Resources for Storytelling
Links to sites providing free audio books, podcasts & Video Clips
Commonly known as the Drabble, 100 word stories are an extremely brief form of flash-fiction. My obsessive-compulsive nature forces me to write them, record them, and then publish them here for all the world to enjoy or ridicule. Recently, other talented and tortured writers have joined me in my quest to combine brevity with what we hope is wit.
This is a website with some differences. You can sample-listen (no visuals) and buy/download a variety of oral stories, recorded by both professional and amateur storytellers. And you can also sell/upload recordings of your own oral stories ( ie by commission for on-line sales). ‘Sample-listen’ means you can listen to the first 45 seconds of a selected story recording, a synopsis of each story is however helpfully provided to give you further idea what you’re getting.
LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain and release the audio files back onto the net. Our goal is to make all public domain books available as free audio books.
Podcasts of various works by various authors.
This site produced by the ABC is really cool! It is not your conventional website but is aimed more at people willing to take the time to play with it. Although I certainly wouldn't say I agree with everything I saw in my brief play with the site I think it does a very good job of sending the message that the old folk and fairy tales are still relevant to today.
This site has recordings eg MP3 of the Story Lovers World radio programs from California (each of 1 hour duration approx). The host is oral storyteller Jackie Baldwin, who interviews several tellers in each program, who then tell stories. The several programs include: ‘Many Tricksters’; ‘Enchanted Garden of Seeds and Stories’; ‘Tall tales’; and ‘Tickle My Funny Bone’. From Home page of this radio station website, go down left hand menu till you find Story Lovers World in the alphabetical listing. Click on this to see what is available to listen to: no image of teller unfortunately.
The First Podcast for Storytelling
A delightful website to sample the variety of storytellers who have been recorded on You-Tube. You can see and hear live performances, displaying their distimctive styles, usually in live performance situations. Recordings are slightly variable in technical quality, shown within a ‘shell’ of a movie screen on your computer. Streaming quality will depend on what speed your computer/modem works, but still worthwhile.
This site has hundreds of live presentations, often taking the form of personal stories, often using visual aids on a screen. Although TED stands for Technology, Education, Design the scope of the contents goes beyond this but invariably about ideas which are worth spreading. The themes and categorisations are useful (eg inspiring, courageous) and the length variable and seem to average 10 –15 minutes.. Well recorded (sound & presenter) and clearly transmitted when I’ve checked the site
The ‘moth’ alludes to people attracted to stories (like lights). This site includes recordings of 5-12 minute personal stories recorded live. The emphasis is on people telling crafted personal stories about their most exceptional experiences. Click on left hand menu Storytellers then click on button Listen to Stories. No image of the teller.
Links to written stories to learn and tell
A great resource for Arabian tales. Has several versions of 1001 Nights and other Arabian tales too.
Ashliman retired from the University of Pittsburgh on May 1, 2000, and now conducts his folklore research from southern Utah. His websites include:
A Collection of very short Folktales. Collected by Heather Forest
SurLaLune Fairy Tales features 49 annotated fairy tales, including their histories, similar tales across cultures, modern interpretations and over 1,500 illustrations.
Links to Storyteling Guilds in Australia & New Zealand
Website of the Queensland Guild
Website for the Storytelling Guild in Australian Capital Territory
Website of the NSW Guild
Website of the SA Guild.
Website of the WA Guild. Maintained by Mabel Kaplan
Website of the VIC Guild
Old NSW Guild site: Still contains a large collection of useful information. Currently maintained by Gael Cresp
Links to individual storytellers sites (At present this is just a list but in future this list will be filterable by state &/or genre, etc.
Anna is a storyteller and musician who combines both to perform stories from around the world. She is based on the south coast of NSW but travels far and wide.
Donna is a a storyteller, performer, activist, writer, and educator. Her website offers information about the ways she works with stories. This includes using stories for healing, education and the promotion of interfaith discussion/learning.
Helen McKay and Berice Dudley
Authors, Accredited Public Speakers, and Workshop Facilitators, Promoting Happiness and the Art of Living, Riotous Riddles, About Storytelling and an appreciation of our indigenous people’s culture.
Jackie’s generous site includes several very Australian stories which can be located via the pull down ‘Stories’ menu at the top. They include: Shark (poetry); Phar Lap The Wonder Horse (poetry); A Boy Called Ned Kelly (Prose); No Horse, No Cart, No Shoes – set in C19 South Australia (Prose). Her stories which can be either You-Tube viewable or Listenable via Windows Media or equivalent: some are in poetic (ballad form) some are in prose as noted.
Jenni's company is the Story Tree. She offers a regular and interesting blog on the home page which is worth subscribing to. Jenni describes her storytelling as "helps people experience the ancient, healing wisdom held in told stories, both for children and adults."
Jesse has been pursuing his dream of being a wandering bard since he was 16 year old. He completed a year long project in storytelling as his final year graduation assessment from the Perth Waldorf School and started his busines professionally in 2006 performing and running workshops at libraries, schools, festivals and children's parties.
Blog by Julie Mundy-Taylor offering articles about workshops and performances and her PhD on Children's engagement with different styles of storytelling.
Lilli is a bilingual storyteller based in NSW. Her website offers an overview of her workshop and the ways in which she works with youth and in the mental health field. Lilli has a comprehensive list of resources and links available.
Amazingly this website does capture the knowledge and range of storytelling that Peter and Pat Dargin offer. The website outlines Peters latest book, his editorial time of "The Swag of Yarns" and the distance that they travel in any given year.
Storytelling duo, The Tale Spinners have a storybook website that explains how the duo met and began performing. What kind of shows and storytelling workshops they offer - including puppet making and an array of colourful images.
These links have not been assigned a group.
Jo's website offers a description of what storytelling is :-) Her website outlines the vast array of storytelling and speaking opportunities you can book Jo for. To name a few - historical, romantic, literary, myths, legends, etc etc.
