WHO SAYS Format: Paperback

Winner of Storytelling World Award & Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award




Contemporary storytelling has its roots in the oral and literary traditions. Performances are often judged according to the aesthetics of print, theater, or music – even television and film. In the last two decades, the storytelling movement has gained momentum, both as an educational tool and as engaging form of entertainment.

But the revival is so young that there is no common vocabulary for discussing it. What are the aesthetics of storytelling? These ten essays provide models to think with. Most of the contributors are storytellers; they are also anthropologists, writers, folklorists, musicians, and teachers and librarians. Provocative, challenging, and robust, these essays address critical issues in an increasingly potent movement.

Carol Birch Bio:

Carol's work is known for her compelling blend of energy, warmth, and vulnerability. Thirty years of experience have earned her a respected place in the forefront or professional storytellers: teaching at Southern Connecticut State University; lecturing at forty-one universities across the nation, as well as professional and corporate organizations. Carol has produced a number of audio-anthologies, along with writing a number of highly respected resource books on storytelling. She's been a featured storyteller six times at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, and she has performed throughout the world in Australia, Germany, Norway, Singapore and North America. In 1998, Carol received the National Storytelling Network's Circle of Excellence Award given to storytellers recognized by their peers as master tellers, setting standards for excellence, and demonstrating a commitment and dedication to the art.