Storytelling Matters

What are our obligations to a story when we tell it? What happens to a story when we write it down? How can stories change our world?

Our guest this episode is Leah Lamb, a writer, producer, and transformational storyteller. She's worked in and produced plays off-Broadway and around the country, been a wilderness leader, an author, but centrally, is a storyteller. We'll hear from her about her experiences, thoughts, and a pearl or two of wisdom for storytellers. And, of course, a story!

We'll also hear a story about a band of truly incompetent thieves. We'll explore how that story continues to change and grow in its telling, and how we change along with it. And we'll cap the whole episode off with a special offer.

Full show notes at http://storytellingmatterspodcast.com/s1e10

Continue reading "Keeping Stories Alive"

This episode, we explore the boundaries of belief: what happens when we discover we can believe something that we never expected, when things we believe turn out not to be true, and when we decide to believe something unbelievable.

Our guest this episode is Bob Kanegis, a New Mexico storyteller and coach who helps people uncover, craft and tell their most important stories; he's been in the business for decades. He's traveled to and lived in places many of us haven't, including many years in the Yukon.

Bob will share how he came into storytelling, the exciting programs he's involved with now, and how, remarkably, a story actually saved his life! He'll also share some pearls of wisdom for new storytellers.

You'll also hear a traditional story from me, and some thoughts about Truth, facts, and the power of belief.

http://storytellingmatterspodcast.com/s1e9

Continue reading "The Power of Belief"

In this episode, we hear about the power of stories to affect our lives, especially when we learn to tell the story that's been pursuing us. For many, that story is our own story, seen through a different lens.

In this episode, we learn about myth and magic, which carry some of the deeper themes within stories – and how they affect our modern lives.

Our guest this week is Doctor Leonia Kurgan, a Psychoanalyst and a Psychodramatist from Poland and South Africa – late of Los Angeles – who uses stories professionally, as well as a storyteller. Importantly, she has found deep resonances with them in her own life, which then further informs her understanding and use of them.

Full show notes can be found at http://storytellingmatterspodcast.com/s1e7

Continue reading "Myth and Magic"

In this podcast, we visit the world of the hidden – and how it can be revealed.

Storytelling has a lot to do with things that are hidden, that can be hidden in many different ways.

The most obvious form of hiding is in plot elements that are deliberately hidden, such as in a murder mystery. Then there are the things that are hidden that are far less concrete, but still part of the intent of the story.

But most interesting are things that lie beneath the surface, which are often not explicitly known to the teller. These are the personal meanings that the audience – and the teller! – can discover in the story without specific intent.

In this episode, we'll hear some stories and thoughts about things that are hidden and revealed. Our guest is TZiPi Radonsky, a maggidah, Rabbi, and PhD educator. She'll share personal stories, reflections, and pearls of wisdom. You'll also hear a traditional story about things hidden and revealed, and some thoughts and experiences about when those moments of unexpected revelations occur.

In this podcast, we visit the topic of turning and returning: how one turns away from darker points in our lives.

The Hebrew word for "repentance" is t'shuvah­, which literally means to turn (around). It implies an act of will, and also the notion of not simply turning, but REturning to a better state.

In this episode, we hear stories that open some of those darker spaces and the ways that people might respond to that darkness. Philip Rose, our guest, will share a personal story that he uses in his transformational work; Titi Ogunnaike will share a cautionary children's tale from the Yoruba that might remind some of us of the Brothers Grimm; and I will share a story of a very dark place from the canon of the Baal Shem Tov.

We'll also enjoy a surprise personal snippet from Phil about being audacious.

In this podcast, we visit the world of humorous stories – and how they can be transformational.

Many times, when we imagine a transformational story, we think of something deep, with layers of meaning that are soul-stirring, full of emotional moments and archetypic characters, plot, and setting. However, light-hearted stories can be full of healing in unexpected ways; and healing, after all, is an important kind of transformation.

In this episode, we hear stories that lift our souls with joy and a little mischief. One, a story from the canon of Hershel of Ostropol, is told by our guest, Hanita Blair, who also shares her more serious thoughts on how a storyteller must connect with their audience. I share a short collection of the tales of the city of Chelm, a place more fictional than real (although it is found in modern Poland).

We also discuss the ways in which humor can actually be an important source of transformation.