2009 Conference Workshops

All workshops take place on Saturday, November 7

Interpreters provided for all sessions.

1. "Nuts & Bolts of Storytelling" In this basic workshop you will learn techniques on how to learn, tell, and choose stories for the telling. Active exercises for visualizing, acting out stories, using whole body and hand gestures, using voice and face, drawing, and miming will be explored. Expect to be engaged and expect to have fun while you are learning! Length: 2 hours Presenter: Cynthia Changaris
2. "Audience Participation Tales (a lecture/demonstration) Participants learn the attributes of audience participation stories, hear tips for telling them, and see techniques for controlling audience participation. Length: 60 minutes Presenter: Mary Hamilton
3. "Turning Your Story Into a Fabulous Fib" Organizers of Young's "Big Bull Shake Liar's Contest" Independence Day in Ohio help participants apply the tricks and tools of stretching facts into an outlandish tall tale in this interactive session. Length: 60 minutes Presenters: Jonatha and Harold Wright
4. "Youth Tellers: Getting Over the Humps of Camels" In this session, geared to youth tellers, good story building will be explained and demonstrated by the KYSS Chair, Mountain Teller, Pamela Holcomb. Choosing a story, the literary elements of a story, developing the story using story maps and story boards, and self-evaluation will be covered in this interactive session. Length: 60 minutes Presenter: Pam Holcomb
5. "Story Delivery Skills to Make Your Fib Believable & Fabulous" Want to learn to lie effectively? Body language, gestures, facial expressions, voice tone can make or break effective fibbing. Practice numerous fib enhancements, and learn new skills in this interactive session. Length: 60 minutes Presenters: Jonatha and Harold Wright
6. "Pre-school Storytelling" Want to tell to little children? Cynthia has developed the five R's of telling to small ones: rhythm, rhyme, repetition, reality, and "right short." Songs, games, finger plays, whole body activities, and audience participation will be a part of the teaching, all with an eye to supporting the young child's development and literacy. Length: 60 minutes Presenter: Cynthia Changaris
7. "Your Own Story: Writing, Owning and Telling" Each of us is a survivor and we are hard-wired for stories. By examining and owning your own story, you will increase the power of your storytelling. Ways to begin this personal journey are explored and assessed. Length: 60 minutes Presenters: Paschal Baute and Charlie Eyer
8. "I Want To Hear That Story" What's in a good story? This lively workshop will engage participants in creating or re-creating interesting characters in interesting places doing interesting things. Through group brainstorming, simple improvisation, role-playing and other drama activities, participants will discover methods for utilizing the three tools of a storyteller: imagination, voice, and body to make an ordinary story extraordinary. Length: 2 hours Presenter: Octavia Sexton
9. "Preserve Your Personal History: Live and Remember" Each human being is a wealth of stories and insight into culture, life wisdom, and fun. Especially designed for senior citizens and for those who want to preserve their family stories, this workshop will allow participants to explore active ways to collect and keep the stories that make their family and our human culture rich. Length: 60 minutes Presenter: Cynthia Changaris
10. "Words and Hands Together" This interactive session will have deaf interpreters teamed with storytellers so that each will learn from the other – signs, movements, how to work with each other. Each team will create a three-minute story, and the group favorite will present the story at an open mike time during the conference. Length: 60 minutes Presenter: Nina Coyer