new.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Qutoes from adults -</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Adult - Wow. I have never seen them that focused</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Adult - You really held their attention</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Adult - i think I enjoyed that more than the kids!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Adult - I never expected them to sit that long</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Adult - They were participating and everything</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Adult - You're really good at this!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Adult - Thank you! We needed this.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Adult - I can't believe the Pre-K stayed the entire time</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipqXgJnuaZk0DId3lEhr-ZN2tdGkq91qvsnRTNvWms4_wrRaWtIjrRKHgUev36ffkTg1P3blKJ-dd9b6f0sHdbkC92Gnh2-zH6EsuhIWseqZ8mVGIlXs9xt6qwcx9vIYFLfzGAagZAeOKvEB95ZdpdQVYPzIrDA3LQ77Tgo-9_fHcFJ0bu88YMVya8" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipqXgJnuaZk0DId3lEhr-ZN2tdGkq91qvsnRTNvWms4_wrRaWtIjrRKHgUev36ffkTg1P3blKJ-dd9b6f0sHdbkC92Gnh2-zH6EsuhIWseqZ8mVGIlXs9xt6qwcx9vIYFLfzGAagZAeOKvEB95ZdpdQVYPzIrDA3LQ77Tgo-9_fHcFJ0bu88YMVya8" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I am enjoying the work. I know that the stories are needed as kids and adults try to figure out how to go forward into our next normal. All of us have been changed by the last few years. <br /></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My stories have a different rhythm. I am looking for different kinds of participation. I am letting the audience resculpt the tales so that they can get what they need.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We are all recovering. One story at a time.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Happy Telling!</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><p></p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-16505869240999968122023-03-02T11:44:00.002-08:002023-03-02T20:18:32.168-08:00Point of Focus or POF: What Is It? How Do You Use It in Storytelling?<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQsdDbxeAWY8IPqzob4OJUA-gn-wYmhYtf2jQbZEYoqbexm1y3_6UH3rJMTN84PLe-8Q_L6GvY2e-yimFV-5DOwBf_lpz47Wb3rESn1XPHCNCLEKOG1g_QP1LVokO2tLcoZnFSFAjnunTZnwp0AKW4nK7rEAmJT4l2qvHIbXKN4R4sCaSzsiTkq5J/s240/Antonio_Rocha_small.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="240" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQsdDbxeAWY8IPqzob4OJUA-gn-wYmhYtf2jQbZEYoqbexm1y3_6UH3rJMTN84PLe-8Q_L6GvY2e-yimFV-5DOwBf_lpz47Wb3rESn1XPHCNCLEKOG1g_QP1LVokO2tLcoZnFSFAjnunTZnwp0AKW4nK7rEAmJT4l2qvHIbXKN4R4sCaSzsiTkq5J/s1600/Antonio_Rocha_small.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://storyinmotion.com/" target="_blank">Antonio Rocha</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p>One of the most fascinating things about talking shop with storytellers is learning how they do what they do and why they do it. A couple of years ago, Antonio Rocha and I were talking about Focal Points or Points of Focus if you are so inclined.</p><p>Focal Points refer to creating objects, characters, and places in space during a performance by giving an audience visual or vocal cues as to where objects or characters are located in the story.</p><p><br /></p><p>For instance, if you have a mother and son, the son character might turn his head and upper torso to the right and lift his chin to look up at his mother when he speaks to her. The mother turns left and lowers her head when she speaks to her son. </p><p>Another example would be if all of the characters are referring to a particular object like the moon, or a mountain and whenever they refer to that thing, they point to it. </p><p>I have learned over the years not to make that point of focus somewhere behind the audience because audiences of all ages who completely understand that they are not in a palace, jungle, or your living room will automatically turn around and look behind them if you point to something out of their view. </p><p>Anyway, the storyteller establishes the physical presence and autonomy of each character or thing. Audiences track this movement or plaement, and whenever they see the storyteller move their head to engage someone in the story, or point to a specific thing they know what is being referred to, who is speaking, and to whom they are speaking.</p><p>This is a great way to help audiences visualize what is happening. </p><p>This is also a skill you learn when you are participating in <a href="https://snfi.stanford.edu/camp/category/26/forensics-speech-debate.html" target="_blank">forensics</a>...no, I am not talking about dissecting bodies or finding biological clues at crime scenes, but the performative speaking competitions I loved so much in high school.</p><p>I participated in <a href="http://4n6u.org/oral-interpretation" target="_blank">Original Interpretation and Humorous Interpretation</a>. I was also on the debate team. (I know, shocking!) </p><p>In Humorous Interpretation, you choose a scene out of a play that has multiple characters, and you have to do all of the parts. One of the skills necessary to pull this off is to choose focal points for each character so that you maintain the character's voice and physicality as you move from one person to another over the course of the scene.</p><p> Antonio definitely uses focal points in his story when he has two characters discussing something. If you get a chance to see him, be on the lookout for this very effective technique.</p><p>After that discussion, it made me think about how I use POF in my stories. When I first started storytelling, I know that I did a great deal of POF work, and I even taught it in workshops. It has been years since I focused on it in my own work.</p><p>There is a reason for this.</p><p>After a technique becomes second nature and it is just part of what you do, you don't necessarily think about it. This is why it is hard for some people to articulate how they do what they do. it is just second nature. It doesn't have a vocabulary or a process they identify. It is just what they do!</p><p>My discussion with Antonio brought the whole idea of POF raging back at me and caused me to reexamine my current work. I had a feeling that there was some Point of Focus stuff happening, but I had no idea what it looked like. </p><p>Had I gotten exceedingly lazy and just wasn't doing it? </p><p>Was I practicing it without thought. </p><p>There was also the chance I was doing it unconsciously!</p><p>So, into performance evaluation mode I went!</p><p>I paid attention to what was happening in my stories and how or if I was using POF. I learned some really interesting things!</p><p>1. I am definitely using Point of Focus, but it has morphed into a very particular kind of participation technique. </p><p>2. The audience has their own bias about who they want to be in the story and how they want to respond.</p><p>3. The audience uses their power of Point of Focus to help them navigate through the story</p><p>4. I have way more observation to do as I move through my repertoire!</p><p>I love story crafting!</p><p>It turns out that the thing that I like to say, that the audience is part of the performance, they affect the performance, and they transform the teller and the stories was the key to helping me look at Point of Focus and understand why I use it the way I do in lots of my stories.</p><p>Over time, audiences respond to some things and not others. The more you tell a story, the more it settles into a rhythm. What works stays, what doesn't falls by the wayside, and when you get reactions, you continue to do that thing. It changes the pace, language, and apparently, the Focal Points!</p><p>So, here is how these observations play out in a story.</p><p><b>1. Participatory Point of Focus</b> - Instead of having the characters speak directly to each other - apparently, the audience has become one of the characters in some of my stories. This is particularly true of highly participatory stories. The "audience as character" technique works like this. </p><p>When I am any other character, the Point of Focus is the audience. I point at them, look at them, and sweep the audience. When the character the audience inhabits speaks, my focus is much more general and not direct. I look slightly over their heads or am somehow unfocused. (It was pretty amazing to realize I was doing this)</p><p>This does not mean the audience only participates with that character, but I certainly treat them as if they <b>are</b> that character.</p><p>Example:</p><p>I am telling Epaminondus. The character that the audience embodies is the title character. At one point, he puts 2 pounds of butter on his head under his hat. His mother has told him to do this if he is bringing something home he might squish. As he walks home, the butter melts all over him.</p><p>Me - He got butter in his hair. I make a face and pretend to flick butter out of my hair.</p><p>Audience - (what typically happens is that even though I don't say anything, the audience says "EWWW!"</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj69xYcEKdXwRuaVZHB5f0xC4ls-SDlR2Lmim9pgrhbatdb3f--F7NhrwGOG32UkrE_XetRtaZmxd0G6lPt-Zg8z-Gq6o9owvjXQO3SbfED7yBxd4Wl-7BR4ILZCr5lNT4JTnqGjPgv9fCG5wr7K6bHip8vbhdzCuTuVfl4JFNUcco4ItI8TnVj3Am7" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="612" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj69xYcEKdXwRuaVZHB5f0xC4ls-SDlR2Lmim9pgrhbatdb3f--F7NhrwGOG32UkrE_XetRtaZmxd0G6lPt-Zg8z-Gq6o9owvjXQO3SbfED7yBxd4Wl-7BR4ILZCr5lNT4JTnqGjPgv9fCG5wr7K6bHip8vbhdzCuTuVfl4JFNUcco4ItI8TnVj3Am7" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/melted-butter" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Me - He got butter down his face.<p></p><p>Audience - vocalizes his disgust</p><p><br />Me - He got butter down his neck.</p><p>Audience - vocalizes his disgust</p><p>In other words, there are parts of the tale where I say nothing and the audience speaks for the character without me even cueing them to do so. I was amused to discover that I have several stories like this. I hadn't considered why this happens.</p><p>When you have given the character over to the audience, they have the space to jump in and play.</p><p>This was not my idea. This is what audiences have done for so long, that I make space in the story for them to do it.</p><p><b>2. The Audience Bias - </b>I have learned that based on the way I craft my stories -audiences have picked which characters they want to become! </p><p>I thought I had been the one choosing who they become and how they move through my stories, but I can now see that they have wrenched the focus out of my hands and decided for themselves who they want to be!</p><p>In Epaminondus, I start the story by teaching them the thing his momma says which is, "Epamiinondus, you ain't got the sense you was born with." There is an appropriate black woman neck maneuver that goes with this. It is always fun to watch kids and adults try to move their heads back and forth and then side to side. Some people discover a new skill, and some have never in their lives tried such a thing and they cannot do it for love or money.</p><p>The storyteller might have seeded them with mom's physicality and cadences, but they much prefer to be Epmainondus!</p><p>3. <b>Emotional Point of Focus - </b>Giving the audience their own character means they have skin in the game when it comes to the outcome of the tale. It also means that they have the power to decide how they are going to navigate the story. </p><p>In the case of Rumplestiltskin, the kids love the funny little guy who shows up and spins the straw to gold. He is funny, sounds silly, and has an odd look to him. He is also helping the miller's Daughter. It is only when he asks for the baby that they begin to question whether or not he is a good guy. </p><p>He has his own sound and way of speaking. I can hear them repeating what he says to themselves as we go through the scenes with the miller's daughter. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUSCBDhuzHHk62enhCAD9cThW28QF_i5TQERC2rRDdgAqBFLtRDmO3539yjesVapS64CO3A90pNL964cmIM2YiPUIk1tRGVPUj0gDxoRfooSXIrsqnsOwSjDE6NCBsjLqK5PosEac5-onLaaib-3F6r1C_XhZNdwZppWaUpHSV9ccg9tLZWaWbZNML" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="204" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUSCBDhuzHHk62enhCAD9cThW28QF_i5TQERC2rRDdgAqBFLtRDmO3539yjesVapS64CO3A90pNL964cmIM2YiPUIk1tRGVPUj0gDxoRfooSXIrsqnsOwSjDE6NCBsjLqK5PosEac5-onLaaib-3F6r1C_XhZNdwZppWaUpHSV9ccg9tLZWaWbZNML" width="198" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">s<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rumpelstiltskin-Paul-Zelinsky/dp/0140558640" target="_blank">ource</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I understand why they like him. The miller is a liar who got his daughter into the mess. The king is selfish, and he adds to Anna's distress without any concern for her. Anna is miserable and trying to fix the damage that is being inflicted on her by the king and her father...who wouldn't want to hang out inside the only character who comes in with mirth and a peppy attitude?<p></p><p>Just the same, on the last day of the contest to guess his name, when the queen is finally told who he is, they are so excited to watch that grinning little man get in trouble that they use his sound to usher him back into the story with great gusto. </p><p>An audience will turn on a character on a dime if he betrays them. Rumplestiltskin has to face the music in the last scene of that story, and the listeners are calling for his blood!</p><p>4. <b>Working the Technique</b> - This way of thinking about an audience is not new, but I have only been focusing on it for a couple of years - most of which have been Covid virtual years, so I haven't had an opportunity to do much fine-tuning. </p><p>I am still discovering how I am using it, and now that I know what I'm seeing, I can make choices about how to shape it effectively. This work is always fascinating to me, and extremely interesting.</p><p>I can't wait to find out what I will learn next!</p><p>Happy Telling!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-84110509138618189102023-02-24T08:50:00.001-08:002023-02-24T19:16:27.767-08:00Novice Audiences In Schools - You Got This!<p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRq7MiYhvTNrzRxqTMs1hmFRtDQwj6JK2U_ZaFE9I7X2J_hSAW9wuACUa89EJ35I2q9xIyuWhYrAFKKlNHR5FMNzcEmFQcgaVtCl3nvRn1n5hta-UzJZwwkxR2VZCVSI1tO-tHVnVt9ztXqZGadX-gD-GoXFF2XFijPjCbHcNl16t07VxgsRVKviMj" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1600" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRq7MiYhvTNrzRxqTMs1hmFRtDQwj6JK2U_ZaFE9I7X2J_hSAW9wuACUa89EJ35I2q9xIyuWhYrAFKKlNHR5FMNzcEmFQcgaVtCl3nvRn1n5hta-UzJZwwkxR2VZCVSI1tO-tHVnVt9ztXqZGadX-gD-GoXFF2XFijPjCbHcNl16t07VxgsRVKviMj" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://depositphotos.com/stock-photos/black-history-month.html">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div>It is February! We have come to the month on the calendar in the United States where we go out of our way to honor, learn about, and celebrate the African Americans who have contributed to our country. We don't always do it the rest of the year, but one time in the year we are encouraged to deal with our history and the black people who have been part of it.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>February is an interesting month for black performers. I always joke that even organizations that didn't know they needed any performer ever - suddenly need a black one.</p><p><br /></p><p>What it means is that I don't tend to work in my regular venues. Organizations that fund programming for underserved rural schools or schools with majority-minority populations that rarely have funding for anything extracurricular get angel money to have a program.</p><p>So, I often rock up to a school that has no culture of encountering a live performer, and they are now going to have some storytelling. </p><p>Sometimes these performances are spectacular as you share with a group of people who have never seen a live performer this close or at their school and they fall in love with the possibilities. I have been in many situations like this where I walk away and the school is not only trying t figure out how to get me back, but they are ready to find ways to bring other cultural arts experiences to their kids.</p><p></p><p>Sometimes I end up in a strange encounter where the audience refuses to engage with me. There are so many factors that affect my ability to reach an audience. I typically walk away from these experiences reviewing the choices I made and considering how to make more successful choices in the future.</p><p>Every encounter is a learning experience for everyone.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjP3dczZx9TInMsZbVSLWF_2jmdpL5_gqlxGjOazLlN8C9cfGza4xJ2C0_IB1K3QLcdZ7alEEybgA_euzS7YLMEInmlSKgfUX5WTBmQFLHLD2_T1-3ln1_I4tGIZVMzvXo8qWDaT2gwdSSWPJtnYLeG_3Ztf4x0RXhR-QGTdeIgrFocnTirx9pBHx9C" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjP3dczZx9TInMsZbVSLWF_2jmdpL5_gqlxGjOazLlN8C9cfGza4xJ2C0_IB1K3QLcdZ7alEEybgA_euzS7YLMEInmlSKgfUX5WTBmQFLHLD2_T1-3ln1_I4tGIZVMzvXo8qWDaT2gwdSSWPJtnYLeG_3Ztf4x0RXhR-QGTdeIgrFocnTirx9pBHx9C" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>I was in a Prek - 1 set with a group of live performance newbies, and I was doing a piece called Silly Annabelle. At some point, Annabelle - who everyone calls "Silly Annabelle" because nobody appreciates her differences - has to put magic dragon shrinking powder on a dragon's nose. She gets out there to where the dragon lives and he is huge and scary. She hides behind a tree.</p><p>She asks herself out loud for the benefit of the listeners, "What am I doing here? I am so small, and he is so big! What was I thinking? if the grown-ups couldn't figure this out, what can I do? Everyone was right. I'm too small." </p><p>When I got to that point in the story, a little PreK boy sitting in the front shouted, <b>"YOU GOT THIS, ANNABELLE!"</b></p><p>In all of my years telling this story, I have watched kids respond in lots of different ways. Sometimes they cheer when Annabelle finds a solution. Sometimes they laugh as Annabelle sprinkles the powder on the dragon's nose. Sometimes they look scared as she approaches the dragon. </p><p>That was the first time any kid yelled out emotional support for Annabelle when she was struggling with whether or not to keep going.</p><p>I love that kid. He gave me the strength to keep going! Even now as I sit down to write this I am grinning.</p><p>One of the keys to working with novice audiences is learning what works best for their school. Since it is the first time for everyone, sometimes it takes a bit to work out the kinks.</p><p>Sometimes the teachers have told their students that they must not make any noise upon pain of death before they come to the assembly. Sometimes teachers tell them nothing and just decide they are no longer on the clock the second they get into the assembly. They spend the time chatting and not doing discipline or anything else. The kids know they are "free" and some groups act accordingly and just take over the space with no consequences. </p><p>Here are some tips for working with novice audiences in a school setting:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXIztGwKsud733mQRJIoBWgDYEmhqYYAp1wF0x_qBH3tBfpb-JVuIhdlQOfsWjObejskEUCfFKW1xpwymcMzd_ai1EdPER_yQcmKpsqtuqa95BrsfnZurQ3yKoRX3DoSJtVxC7qevo9GogPHJ0-OE77EbF0XRKDdw6uW-5L5v42WaYir8Xi_RY_ljt" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXIztGwKsud733mQRJIoBWgDYEmhqYYAp1wF0x_qBH3tBfpb-JVuIhdlQOfsWjObejskEUCfFKW1xpwymcMzd_ai1EdPER_yQcmKpsqtuqa95BrsfnZurQ3yKoRX3DoSJtVxC7qevo9GogPHJ0-OE77EbF0XRKDdw6uW-5L5v42WaYir8Xi_RY_ljt" width="320" /></a></div><p>1. <b>Asking Questions of the Audience to engage them.</b> Establishing some kind of relationship with the audience before you begin. Find out about them before you begin telling them stories.</p><p>2. <b>Check in with the audience over the course of the story</b> by raising hands or getting suggestions. </p><p>3. <b>Encourage the educators in the room to participate as wel</b>l. (If the educators are talking and having a grand old time during the performance and they are not participating or paying any attention to you or the kids...well, there isn't much you can do about this. Just know someone is listening!)</p><p>4. <b>Make sure you model the behavior you want to see from the kids</b>. Listen attentively when they ask questions.</p><p>5. <b>Know that you are both in a learning situation</b>, and do what you can to make sure everyone has as successful an experience as you can manage.</p><p>Over the years I have had many of these situations. Sometimes I walk away frustrated but determined as I learn something new. Sometimes I walk away triumphant after having learned something new.</p><p>Sometimes the answer to a tricky situation is as simple as changing the location of the performance.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndsbtilP9z_1WODlvfMn_KfxFcSWC0FmN6B_PnZVbgc6znVYyJvpfg9fJz3tV6onlI96pCRPPSdcBr76af1j8waVkf9NU0QtokLntRnGqfAB2jAF6Wa_dGybc5e0Vj2ztyYDozRDUUdWdmWqNysVep0jf4nlrrjh2HIlXIQHdOFYSXs_VqTqUUmwm/s4032/IMG_6407.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndsbtilP9z_1WODlvfMn_KfxFcSWC0FmN6B_PnZVbgc6znVYyJvpfg9fJz3tV6onlI96pCRPPSdcBr76af1j8waVkf9NU0QtokLntRnGqfAB2jAF6Wa_dGybc5e0Vj2ztyYDozRDUUdWdmWqNysVep0jf4nlrrjh2HIlXIQHdOFYSXs_VqTqUUmwm/s320/IMG_6407.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br />This entire week I was in schools that have either never had assemblies, or it has been many years since they tried one.<p></p><p>Most of them were successful, but I had one audience I just couldn't reach. They were a small number sitting on the floor in a huge, echoing gym. It was a bad fit.</p><p>I returned to the school today, Friday, for two more small audiences. I persuaded the staff to let me tell to them in the library.</p><p>It was a much better fit, and we had great sets.<br /></p><p>Good luck out there with the novice audience!</p><p>And remember, as I was told by that supportive 5-year-old, "You Got This!"</p></div>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-61988402628153712492022-02-03T12:45:00.003-08:002022-02-03T12:47:45.885-08:00Why Would I Ever Do Anything Else?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiP2ualCj5otXUspf6SB930o7YKapHCFxYY2qFkW6TNnGQJV8l2-Prou26Eh67rth7mtprYFjF97vZddocTqoMpFvXdcUlVIxcMEGoN78II40yrJHH7t29i0RqvTWu5hJpQEbujlIjm6My7neupbpeW_UYbVXSjGPd7p_H57mO9Qq-B2nXLPzD1IOC6" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiP2ualCj5otXUspf6SB930o7YKapHCFxYY2qFkW6TNnGQJV8l2-Prou26Eh67rth7mtprYFjF97vZddocTqoMpFvXdcUlVIxcMEGoN78II40yrJHH7t29i0RqvTWu5hJpQEbujlIjm6My7neupbpeW_UYbVXSjGPd7p_H57mO9Qq-B2nXLPzD1IOC6" width="180" /></a></div>I had forgotten why... <p></p><p>I forgot the feel of getting up at o'dark-thirty, grabbing a quick breakfast, and getting in my car.</p><p>I had forgotten the craning of my neck around as I drove through a neighborhood trying to find my location.</p><p>I had forgotten that smell of school in the morning.</p><p>I had forgotten that for some people, I'm a rockstar.</p><p>The staff - including the principal geeked out when I entered the building.</p><p><br /></p><p>The staff came out of the office, and we took socially distanced selfies with our masks on. They were excited to see me. I hadn't been there since 2019.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhl5AqR9-v4QgrTEN3GjAlI_5VsaZX4Diecbo42rVPpHfH_BCe2SyTNeJ2BVYlzZ_9y1I8IaXGiA1JKjFbLBRU_-Rb7qhSom0EhPcZ6MkgyoeqMZWUPgBk4F6twdNiZWanQTGwsfukPxLXuWZWPmwzTsIJeAhj56Mo3zmA-1S9Zp_l0jo7-7ZJz8Fs8" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhl5AqR9-v4QgrTEN3GjAlI_5VsaZX4Diecbo42rVPpHfH_BCe2SyTNeJ2BVYlzZ_9y1I8IaXGiA1JKjFbLBRU_-Rb7qhSom0EhPcZ6MkgyoeqMZWUPgBk4F6twdNiZWanQTGwsfukPxLXuWZWPmwzTsIJeAhj56Mo3zmA-1S9Zp_l0jo7-7ZJz8Fs8" width="180" /></a></div>I have been bumping elbows during flu season for more than a decade.<p></p><p> The staff was so excited to bump elbows with me and tell me that every time they have done this over the last two years they've thought about me because I was the person who introduced them to this concept.</p><p>"You are a prophet!' the secretary informed me.</p><p>The students had been watching videos of me for weeks. They were also excited.</p><p>"Is it today, Mrs. Nifong? Is she coming today?" - The librarian told me about this second-grader who came into the library before I arrived.</p><p>I got ready. You know, get in the space, check the space, check the mic, find out how they meant to seat the kids, Figure out which group I was seeing first. Take off my shoes.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPZd7b14sT_PxPDe1hGwxSq5inroT_L9bh-tYDkIFEh5ANd5VwXkSezg2LQr5HGBDxGt7ECtC-o8ZWTCeF4U1M3vsX_-k-_JJyzD5WEvUK5X7o-V_afMRp8COVqId2AzRzLADAIq9YZvuZvy90h8jSbx43nKrxV3h9gpWpkL29riejzG-p2v9hLMpU" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPZd7b14sT_PxPDe1hGwxSq5inroT_L9bh-tYDkIFEh5ANd5VwXkSezg2LQr5HGBDxGt7ECtC-o8ZWTCeF4U1M3vsX_-k-_JJyzD5WEvUK5X7o-V_afMRp8COVqId2AzRzLADAIq9YZvuZvy90h8jSbx43nKrxV3h9gpWpkL29riejzG-p2v9hLMpU" width="180" /></a></div><br />They divided the grades into much smaller groups. Pre-k, K, 1. Most of the teachers came in with their classes. They were wearing normal teacher shoes...except one kindergarten teacher. She was rocking white stiletto boots. I. Kid. You. Not.<p></p><p>My quick pic doesn't do them justice. Those things are almost 21/2 inches high! She was also statuesque and goddess-like. </p><p>I didn't have any glamorous teachers when I was a kid. I would have fallen in love with this woman!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUbemwJKHfFUvwm9JQ8LU-NnN4RLjUUhjfd6Ek17Lcta9aI_GkBbT-RyW9IhUoaVQs255hTgEwjmb_x6eMTyDtxKNcT_9_UICpJvGWJH4Le1k-cVOczSt6WLR64GCytN3a6A4gwc0tXJaveMK2w9ct9Yki_1z13pyHadYDiMhUu8mFFz-KxHyfTIa5" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUbemwJKHfFUvwm9JQ8LU-NnN4RLjUUhjfd6Ek17Lcta9aI_GkBbT-RyW9IhUoaVQs255hTgEwjmb_x6eMTyDtxKNcT_9_UICpJvGWJH4Le1k-cVOczSt6WLR64GCytN3a6A4gwc0tXJaveMK2w9ct9Yki_1z13pyHadYDiMhUu8mFFz-KxHyfTIa5" width="320" /></a></div>Then, I started telling.<p></p><p>I remembered.</p><p>The children move through story like music through the air or water over stone. </p><p>Their comments, their laughter, their dreams, their imagination, their laughter. Their laughter. Their laughter....</p><p>I was part of that. I was part of that and I was there to feel it.</p><p>The children are different. </p><p>I looked out at a sea of little people with their masks on their faces. It hurt my heart...but then...</p><p>Somewhere in the telling, it was as if I couldn't see their masks. I know they were wearing them, but I could only see them. I can see their little faces as if they had been unmasked. I don't remember any of them wearing those masks. </p><p>I was asking for ideas for ingredients to make a magic dragon shrinking powder. One of the ingredients was orange peels. They suggested watermelon, chicken wings, water, powder (obviously, because it is a magic - dragon - shrinking - powder) It is a 45-minute story. At the end of it, I was exhausted!</p><p>My next set was for the second and third grades.</p><p>I asked, "How many of you have parents who yell?"</p><p>One boy in the front raised a hand and said, "My mom cusses too."</p><p>When Epaminondus' momma said, "You ain't got the sense you was born with," one of the second graders said, "That was hurtful."</p><p>A little later on in the story, after Epaminondus had successfully destroyed a piece of chocolate cake, melted butter all over himself, and almost drowned a puppy, he was at his grandmother's house again. She says, "I have a special treat for you today."</p><p>The kids all groaned or said, "Oh no!"</p><p>One girl in the front yelled. "Is it air? She should just give him air!"</p><p>It was everything I could do to keep telling. Inside, I was laughing so hard I could barely hold the story together.</p><p>I took myself off for lunch after that set. When I got back, a Kindergarten teacher stopped me in the hall.</p><p>"I have a kid in my class," he said. "He isn't very social, but he's very bright. He had is lunch, and then brought me his paper bag. It was the orange peels from his lunch. My student said, "Please give this to the story lady so she can make more dragon powder."</p><p>I forgot how real the stories are.</p><p>I forgot that that imaginary pot full of imaginary things is real when we make it together.</p><p>After my 4th and 5th-grade set was supposed to be over, Mrs. Nifong asked if I'd do at least one tongue twister. I did Peter Piper.</p><p>The kids loved it.</p><p>After the set, the students needed to be near me. They crowded a bit too close to tell me they loved the stories, share what they wanted to be when they grew up (we were talking about that during the story), tell me they'd watched me on Youtube, tell me that I'm good at my job, and all sorts of other things. They needed to touch me. They needed things I could not give them. </p><p>We settled for elbow bumps. </p><p>It was enough.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjry_vz6_DLYMEMWq0fGt2PfrPLCIefeSHAQd9TP_dNaNqnRYpsXkCOnCjq3yxSATRla4MVQ8Pg7BRHajPo_a02Wl5S-EZPL1SVVgIdHQRHlT_rJtk33xM8dzJR5B62dvuKOkPjFXjh7fsN55JSs2lEwmTch6QHv8ZdYs-ukq52gAfWomPjaAQIuBzn" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjry_vz6_DLYMEMWq0fGt2PfrPLCIefeSHAQd9TP_dNaNqnRYpsXkCOnCjq3yxSATRla4MVQ8Pg7BRHajPo_a02Wl5S-EZPL1SVVgIdHQRHlT_rJtk33xM8dzJR5B62dvuKOkPjFXjh7fsN55JSs2lEwmTch6QHv8ZdYs-ukq52gAfWomPjaAQIuBzn" width="180" /></a></div>Then, a student-teacher came up to me and told me that right up to the end of the program he was certain I had a synthesizer or computer up on stage because he didn't believe I was making all of those sounds myself. <p></p><p>The classroom teacher said, "I told him. He didn't believe me."</p><p>That young teacher said, "I am going to learn to tell stories! I have to tell stories like that. I'm going to do it!"</p><p>I had forgotten the power of this art form outside of my workshop discussion or through a screen. I had forgotten how amazing it is to stand in front of someone who has just found storytelling.<br /></p><p>After the kids left the space, the librarian, Mrs. Nifong, said, "Sorry about springing that tongue twister on you, but the kids didn't believe it was real when they saw it online."</p><p>Ah. They thought it was manipulated. Like the teacher who thought I had a computer on stage somewhere and I was somehow using it for sound cues.</p><p>Virtual telling gives you lots of tools to enhance the experience. They were not expecting the real thing to be....real.</p><p>I know this. It has always been true.</p><p>Still...</p><p>I had forgotten.</p><p>I poured my exhausted self into my car and drove the hour home.</p><p>Why would I ever choose to do anything else with my life?</p><p>Happy telling!</p><p><br /></p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-33341076692062155412021-12-26T06:04:00.001-08:002021-12-26T06:04:29.392-08:00<p> </p><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Story-Kwanzaa-Trophy-Picture-Books/dp/0064462005" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZrlAcgM6FYFEVlKajQ3ZGUGXE32M6z7y-nvdO7DBEGeNmxYI84oqHPHo38cGhquZDWS-X0HXmyq_8J3Zi53yKh0FQvskHUO-9h5ZLDPlk_YgBC5W5EkcMLNq3SpQUJBNdEDJsLNCwAk/s200/6143VCNGGHL._SX258_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="188" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Story-Kwanzaa-Trophy-Picture-Books/dp/0064462005" target="_blank">A guide to new celebrants!</a></td></tr></tbody></table><h2><b>Yes, it is once again <a href="http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.shtml" target="_blank">Kwanzaa</a> time! Time to eat <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_2061683_make-benne-cakes-kwanzaa.html" target="_blank">benne cakes,</a> roll out the <a href="http://voices.yahoo.com/make-own-kwanzaa-mkeka-less-2232282.html?cat=46" target="_blank">Mkeka</a>, set up the <a href="http://www.michaels.com/Kwanzaa-Kinara/e00495,default,pd.html" target="_blank">Kinara</a>, light the <a href="http://moodmakersbooks.com/content/kwamzaa-candles-mishuma-saba" target="_blank">Mishuma Saba</a>, pass around the <a href="http://www.photographersdirect.com/buyers/stockphoto.asp?imageid=3037187" target="_blank">Kikombe Cha Umoja,</a>and reflect on the <a href="http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/NguzoSaba.shtml" target="_blank">Nguzo Saba</a>!</b><b><br /></b><b>Hooray!</b></h2>Before we begin...<br /><b><br /></b><b><span style="color: red;">Kwanzaa is not a Christmas substitute for African Americans...Kwanzaa doesn't have anything to do with Christmas at all.</span></b><br /><b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="color: red;">Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday. Kwanzaa is not about religion!</span></b><br /><br />If that is what Kwanzaa is not, then what is it? Well, it is easy enough to explain. Kwanzaa is the African American Festival that occurs at the end of the year. It was originally created by <a href="http://www.maulanakarenga.org/" target="_blank">Dr. Mulana Karenga</a> in the late 1960's.<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivb1xluR_n1DL3jA6d7TFECvdWOzyWu7eHg8IcOBwSoZRXzCW6NFMBPOjJ_FIvrB4kzQRtdi8Wt7dNWxBQ4P5wpsfxPDqYfcrspWb8KJHUH4zHw_cuu3nJMgDDHtbG3v9HcgFCAa3kSvA/s1600/Unknown-1.jpeg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivb1xluR_n1DL3jA6d7TFECvdWOzyWu7eHg8IcOBwSoZRXzCW6NFMBPOjJ_FIvrB4kzQRtdi8Wt7dNWxBQ4P5wpsfxPDqYfcrspWb8KJHUH4zHw_cuu3nJMgDDHtbG3v9HcgFCAa3kSvA/s200/Unknown-1.jpeg" width="196" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lil-Rabbits-Kwanzaa-Donna-Washington/dp/0060728167" target="_blank">A picture book about the spirit of Kwanzaa!</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Why have an African American inspired celebration?<br /><br />African Americans have been an integral part of the <a href="http://www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/aframer/bios/" target="_blank">history</a> of America since the beginning. Despite that, there are no national celebrations that recognize the contributions of African Americans to our country. There have been and still are African American <a href="http://www.black-inventor.com/" target="_blank">inventors</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=images+of+black+soldiers&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8" target="_blank">soldiers</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=black+entrepreneurs&client=safari&sa=X&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=fXK5Us_CDo_NkQfzt4CgCg&ved=0CFcQsAQ&biw=1205&bih=632" target="_blank">entrepreneurs</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=buffalo+soldiers&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=EnO5UrOwM8yskAeokIGABQ&ved=0CEMQsAQ&biw=1205&bih=632" target="_blank">cowboys,</a> <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=black+farmers&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=WXO5UrIMz8-RB5OxgcgO&ved=0CE4QsAQ&biw=1205&bih=632" target="_blank">farmers</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=black+firemen&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=unO5UvOZAsutsQSviIG4BA&ved=0CC4QsAQ&biw=1205&bih=632" target="_blank">firemen</a>, and America even has a black <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president-obama" target="_blank">president. </a> In the '60's and all through my childhood, as a matter of fact, there was no acknowledgement that African Americans had much impact on the country at all before Martin Luther King was born! Kwanzaa has two main components that encourage celebrants to consider their place in the world as well as reflect on the contributions of African Americans. The first is the Nguzo Saba, and the second are reflective readings.<br /><br /><br />Kwanzaa is a truly American celebration. it is based on First Fruits celebrations in different parts of Africa, but it is not like any of them.<br /><br />So, That's as much history as I'm giving! Now, on to the steps!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqc40JCxMVPsrM_k9rGs99yCw7bK0iCZCHPHlMqIKMcm4CtE_1iHLkggMaMnYOc_y0oayeIKSwIyu5TE1jqhyX7hkcsnCUsS_QRq58SFJFH1e6JNaN3oITWwi9xlZjy1sBw7PD7FgWLs/s1600/kwanzaa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqc40JCxMVPsrM_k9rGs99yCw7bK0iCZCHPHlMqIKMcm4CtE_1iHLkggMaMnYOc_y0oayeIKSwIyu5TE1jqhyX7hkcsnCUsS_QRq58SFJFH1e6JNaN3oITWwi9xlZjy1sBw7PD7FgWLs/s320/kwanzaa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />First you need a mat of some sort of natural fibers.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=mkeka+images&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8" target="_blank">MKeka</a> (M-ke'-kah) - this mat is the foundation of your Kwanzaa display and it is the foundation that we use to build our lives. It represents the African American culture and traditions.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=mishumaa+saba+images&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8" target="_blank">Mishuma Saba</a> (Mish-oo'-ma So'-bah) - The candles. Three green, three red, and one black. These are the colors of the African American Flag. The red is for the blood we all share no matter where our ancestors were born, the green is for the hope of new life and a better world, and the black is for the color of the African American ancestral heritage.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=images+of+kinaras&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8" target="_blank">Kinara</a> (kin-are'-ah) - The candle holder. The proper way to set up the Kinara is to put three red candles on the left, three green candles on the right and the black candle in the middle. You light the black one first. On the second day you light the red one. On the third day you light a green one. You continue to alternate between red and green for the remainder of the festival.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=images+of+muhindi&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8" target="_blank">Muhindi</a> (moo-hin'-dee) - These are ears of corn, there should be one for each child in the home. The corn should be dried.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=mazao&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Inq5UsPfIuKpsASNkoHgAQ&ved=0CDoQsAQ&biw=1205&bih=632" target="_blank">Mazao</a> (mu-zow') - These are fruits and vegetables added to the Mkeka that represent crops, the bounty of the earth, good things and plenty.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=kikombe+cha+umoja&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=_X25UpbFN8P7kQfN0YGABw&ved=0CC4QsAQ&biw=1205&bih=632" target="_blank">Kikombe Cha Umoja</a> (ki'-cOm'-bA chah' oo'-mO-jah) - The unity cup. We drink communally from this cup as well as pour a <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/libation" target="_blank">libation</a> for the ancestors. Honoring the ancestors, those who came before us is an important aspect of Kwanzaa.<br /><br />Now that the Mkeka is set up it is time to get on with the celebration!<br /><br />You can give Zawadi, (zu-wo'-dee), which are small presents, typically handmade, but they can also be things like books, but gifts are not the main thrust of Kwanza.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdyJfmP2-6HplPWe2cx_6VThX0zjzZkTe2GjFoD2WmOohx6Gdz0CAvMbk7Ln7uhUkhIvpTPoIPByfwsqxq65rLBbJ79j5g_eeKJraLKm_KhkrPMbje3Os1zpbrheoDfDOnkS2VigJL7w/s1600/zawadi.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdyJfmP2-6HplPWe2cx_6VThX0zjzZkTe2GjFoD2WmOohx6Gdz0CAvMbk7Ln7uhUkhIvpTPoIPByfwsqxq65rLBbJ79j5g_eeKJraLKm_KhkrPMbje3Os1zpbrheoDfDOnkS2VigJL7w/s1600/zawadi.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We begin our Kwanzaa day with the words, Habri Gani! (Hu-bar'-ee go'-nee). It means what's the news? The answer is the principle or Nguzo Saba of the day. So what are the seven principles of Kwanzaa? Here they are.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Umoja (oo-mO-jah) - Unity. We must stand together if we are to overcome our difficulties</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Kujichagulia (coo'-gee-chah-goo-lee-ah) - Self-Determination. We must not let anyone else decide who we are. We must speak for ourselves and not let others speak for us. Just because someone says you are lazy or useless or worthless does not mean it is true!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Ujima (oo-gee'-mah) - Cooperative Work and Responsibility. We must work together to build the world of which we wish to be a part. We must look after each other and understand that we are responsible to ourselves, our families and our communities.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Ujamaa (oo-jah'-mah) - Cooperative Economics. We shop at stores owned and run by African Americans to make sure that we are supporting small business. (My family has opened this out to all small businesses in our area. Mom and pop are under attack from Big Box. Support small businesses when you can.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Nia (nee'-uh) - Purpose. We must move through our lives with purpose and we must understand that our lives have purpose. Approach your life with goals and actions that help you achieve good things.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Kuumba (k-oom-bah) - Creativity. Leave the world a more beautiful place than when you found it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Karamu (kAr'-um-moo) - The feast of Kwanzaa where you eat traditional African American foods, sing, dance, tell stories and celebrate!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Imani (i-mah'-nee) - Faith. You must have faith in yourself and in the hope that we can build a better world. (You can apply this to religious faith if you like, but my family does not)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The last part of the celebration deals with reflection. You can do readings of African American artists, poets, teachers, and philosophers. You can discuss how you plan to make the Nguzo Saba a reality in your life. You can talk about what you have done in the past year to live up to the principles of Kwanzaa. That bit is up to you. Here are some readings to get you started.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://elev8.com/348935/words-of-wisdom-dr-maya-angelou-inspirational-quotations/" target="_blank">Maya Angelou</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.poemhunter.com/langston-hughes/" target="_blank">Lanston Hughes</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Frederick-Douglass-Selected-Speeches-Writings/dp/1556523521" target="_blank">Frederick Douglas</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html" target="_blank">Martin Luther King</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/o/oprah_winfrey.html" target="_blank">Oprah </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.bl.uk/learning/resources/pdf/makeanimpact/sw-transcripts.pdf" target="_blank">Barack Obama</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.poemhunter.com/phillis-wheatley/" target="_blank">Phyllis Wheatley</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'm sure you can find a Kwanzaa celebration live or virtual in your community this week!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Happy Kwanzaa!</div><div><br /></div>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-11994411247713929622021-11-04T14:18:00.001-07:002021-11-04T14:18:23.627-07:00Things I Forgot....<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqxHrSS241o2XcZ5emnc21M-Ol2kZp43g_W_WAOXBTGakIAF6QsvBwM_WKMJfL8L8XhbANDEQyNYw-Dg_-uV9V9OMF3wzBuBPzXCHQPqqdYCWaURkj-NL7xlbTuGP0MAl6YvP5elFt8s/s2048/IMG_4303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqxHrSS241o2XcZ5emnc21M-Ol2kZp43g_W_WAOXBTGakIAF6QsvBwM_WKMJfL8L8XhbANDEQyNYw-Dg_-uV9V9OMF3wzBuBPzXCHQPqqdYCWaURkj-NL7xlbTuGP0MAl6YvP5elFt8s/s320/IMG_4303.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love my gorgeous silver hair!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />I lost track of lots of things over the last year and a half.</p><p><br /></p><p>- I forgot that the world is really big</p><p><br /></p><p>- I forgot how much fun it is to "play" with people in person.</p><p><br /></p><p>- I forgot that hearing a room full of adults who have no connection to storytelling not only fall in love with it, but be transported by it is like jumping over the moon.</p><p><br /></p><p>- I forgot that I really, desperately need to have physical contact with other storytellers. </p><p><br /></p><p>- I forgot that I really, desperately need to have physical contact with other writers.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityqgBBQ0s5fz6izVrv-fm68VSHhplpacyYXMKhGRKWSE0qkS8fpKjt5CTMNYsd-vgx4S9MSHar8U4OtJxLGoVIXWIkZM3N2lp09P6sfyYgdlqA2tUzZbR_RFfTDW_YUYAgUAbtDBBIyM/s2048/IMG_4301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityqgBBQ0s5fz6izVrv-fm68VSHhplpacyYXMKhGRKWSE0qkS8fpKjt5CTMNYsd-vgx4S9MSHar8U4OtJxLGoVIXWIkZM3N2lp09P6sfyYgdlqA2tUzZbR_RFfTDW_YUYAgUAbtDBBIyM/s320/IMG_4301.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stenciled on the crosswalks!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>- I forgot how much this work is like my blood. Without it...</p><br /><p><br /></p><p>- I have missed being transported while I sit with others<br />!</p><p><br /></p><p>- I have missed being with people who work in story who are not storytellers!</p><p><br /></p><p>- I have missed being...well...plugged into life.</p><p><br /></p><p>I'm in Florida at the <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/meetings-training/ncsl-legislative-summit-2021/home.aspx" target="_blank">NCSL - The National Conference of State Legislatures</a></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fUWxTkWrCKJo8vTrBlOFW5wFeaq9tdSv929Hfx5l0F4_BMG9z6ZH4vecfUfPcQssUZujMBQx5IXhM88I0qQiZ-s8o2xr2npGv6orx2Iup580vnoXd21vOPBr9Sx4AoZHcbdgQattpUE/s1280/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fUWxTkWrCKJo8vTrBlOFW5wFeaq9tdSv929Hfx5l0F4_BMG9z6ZH4vecfUfPcQssUZujMBQx5IXhM88I0qQiZ-s8o2xr2npGv6orx2Iup580vnoXd21vOPBr9Sx4AoZHcbdgQattpUE/s320/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was on a panel with <a href="https://www.theroadtonow.com/" target="_blank">Dr. Ben Sawyer</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>I don't remember the world being this big.</p><p><br /></p><p>I don't remember the world being this small.</p><p><br /></p><p>I don't remember ever wanting to weep simply at the fullness of being alive.</p><p><br /></p><p>I Ubered for the first time.</p><p><br /></p><p>I spoke to legislators about the power of story.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtn0GkNtnTRWVcdMFu9BrGpTYp2Ia0XiYIxtjJ8U9FmlwLaycY8xoC1AprYyi3wxZE4rFvNmYR9HKL_8ZWk1xK-3OAqJfRR3xtrm_fYY3yrWtUezLa2y6e0ghwd6muZyY3vapthVrNTBo/s2048/IMG_4306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtn0GkNtnTRWVcdMFu9BrGpTYp2Ia0XiYIxtjJ8U9FmlwLaycY8xoC1AprYyi3wxZE4rFvNmYR9HKL_8ZWk1xK-3OAqJfRR3xtrm_fYY3yrWtUezLa2y6e0ghwd6muZyY3vapthVrNTBo/s320/IMG_4306.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The room turned out not to be big enough!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>The world is still spinning and we still have a chance to make it a place we can all share.</p><p><br /></p><p>Today, I spent an hour with Republicans and Democrats who came to listen to Ben Sawyer and I talk about stories. </p><p><br /></p><p>I told a roomful of lawmakers they better not think about cutting funds to libraries.</p><p><br /></p><p>I told a roomful of lawmakers that I wasn't less of an American because I like fancy cheese.</p><p><br /></p><p>We laughed, listened, and shared ourselves for an hour and nobody have a damn where we were from, what our history was or how we got there. We were all Americans and we were all there to find ways to go forward. </p><p><br /></p><p>I love stories. At least I didn't forget that.</p><p>I also love trying fancy new food at shishi restaurants! I didn't forget that either!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOztJIO8VnXcE4DtFIrvEasTkZuEYy9wz7M8ow0XzdYm_wa-t2E1MT1brcqjs_1KDwaCnXFdtoDOkvQCJoqj0058D4fqbxc_lGmUP39n4m81w55TdlQn6xLWoLjpB0v9GhSfNUhExQ68g/s2048/IMG_4307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOztJIO8VnXcE4DtFIrvEasTkZuEYy9wz7M8ow0XzdYm_wa-t2E1MT1brcqjs_1KDwaCnXFdtoDOkvQCJoqj0058D4fqbxc_lGmUP39n4m81w55TdlQn6xLWoLjpB0v9GhSfNUhExQ68g/s320/IMG_4307.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scallops and Shrimp from <a href="https://www.anchorandbrine.com/" target="_blank">Anchor and Brine.</a> This was soo good!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><p>Happy Living to Tell -</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-83772757000137849882021-10-21T16:03:00.003-07:002021-10-21T16:04:44.136-07:00Touring Post Covid - Part 2 I Forgot How Hard Touring Is On The Body!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJzlZ1c34ohHa-1gIUA057MJkZutmCN2rM4wzKgtoPVeVMDSsRPxFL3nyBnLYgIg8OuTFYsPLHyPvPpodRYFb-2dDf0JORjbl7Nz6oZfrzQgVppJXsvjwiLsDJWvAn0PcFeT-dTIhtg0/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJzlZ1c34ohHa-1gIUA057MJkZutmCN2rM4wzKgtoPVeVMDSsRPxFL3nyBnLYgIg8OuTFYsPLHyPvPpodRYFb-2dDf0JORjbl7Nz6oZfrzQgVppJXsvjwiLsDJWvAn0PcFeT-dTIhtg0/" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>As the world opens, and we all start moving cautiously back towards our touring lives, I would like to offer some thoughts:<p></p><p><br /></p><p>1. I have lost my touring callouses!</p><p>Over the last almost two years, my commute has been very simple. I've gotten my power cord, my mac, and headed upstairs to what has become my studio.</p><p>I plug in my laptop, go into the closet and change into a performance shirt, and take my place in front of a camera. Check to see if I need to touch up my nail polish, and make sure I have any material I need for whatever meeting or presentation I have to attend.</p><p>Then, I sign off, put my t-shirt or whatever back on, go downstairs and make a cup of tea. Very simple.</p><p>I am no longer as prepared as I once was to leave my house 24 hours ahead of time to be somewhere.</p><p>What used to be a pretty easy day trip - eight hours - seems like an extremely long drive!</p><p><br /></p><p>2 - I have forgotten how to pack efficiently.</p><p>I have a <a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/search?q=bag" target="_blank">go bag.</a> It lives in my closet. When I have to go on tour, I grab it, a few outfits and I'm out the door. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFGgubRr7LUhHE3j7a21rz-FJYyhYxCzT6Yvf04DyhsnfUirCgYSMJQb4LY_UR5Of_acMcuTSaZ7oc6H9-Urm7YfGJ_Je77gaaojKTZ8bSFxtc9F1_VoGC3QuL2jHZK665pC-trR0olY/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFGgubRr7LUhHE3j7a21rz-FJYyhYxCzT6Yvf04DyhsnfUirCgYSMJQb4LY_UR5Of_acMcuTSaZ7oc6H9-Urm7YfGJ_Je77gaaojKTZ8bSFxtc9F1_VoGC3QuL2jHZK665pC-trR0olY/" width="320" /></a></div>Apparently, over the last almost two years, I have had occasion to go into my go bag, and get things. Mouthwash, toothpaste, melatonin here and there, and all sorts of random things. I've also changed most of my electronics, and I don't have backup cords for most of them.<br /><p></p><p>When I set off to Toledo, I got there and discovered I was woefully underprepared to be anywhere! I need to rethink my travel bag, but my motivation to do so is very low. For starters, I only have a couple more out-of-town shows coming up over the next couple of months. Second, who knows how many I will have over the spring, and there is no telling if we will be in full swing next summer.</p><p>So, procrastination has set in.</p><p><br /></p><p>3 - To mask or not to mask???</p><p>I am pretty far from most of my audiences, so I don't mask. When I taught, I was masked in the classroom. I don't know how effective I am as a storyteller with a mask on my face. So much of what I do is expressions. </p><p>So far, I've performed without the mas, and sign books and teach with one on. I also bump elbows...but since I've always done that in flu season, that's not all that different.</p><p><br /></p><p>4 - The idea of touring is both tiring and exciting.</p><p>I forgot that when I tour, I am not bothered by dishes, sweeping, and all of the things that require upkeep! I'm also gluten-free. I have forgotten how hard it can be to find food in some communities. Sigh.</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Oh, and I seem to have forgotten that I am prone to insomnia when I disrupt my sleep cycle, do a lot of driving, or have shows late in the evening!</p><p>Note to self! Remember you need to have your routine aromatherapy in your go-bag so you can use them to trigger your sleep cycle...</p><p>6. I'm kinda loving all of these virtual and pre-recorded shows!!!!</p><p>7. I miss live audiences!!!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmnMvG2a7GzLXr8BtSkvjWG2bmcjLqX1jJbV8qi8KZY_Rg_vaErYUwLmYUiZhbidSTJ8Id1wQO_GbeoC_v9SP4Y9mss6KYRuQ5G8Bf1009WdJ7UMXK3_UxnE8VelPx0F8WXMn15TyxyQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmnMvG2a7GzLXr8BtSkvjWG2bmcjLqX1jJbV8qi8KZY_Rg_vaErYUwLmYUiZhbidSTJ8Id1wQO_GbeoC_v9SP4Y9mss6KYRuQ5G8Bf1009WdJ7UMXK3_UxnE8VelPx0F8WXMn15TyxyQ/" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">8. All of this is so exhausting and STRESSFUL! 💀💀💀💀💀</span></b></p><p><b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In other words, it might take some people a little bit of practice to get back into touring, and that's okay.</p><p>Some people may be loving it! That's great.</p><p>Some people might decide it isn't worth it anymore. That fine.</p><p>As we move into the next stage of whatever this is, be kind to yourself. Go at your own pace. Nobody's journey is yours.</p><p>Enjoy the ride. </p><p>Happy telling!</p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-18339804901288100322021-10-01T08:23:00.001-07:002021-10-01T08:23:42.804-07:00Touring Post Covid Part 1 - COVID Left A Mark On Kids<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5sPkwItpiKpsyaI0uyrzu3RFwFeiKXhS4HrO9CehRhvGnC6vq8OnF72DBMkkM4W34mTclEo_HGWtAbjybsJ1y00Krbk5TPuC_onUAfG172t69JMfbczrg1DUI1IBhD0-vMpDJt52HPTQ/s1600/Donna+Wash+pic+2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5sPkwItpiKpsyaI0uyrzu3RFwFeiKXhS4HrO9CehRhvGnC6vq8OnF72DBMkkM4W34mTclEo_HGWtAbjybsJ1y00Krbk5TPuC_onUAfG172t69JMfbczrg1DUI1IBhD0-vMpDJt52HPTQ/s320/Donna+Wash+pic+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I just did my first multiple-day tour. of 2021. It included three days of residency work at <a href="https://ts4arts.org/" target="_blank">The Toledo School for the Arts</a>. <p></p><p>It is a pretty amazing school. I had a great time touring the school, getting to know some of the kids, and staff.</p><p>I performed my creepy fracturings of Hansel and Gretel - I Am Gretel and Hungry - for the high school creative writing track, and I did Through Their Own Eyes - the history program where I talk about American history through the folklore and stories of African Americans - for the eleventh grade.</p><p>I was in class with sixth, seventh, and eighth-graders.</p><p>I got home last night...I'm tired! I need my touring chops back right now! Ahhhhh!</p><p>I'm writing this in two parts because each of the things I want to say about this process deserves its own post </p><p>The educators at TSA were wonderful. They shared observations with me about the kids, and I shared what I noticed. Between us, I came away with a better appreciation of working with kids who have been out of school in one way or another for almost two years.</p><p>I saw a post on FB that put the whole COVID school situation in perspective - </p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">Depending on the grade - This is the last year a child had a potential "normal" school experience</p><p style="text-align: center;">Kindergarten - Never</p><p style="text-align: center;">1st - Never</p><p style="text-align: center;">2nd - Preschool</p><p style="text-align: center;">3rd - Kindergarten</p><p style="text-align: center;">4th - 1st Grade</p><p style="text-align: center;">5th - 2nd Grade</p><p style="text-align: center;">6th - 3rd Grade </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMxmY0HQoEnY3SRwRwKdCoHsasNzW8s7PE_087BqkT_64Qi4ZBlzXKhNrv9Z-Vi85CVmQn6iEG72Wu8BElIe12vJInmhOZkF_sg94ViferT-BKdLMEE1nohyphenhyphenDoCWdCA0lg12xNsUzWCQ/s960/243296382_10224314753443949_7764617096178517887_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMxmY0HQoEnY3SRwRwKdCoHsasNzW8s7PE_087BqkT_64Qi4ZBlzXKhNrv9Z-Vi85CVmQn6iEG72Wu8BElIe12vJInmhOZkF_sg94ViferT-BKdLMEE1nohyphenhyphenDoCWdCA0lg12xNsUzWCQ/s320/243296382_10224314753443949_7764617096178517887_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;">7th - 4th Grade</div><p></p><p style="text-align: right;">8th - 5th Grade</p><p style="text-align: right;">9th - 6th Grade</p><p style="text-align: right;">10th - 7th Grade</p><p style="text-align: right;">11th - 8th Grade</p><p style="text-align: right;">12 - 9th Grade</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Thinking about it this way makes some of what I saw in the middle school classroom make way more sense.</p><p style="text-align: left;">1 Almost all of the students struggled with using descriptive language. - </p><p style="text-align: left;">We played rock, paper scissors anything in all of the classes. Sometimes, the students would embody something that the other participants in their groups did not recognize. When that happens, you have to explain what you are and what you do. The first choice almost all of them made when their peers couldn't understand something was to reach for an iPad or a phone so they could show them a picture. I stopped then and told them they had to describe it. The first time it happened in every single class, the students looked at me in absolute disbelief. </p><p style="text-align: left;">We had fun in the classes, but they struggled with descriptive language, and some of them got very frustrated. They enjoyed the game, however, and by the end, they were settling into having to pull on their own vocabularies. A few of them did try to sneak their phones into the game, but their teammates helped put a stop to it!</p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1b0BYvW4C5w" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>2. They were having trouble socializing -</div><div><br /></div><div>Some of the behavior I expect when I am working with elementary school students materialized in the classroom. They couldn't find partners easily because they were hesitant to work with people they didn't feel they knew well. They were still worried about working with someone of a different external gender, they were closed off and wary of people.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some of the behavior you expect from fourth or fifth graders where groups of girls or boys shut out people who were not their friends was still happening in certain situations. They were much less tolerant of students who were a little more eccentric - which is not typical of arts schools - and the eccentric kids weren't necessarily trying to work with anyone - something else atypical of arts schools. The administrators had noticed this as well.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>3. One of the administrators told me the students were doing destructive TikTok challenges like "Vandalize your School Bathroom". They had never done things like this before at TSA. They've spent far too much time absorbing social media uninterrupted for over a year.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. Physically, they were much less sure of themselves - </div><div><br /></div><div>Usually, at performing arts schools, by the time you get to year 2, the students who want to perform have chosen their tracks, and they are eager to perform and learn new techniques. I was surprised at how <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQgYcOc5-biiVZHD1omeFpg1mDKXBC-2CZKOfblMTctUCAk12an3f5WSP7nJyyGDF3jSUv0CiJj4u47CCmY-V_06k9_uPlgYfWTbE3KpYVWpGhBqXzmsezOeZr8umghS_zHi8r9w7csk/s960/243448834_10224314756964037_5748383673247325034_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQgYcOc5-biiVZHD1omeFpg1mDKXBC-2CZKOfblMTctUCAk12an3f5WSP7nJyyGDF3jSUv0CiJj4u47CCmY-V_06k9_uPlgYfWTbE3KpYVWpGhBqXzmsezOeZr8umghS_zHi8r9w7csk/s320/243448834_10224314756964037_5748383673247325034_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masks Mounted as Trophies!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />tentative the second years were. I had to scale back my plans after the first day.</div><div><br /></div><div>5. Once We Got Into It They Were Really Happy</div><div><br /></div><div>The beginning of this residency was tricky, but once we got settled, we had a wonderful time. It was great. The kids enjoyed the exercises, the teachers enjoyed the exercises, the kids got into it and brought their own twist into the exercises, and storytelling and interactive play as well as lovely bouts of improvisation that had us all laughing and applauding broke out all over the place.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I am not one for teaching. It is my kryptonite at times, but I left on Wednesday wishing I could have stayed until Friday.</div><div><br /></div><div>The teachers have already decided they are going to continue to use the exercises I showed them and work on the stories. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was a great experience. I don't have any more teaching on the schedule this year...at least, I don't think I do, but if I end up in a classroom again, I will be interested to see how far the students have come after this wild ride Covid created.</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy Teaching!</div>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-81817932348489006052021-09-24T12:24:00.001-07:002021-09-24T13:08:37.077-07:00Imposter Syndrome and the Independent Artist<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuh_rGPab0hRgvHzxUF7J8HOnCT_pSZyDdmwt0sVwUpLKUzV-6qhxVDa6JyVWra4DUbBGL_6aMfCiuItx6pYXsAkQKyzoaGv_kpBEL8Xc8T4-b2JHDvgwBCfP0Z9hIv-TsWu_ZGxGJOY/s768/9244745_orig.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="734" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuh_rGPab0hRgvHzxUF7J8HOnCT_pSZyDdmwt0sVwUpLKUzV-6qhxVDa6JyVWra4DUbBGL_6aMfCiuItx6pYXsAkQKyzoaGv_kpBEL8Xc8T4-b2JHDvgwBCfP0Z9hIv-TsWu_ZGxGJOY/s320/9244745_orig.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><br />Have you ever been performing and had a random thought go through your head? Something along the lines of "I can't believe this is my life! This is my job! I get paid to do THIS!:<p></p><p>Those are moments filled with gratitude and disbelief. It is one of those "I am so lucky!" moments.</p><p>Yes, I said lucky. </p><p>How many people take that leap, throw caution to the wind, cut the ties that bind you to the settled, the expected, the routine, and hurl their bodies, economic well-being, and future into the abyss that is the gig economy? Now, how many of them are successful after doing so?</p><p>Successful? What does that mean?</p><p>Maybe success means you work really hard to identify a market, create content for that market, market to that market, perform at a level necessary to continue to work in that market, make contacts in that market, and work really hard over many years to develop a reputation in that market.</p><p>Maybe it means you spend years working on your craft as a writer, submitting work, and continue to come up with pieces that sometimes get published.</p><p>Maybe it means spending years honing your craft, working your art form, and finding the work rewarding.</p><p>Wait a minute...does any of that sound like luck?</p><p>That is some serious hard work and dedication.</p><p>Superstar Status is something different. Superstar status is often due to luck and timing, but that isn't the same thing as being successful or good at your work as an artist.</p><p>So, for the rest of this post, we are going to dispense with the word luck in the sense of whim, or accident, or just happenstance. </p><p>My mother explained luck to me like this -</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Luck and Opportunity are 99% preparation.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;">The example she gave to shore up this statement?</p><p style="text-align: left;">- Imagine if the philharmonic called me and said, "Miss Gwen, the first chair cellist has broken her arm and we need someone to fill in. We will pay you a million dollars to step into this role and tour through Europe for the next six months. Say yes, and the ticket is on the way." You know what I would say? I</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7uzAq8K8SkApepxsFRYz8etyimslDDz-J9spJcIabLs_ZTE-h2bMOaQ_PSwuA3koAVhVY1m7KbvniCM2hV_1ZGs7CqPhisMJKErWGUcpXFl0_Osswr3FhMmBfo-80VTSiTGQ-8rX8ig/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1256" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7uzAq8K8SkApepxsFRYz8etyimslDDz-J9spJcIabLs_ZTE-h2bMOaQ_PSwuA3koAVhVY1m7KbvniCM2hV_1ZGs7CqPhisMJKErWGUcpXFl0_Osswr3FhMmBfo-80VTSiTGQ-8rX8ig/" width="147" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@henry_photo?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; white-space: nowrap;">Henry Dick</a><span face="-apple-system, system-ui, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/cello?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> would say, "Wow, thank you, but I can't do this. I don't know how to play the cello." That would be a great opportunity, and I would be lucky to be asked, but because of my lack of preparation, I could not take advantage of that opportunity. - Thanks mom<p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now, let's get into the <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/imposter-syndrome" target="_blank">Imposter Syndrome.</a></span></p><p>Imposter Syndrome happens when others see you as successful, knowledgeable, competent, and able - but you don't see yourself that way. You often think of your success as undeserved or just dumb luck. You are convinced that any moment the rest of the world is going to look at you and see you as you fear you are.</p><p>You might have experienced Imposter Syndrome If:</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLLrAnDc0B5NW4y_iHtjtj3xLuijmH-Ky-TtjUrFuGyxz_vS1Els05ZLchRGar_fzvp5nffXr3IGVFo7QwDhD9dUZR9PQZHdS0_b2EaHXPpPrq0ixnOaTfsZYdi9_kyhmxTUjnvZtkNw/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLLrAnDc0B5NW4y_iHtjtj3xLuijmH-Ky-TtjUrFuGyxz_vS1Els05ZLchRGar_fzvp5nffXr3IGVFo7QwDhD9dUZR9PQZHdS0_b2EaHXPpPrq0ixnOaTfsZYdi9_kyhmxTUjnvZtkNw/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://quotefancy.com/quote/838124/Jim-Rohn-Don-t-blow-your-own-horn-or-you-might-just-miss-the-music" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>You undersell yourself because it feels uncomfortable or unworthy to own or articulate your accomplishments. Maybe they aren't all that impressive.<p></p><p>You are convinced that someone is going to show up and say, "Ha! You are not as good or accomplished or able as you thought!"</p><p>Your mistakes consume you and seem to be huge, while your accomplishments are written off as something anyone could do.</p><p>Imposter syndrome can make you work harder and feel less accomplished at the same time!</p><p>Do you recognize yourself in any of that? Do you see yourself dismissing the things you've done?</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWeGEss9fOSHM6vSDc8RDWy3GM52swF5rxLcnpNCsnxkH2U3cWOzuki2ifPniW9OGDEFvs8DqZkr7iKl1Rl2Q4dToN446oghRFZb5Eb7ffmCgK-0LEpA3kqzco0BAVtYqn6OxMevpUts/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWeGEss9fOSHM6vSDc8RDWy3GM52swF5rxLcnpNCsnxkH2U3cWOzuki2ifPniW9OGDEFvs8DqZkr7iKl1Rl2Q4dToN446oghRFZb5Eb7ffmCgK-0LEpA3kqzco0BAVtYqn6OxMevpUts/" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/imposter-syndrome">Jimmy Breslin</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p> Imposter Syndrome has all sorts of physical and emotional effects on a person. </p><p>1. Stress</p><p>2. Anxiety</p><p>3. Helplessness</p><p>4. Burn Out</p><p>5. Isolation</p><p><br /></p><p>I wonder if Imposter Syndrome is just a thing many artists have to face at some point or other. The very nature of what we do lends to the whole "Do you like me? Am I doing a good job? What can I do to get better? Do I have enough work?" and that can cycle into doubt and worry. </p><p>Do we measure up? Which brings up the question...to whom? Who are we measuring up to? We are all individuals. My career is not yours, and yours is not and can't be mine. </p><p>Comparing ourselves to other artists and what they are doing is not a way to really know how you are doing in this business. </p><p>Compare yourself to where you started and where you are. Consider where you want to go. Yeah, I know, that's not always easy.</p><p>My favorite line from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPE1R_jF7hs&list=PL01F2D625E82C6756" target="_blank">Evita </a>is </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">- Sometimes it's very difficult to keep momentum if it's you that you are following -</span></b></p><p><br /></p><p>As independent artists, we are holding the ladder as well as climbing it. This can make everything feel a bit unstable at times.</p><p>So, some helpful tips when Imposter Syndrome hits!</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Sit down and write out all of the things important to you that you have accomplished with your art without comment about how you feel about them. Now, check out the list. YOU did that.</p><p>2. Talk to a friend or colleague about how you feel. </p><p>3. Journal about how you feel, or record it on your phone and listen back to it. When you hear yourself talking yourself down or questioning what you have accomplished, defend yourself.</p><p>4. Remind yourself why you chose to become an artist and list the things you love about what you do.</p><p>5. Give Yourself a Break! We're all human. We all have moments. Don't be embarrassed about feeling sad, or inadequate, or anything else. You are not alone. Go back to suggestion #2.</p><p>6. Forgive Yourself. Artists are nothing if they aren't hard on themselves. Being human is messy, but there is no other alternative.</p><p>7. Life gives you opportunities to learn things. That's what happens when you make a mistake. Learn from it and go back to number 6.</p><p>8. Tell yourself you are brilliant. Go ahead. Do it right now. OUT LOUD!</p><p>9. Tell yourself you are talented. Again. OUT LOUD!</p><p>10. Tell yourself you have more to share and more to learn. </p><p>Be gentle with yourself if you spiral into Imposter Syndrome. It can sneak up on you. Don't keep it inside and let it brew. You may be an independent artist, but you are not alone. </p><p>If you are interested in joining a group of artists that meet every Monday to discuss the ins and outs of choosing to be a gig artist of any kind, <a href="https://www.artistsstandingstrongtogether.net/" target="_blank">Artists Standing Strong Together</a> is a great community resource. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I highly recommend checking them out. Well, check us out. I co-founded the group with the amazing<br /> <a href="http://www.mssheila.org/" target="_blank">Sheila Arnold</a>. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSkZUoH7KDmx14Yl1EP-0H4QtLlns1FLe39hnoFhIvprSreyUYz-zNwluxgsW228ZXlQEMK_IKwrBtQmnyd28MaCRd5s_LLj-dBpAnTALX7jQEnE0jKZvFczn6ywmJ0DA6XOlmaURLucA/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSkZUoH7KDmx14Yl1EP-0H4QtLlns1FLe39hnoFhIvprSreyUYz-zNwluxgsW228ZXlQEMK_IKwrBtQmnyd28MaCRd5s_LLj-dBpAnTALX7jQEnE0jKZvFczn6ywmJ0DA6XOlmaURLucA/" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mssheila.org/" target="_blank">Sheila Arnold</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>So, stick out your chess, take a deep breath, and be who you are without apology!</p><p>Happy Gigging!<br /></p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-2551858313155225892021-09-16T06:14:00.003-07:002021-09-24T12:24:25.145-07:00Wanna Make Money In Your Sleep? Keep Dreaming!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqEXyBubP7890O44nbHFCMDEOHp_qbCBHTgsbwQ3mtFOgpbFymKNFbufM7VHutuXcTTEpqQ5meIk5koPjq3PfUC5ekZaPNqRnxNwCZFUl_Uz0thl6VhPL1vUVzk3WVwpdu-YmmTXpg70/s248/Unknown-6.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnX_EG7CTynvHr8WZb_bla0r9IRPwQpz-xsGCpcUIVHx0sXjqzprUl_z5EJTll0PPp_Fue_HOZFGHB6S1Rc7QicZ6yUIHQ497dFFAVHmUNuOxzRkbTnaqZMH27ywU-4yUJM-1ejh2N9B8/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnX_EG7CTynvHr8WZb_bla0r9IRPwQpz-xsGCpcUIVHx0sXjqzprUl_z5EJTll0PPp_Fue_HOZFGHB6S1Rc7QicZ6yUIHQ497dFFAVHmUNuOxzRkbTnaqZMH27ywU-4yUJM-1ejh2N9B8/" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My son, Devin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">At some point last week, I was chatting with someone about storytelling. I have no idea who it was because I chat with lots of people about storytelling.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The person in question said something in passing that didn't strike me until days later, which is why I can't remember who said it. It might have been my daughter.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"If your business isn't taking advantage of the digital angle of work, you are just leaving money on the table."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">At the beginning of 2020, I would have shrugged that off and thought about how we are storytellers and our work is in person.</span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://peachtree-online.com/portfolio-items/boo-stew/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4bZhypwixjH8XuqGjjl6NYR9AC_d8bNzpH1sRyAyLymy-4-SkhD1stIGouemCK9mqBGRU3GuIf8nLJk-8zPWzTNl2kznI-wf8OYfnVHjnNBscqx7lI15Hx0q-nZg0Qj_WKUDln60p2LU/s320/Boo+Stew-COVER.jpg" width="311" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://peachtree-online.com/portfolio-items/boo-stew/" target="_blank">From Peachtree Press</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I would have been justified in saying that, except for one thing: I am a huge fan of making money in my sleep!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I define that as having projects out in the world that continue to bring in cash without you having to monitor them all of the time. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">For me these income streams include:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Books </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Which reminds me - I have a new book that dropped on September 1st!</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">2. <a href="https://dlwstoryteller.com/merchandise/" target="_blank">MP3 Tracks</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But that was pretty much it.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Then, March of 2020 hit. I wouldn't say I discovered Youtube, but let's just say I spent more time watching videos than I ever had. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I watched videos about things I never even had any interest in. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I fell in love with everything from F<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bHqBy92iGM" target="_blank">lat Earth Debunking</a> videos to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyPusK8u4pA&t=598s" target="_blank">Reptile Keepers.</a> I got hooked on several Youtubers who are all about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/ADifferentBias" target="_blank">Brexit</a>, and I watched themed channels about anything my little heart desired.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I had a great time. Now I have a Youtube habit I need to curb. Sigh.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Anyway, some years ago I had this idea for a Youtube series that I never bothered to pursue. I realized that even as I was putting my ideas together I didn't have the capability to do it without some serious help. I had some vague ideas about getting my family members to help, but it never really got off the ground.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Here, in the fall of 2021, I have discovered that not only do I possess the required skills there isn't any reason not to shoot it and put it online.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Except for the fact that when it comes to diving into projects like this I am a huge procrastinator.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">So, the other night I called my son and asked him if he would compose a lullaby for me. This is what he sent me. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwUTUV8fytiWXWY6RUCJKibCvNr1dBQuYMF1TpkwcydfZmeinPTNGo8ptmkURTXHU8tLBNrPWPtlwqkyGP0KQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It is perfect for the little series I want to do! Then, I started thinking of the possibilities of what I could do with the series, and who might want to listen to it, and then...well, I figured the sky was just the beginning.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, I told The David what I was thinking about doing, and he did one of those "Wait a Minute! Do you have a plan for this, or were you just going to throw it up on Youtube and see what happens?"</span></p><p>Well, yeah.</p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I mean, I have some ideas, some basic plans, tons of potential content, and a lullaby. What else do I need? </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In case you don't know, this is what happens when you live with your business manager. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, I did some thinking about what I am willing to do and what I have time to do. How to connect it to the people who might most enjoy it, how to do the initial spreading of the word, and how to monetize it effectively.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Then I thought about all of the ways I might start getting a following by using some of my more traditional marketing techniques, thinking about how many episodes I would have to upload, the schedule of release, the editing, possibly offering Patreon activities, and on, and on, and on....the whole thing became overwhelming because I can honestly say I have no interest in monitoring a Youtube channel.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I mean, I am not looking to add another element to my calendar that drains time out of my schedule. Why even begin something that will require this much tending? It isn't like I'm not busy!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I got myself worked up and then I just stopped and started laughing at myself. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">What am I so worried about?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">You do a thing on youtube and you see what happens.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I know someone will watch it because that's the nature of Youtube, but it isn't like this is going to become my main source of income or anything like that! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, I am just going to go for it and enjoy the process. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Will this new series turn into another source of income? Ummm, possibly, but I will definitely learn something, and on the other side of it, I will free up space in my brain for another project. (Originally I had written "probably not" but when I read it to The David he suggested turning probably not into possibly. That guy even believes in me when my syntax doesn't!")</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDeVw-wPxSyHQk3HLomtinRSZ0ewGZ83v1nBShnb8dpHVGJdIDYrLesWwD5l0erMph4Sw9-dARLIbnOrfHtV0I4QPEBqAvbdNBWnB7IhvRgYY2urenXm7k0Ud3nnzfSTsPnqZaNqA0fN8/s244/images-2.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="244" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDeVw-wPxSyHQk3HLomtinRSZ0ewGZ83v1nBShnb8dpHVGJdIDYrLesWwD5l0erMph4Sw9-dARLIbnOrfHtV0I4QPEBqAvbdNBWnB7IhvRgYY2urenXm7k0Ud3nnzfSTsPnqZaNqA0fN8/s0/images-2.jpeg" width="244" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to have breakfast, go to the gym, vacuum the house, clean the bathrooms, and all of the other things I can think of rather than start recording for what I know will probably take me three weeks of solid shooting before I have the whole series done.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I am nothing if not a procrastinator!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Still, I have a timetable now, and that's more than I had two days ago.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, thanks to The David, and Devin, I am one step closer to making that sweet, sweet Patreon Youtube money in my sleep...someday. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDeVw-wPxSyHQk3HLomtinRSZ0ewGZ83v1nBShnb8dpHVGJdIDYrLesWwD5l0erMph4Sw9-dARLIbnOrfHtV0I4QPEBqAvbdNBWnB7IhvRgYY2urenXm7k0Ud3nnzfSTsPnqZaNqA0fN8/s244/images-2.jpeg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">🤣🤣🤣</a></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Happy Dreaming!</span></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-73719610199183368822021-09-10T05:58:00.002-07:002021-09-10T06:23:09.042-07:00When Life Imitates Teaching - The Process In the Pudding!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-OyLgIofrb3xMwk-Ayq-2PjOKwjopUw6stGhJyzdcFkl2Pgu2t6WyQsJrU3vT1DBgBj2-PAM1l2NooL5Nugdi-B2pMfgoJ9xuaPYiPl4JEhyyh04WxdN0tkATKOKX_-AbB6YoSWZHFk/s1022/Bitr9SUCQAA03em.jpg-large.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="1022" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-OyLgIofrb3xMwk-Ayq-2PjOKwjopUw6stGhJyzdcFkl2Pgu2t6WyQsJrU3vT1DBgBj2-PAM1l2NooL5Nugdi-B2pMfgoJ9xuaPYiPl4JEhyyh04WxdN0tkATKOKX_-AbB6YoSWZHFk/s320/Bitr9SUCQAA03em.jpg-large.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I had my first live show of the 2021 - 2022 season at a community event!</p><p>It was part of the Lollipop series at <a href="https://hulafrog.com/durham-chapel-hill-nc/lollipop-series-for-young-children-at-the-carrboro-century-center-rags-to-riches-theatre-carrboro-3" target="_blank">Carrboro Parks and Rec!</a></p><p>I was not as prepared as I usually am. I could feel the rust.</p><p>I walked out of the house and realized I'd forgotten to paint my toenails. Of course, I had. When is the last time an audience saw my toes?</p><p>I painted my nails on the way there as The David drove.</p><p>six people came to the show not counting The David and the organizer.</p><p>All six members of the public sat right in the front row.</p><p>There were two women who knew each other and their daughters who seemed to be about three came in holding hands. There was also a dad and his daughter. She was four.</p><p>It took me about thirty seconds to realize that the two ladies and their daughters didn't speak English.</p><p>Welcome back to live telling!</p><p>I told a story called Silly Annabelle which is highly participatory with sound and movement. There is lots of repetition, and once you learn the patterns, you can figure out what happens next.</p><p>The four-year-old and her father who were able to follow the tale were very participatory. They beautifully modeled the way to interact with the storyteller. </p><p>The non-English speakers participated as well. They waved their hands in the air, danced with the dragon, shook the trees, clapped, considered, and made all of the right sounds. They even learned most of the refrains by the end and said them more or less as they clapped, or danced around.</p><p>The David and the organizer were in the back of the room. They could only see the back of the six participants. </p><p>When the show was over, and the six people were packing to go, I thanked everyone for coming, and I spent a few moments communicating with the two ladies. They were from Japan. That was all they could tell me. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7hYi3QbCPGFRryvzm1srbvOwAOc-ZIoIKRcmOXxZMdIXyT7dYqPYXVk_7E3t_wi83HVVOht2CW6xH-NfrkvJYlbtkWVdiiLWpTaFDpdjE6fc09CY0LyPaa150XAcv81ac8eb45x63aI/s612/istockphoto-876560704-612x612.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7hYi3QbCPGFRryvzm1srbvOwAOc-ZIoIKRcmOXxZMdIXyT7dYqPYXVk_7E3t_wi83HVVOht2CW6xH-NfrkvJYlbtkWVdiiLWpTaFDpdjE6fc09CY0LyPaa150XAcv81ac8eb45x63aI/s320/istockphoto-876560704-612x612.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/japan" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>The organizer came over to speak to everyone and that is when she found out they couldn't speak much English. She was shocked because of how participatory they were.<p></p><p>As we left the venue, I told The David that it was interesting that my first show back - just for kicks - most of my audience had no idea what I was saying. </p><p>He looked at me quizzically. "What do you mean?"</p><p>"The two ladies and their children didn't speak any English."</p><p>"Are you sure?" he asked. "They were participating really well."</p><p>"I spoke to them. I know they weren't completely sure what I was saying."</p><p>He raised his eyebrows. "You couldn't tell that from the back. They participated with everything!"</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9s8obAeuNYKUsxUfJxfo2GAzpvAtWJWJ0HjQam84a47REGJucYk_lS2eZ4Asch5B_SrfUWSc02hdCTYLu7FjV7YhloPcwus7sSAKWP-io4h2HoTgem6o2RtzFmYxeoOQkDMfuVksQcBg/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1867" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9s8obAeuNYKUsxUfJxfo2GAzpvAtWJWJ0HjQam84a47REGJucYk_lS2eZ4Asch5B_SrfUWSc02hdCTYLu7FjV7YhloPcwus7sSAKWP-io4h2HoTgem6o2RtzFmYxeoOQkDMfuVksQcBg/" width="219" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.worldatlas.com/maps/tunisia" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>It was only after the fact, that I realized I'd just exemplified the workshop I'd given the weekend before.<p></p><p>I was speaking with English teachers from all over the world who were teaching English to children in Tunisia. They are working in a program called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ac.tunisia/" target="_blank">American Corner Tunis.</a></p><p>I sent them an hour-long pre-recorded workshop, and I joined the workshop at the end for a Q&A. The students enjoyed the workshop, and they were very excited about working on their new skills and using more storytelling in the classroom.</p><p>Not one of them questioned whether or not it would be a useful tool, and all of them appreciated how storytelling could both inform and shape how they worked with their students from the little ones all the way up to high school.</p><p>I have done a number of workshops about using storytelling with audiences who might not speak English. We learn from each other how to make a story work across cultural and language divides. (I am going to stop using the word barriers when I think about how we communicate with people who have different life experiences from us.) When I was putting the workshop for Tunisia together I had a moment. It has been a while since I was telling in person. Zoom doesn't give you the same kind of feeling with an audience.</p><p>I was concerned that I would be very rusty in person, and in some ways I am. Still, the process I have lived with for thirty years on how to deal with various audiences and find ways to meet them where they are and communicate is still part of me.</p><p>The temperature is dropping.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXLSIYO74nc6XNeaIgXXDb87XGgCDGzIFNWbQGDGNTA8LQSmewBXZdNU74V4J_tsSm6V7m81ksbCwktMO6XX-KaKtG5oL0I__uUBd2X4vbECobQa3XQAoMJaWXe8cIuxQD0j8lznP0v0/s274/images-4.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="274" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXLSIYO74nc6XNeaIgXXDb87XGgCDGzIFNWbQGDGNTA8LQSmewBXZdNU74V4J_tsSm6V7m81ksbCwktMO6XX-KaKtG5oL0I__uUBd2X4vbECobQa3XQAoMJaWXe8cIuxQD0j8lznP0v0/s0/images-4.jpeg" width="274" /></a></div>Schools are making their arrangements.<p></p><p>Bookstores are calling for appearances</p><p>Conferences are tentatively trying in-person gatherings.</p><p>Me? I'm getting ready to socially distance embrace audiences. <br /></p><p>This season is going to be amazing - No matter what happens!</p><p>Happy Telling!</p><p><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2014/07/communication-harder-than-it-sounds.html" target="_blank">For a bit of fun, here is another blog I did about communicating across the language divide.</a></p><p><br /></p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-4186064941096987132021-08-30T07:14:00.000-07:002021-08-30T07:14:16.485-07:00What is your 2021 - 2022 COVID Performance Plan?<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVjbj9pOJ2-zPZbu5rAGteNowXKXkRS6nCMnbLyIZcdXYRlLMG0fW14kdWG-zF0gdTKeYLUPuAv3R11SMI1MldMRRjKmEKVP08LoW9_9CnwdVjm4Cj-0qgyVEtIPRXeWzVo_K9E-WHzU/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVjbj9pOJ2-zPZbu5rAGteNowXKXkRS6nCMnbLyIZcdXYRlLMG0fW14kdWG-zF0gdTKeYLUPuAv3R11SMI1MldMRRjKmEKVP08LoW9_9CnwdVjm4Cj-0qgyVEtIPRXeWzVo_K9E-WHzU/" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Nobody would accuse me of being a technophile. I am not computer savvy. Nobody would have accused me of being a videographer either. </p><p>In fact, there are many things I am not...or perhaps I should say "was" not before the 2020 - 2021 performance season.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Then, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvVeJJ-TnK4" target="_blank">wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles</a>! A new vaccine made with old research that got new funding unfurled before us! </p><p><br /></p><p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XPeeCyJReZw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </p><p><br /></p><p> We were saved! All we had to do was innoculate the world! This is what we'd been waiting for, right?</p><p>Apparently, only some of us were waiting for it. </p><p>Either way, the world is open before us once more. Everyone wants the old normalcy to begin. Let's go back into schools, play festivals, and other types of venues all over the country. </p><p>The David and I are facing the exact same question we had last year.</p><p>Is it safe?</p> <script async="" src="https://tenor.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script><p>Apparently, that depends on who you ask.</p><p>So, how much are you gambling? What is the difference between hope and preparation? Does anything we do matter? Can we keep ourselves and our audiences safe? What is our part in any of this? </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yzNqJRRMcRAXY87BqFhtuyZ1sLK2_GC4aziMv1sZbJigVwlxCIA68DmdDupS7hpeFy7ujYbFYQnR4ZD7yV9TJSBW5UsrOnK-VVGclbfimbh1dh2BzxkwBT0ClQ7Gz_AnVhciyCqYgKc/s134/Unknown.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="121" data-original-width="134" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yzNqJRRMcRAXY87BqFhtuyZ1sLK2_GC4aziMv1sZbJigVwlxCIA68DmdDupS7hpeFy7ujYbFYQnR4ZD7yV9TJSBW5UsrOnK-VVGclbfimbh1dh2BzxkwBT0ClQ7Gz_AnVhciyCqYgKc/s0/Unknown.png" width="134" /></a></div>Regardless of what the venues do, what are you doing?<p></p><p>Have you put any policies in place for your business? </p><p>What are the circumstances under which you mean to go into venues? </p><p>Do you have some plans for practice and procedures? </p><p>Are you building those into your contracts?</p><p>The David and I are putting together our 2021 policies. I suspect they will change as more and more people contact us for in-person work. So far this fall we have been asked to participate in the following types of work:</p><p>1. In-person shows in schools - I would be performing for hundreds of people at once</p><p>2. In-person shows at conferences. I would be running a one hour workshop with about sixty people</p><p>3. In person residency - Three days of hands-on contact with about one hundred middle and high school students for four hours each day</p><p>4. In-person shows at small venues</p><p>5. Live-Virtual and Pre-recorded shows.</p><p>Our Plan?</p><p>1. Whenever possible, weather permitting, we are encouraging school assemblies to be done outside. That many people squeezed into a multipurpose room or gym in a system where vaccination is optional and most of the people in the room aren't even eligible to be vaccinated does not seem like a good idea to me. I will bring my sound system, so we will need access to electricity.</p><p>2. I am not sure I will be flying this year. We are going to have to make that decision soon, however.</p><p>3. All of the venues we've book who have asked for in-person shows understand that there is a caveat for me being there. It will depend on what their personal COVID situation looks like. If by the time the show comes up on the calendar, half the school is out with COVID, then we might have to pass on that venue. So far, everyone has been understanding.</p><p>My biggest fear this year is not me getting COVID - I am vaccinated, my husband is vaccinated, all of my family and friends are vaccinated, and I will be in line for that booster shot.</p><p>My concern is that I could be a major disease vector.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.distanthillgardens.org/2013/10/28/life-on-distant-hill-blog-bee-pollen-sac/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_0zV_hk8We2p1QOHr-OnGrMtO2YetINeR804LKhZQG-xLESm-FICeceLPJ7PL0MtE0teahrmdxk6NzkidHY1DyUY535GN9MGKC8oX5Xnxe89_zeBldhvGgbg_NobDSsUMPtUfvoNTfo/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.distanthillgardens.org/2013/10/28/life-on-distant-hill-blog-bee-pollen-sac/" target="_blank">Bee with full pollen sac</a>s</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Think about it like bees visiting flowers. I could end up with a mild or a-symptomatic case of COViD. If that happens, every single time I go into a school, <b>I</b> could be a problem.<p></p><p>If I ever even once thought a teacher or a child ended up in a hospital or a morgue because of me.... </p><p>That doesn't change the fact that I still have to make a living -</p><p><br /></p><p>This is how we mean to proceed:</p><p>1. I will be masked until I perform...maybe even as I perform, if it doesn't interfere with my mic, which I will check soon, I may remain masked as I perform.</p><p>2. I will continue to do the elbow bumping, though, in my defense, I have always done that during flu season. People have always thought it was weird, but now, the times have caught up with me.</p><p>3. We will continue to monitor my own health circumstances even as we keep an eye on the counties and schools I will be visiting.</p><p>That's where we are now.</p><p>What about you?</p><p>What are your performance, teaching, audience plans and procedures for 2021?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-10975430507472623882021-02-13T06:10:00.002-08:002021-02-15T07:05:21.271-08:00Day 4: A New Generation: The Teenage Social Justice Warriors<p> I am good at talking myself out of work.</p><p>Anybody else have this problem?</p><p>I am good at listening to a client, realizing that I know someone else who would do a better job or be a better fit, giving the client the other artist's name and number, and hanging up the phone.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-v71hwGM07JnTIaE92u44xQHUOoId2BxOVH2SBddmNgXSdXDOUAQnsTN_vidrd77AlEGkUi3MK0JCfObybnB0HS6ItE0OCFB-xCVCjG_YlY9GU16hwNkE9LVW9Lxoxs2Oha4OUY7dgY/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-v71hwGM07JnTIaE92u44xQHUOoId2BxOVH2SBddmNgXSdXDOUAQnsTN_vidrd77AlEGkUi3MK0JCfObybnB0HS6ItE0OCFB-xCVCjG_YlY9GU16hwNkE9LVW9Lxoxs2Oha4OUY7dgY/" width="240" /></a></div>I'm looking at you, <a href=" Linda Gorham, Storyteller" target="_blank">Linda Gorham.<br /></a><p></p><p>I am good at listening to a client, realizing they need something different, and sending them off in a direction that is not as profitable for me.</p><p>This is one of the reasons The David talks to clients and not me. He has way more faith and confidence in my being the right person for the job than I do!</p><p>Even so, there are times when he gets a call that requires me to speak directly to someone who wants to book an event.</p><p>This happened a few weeks ago.</p><p>The David handed me the phone and there was a bubbly woman on the other end who worked at a high school. </p><p>Somebody at her school had seen Chairs In The Trees, and was certain that it would be perfect for their school. I assured her it would.</p><p>Then she proceeded to tell me it was their Black History assembly, and after the set she wanted me to lead the students in a discussion of social justice today.</p><p>I stopped her right there, suggested she get someone from their local community like an Alderman or something to speak to them. </p><p>She stopped me and said the kids were already planning to interview African American leaders from the community to find out what they thought about social justice. They were going to play the clips during the assembly.</p><p>I told her about an event I'd gone to in the past where High School students had created a "Colored Museum". They'd filled a space with the history of African Americans who'd contributed everything from inventions, scientific breakthroughs, and social justice movements to our culture.</p><p>She thought that was a great idea.</p><p>I then pointed out that Chairs In The Trees was an hour-long program. We couldn't do the entire show.</p><p>She was disappointed. We kept talking</p><p>By the time we were done, I'd agreed to tell a fifteen-minute story at some point during the event. I'd also managed to structure it and suggest how she could incorporate the various elements the kids brought to the table so they'd have a cohesive program. She was pleased.</p><p>I gave the phone back to The David.</p><p>I'd talked her out of a show doing an hour. I was going to be a moment instead of the main event. I was pretty sure it was the right thing to do.</p><p>On Friday, February 12th, I attended the show.</p><p>I have never been so glad to have talked myself out of work in my life.</p><p>The event was amazing.</p><p>It started with the student body president - a stunning African American young woman - telling her classmates that she wanted them to listen with an open mind and consider the stories and ideas they were going to be hearing.</p><p>Her counterpart - another stunning African American young woman - explained that all of us are programmed to believe things that might not be true. She said that this isn't usually malicious, but a product of where people were raised, having an adverse encounter with someone, or cultural misunderstandings.</p><p>The only way to break through institutionalized racism and misunderstandings is to listen to people</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVLxHICwn_bMlCLYpKqcKk_Y-bWcpaE3-UFnmH0XTwZ05buGEcgXjTTyh7pKvzfe_rC8lwfAPQxUYY4y7Qhqy4Phs-W9sqOAGSDDwzBnImH4MHn4uEbXbGzVfkSFBBjko7HwUuo8s4FA/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="220" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVLxHICwn_bMlCLYpKqcKk_Y-bWcpaE3-UFnmH0XTwZ05buGEcgXjTTyh7pKvzfe_rC8lwfAPQxUYY4y7Qhqy4Phs-W9sqOAGSDDwzBnImH4MHn4uEbXbGzVfkSFBBjko7HwUuo8s4FA/" width="156" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraken" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Then, they released the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraken" target="_blank">Kraken</a>.<p></p><p>The students merged personal narrative, poetry, their thoughts about social justice, equality, and equity into an amazing presentation that sent me into tears, made me cheer, and had me howling like a crazy lady with pride. </p><p>What did they cover?</p><p><a href="https://www.byrdie.com/what-is-natural-hair-definition-and-in-depth-look-400268" target="_blank">Natural Hair</a> -</p><p>I met black girls who - by the age of sixteen - had come to love their natural hair. These young ladies told stories about being teased, or not seeing enough images of little girls like them with natural hair wanting to change themselves to look like what they thought "beauty" or "normal" was supposed to be. They ended up putting harsh chemicals in their hair because they wanted it to be "straight". </p><p>They spoke of how the societal norms of what constitutes beauty made them unhappy with their bodies, skin, and hair.</p><p>They ended by explaining that with the positivity of friends, family, and teachers, they'd come to see that their natural hair was beautiful.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUf-z4LI-65YnfdFtKV_QhlG5FEzPZKewiDUgQlbLZ5BKVfho1PfLNLD55DWt9_1GiOGlAoDyGSSidkgRvwG7w_zPRfNGkE_cG3BSy9_2-v6pBi3mkrTTixrWYb86Fv5nVlnXYd-9sNg/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUf-z4LI-65YnfdFtKV_QhlG5FEzPZKewiDUgQlbLZ5BKVfho1PfLNLD55DWt9_1GiOGlAoDyGSSidkgRvwG7w_zPRfNGkE_cG3BSy9_2-v6pBi3mkrTTixrWYb86Fv5nVlnXYd-9sNg/w240-h320/147568364_10222841486573198_1768878689752689831_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My daughter rocking her natural hair! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>They had fabulous hair!</p><p>Then, I learned about <a href="https://www.dove.com/us/en/stories/campaigns/the-crown-act.html" target="_blank">The Crown Act.</a> It is a piece of legislation that is being sponsored by <a href="https://www.dove.com/us/en/home.html" target="_blank">Dove</a> soap to counter the discrimination that black women experience because of their natural hair! The research on this was shocking to me. </p><p>I had never encountered this because I don't work in an office.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The next topic had to do with body shapes.</p><p>Have you heard the term "thick" girls?</p><p>It is a term that I have heard to describe girls who are large and curvy. I was going to link to some articles or something, but most of the images are about women who have traditionally not been thought of as beautiful because of their large sizes posing in very...sexy poses. </p><p>There is a reclamation of body positivity from these grown women. I am all for that. When a girl is young, it causes a completely different problem.</p><p>One of the young women used it yesterday. She called herself a thick girl.</p><p>This soft-spoken, dark-skinned Sophomore spoke of how when they were in elementary school they wore uniforms. She was always larger than most of her peers, and it was always hard to get the sizes she needed. When she got to middle school, she could wear what she liked, but she was often sent home because her clothes were inappropriate or she was given a sweatshirt so she could "cover up".</p><p>She has shapely legs and curves everywhere and has had since she was pretty young.</p><p>It was only later she understood that leggings on a skinny girl were okay, but if she wore them, she was acting too "grown" or it was "distracting". She spoke about the sexualization of young black girls.</p><p>She didn't understand what was happening when she was younger. She didn't understand why people kept telling her she was trying to be too "grown".</p><p>She shook her head. "I am the quietest person. I like to sit in my room and read, I'm always up under my momma, I like to talk to my friends and goof off. I'm a great student. I wouldn't stay out late, I don't drink, or do drugs, or even use foul language. I don't even have a boyfriend, I've never been kissed, but I'm "grown".</p><p>She ended her segment with, "I am not the problem here!"</p><p>Then - </p><p>Well, then something happened that had me in tears for a bit.</p><p>This sixteen-year-old gentleman played a video of a poem he'd written. I'm not going to try to explain it.</p><p>Just watch:</p><br /> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PDb8p4_5vJU" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I cried, I was angry, I was impressed, I was proud, and I was hopeful</div><div><br /></div><div>I immediately asked if I could share the video and he said yes.</div><div><br /></div><div>I switched my view to gallery and watched all of these young people from every possible type of family in America watching this assembly.</div><div><br /></div><div>They were as enraptured by what they were seeing as I was. They sent out that silent applause emojis, commented in the chat, and let their voices be heard.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then, suddenly, it was my turn. I did a quick variant of The Men of Kent Street, and went back to watching the kids work it!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8_mkdsmqv7Gy9SJRYC72pci2NhLfWW1kUtuD6v-C8QYJh7Slj4Ben4pOfCwog5jrmznrsb_uzQY8IyG-Zxk2KN_f_iiQaTjQwsThba9z4DgFvsFuONZbei-XhfN7N8O3ro266DVf4-Q/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="850" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8_mkdsmqv7Gy9SJRYC72pci2NhLfWW1kUtuD6v-C8QYJh7Slj4Ben4pOfCwog5jrmznrsb_uzQY8IyG-Zxk2KN_f_iiQaTjQwsThba9z4DgFvsFuONZbei-XhfN7N8O3ro266DVf4-Q/w640-h260/The-difference-between-the-terms-equality-equity-and-liberation-illustrated-C.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-difference-between-the-terms-equality-equity-and-liberation-illustrated-C_fig1_340777978" target="_blank">This Graphic Made an Appearance</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Their staff advisors also go into the mix. They asked the kids questions about social justice issues and then had them respond in the chat at once like a waterfall. </div><div><br /></div><div>Everyone would type something and then wait. Then, the advisor would say, Niagra - which has to do with something I'd never heard of before, and will be subject of a blog post in the near future - and we would all push send at once. The replies would cascade into the chat. It was powerful to see these young people<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMiJdbqCh9RBD9V-cihY3n3ulFr89BANLqsHp2bkVSNnHNrTdv2yNoEYA1I-N9SQr7SoImv4kdJrsPJgRmSLcUZ-3zSe8hsazs6weZO1g9d5giqyChyphenhyphenQ94ugy1-HLs6fFpQApWpsqjzU/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="400" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMiJdbqCh9RBD9V-cihY3n3ulFr89BANLqsHp2bkVSNnHNrTdv2yNoEYA1I-N9SQr7SoImv4kdJrsPJgRmSLcUZ-3zSe8hsazs6weZO1g9d5giqyChyphenhyphenQ94ugy1-HLs6fFpQApWpsqjzU/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.byrdie.com/what-is-natural-hair-definition-and-in-depth-look-400268" target="_blank">The Niagara Movement</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> expressing fury, dismay, and sadness for the struggles of their classmates. Struggles that many of them didn't even know were an ongoing thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next student talked about microaggressions and the way language is used to belittle African Americans by suggesting that they can be dismissed, separated from other black people, or categorized as "different" if they are educated. She is a well-spoken black girl who particularly hates being called "articulate". She asks, how many kids do you say that to? What makes me different from my white peers who speak a certain way? </div><div><br /></div><div>(Now, to be fair, she was a fabulous speaker and she was very well-spoken! Most kids her age probably don't have that much command of themselves, but her point was well taken!)</div><div><br /></div><div>It was an hour of pure magic!</div><div><br /></div><div>I stayed 'til the end and thanked the students for the amazing presentation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Later, in the kitchen, I was trying to explain what had happened to my husband and son. I broke down in tears. </div><div><br /></div><div>2021 has been a very challenging year for me emotionally.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was on such pins and needles during the last part of 2020, I don't think I sat with any emotions -aside from anger - for months.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, in this time, when things are starting to resolve and life might be trying to find itself back to something I recognize as normal, I realize I am deeply sad. </div><div><br /></div><div>The sorrow I have been carrying for separated families, children locked in cages, the horrific murder of George Floyd, the BLM protests that rocked the entire world as people marched for justice in cities from almost every place on the globe to the insurrection that could have destroyed our fragile democracy has finally come for me. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have been overwhelmed with grief, hopelessness, and despair that we are going to have to litigate my right, the rights of my children, and perhaps my grandchildren to live with equity in America all over again. I have been feeling rather lost. It seems like there is no end to this war where one side is saying - I'm human! All I ask is that you treat me as such! and the other side saying, "You are asking too much! Be thankful we aren't just shooting you on sight! </div><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday? Yesterday I saw the next generation of leaders step up and speak out in a way that didn't happen when I was a kid.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday? Yesterday I saw a group of young people lead their classmates into a discussion on the difference between equity and equality and why that matters.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday? Yesterday I wanted to drive to Fayetteville, NC, station myself outside each and every one of these young people's homes, and announce to the world that anyone coming for any of these hopeful sparks had to go through me first.</div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">Day 1: Telling My Ancestor's Story</h3></div><div><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2021/02/day-2-historical-lens-is-cracked.html" target="_blank">Day 2: The Historical Lens Was Cracked!</a></span></p><p><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2021/02/i-couldnt-be-prouder-reframing-what-it.html" target="_blank">Day 3: I Couldn't Be Prouder - Reframing What It Meant To Be A "Slave"</a></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">Day 4: <a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2021/02/a-new-generation-teenage-social-justice.html" style="color: #f48d1d; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration-line: none;">A New Generation: The Teenage Social Justice Warriors</a></h3></div><div><br /></div>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-41494800357636843882021-02-05T19:13:00.001-08:002021-02-13T06:39:25.582-08:00I Couldn't Be Prouder - Reframing What It Meant To Be A "Slave"<p> One of the things that used to cause me no end of shame and discomfort when I was in middle school and high school was the discussion of slaves in America.</p><p>There were many things they could have been called.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuZGDKQDpHZxoL5tITnhP1ppLLHnC0pgVB-IxQwqJnQ8srTpQLOpKOWtByZlxMGoebc0m3GTKg3Ft_NY0GpIy2yiVm0Q94jTFVYf5O8iTOzE-fuAvUEbBiwRspLG43VsC_pb3Zf9QGmU/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuZGDKQDpHZxoL5tITnhP1ppLLHnC0pgVB-IxQwqJnQ8srTpQLOpKOWtByZlxMGoebc0m3GTKg3Ft_NY0GpIy2yiVm0Q94jTFVYf5O8iTOzE-fuAvUEbBiwRspLG43VsC_pb3Zf9QGmU/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/the-myth-of-the-happy-slave-explained" target="_blank">The Myth of the Happy Slave</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Kidnapped Enslaved Africans.<p></p><p>People. <br /></p><p>Kidnapped Enslaved People.<br /></p><p>Enslaved for Generations.</p><p>Denied basic humanity for Generations.</p><p><a href="https://scholars.law.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1418&context=nlj" target="_blank">Raped</a>, Beaten, <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/slave-labor/" target="_blank">Worked</a>, <a href="https://www.thelily.com/statue-of-the-gynecologist-who-experimented-on-black-women-removed-from-central-park/" target="_blank">Violated</a>, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm" target="_blank">Experimented</a> upon, and Viewed as Property for Generations.</p><p>How was it faced in my history books?</p><p>Ha! Got you! It wasn't faced at all.</p><p>Slavery was usually dealt with using as little language and discussion as possible. The books downplayed it when it was discussed.</p><p>Oh, they said that not all slave owners were mean. They assured us that slaves were valuable and so it would not have made sense to treat them badly. Oh, yes, there were some terrible slave owners, but not all of them were bad.</p><p>I have no doubt that my classmates were telling themselves that if they'd lived in those times, they would have been "good" slave owners. They never would have beaten their slaves.</p><p>Some probably were certain they wouldn't have had slaves at all, and I am sure some of them would not have. </p><p>Some no doubt were certain they would have been part of the <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/underground-railroad" target="_blank">Underground Railroad,</a> and perhaps they would have been.</p><p>What none of them took into account - mostly because our textbook didn't deal with it at all, was what the enslaved people thought of this whole situation.</p><p>Oh, and that's a thing I should discuss if you've never heard me bring it up in the past.</p><p>I would like to respectfully submit that from here on in we should always refer to the state of living for those people abducted and forced away from their homes as enslaved.</p><p>The word "slave" suggests that a person is a thing. Being a slave in the context of early American history is like a brand. It suggests that this was a natural state of being for the captured Africans. It is like that big scarlet letter. Trust me. My classmates were being told that I was a descendant of slaves.</p><p>You don't need another party to be a slave. If you are in someone's custody, they own you. Being free is not your natural or normal state.</p><p>The word "enslaved" suggests that somebody is actively doing something to you.</p><p>As opposed to saying that Africans were slaves and that is a mark against us as a people, I should endeavor to say that they were enslaved. Enslaved is an active thing. It requires an enslaver. Without an enslaver, the enslaved are free. </p><p>I wonder what my classes would have been like if instead of talking about Southerners and "their slaves", how it would sound if we'd been taught about "Enslavers and their victims."</p><p>Substitute Enslavers for Southerners, and I suspect those kids who looked at me out of the sides of their eyes when someone said, "slaves" would have instead stared down at their textbooks and hoped I wasn't looking at them as "enslavers". I also wish the textbooks had been more clear about how truly evil it was. </p><p>I was not the one who should have been ashamed of my ancestors in that situation. They hadn't done anything wrong or immoral.</p><p><a href="https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/african/beginnings/" target="_blank">So, just to bring the point home, this is what happened.</a></p><p>- The enslavers removed the youngest, strongest men women, and children from West Africa for three hundred years.</p><p>- It is estimated that over the three centuries of human devastation - fifteen to twenty million Africans were abducted from their homeland.</p><p>- We will never know how many of these people were murdered during transport from Africa to the Western World, but it is estimated to be at least one million. (Yes, murdered. The process of transporting them, and the way they were transported led directly to their deaths) - and yes, I'm still salty about this.</p><p>The Upshot?</p><p><b><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zxt3gk7/revision/2" target="_blank">In Africa</a> -</b></p><p>For three centuries the Western World removed their youngest, strongest, brightest, and most promising people. </p><p>Cultures collapsed -</p><p>Families were destroyed -</p><p>People lived in perpetual fear -</p><p>Progress stagnated -</p><p>Traditional ways were abandoned and lost -</p><p>The people were devastated, scattered, and traumatized - REPEATEDLY for three centuries</p><p><b>In America -</b></p><p>Imagine that you have rounded up the youngest, strongest, most able men, women, and children you could find. You put them in pens.</p><p>Some of them are not going to survive that. The strongest will. The most cunning. The ones who have the most will to live. The angriest.</p><p>Put them on ships and send them across the ocean.</p><p>Some of them are going to die. Who will survive? The strongest. The most cunning. The ones who have the most will to live. The angriest.</p><p>Now, you are on the other side of the ocean. What have you got left?</p><p>The Strongest of the strong</p><p>The Most Cunning of the cunning</p><p>The Most determined to live</p><p>The angriest damn people on the planet</p><p>The ones who were able to reach inside of themselves and find a reason to go on whether it was through music or stories or hope</p><p>That is a pretty intense group of people. </p><p>That is the group that the enslavers in America tried to keep like livestock.</p><p>When you look at it like that, then lots of things make sense.</p><p>These were not a group of people who'd been beaten down and dominated.</p><p>This was a group of people who had figured out how to survive. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw259BQRkFmhC267bMXXNUnSDEfaAYc9QZum2tHgfV6Ds3XkzRiqOIiU9Yd-koC7FbsslVP4WJCAjevdlo084q7yQcF0N_qU7-iHxwGoxzBko0wG4KH20omWJ2Iva3lggSDUslMEhvi_Q/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw259BQRkFmhC267bMXXNUnSDEfaAYc9QZum2tHgfV6Ds3XkzRiqOIiU9Yd-koC7FbsslVP4WJCAjevdlo084q7yQcF0N_qU7-iHxwGoxzBko0wG4KH20omWJ2Iva3lggSDUslMEhvi_Q/" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.poemhunter.com/phillis-wheatley/poems/" target="_blank">Phyllis Wheatley - First black Poetess in America</a></td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://www.biography.com/activist/harriet-tubman" target="_blank">Harriet Tubman</a> comes from This!<p></p><p><a href="https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sojourner-truth" target="_blank">Sojourner Truth </a>comes from This! <br /></p><p><a href="https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/frederick-douglass" target="_blank">Frederick Douglass</a> comes from This!</p><p><a href="https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/madame-c-j-walker" target="_blank">Madam CJ Walker</a> comes from This!</p><p><a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/phillis-wheatley" target="_blank">Phyllis Wheatley</a> comes from This!</p><p>All of the glorious, brilliant, determined, angry, stubborn, hopeful, beautiful black men, women, and children who have the blood of survivors running through their veins come from this!</p><p>I come from this. </p><p>That is who I am.</p><p>And I couldn't be prouder.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2021/02/telling-my-ancestors-story.html" target="_blank">Day 1: Telling My Ancestor's Story</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2021/02/day-2-historical-lens-is-cracked.html" target="_blank">Day 2: The Historical Lens Was Cracked!</a></span></div><div>I Couldn't Be Prouder - Reframing What It Meant To Be A "Slave"</div><div><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2021/02/a-new-generation-teenage-social-justice.html" target="_blank">Day 4: A New Generation: The Teenage Social Justice Warriors</a></div>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-51777557879553148682021-02-02T09:07:00.005-08:002021-02-13T06:37:54.979-08:00Day 2: The historical Lens Was Cracked!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Everyone thinks they're the good guy - no one thinks they're the bad guy. Even Al Capone thought he was misunderstood."</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #232323; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: start;"> - Amaryllis Fox - former undercover CIA operative</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #232323; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #232323; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: start;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3uGwc_w9Ej9nLoZ_fS_BimGLwKwRlmsCooL2tFl69KdwcCbh6_HMx7MbThujbMDFPy8Tj6wF8bwfr5e976W2t7WyQEOZwOVr267lbFlXPjB3QA-BLY3PhezhfVICSh1rT4FkTGLG72E/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3uGwc_w9Ej9nLoZ_fS_BimGLwKwRlmsCooL2tFl69KdwcCbh6_HMx7MbThujbMDFPy8Tj6wF8bwfr5e976W2t7WyQEOZwOVr267lbFlXPjB3QA-BLY3PhezhfVICSh1rT4FkTGLG72E/" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amaryllis Fox<br /><a href="https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/life-undercover-coming-of-age-in-the-cia_amaryllis-fox/24112028/item/37106523/?mkwid=%7cdc&pcrid=448932070482&pkw=&pmt=&slid=&plc=&pgrid=104532441516&ptaid=pla-957656784437&gclid=CjwKCAiAjeSABhAPEiwAqfxURb4COYXtYYXmQ7Ur8YLT__ISEsZ_GT0iU8xn-b53fiQGfde0fHE0CxoC0bMQAvD_BwE#idiq=37106523&edition=21466459" target="_blank">Memoire - Life Undercover. Coming Of Age In The CIA</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">As an adult, I realize why my textbooks in history were so skewed and strange - </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">The people who wrote them had a world of i</span><span style="font-size: large;">nternal biases that were seen as "truth".</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">1, Western Society is the pinnacle of civilization</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Europeans d<strike>id terrible things to almost every other group of people on the planet </strike>brought civilization to every other group of people on the planet.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Americans are all descendant of Europeans - </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">4. Americans fought the indigenous people because they were attacked.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">5. Manifest Destiny was imperative. There was no other way this could have happened.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">At university in a Women's Study Course, I was intrigued by the concept of <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-what-about-a-female-gaze-52486" target="_blank">"The Male Gaze".</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCeKyIe4Znnd6_rsWc5MQMVoJ4nVNK2O2T9zqUxYmjgXeTJm8UIY8-C-dI6-g32NRWxnBYWfa4a07urmDhPLckgjTeFJ_7wQWzK3GUoHLfxE420w3lA30TGzEmO503TmgnaUqBTuwnR8/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCeKyIe4Znnd6_rsWc5MQMVoJ4nVNK2O2T9zqUxYmjgXeTJm8UIY8-C-dI6-g32NRWxnBYWfa4a07urmDhPLckgjTeFJ_7wQWzK3GUoHLfxE420w3lA30TGzEmO503TmgnaUqBTuwnR8/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/man-eyes" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Though the term came into being around gender issues and sexuality, I realized that it had been the main problem in my history classes! Not because of sexuality but in terms of who is looking at the scene and who is making the choices about what I learn and see.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Compound that with teaching America the Beautiful, Free, Bold and Magnificent, and the lens you are staring at history through is cracked!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>How I'd Reframe It!</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Instead of teaching about European cultures as if they were the obvious way cultures <i>should</i> develop or as if they represented "civilization" and everybody else was "less civilized" I would have liked there to be a foundation for how we talk about cultures in general. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Why were they different?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">What forces shaped them?</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">With that as a background for talking about different kinds of people, we could compare the various cultures as they interacted to understand why the outcomes were as they were.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">It would make what happened when Europeans encountered different civilizations more understandable, and it would have given me as a student more of an appreciation for different ways of thinking about the colonization of the world. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">HISTORY REFRAMED</span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcz4cRQ_XY1pjtzFpyrOlwTTiddSq6SjNiRC9gtPANJB93niVfvdIIWqG4b7cT196IihuKay1LeqCXpUrD7n5she2Befsbk2javUJAhX1_O9j8C1QIqYElEUWYicZH7wnA32YhfWUjyZk/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="320" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcz4cRQ_XY1pjtzFpyrOlwTTiddSq6SjNiRC9gtPANJB93niVfvdIIWqG4b7cT196IihuKay1LeqCXpUrD7n5she2Befsbk2javUJAhX1_O9j8C1QIqYElEUWYicZH7wnA32YhfWUjyZk/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_human_migration" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">1. All human beings, every single person alive, your ancestors and mine came from Africa. Africa produced the first modern humans. Human beings left Africa in waves and settled all over the world. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">2. As cultures developed in different parts of the world, their environment shaped the melanin content of their skins, the way they developed languge, what they valued, how they lived on the land, what sorts of shelters they needed, what was important for survival, and how they dealt with strangers. They created different traditions, had different sacred beliefs, and made different choices about right and wrong. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">3. For Europeans, owning and controlling land (space) became the most important commodity. Europe occupies a very small amount of land. The more land you controlled, the richer and more powerful you were. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">4. Western European civilizations had a high proportion of herd animals that would readily accept a human as their leader. Zebras can't be ridden, Bison are hella difficult to domesticate, and will revert to "wild" behavior if startled. Western Europeans also had a very small number of large, dangerous carnivores. This is due to a fluke of latitude, and where these animals settled out after the last Ice Age.
This meant that Europeans lived in close quarters with animals. A number of diseases that infect animals jumped into the European population. These zoonotic diseases became common, and the longer they lived with them, the more tolerant Europeans became of the effects.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">(Yes, I know. This is a basic lift from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393317552" target="_blank">Guns, Germs, and Steel</a>, but man, I wish textbooks had used that model to teach history instead of the confusing one they had when I was a kid!)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">5. Western Europeans had a very definite belief that the Christian God had chosen which people were going to be wealthy or poor, held in high esteem, or dismissed. Your status in life was Heaven Ordained.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">6. When Europeans encountered other cultures, many of them were culturally and philosphically ill equipped to view these "other" peoples as full human beings or anything approaching equals. Humans in general did not know how to deal with "different" people when they first encountered them.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Why does it matter what lens we use to teach history?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-size: large;">The biggest problem in America right now? Much of the suffering we are still dealing with can be traced to the last two points!</span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">America is still a strong reflection of the Western European Cultures that settled here. We are still treating people as if they somehow "organically" matter less!</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Until we face the reality that points number five and six are sung into our bones from the time we start learning the history of who we are, this fight we have between the deserving and the undeserving is going to persist.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We are also going to continually produce people who look at the length and breadth of history and say things like this from former Republican Representative from Iowa - Steve King</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/07/20/steve-king-the-idea-that-every-culture-is-equal-is-not-objectively-true/" target="_blank">"The idea of multiculturalism, that every culture is equal — that's not objectively true," King told The Washington Post's Philip Rucker, less than 48 hours after he asked on live TV what "subgroups" besides white people had made any contributions to civilization. "We've been fed that information for the past 25 years, and we're not going to become a greater nation if we continue to do that."</a></span></div><div><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/07/20/steve-king-the-idea-that-every-culture-is-equal-is-not-objectively-true/" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></div><div><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/07/20/steve-king-the-idea-that-every-culture-is-equal-is-not-objectively-true/" target="_blank">Washington Post - July 2016</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">This man is a product of a historical perspective that told him that his gaze was the only one that mattered. He certainly doesn't think he's a bad guy. He was just trying to save America from the non-white, multi-cultural infection that he is pretty sure is destroying it.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I am also a product of that history. I'm not a bad guy. I just want to be seen.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">He has no reason to question the history as it was taught. As far as he is concerned, what it told him reflects how he has lived his life.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Me? I had no choice but to reject his view of history. Otherwise, I accept that I have no place in it. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2021/02/telling-my-ancestors-story.html" target="_blank">Day 1: Telling My Ancestor's Story</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Day 2: The Historical Lens Was Cracked!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2021/02/i-couldnt-be-prouder-reframing-what-it.html" target="_blank">Day 3: I Couldn't Be Prouder - Reframing What It Meant To Be A "Slave"</a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2021/02/a-new-generation-teenage-social-justice.html" target="_blank">Day 4: A New Generation: The Teenage Social Justice Warriors</a></span></div>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-90671302997545590042021-02-01T08:27:00.005-08:002021-02-13T06:36:06.917-08:00Day 1: Telling My Ancestor's Story<p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> Not Everything that is faced can be changed,</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">but nothing can be changed until it is faced.</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">- James Baldwin</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsx4ORqrNaVKimzQ1Ya2g9LSW3z4XXOJ-blUJO9LogPbD7f4Z7yMSg1syw3OihJeZJlgLs3IsOBB2TItWIHUO3I9fBxA_uDkQWQQebHuOodqQPdOZBVyKGFoxy6GcgrndW4mdAzVLNYU8/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1380" data-original-width="2048" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsx4ORqrNaVKimzQ1Ya2g9LSW3z4XXOJ-blUJO9LogPbD7f4Z7yMSg1syw3OihJeZJlgLs3IsOBB2TItWIHUO3I9fBxA_uDkQWQQebHuOodqQPdOZBVyKGFoxy6GcgrndW4mdAzVLNYU8/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/633947/james-baldwin-writer-facts" target="_blank">James Baldwin</a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">I loved history when I was in school. It was one of my favorite subjects. I loved learning how the various moving parts and stories intertwined to create the wild tapestry that explained why the world looks the way it does. I especially loved Medieval history and European history. </p><p style="text-align: left;">This was not because I found European history more interesting than any other kind. No, what I have realized is that I enjoyed European history because it was the only history that actually flowed and made sense. </p><p style="text-align: left;">I also loved ancient history. I loved reading about Ancient Greece and Rome. </p><p style="text-align: left;">These histories were also authentic to me.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Early American history always felt uncomfortable. Lots of African and South American history felt odd. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Looking back now, I can put my finger on what it was about learning that history that was both uncomfortable and odd.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Europeans had been fighting, killing, and dealing with each other for generations. They had respect for each other even if they didn't like each other. They recognized each other's strengths and knew their history. </p><p style="text-align: left;">When the textbook writers wrote of English, French, Roman, or Greek history, they were solid. They wrote with confidence, and they have gorgeous, sometimes horrific, full-throated confident language that showed those people and cultures as powerful or important in their own right.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Then there was the way they spoke of Africa...</p><p style="text-align: left;">Looking back, it is clear the people writing these textbooks learned about African History from people who only knew Africa from a Western European perspective. </p><p style="text-align: left;">We didn't learn about African people.</p><p style="text-align: left;">We learned about the "discovery" of Arica as if it wasn't there before white folks found it.</p><p style="text-align: left;">We learned about the first encounters between Africans and Europeans as if the Africans were some other species of creature.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2f9cH2z91y0MB3FRd3UShhbG3liRUHATYK-b8SzYKrRuP9uk2m6rDLdIgyfp3-t91uJtRkoiBKqqe1ko-6gaHGa3y-s47ElhGpgSJ_83Zxg8HJXwzmnM9Mv7ppqDHaBldtYs-2aKFjY/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="620" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2f9cH2z91y0MB3FRd3UShhbG3liRUHATYK-b8SzYKrRuP9uk2m6rDLdIgyfp3-t91uJtRkoiBKqqe1ko-6gaHGa3y-s47ElhGpgSJ_83Zxg8HJXwzmnM9Mv7ppqDHaBldtYs-2aKFjY/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/christopher-columbus" target="_blank">Columbus "Discovering" America</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">The same thing happened with the Incas, First Nation peoples of every other continent, and their cultures. Then, when they got to how those other cultures were treated...well, it just went from bad to embarrassing. </p><p style="text-align: left;">There was no deep telling of who these "other" people were or what they had been up to for thousands of years. </p><p style="text-align: left;">It was as if they were bit players in the great story of white men in the world. Which, let's be honest, that is how they were portrayed in my history.</p><p style="text-align: left;">No part of history really belonged to me or my ancestors. My only real worth was as a backdrop for the great white way.</p><p style="text-align: left;">There was a paucity of blackness or color of any kind in my "official" teachings of what human history is or was or that people like me had any hand in shaping it.</p><p style="text-align: left;">It made me feel small, insignificant, and as if I had no place.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I know, I know. Some of you are thinking, "No it didn't! Children really don't think about it like that. You are projecting your adult, been through the classes, looking at the research, remembering it wrong brain on your child self!" </p><p style="text-align: left;">Nope. </p><p style="text-align: left;">What I remember is clinging desperately to any and all references of blackness that were even somewhat kind, strong, positive, or meaningful.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I tried so hard to find ways to be proud of what and who I knew I was, to the point of my now being able to list three things that struck me in childhood.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">1) The book I brought into Show and Tell in Kindergarten. The only one I had that featured a little girl "like me". My favorite book for many years.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_X3MpYtAmK4Lga8-bs8471JfRGj4weNxdXaqwyO-iL6RyhFM2DeOFYRLl1C5hD2AwvJ2JKO68iFq0M5XVJoaPLqfDMzrnVgU0QBx9PkJGkOR3WOROWyF9Avsu4eAJIe_za7bv_kLN8P4/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="271" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_X3MpYtAmK4Lga8-bs8471JfRGj4weNxdXaqwyO-iL6RyhFM2DeOFYRLl1C5hD2AwvJ2JKO68iFq0M5XVJoaPLqfDMzrnVgU0QBx9PkJGkOR3WOROWyF9Avsu4eAJIe_za7bv_kLN8P4/" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/832660665/vintage-1966-what-mary-jo-shared-by?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_a-books_movies_and_music-books-childrens_books&utm_custom1=_k_Cj0KCQiA6t6ABhDMARIsAONIYyxaE_ffo2VGT2U-3978xkvg49xUiElBJ-8aaKFvm9ic88dMbXPYmMcaArfSEALw_wcB_k_&utm_content=go_1843970629_71423475962_346364301066_aud-318222619806:pla-352609785060_c__832660665_123928257&utm_custom2=1843970629&gclid=Cj0KCQiA6t6ABhDMARIsAONIYyxaE_ffo2VGT2U-3978xkvg49xUiElBJ-8aaKFvm9ic88dMbXPYmMcaArfSEALw_wcB" target="_blank">This is the original cover</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />2) The poem that was read to us in music class. I don't remember which teacher read it. All I remember is that I was in second grade. I was at <a href="https://www.publicschoolreview.com/sheridan-road-elementary-school-profile" target="_blank">Sheridan Road Elementary School.</a> The poem was by Mary O'Neil, and it was from the book Hailstones and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hailstones-Halibut-Bones-Adventures-Poetry/dp/0385410786" target="_blank">Halibut Bones: Adventures in Poetry and Color</a><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8RXqWuF9mkWu9uzpeFgXQrfmpTLZunWk2l8kFhQaTFxG-bzlAUH-_qRO-ueKEzEum7hYQs48r9k0ht9Y9mEo7pysKysd6yK_0bP7CY5YmMpKmEOyDIlrsbptLUhYrx7TREWlNEehoNFo/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="180" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8RXqWuF9mkWu9uzpeFgXQrfmpTLZunWk2l8kFhQaTFxG-bzlAUH-_qRO-ueKEzEum7hYQs48r9k0ht9Y9mEo7pysKysd6yK_0bP7CY5YmMpKmEOyDIlrsbptLUhYrx7TREWlNEehoNFo/" width="168" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hailstones-Halibut-Bones-Adventures-Poetry/dp/0385410786" target="_blank">Want a Copy?</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">The poem that stayed with me that I kept repeating over and over and over in my head for about three years? The poem that still comes back to me as an adult, but it a different way?</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSG9kgEsCVMEsduDgDaoEILI_ksWWxDgLDYbStHpMc3oSWZ8_X2ir9zg5uu_5vA6F0CZ3aVhNrpqnSZsQKejgoagphQF7BdObJhbyRq7J7-SP3RRT1OGIxc0e77Tp1cYmH2o5DM1KPu8s/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="249" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSG9kgEsCVMEsduDgDaoEILI_ksWWxDgLDYbStHpMc3oSWZ8_X2ir9zg5uu_5vA6F0CZ3aVhNrpqnSZsQKejgoagphQF7BdObJhbyRq7J7-SP3RRT1OGIxc0e77Tp1cYmH2o5DM1KPu8s/" width="294" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">Here is the whole poem:</p><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">"What Is Black?"</span></div><p></p><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Black is the night</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">When there isn't a star</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">And you can't tell by looking</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Where you are.</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Black is a pail of paving tar. </span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Black is jet</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">And things you'd like to forget</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Black is a smokestack</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Black is a cat,</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">A leopard, a raven,</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">A high silk hat.</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">The sound of black is </span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">"Boom! Boom! Boom!"</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Echoing in</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">An empty room.</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Black is kind -</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">It covers up</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">The run-down street, </span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">The broken cup.</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Black is charcoal</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">And patio grill,</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">The soot spots on </span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">The window sill.</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Black is a feeling</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Hard to explain</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Like suffering but</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Without the pain.</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Black is licorice</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">And patent leather shoes</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Black is the print </span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">In the news.</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Black is beauty</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">In its deepest form,</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">The darkest cloud </span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">In a thunderstorm.</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Think of what starlight</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">And lamplight would lack</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Diamonds and fireflies</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;">If they couldn't lean against Black... (O'Neill, 1960).</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.49px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: left;">3) The last bit of my childhood that I clung to when thinking about finding strength was the story of Wilma Rudolph. I loved this woman's story.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZnXVS8OYQUhAy0IyuKCfubvFafSBu7Ga_W20YaQ8DreZBsM0lvFj1Tk15ODhg6SgUK-EI9MMQwsseduDdEbZg06GkipAZU_ep6Ra7_G3MTgt6TVPolmaWBEe76mTPagorg7DDqp6F44/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZnXVS8OYQUhAy0IyuKCfubvFafSBu7Ga_W20YaQ8DreZBsM0lvFj1Tk15ODhg6SgUK-EI9MMQwsseduDdEbZg06GkipAZU_ep6Ra7_G3MTgt6TVPolmaWBEe76mTPagorg7DDqp6F44/" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.biography.com/athlete/wilma-rudolph" target="_blank">Who was Wilma Rudolph</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">I found out about Wilma Rudolph when I was in fourth grade. I wrote essays about her as my most admired American for the next four years. She'd worn braces on her legs when she was a child. I'd worn a cast on mine when I was little because my feet and legs were not in alignment and they weren't sure I'd ever walk.</p><p style="text-align: left;">She was an Olympic medalist! She was not given a chance to walk well, and she ran! She was black! She was black like me! </p><p style="text-align: left;">I absolutely worshipped this woman when I was a kid.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Looking back now on those three tangible facts about what it meant to be going through school as a black girl in the '70s and 80s, I am both angry and sad for that kid when I think of all of the things she could have been taught. </p><p style="text-align: left;">I'm glad she was surrounded by opportunities, family, books, music, laughter, love, hope, and teachers who looked at her, couldn't believe she was as smart, precocious and determined as she was -</p><p style="text-align: left;"> (these were not qualities that were normally assigned to black girls when I was little - I can guess this because I was literally the only black girl in most of the work groups, study groups, and classes I had through all of my k-12 education, and I know I wan't the only smart, determined, or capable black girl in every school I attended )</p><p style="text-align: left;">and pushed her to do what even she didn't know she could do.</p><p style="text-align: left;">So, as I approached February and thought about what I'd like to do to honor black history month this year, I thought perhaps I would do some retelling.</p><p style="text-align: left;">What would I have wanted to learn about what it meant to be black in America? </p><p style="text-align: left;">What would i have wanted to understand about what it meant that my ancestors were enslaved here?</p><p style="text-align: left;">What would I have liked to have known?</p><p style="text-align: left;">What would I have liked to have felt?</p><p style="text-align: left;">So, I am going to begin to tackle that.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I am going to spend 27 days retelling this story. </p><p style="text-align: left;">I won't get through all of it, there are centuries of information to unpack...but I can begin with a rough outline and expand from there.</p><p style="text-align: left;">So, here we go...</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Day 1: Telling My Ancestor's Story</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2021/02/day-2-historical-lens-is-cracked.html" target="_blank">Day 2: The Historical Lens Was Cracked!</a></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2021/02/i-couldnt-be-prouder-reframing-what-it.html" target="_blank">Day 3: I Couldn't Be Prouder - Reframing What It Meant To Be A "Slave"</a></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">Day 4: <a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2021/02/a-new-generation-teenage-social-justice.html" style="color: #f48d1d; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration-line: none;">A New Generation: The Teenage Social Justice Warriors</a></h3><p style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /></p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-1033262779421789452021-01-23T04:54:00.005-08:002021-01-23T04:54:57.288-08:00The Touring Performer - January 2021 Edition<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivO16fz71ePWkgdH3y_E0sZX5kSpY8S3QSPovUrV04bjtUEtQiiTAfsjr9cBeJ0ueS5fpxurUtWLWyVkAxxD48g2_xuPKs13ry-wm9nVuHMzadpoVQIppFGc4Avno7OZ-xZ0G4DeIcMoQ/s2048/IMG_3355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivO16fz71ePWkgdH3y_E0sZX5kSpY8S3QSPovUrV04bjtUEtQiiTAfsjr9cBeJ0ueS5fpxurUtWLWyVkAxxD48g2_xuPKs13ry-wm9nVuHMzadpoVQIppFGc4Avno7OZ-xZ0G4DeIcMoQ/s320/IMG_3355.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can spend every evening like this!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/01/self-care-and-traveling-storyteller.html" target="_blank">Last January, I wrote a post about how I was preparing to put thousands upon thousands of miles on my car</a>. I was giving tips about surviving the incoming touring season which typically lasts from February to May.</p><p><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2014/01/being-touring-storyteller-is-like-being.html" target="_blank">In fact, over the last decade, I've written similar posts.</a> These are as much to remind me about how to survive my schedule as it is to share with others how I manage it.</p><p>Not this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>This year's workflow is very different.</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>1. I don't even know most shows are happening - </b><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-business-manager-how-do-you-manage.html" target="_blank">The David </a>changes the passwords on the pre-recorded shows on Sunday. Everyone who has a show booked that week gets the new password for the link, and they have access for seven days, He turns the links "on" and "off" as needed.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>2. I have to edit particular intros or outros</b>. - The David sends me images or video clips for specific venues. I edit them into the pre-existing packaged show, upload the altered show into Vimeo and The David sends the link to the particular venue.</p><p><br /></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZN47r93JcV5ZOezANBoojXsGhITs5E2XHs8Uhx2GjPWJd-VbuVG3TWnthlI50tJAWVHmZaCktKjLEAynoDFnQ7ojvxCaooCsJ5EC8gyg0PjjJNINOZFGamhm2EAQaK6Drw2FA_hw2VA/s1280/IMG_3427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZN47r93JcV5ZOezANBoojXsGhITs5E2XHs8Uhx2GjPWJd-VbuVG3TWnthlI50tJAWVHmZaCktKjLEAynoDFnQ7ojvxCaooCsJ5EC8gyg0PjjJNINOZFGamhm2EAQaK6Drw2FA_hw2VA/s320/IMG_3427.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I think she's frozen!"</td></tr></tbody></table><b>3. I have a new show or shows coming on-line, so I have to record, edit, and upload new material - </b>I head upstairs to the studio, record the necessary material, come downstairs to the kitchen table, load the footage into my computer, edit it, compose the set, put a copy on my external drive, upload the content into Vimeo, and interact with it like step 1 or step 2.</p><p><b>4. I have a festival coming up where they want pre-recorded sets - </b>I follow step three, organize the information, and send the sets to a dropbox. </p><p><b>5. I have live/virtual shows - </b>The night before the show, I go upstairs to my studio, check to make sure the background I've got on the frame is the background I want to use, make sure I have my video camera charged because I record me performing for the computer and then I edit the recorded live zoom show and upload it into Vimeo. The school then has access to the recording of me live/virtual telling to them for seven days.</p><b>I have a hate/love relationship with Live/Virtual</b><div><br /></div><div>There are so many things that can go wrong with this set-up!</div><div><br /></div><div>1. The internet on one end or the other gives up because of Gremlins.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. The internet slows down because of Gremlins<br /><p>3. The connection is bad because of Gremlins.</p><p>4. People randomly unmute themselves because of people.</p><p>5. The sound goes wonky because of Gremlins.</p><p>6. The people in their little boxes forget that you can see them and they do something.....because of people.</p><p>7. The children in their little boxes totally know they can see you so they do something....because of children.</p><p>8. You are totally distracted by the people in the boxes and you lose your concentration.</p><p>9. You are totally distracted by yourself looking back at you and you lose your concentration.</p><p>10. Your neighbor decides to cut down the tree in his backyard in the middle of your set because of neighbors.</p><p>11. Some random dog decides now is the time to express his displeasure at the clouds because of nature.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdk5k-ejVMtkPAw69pqejXYcH-ad_7PuzhK2TPNSuhl6iMf8yVkUeYmJHP8x0lkSCzDjOrMo2KYjns0HisyI_ydH24CDcgGqR2KWbKXTVWjc2dV7A4JZ_JhVO-J6YDZX8em-oa8-SbVc/s2048/IMG_3309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdk5k-ejVMtkPAw69pqejXYcH-ad_7PuzhK2TPNSuhl6iMf8yVkUeYmJHP8x0lkSCzDjOrMo2KYjns0HisyI_ydH24CDcgGqR2KWbKXTVWjc2dV7A4JZ_JhVO-J6YDZX8em-oa8-SbVc/s320/IMG_3309.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are not a quiet bunch!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />12. Your son and husband start having a great, loving, loud, silly conversation in the kitchen and you have to leave the set, and remind them you are performing live. They are covered with chagrin because they didn't know they were that loud...family.</p><p>13. Pets. Let's just leave it at that.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>The Bottom Line?</b></p><p>It is just as exhausting.</p><p>I'd rather not have to do it.</p><p>I am enjoying it. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtB0Qls8iihqP2AzD7CxrNtpZIF0tziRP4XfFcFZqX_vFAfyQOQiJyGAYY1XWlhqTTnIL66jbAztotUI3XlxB42yago6dbuEg33OsbcgVn066Bh_0Wqy6hQDaH8x0rx8wKlZ_51DUM0Y/s1280/IMG_3289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtB0Qls8iihqP2AzD7CxrNtpZIF0tziRP4XfFcFZqX_vFAfyQOQiJyGAYY1XWlhqTTnIL66jbAztotUI3XlxB42yago6dbuEg33OsbcgVn066Bh_0Wqy6hQDaH8x0rx8wKlZ_51DUM0Y/s320/IMG_3289.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Live Zoom is Exhausting!</td></tr></tbody></table>Yes, I do see the appeal of live telling. The kids can see each other and me and they can interact. There are some things that make it tricky, like when they decide to unmute themselves when they are supposed to be joining me or doing call and response. I love to hear the voices, but they come in at all different speeds and at different times depending on what's happening on their computer.</p><p>It makes a cacophony of sounds that I must stop and wait for because kids who either didn't or couldn't unmute also hear it at different times. The pauses are odd and the rhythm of the story gets wonky. Still, it is kind of fun to watch the kids grooving out to storytelling.</p><p>They are at home, so nobody is making them sit still. Some kids go full Charleston Boogie. Some kids don't respond at all other than to stare at me unmoving. </p><p>I've watched twins fight over the best viewing spot to see the screen while I'm telling. I watched one little girl act out each and every story enthusiastically a second after the narration.</p><p>People who are really into stories are the most fascinating, distracting, amazing things to watch. I'm enjoying a show while I'm presenting a show!</p><p><b>There are some wonderful things about this brave new touring world.</b></p><p>This is the easiest touring schedule I've ever had.</p><p>I fill up my car about once a month instead of two times a day.</p><p>As for the grueling commute...There are about a dozen stairs I have to climb. Think about my FiftyThree-year-old knees!</p><p>Yeah, I don't feel sorry for me either.</p><p>I have never toured so extensively and to so many countries and still managed to sleep in my own bed every single night! <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHzPzGNb_DR1xYW83tIHXCpQcxQjROxrbOdUnC4PwBAS6bB_LB3kInq478jFKLwfNHq20o-R6gRnxQ3OsuohDf9olvyrlO3XzFioEF8eSsHqKDth1HzfxxpVLgy3Y-gBWMg0ric9HNMk/s2048/IMG_3399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHzPzGNb_DR1xYW83tIHXCpQcxQjROxrbOdUnC4PwBAS6bB_LB3kInq478jFKLwfNHq20o-R6gRnxQ3OsuohDf9olvyrlO3XzFioEF8eSsHqKDth1HzfxxpVLgy3Y-gBWMg0ric9HNMk/s320/IMG_3399.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I actually like The David. I'm glad we get to spend time together!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>I am enjoying this as much as I can while I can!</p><p><br /></p><p>Happy Commuting.</p><p><b><br /></b></p></div>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-45411915302936232692021-01-07T08:18:00.000-08:002021-01-07T08:18:32.139-08:00Toxic Storytelling: When Reality Breaks<p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJB1oNSkAbrvYionE03sNUpJQG3vxb4wmamfxQMN7VQZHcNn61fsDfnzweFPQMvH20um7t9-xZD9meCpTuAyWYsE7HguARQZd517Z1847mbM98Vas1TO858unw6f1PGqev-FfnwnzJEs/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="272" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJB1oNSkAbrvYionE03sNUpJQG3vxb4wmamfxQMN7VQZHcNn61fsDfnzweFPQMvH20um7t9-xZD9meCpTuAyWYsE7HguARQZd517Z1847mbM98Vas1TO858unw6f1PGqev-FfnwnzJEs/" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.compliancesigns.com/pd/portrait-osha-danger-poison-sign-with-symbol-odep-5290?gs=8.00&gclid=CjwKCAiA_9r_BRBZEiwAHZ_v15LnBVF3Hbquga_c_O_XCxCh9HvHn73L-C5IX_ajuOoIm8eOwUaapRoCd4gQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Before I graduated from university, I had a variety of different jobs. I worked as a receptionist at a doctor's office. I worked as a drone at an insurance company where I sat at a desk and put people's personal information into their files. I did a stint at Kinko's, and I did summer touring theatre.</p><p>I worked at the insurance company between my Freshman and Sophomore years at <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/" target="_blank">Northwestern.</a></p><p>While I was there, I met a very nice young lady who was the closest person to my age. Let us call her Anne.</p><p>Anne was married to a man who beat the hell out of her.</p><p>This was the second person I'd heard of who was being beaten by her husband. My mom worked with this woman, let us call her Tammy, who was also being beaten, but I didn't know that young woman.</p><p>I'd asked my mother about why Tammy would stay with a man who hit her, and she did not have a good answer. She said Tammy always made excuses about it.</p><p>I believed that if I ever met someone who was being beaten, I could help them by explaining they shouldn't put up with it.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOr8FVCqSBubhG8aMFk0tAQGLovf_DyVvsLfQk-INkXVBQ4BJHXxR81sDZIdh999inWmZM65KUErhewqa9JuFLjXvn0pQfNDSsQMj1ujF-6cXTmFIYJhB3E9DApl8T7QaD9dPzdToHKGw/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="255" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOr8FVCqSBubhG8aMFk0tAQGLovf_DyVvsLfQk-INkXVBQ4BJHXxR81sDZIdh999inWmZM65KUErhewqa9JuFLjXvn0pQfNDSsQMj1ujF-6cXTmFIYJhB3E9DApl8T7QaD9dPzdToHKGw/" width="309" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://pxhere.com/en/photo/732751" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Anne befriended me right away when I joined what was essentially a small office that was contracted out to do the grunt work of data input. (I think they send most of that kind of work to India these days) Anyway, the first day I was there she asked if I wanted to have lunch with her.</p><p>By the second day, she had a huge bruise on her arm. I asked her about it and she gave me some excuse. By the second week, I realized she couldn't hurt herself that much unless she lived in a house that was completely dark and the furniture was sentient and kept rearranging itself.</p><p><br /></p><p>I spent a summer trying to understand how a woman stays with a man who is beating the hell out of her. Why? You know he's going to do it. You know there is nothing you can do to stop him. You know it's wrong. He knows it's wrong. Why?</p><p>The answer was pretty straight up even though it was frustrating. It always had to do with stories.</p><p>What stories do you have to tell yourself to allow the beatings?</p><p>It was my fault.</p><p>He loves me.</p><p>He didn't mean for it to go so far.</p><p>He would never really hurt me.</p><p>I can't leave him.</p><p>I need him.</p><p>I was lucky to get someone like him.</p><p>He takes care of me.</p><p>Nobody else will ever love me.</p><p>He'll stop eventually.</p><p>If I get pregnant things will get better.</p><p>Toxic storytelling. </p><p>You tell yourself whatever stories you need to tell yourself so that you don't have to face an uncomfortable or difficult reality. Once you internalize a toxic story, every incident must fit into that toxic soup in some kind of way for you to be okay. </p><p>The longer you live in that skewed story, the harder it is to face that you might be wrong, or out of touch, or even the instrument of your own destruction.</p><p>At the time, in my nineteen-year-old innocence, I stood agape at such stupidity and reckless disregard for personal safety.</p><p>That was a long time ago.</p><p>I now understand it is not stupidity. It could be desperation, fear, or a vain attempt to control what is out of your control. </p><p>Toxic Stories are often an attempt to make the world conform to what MUST be true if your situation is as it is. </p><p>Toxic Stories are a stand-in for real answers. How can I feel this bad, angry, scared, or hurt UNLESS this is true?</p><p>I have since come to understand that Toxic Storytelling is at the root of a great many problems.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8on3s9eLsNalcDUeLuhuOhrm7SQaCOl-D7swvD4JStBNopy2Mvwb25RDoh3oZ0EbEAjAt3yvbWhrqNTWn_pu8w_xPBd5GnDcx2Sp8ExRtFRnam8J8Q8Ku2urFJ5aIKTQAWeVlYg2n_g/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="1101" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8on3s9eLsNalcDUeLuhuOhrm7SQaCOl-D7swvD4JStBNopy2Mvwb25RDoh3oZ0EbEAjAt3yvbWhrqNTWn_pu8w_xPBd5GnDcx2Sp8ExRtFRnam8J8Q8Ku2urFJ5aIKTQAWeVlYg2n_g/" width="203" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-illustration-alphabet-letter-q-pictures-cute-colorful-set-illustrations-words-printable-sheet-image50724328" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Conspiracy theories are the fruit of Toxic Storytelling. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>When large groups of people gather and pool their Toxic Stories - the problem amplifies.</p><p>Their stories are antithetical to reality. They are aware of that, but:</p><p>If it weren't true, so many people wouldn't believe it. </p><p>In fact, it is true! </p><p>Everyone who doesn't believe it is just wrong. </p><p>In fact, everyone knows it is true, and they are just evil, lying, or stupid if they don't admit it!</p><p>Some of the people telling the stories know they are not true. They are just telling the stories to manipulate others for their own gain. Unfortunately, sometimes the manipulators start believing their own stories...that's when things really get out of hand.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEGR-GwjIhij4EIFtryljuRX6Xm3dy54W5azY3Dm0fzmeqXm1Ai6BmL_I_BvHgVQfTnN6He4gHcDnehgzg0igMgKA3W_9Fn7B5GMWIuonXedDG41bb8hMZLJ5FQGa4wfz04v8w8HICG0/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="290" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEGR-GwjIhij4EIFtryljuRX6Xm3dy54W5azY3Dm0fzmeqXm1Ai6BmL_I_BvHgVQfTnN6He4gHcDnehgzg0igMgKA3W_9Fn7B5GMWIuonXedDG41bb8hMZLJ5FQGa4wfz04v8w8HICG0/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria#:~:text=The%20Library%2C%20or%20part%20of,around%2020%20BC%20and%20the" target="_blank">The remains of the library</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I am an unapologetic bibliophile. I am still saddened and upset about the sacking and burning of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria#:~:text=The%20Library%2C%20or%20part%20of,around%2020%20BC%20and%20the" target="_blank">Library of Alexandria by a hateful mob.<br /></a></p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria#:~:text=The%20Library%2C%20or%20part%20of,around%2020%20BC%20and%20the" target="_blank"><br /></a></p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria#:~:text=The%20Library%2C%20or%20part%20of,around%2020%20BC%20and%20the" target="_blank"><br /></a></p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria#:~:text=The%20Library%2C%20or%20part%20of,around%2020%20BC%20and%20the" target="_blank"><br /></a></p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria#:~:text=The%20Library%2C%20or%20part%20of,around%2020%20BC%20and%20the" target="_blank"><br /></a></p><p>Yesterday, in my own country, I watched years of Toxic Storytelling collide with reality.</p><p>The Toxic Story that exploded yesterday:</p><p>Their leader appeared before them and told them that they had every right to be angry at the corrupt carnival of communists and evildoers that were about to destroy our beloved country. He told them that he wanted them to stand against the crime that was happening down the street from where they gathered. He extolled them to go down the street and make sure that justice was done!</p><p>What wrong were they trying to make right? What crime were they trying to stop?</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyY0xdprHNhimro5Up-Xdzm1_JjOHXL6p5esL3dMULApDoUU_ioGKoYHYb3Bra6AQx-KdtOJuqP460Ms-fZcJAqMQqETAInrAT5a5AmvLTELls8udwjOX7JTQQFMRrbgyvL7TuVCIxmwM/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="233" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyY0xdprHNhimro5Up-Xdzm1_JjOHXL6p5esL3dMULApDoUU_ioGKoYHYb3Bra6AQx-KdtOJuqP460Ms-fZcJAqMQqETAInrAT5a5AmvLTELls8udwjOX7JTQQFMRrbgyvL7TuVCIxmwM/w233-h320/8f23e512cc452804273ae9083f8d37ac.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://kidsbooks.com/Store/Details/9780803786820B?source=ppc&ppc_campaign=u8311689076&gclid=CjwKCAiA_9r_BRBZEiwAHZ_v1xIoDGhHBB473DPcqDUq-LMSQIlPxQJ9c_WiovYAt3cdRkwM9M_yoBoC3XMQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>The Liberal, Democrat, Socialist, Communist, Fascist, Evildoers in cahoots with George Soros, Dominion Voting Machines, China, and Iran have stolen our country by cheating in our last election! Brave Republicans are the only ones standing against this obvious crime! </p><p>We must stop them from stealing this election!</p><p>We must stop them from counting these fraudulent votes!</p><p>We must force the horrible, weak, foolish, corrupt government to do the right thing and send the tabulations back to the states so that they can change the tabulations and make the person who actually won the fraudulent election the actual president as opposed to the person who the Liberal, Democrat, Socialist, Communist, Fascist, Evildoers in cahoots with George Soros, Dominion Voting Machines, China, and Iran say won the election! </p><p><br /></p><p>When they got to the capitol building, the symbol of everything that was wrong in their very Toxic Story, they were overcome with their righteous anger!</p><p>They were not considering how to solve a problem. How on earth do you begin to solve a problem as big as: The Liberal, Democrat, Socialist, Communist, Fascist, Evildoers in cahoots with George Soros, Dominion Voting Machines, China, and Iran -</p><p>Where do you even begin? What do you do about that? What is step one?</p><p>They didn't have anything but anger and a Toxic Story. </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO5sxLapAts" target="_blank">It was the underpants gnomes kind of coup.</a></p><p>1. Mob the capitol</p><p>2. ?</p><p>3. Tr*mp is president forever!</p><p>Toxic Storytelling never creates anything productive or useful. Reality just won't let it.</p><p>Those people believed that somehow if they stopped the certification they could Constitutionally force states to resubmit their totals.</p><p>They are patriots!</p><p>They love America!</p><p>They have absolutely no idea how the government works and what rules it has to follow. </p><p>That wasn't entirely their fault. Their leader doesn't know either. Still, he's the POTUS, so why would they doubt him?</p><p>Within hours the capitol was cleared, the Senate and House were back in session, and the electoral votes were certified.</p><p>Within hours, the new Toxic story began.</p><p><a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-06/california-gop-legislative-leader-shannon-grove-tweets-antifa-claim-capitol-mob" target="_blank">IT WAS A FALSE FLAG OPERATION BY ANTIFA!!!! OUR PEOPLE ARE PATRIOTS!!! THEY WOULD NEVER DO SUCH A THING! FAKE NEWS! FAKE NEWS!</a></p><p>I'm just glad there weren't many black folks there or I'm pretty sure they would have accused BLM of doing this. Well, it's early days.</p><p>Toxic Storytelling has always been part of humanity. There is nothing we can do to stop it. We can only counter it.</p><p>When the people in charge make no effort to challenge it, or worse yet, use it for their own ends, we get a mob at the capitol.</p><p>We have a great many Toxic Stories to unravel if we are going to go forward together in America.</p><p>I am happy to do my part:</p><p>Covid-19 is a real thing. It is very contagious and it can disable and kill people.</p><p>I never feel like it matters much that I keep saying that because the Toxic Stories about Covid-19 are pervasive, but I will keep at it.</p><p>Reality is rarely sexy. It is often scary. It is never easy.</p><p>Telling stories anchored in reality is the only way to face Toxic Storytelling, but it is a difficult lift. </p><p>Toxic Stories are always much easier to deal with. You are never responsible for anything in your Toxic Stories unless your behavior makes you feel better.</p><p>That doesn't mean we throw up our hands and give up. It also doesn't mean we assume the people in the Toxic landscape will see the error of their ways. </p><p>They might not be able to.</p><p>Toxic stories go deep. If they are then reinforced and exacerbated...you burn down the Great Library of Alexandria again, and again, and again...</p><p>Let's work to tell stories that help us face reality even when it's hard.</p><p>Today is a new day. Another chance to face reality.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslWL9HcftjRhTe_1Hk3e1rcaIvQLyA7GdyTCKMwh-svmphq6IjLmv78_BuiXwFQs-AiykvlRg4iZ8qfEBOBp22pw8v-rMnc-UbhoO_ZPX4LQyuW42Sm0UGSbjE7bF_V8Gi3cC_HJH81k/s3648/SDC10971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslWL9HcftjRhTe_1Hk3e1rcaIvQLyA7GdyTCKMwh-svmphq6IjLmv78_BuiXwFQs-AiykvlRg4iZ8qfEBOBp22pw8v-rMnc-UbhoO_ZPX4LQyuW42Sm0UGSbjE7bF_V8Gi3cC_HJH81k/s320/SDC10971.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My son took this pic when he visited Africa</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Happy Detoxing -</p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-56798433349118105562021-01-01T07:09:00.003-08:002021-01-01T07:11:54.428-08:00Day 7 - The Last Day of Kwanzaa! Imani<p>Habari Gani? What's the news?</p><p><br /></p><p> Imani - (i -MAH - nee)</p><p><br /></p><p>Faith</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTdIgF6Hqamc_aHOyv73NAOCc98dXjZVW8hYodKh21K-Yi4UBpp3D21nqvFqhHUfEVPiOIj-0PKvlAVtOfFjG8Q0aTQIXZRLJwNG4S8LYVUjoqmdZvMsC2VWIzC61ghFOG3WthDur5eww/s320/26165776_10213713208921165_2440514535451688867_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTdIgF6Hqamc_aHOyv73NAOCc98dXjZVW8hYodKh21K-Yi4UBpp3D21nqvFqhHUfEVPiOIj-0PKvlAVtOfFjG8Q0aTQIXZRLJwNG4S8LYVUjoqmdZvMsC2VWIzC61ghFOG3WthDur5eww/s0/26165776_10213713208921165_2440514535451688867_n.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Today is the last day of Kwanzaa -<div><br /></div><div>Imani means faith.</div><div><br /></div><div>We should strive to have faith in our people, families, and communities.</div><div><br /></div><div>2020 really tested my faith...</div><div><br /></div><div>It tested my faith in America</div><div><br /></div><div>It tested my faith in common decency</div><div><br /></div><div>It tested my faith in people's ability to tell the difference between reality and conspiracy theories</div><div><br /></div><div>It tested my faith in people's willingness to learn</div><div><br /></div><div>It tested my faith in my own ability to be patient, kind, understanding, or accepting.</div><div><br /></div><div>(I am not typically good at the whole patient understanding thing, and I strive to be kind and accepting, but I am not always good at that either)</div><div><br /></div><div>It tested my faith in the general whether or not America can survive itself.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, my faith was tested, but it wasn't broken.</div><div><br /></div><div>For all of the stories I watched or encountered about people tearing each other down, there were many more about people holding each other up.</div><div><br /></div><div>Friends sent me facemasks at the beginning of this.</div><div><br /></div><div>Healthcare workers went above and beyond!</div><div><br /></div><div>People grasped each other's virtual hands and reached across the world to "embrace" each other.</div><div><br /></div><div>Frontline (essential) workers in so many industries worked hard to keep things going.</div><div><br /></div><div>Many people listened to science.</div><div><br /></div><div>More people participated in our electoral process than ever in the history of our country.</div><div><br /></div><div>I will focus on what moves our country forward, and continue to stand against those things that attempt to drag our country backward.</div><div><br /></div><div>I will work to keep my faith in the universal human desire to be safe, have those we love be safe, and to care for those who need our help.</div><div><br /></div><div>A quick story -</div><div><br /></div><div>There was once a man who had a magic ring. He'd found it when he was young, and it changed his raucous ways and made him a pillar of the community.</div><div><br /></div><div>He had three children. All of them were as raucous as he was in his youth.</div><div><br /></div><div>The children didn't bother curbing their behavior. They all knew that someday their father would will one of them the ring, and that child will have the onerous task of caring for their siblings.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, the father - probably because of his misspent youth - died earlier than anyone could have expected.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next day, each of the man's children came to the village elders. Each had been given golden rings with a note from the father claiming that THEY had the real ring.</div><div><br /></div><div>A huge argument broke out amongst the children as each claimed they had the real ring. The villagers gathered and joined in the commotion. </div><div><br /></div><div>How could they tell who had been given the real ring?</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the elders came forward. "We need not worry about which has the true ring," she said. "We will look at their behavior. The one who has the actual ring will change."</div><div><br /></div><div>Each of the man's children stared at their ring. As they did so, they realized that they were certain that their father had put his faith in them. </div><div><br /></div><div>Their father had given the other two phony rings so they would not feel bad. Each of his children decided that they would have to work hard to be certain they cared for their siblings. their families, and the community.</div><div><br /></div><div>The argument ended, and each of the young people returned home. </div><div><br /></div><div>in years to come their neighbors were amazed. Nobody could tell which of the three had been given the true ring.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is amazing how having faith in people can change them.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Happy New Year!</div><div><br /></div><div>Take the Nguzo Saba with you ou every single day!</div><div><br /></div><div>See you in story!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3MMvBKXYYzVz_MKhh8IFb_-Jv6JMDvsxAZXW-Kb9qs0GeajdhXwZlM2zoAVvheuBietCkJjF0gwnQ1qg_1WoFI5Wgy2_Kd12fW6gW0mE6tnP6cXZIKNt0bbhjQ5Q1mfAfLLlm3dgcaE/s275/download-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3MMvBKXYYzVz_MKhh8IFb_-Jv6JMDvsxAZXW-Kb9qs0GeajdhXwZlM2zoAVvheuBietCkJjF0gwnQ1qg_1WoFI5Wgy2_Kd12fW6gW0mE6tnP6cXZIKNt0bbhjQ5Q1mfAfLLlm3dgcaE/s0/download-7.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-1-umoja-celebrating-kwanzaa.html" target="_blank"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Day 1 - Umoja - Celebrating Kwanzaa!</a></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-2-of-kwanzaa-kujichagulia.html" style="color: #f48d1d; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Day 2 of Kwanzaa - Kujichagulia - Celebrating Kwanzaa</a></h3></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-3-ujima-celebrating-kwanzaa.html" target="_blank">Day 3 - Ujima Celebrating Kwanzaa</a></h3></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-4-ujamaa-celebrate-kwanzaa.html" style="color: #f48d1d; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration-line: none;">Day 4 - Ujamaa - Celebrate Kwanzaa!</a></h3></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-5-nia-celebrate-kwanzaa.html" style="color: #f48d1d; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration-line: none;">Day 5 - Nia - Celebrate Kwanzaa!</a></h3></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-6-kuumba-celebrate-kwanzaa.html" style="color: #f48d1d; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration-line: none;">Day 6 - Kuumba - Celebrate Kwanzaa!</a></h3></div><div><br /></div><div>Day 7 The last Day of Kwanzaa! Imani</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><p><br /></p></div>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-22619706302930479792020-12-31T05:03:00.006-08:002021-01-01T07:10:04.783-08:00Day 6 - Kuumba - Celebrate Kwanzaa!<p> Kuumba - ( coo - oom - BAH )</p><p>Creativity!</p><p>(It is also my 25th wedding anniversary!)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7KfD0VRfY6Rh5xWQfhOm0Md0SMytsuXEIEsissCYBQfSMEimOzsnu4XNJu1ZO3_sA-OS5eoo2tuDuIb6lhZJc__IsudRvdKnnazIpKXkCWqrXXuJ3R8Ug311iom35wn34QMA__fcKlY/s992/married+mob.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="992" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7KfD0VRfY6Rh5xWQfhOm0Md0SMytsuXEIEsissCYBQfSMEimOzsnu4XNJu1ZO3_sA-OS5eoo2tuDuIb6lhZJc__IsudRvdKnnazIpKXkCWqrXXuJ3R8Ug311iom35wn34QMA__fcKlY/s320/married+mob.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>On the sixth day of Kwanzaa, we celebrate creativity!<div><br /></div><div>Leave the world a more beautiful place than when you found it through your creativity!</div><div><br /></div><div>This year?</div><div><br /></div><div>I told lots of stories with lots of people -</div><div>I colored with my mother who lives with Alzheimer's -</div><div>I co-created ASST to help others fulfill their Kuumba -</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>What about you?</div><div><br /></div><div>What did you do this year to make the world a more beautiful place than when you found it?</div><div><br /></div><div>A quick story - </div><div><br /></div><div>The Crow and the Pitcher - an Aesop's Fable</div><div><br /></div><div>Once, a thirsty crow came upon a pitcher. There was water in the very bottom of it.</div><div>The crow stuck his beak in the water, but it was too far away.</div><div><br /></div><div>He tried to push the pitcher over to no avail.</div><div><br /></div><div>He beat at it with his wings, pulled the handle, and cawed at it as loud as he could.</div><div><br /></div><div>He stopped and looked around him. He started picking up stones. </div><div><br /></div><div>He dropped the stones into the pitcher. Little by little, the water level rose until the water was right at the top. The crow drank his fill, and then went on his way.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The thing I love most about this story is that crows have been observed doing this in the wild - using stones to raise the water level in a closed container. Creative thinking - it's not just for the birds!</div><div><p><br /></p><p>Happy Kwanzaa!</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSctrTxM_Ow5b2zy8s4O99RcxbMVTFfaVxscci1CTtEgGth0z0TAYqQ628soKKIZ3Ejifi2RnTaI0Temlwe6fbOYaOef_OUE36Wq2_Lg5K1ycTyNMZu1IKA87kv9fbvM9ufllK7l6tLY4/s1280/IMG_2271.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSctrTxM_Ow5b2zy8s4O99RcxbMVTFfaVxscci1CTtEgGth0z0TAYqQ628soKKIZ3Ejifi2RnTaI0Temlwe6fbOYaOef_OUE36Wq2_Lg5K1ycTyNMZu1IKA87kv9fbvM9ufllK7l6tLY4/s320/IMG_2271.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Anniversary The David!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-1-umoja-celebrating-kwanzaa.html" target="_blank">Day 1 - Umoja - Celebrating Kwanzaa!</a></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-2-of-kwanzaa-kujichagulia.html" style="color: #f48d1d; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Day 2 of Kwanzaa - Kujichagulia - Celebrating Kwanzaa</a></h3></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-3-ujima-celebrating-kwanzaa.html" target="_blank">Day 3 - Ujima Celebrating Kwanzaa</a></h3></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-4-ujamaa-celebrate-kwanzaa.html" style="color: #f48d1d; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration-line: none;">Day 4 - Ujamaa - Celebrate Kwanzaa!</a></h3></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-5-nia-celebrate-kwanzaa.html" style="color: #f48d1d; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration-line: none;">Day 5 - Nia - Celebrate Kwanzaa!</a></h3></div><div><br /></div><div>Day 6 - Kuumba - Celebrate Kwanzaa!</div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2021/01/day-7-last-day-of-kwanzaa-imani.html" style="color: #f48d1d; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration-line: none;">Day 7 - The Last Day of Kwanzaa! Imani</a></h3></div></div></div>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764797702568335112.post-63361168860018899912020-12-30T06:04:00.003-08:002021-01-01T07:09:51.200-08:00Day 5 - Nia - Celebrate Kwanzaa!<p> Nia - (NEE - uh)</p><p>Purpose</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdY9eHRpKBNcYDN-VgsZ59cUe4WxXBtCJHDuvA7HTJ8EpO-HHMgn2TNfvZ1SUvconr6O6M7df9I1E0OSMyuN1KQypV50ACAGnlvjLJLy3BM0ixmU_lnswgCTNKlutCGo3X4yUJHONgE9Q/s320/26165776_10213713208921165_2440514535451688867_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdY9eHRpKBNcYDN-VgsZ59cUe4WxXBtCJHDuvA7HTJ8EpO-HHMgn2TNfvZ1SUvconr6O6M7df9I1E0OSMyuN1KQypV50ACAGnlvjLJLy3BM0ixmU_lnswgCTNKlutCGo3X4yUJHONgE9Q/s0/26165776_10213713208921165_2440514535451688867_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Habari Gani?</p><p>Nia!</p><p>Nia means purpose. It is important to move through life with a purpose or goal. This is not an overarching goal that moves everything in your life, but it could be.</p><p>Without focus or a goal, then you have no way to know if you are moving towards achieving something or not. Having a purpose also focuses your choices. Is this choice moving me towards my goal, or is it going to ultimately prevent me form achieving what I want?</p><p>Looking back on 2020, I can honestly say that when the year started my goals were the ones they always were.</p><p>Goals -</p><p>- Keep our company afloat</p><p>- Support my children in the way that is most helpful to them</p><p>- Volunteer in the communit when you can</p><p>- Financially support local social services organizations</p><p>- Support our neighbors</p><p>- Pay attention to local state, and national politics so I can be certain my voice is counted</p><p>The purpose in all of these things is to do my best to support my family and the communities in which I participate.</p><p>After COVID... it turns out my goas didn't change and neither did my purpose!</p><p>How did I live Nia this year?</p><p>- Took our business virtual</p><p>- Supported my children as jobs ended and everything went virtual</p><p>- Co-founded ASST with the amazing <a href="http://www.mssheila.org/" target="_blank">Sheila Arnold</a></p><p>- We have financially and pysically supported our local food pantry</p><p>- One of the. things I have found amazing is how active our neighbors have been with the Little Library we erected on our corner. People came from all over the place to exchange and share books during the pandemic.</p><p>- And, of course, I vote, comment, and participate in politics.</p><p>How did you live Nia this year?</p><p>What were your goals and how do they interact with your purpose?</p><p>- A short poem</p><header class="header" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(102, 102, 102); margin-bottom: 50px; margin-left: 34.25px;"><h1 class="poem-title" style="font-family: AvenirBlack; font-size: 72px; font-weight: normal; margin: 20px 12px;"><a href="https://nationalpoetryday.co.uk/poem/the-seedling/" target="_blank">The Seedling</a></h1><h3 class="author-byline" style="font-size: 42px; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 16px;">by Paul Laurence Dunbar</h3></header><div class="illustration" style="float: right; width: 411px;"></div><div class="poem-content" style="margin-left: 34.25px; width: 959px;"><p style="font-size: 32px; line-height: 42px; margin-left: 12px;">As a quiet little seedling<br />Lay within its darksome bed,<br />To itself it fell a–talking,<br />And this is what it said:</p><p style="font-size: 32px; line-height: 42px; margin-left: 12px;">“I am not so very robust,<br />But I ‘ll do the best I can;”<br />And the seedling from that moment<br />Its work of life began.</p><p style="font-size: 32px; line-height: 42px; margin-left: 12px;">So it pushed a little leaflet<br />Up into the light of day,<br />To examine the surroundings<br />And show the rest the way.</p><p style="font-size: 32px; line-height: 42px; margin-left: 12px;">The leaflet liked the prospect,<br />So it called its brother, Stem;<br />Then two other leaflets heard it,<br />And quickly followed them.</p><p style="font-size: 32px; line-height: 42px; margin-left: 12px;">To be sure, the haste and hurry<br />Made the seedling sweat and pant;<br />But almost before it knew it<br />It found itself a plant.</p><p style="font-size: 32px; line-height: 42px; margin-left: 12px;">The sunshine poured upon it,<br />And the clouds they gave a shower;<br />And the little plant kept growing<br />Till it found itself a flower.</p><p style="font-size: 32px; line-height: 42px; margin-left: 12px;">Little folks, be like the seedling,<br />Always do the best you can;<br />Every child must share life’s labor<br />Just as well as every man.</p><p style="font-size: 32px; line-height: 42px; margin-left: 12px;">And the sun and showers will help you<br />Through the lonesome, struggling hours,<br />Till you raise to light and beauty<br />Virtue’s fair, unfading flowers.</p></div><div class="biography" style="background-color: #fafafa; padding: 20px;"><div class="bio-content" style="float: left; margin: 25px; width: calc(50% - 50px);"><img src="https://nationalpoetryday.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Paul-Laurence-Dunbar.png" style="float: right; max-width: 32%;" /></div><div class="bio-content" style="float: left; margin: 25px; width: calc(50% - 50px);"><h3 style="color: #666666; font-family: AvenirBlack; font-weight: normal;">Paul Laurence Dunbar</h3>Born in 1872, Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the first African-American poets to gain national recognition. He authored numerous collections of poetry and prose during his life.</div><div class="clear" style="clear: both;"></div></div><section id="featured-content" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 40px; position: relative; top: 40px;"><ul id="children" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Happy Kwanzaa!</ul><ul id="children" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lil-Rabbits-Kwanzaa-Donna-Washington/dp/0060728183/ref=asc_df_0060728183/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475750951675&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9601434695033874684&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009747&hvtargid=pla-1073324205294&psc=1" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUObWH3cd-s9FFB6W93j4SV5ZgcRlZkfZWk-cUAdWVBo3zW0buPObGUz3G_A1CmBKH1pZUYJN3N1v3FQ8Ms7027Qv-be0vNA1grghUw_H4t_8CIYah0RTBVs5aJJf4mGMQ9M0B7pdNZE/s0/Unknown.jpeg" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lil-Rabbits-Kwanzaa-Donna-Washington/dp/0060728183/ref=asc_df_0060728183/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475750951675&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9601434695033874684&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009747&hvtargid=pla-1073324205294&psc=1" target="_blank">Now in Paperback!</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-1-umoja-celebrating-kwanzaa.html" target="_blank">Day 1 - Umoja - Celebrating Kwanzaa!</a></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-2-of-kwanzaa-kujichagulia.html" style="color: #f48d1d; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Day 2 of Kwanzaa - Kujichagulia - Celebrating Kwanzaa</a></h3></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-3-ujima-celebrating-kwanzaa.html" target="_blank">Day 3 - Ujima Celebrating Kwanzaa</a></h3></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-4-ujamaa-celebrate-kwanzaa.html" style="color: #f48d1d; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration-line: none;">Day 4 - Ujamaa - Celebrate Kwanzaa!</a></h3></div><div><br /></div><div>Day 5 - Nia - Celebrate Kwanzaa!</div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2020/12/day-6-kuumba-celebrate-kwanzaa.html" style="color: #f48d1d; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration-line: none;">Day 6 - Kuumba - Celebrate Kwanzaa!</a></h3></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="color: #f48d1d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2021/01/day-7-last-day-of-kwanzaa-imani.html" style="color: #f48d1d; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration-line: none;">Day 7 - The Last Day of Kwanzaa! Imani</a></h3></div></div><ul id="children" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /><li class="ambassadors" style="background-image: url("_images/man-and-woman.png"); background-position: 50% 20px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto 170px; cursor: pointer; float: left; font-family: Avenir; height: 300px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 54.7969px 50px; text-align: center; width: 342.5px;"><a href="https://nationalpoetryday.co.uk/ambassador" style="color: #f7941f; display: block; padding-top: 200px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: text-decoration 0.25s linear 0s;"></a></li></ul></section><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Donna Washington - Storytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041171044081636636noreply@blogger.com0