The Whole Story Handbook: Using Imagery to Complete the Story Experience

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

Reading a story silently is a private act; hearing one told aloud is a communal act. Like musical scores that come to life when played, stories take on an added dimension when shared aurally. Carol Birch—storyteller, children's librarian, and teacher—tackles the slippery topic of the difference between memorizing a written story and reciting it aloud, and telling it directly and engagingly to a group of listeners.

We all recognize the difference when we hear it. But how does one bridge it? The same way, Birch asserts, that we take home most prizes: you must be present to win. Meaning, the storyteller must know much, much more about the story than he or she tells. How can you communicate the fortunes of a character you don't know yourself? How can you convey a story whose setting you have not fully imagined?

In addition to her own infectious prose—bursting with the "attitude" she encourages her readers to embrace—Birch provides a series of guided imagery exercises. These prompts walk the reader through the nuts and bolts of learning and imagining a story from the inside out in order to be fully present in its telling. Includes notes and bibliography. 

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.