Forthcoming events

Yes - I was in a school with which I have a close relationship this week, and the Head Teacher was showing me some of the changes to the overall school layout and environment that had happened over the summer.

The secondary and primary libraries had been consolodated into a single room, and although the Head was determined that the school should keep a library, he was concerned that the room wasn't being used (we visited 4 times during the morning and didn't see another soul in there), and that the place of computers in (validly) preparing children and young people for a skilled life in the real world is taking over from the importance and pleasure of books.

Of course, this is not a quandry unique to schools - the e-book versus the sensual pleasure of bound, word-printed, paper debate has been going on for a while now, and the harm done by the closure of public libraries is a decades old dispute. However, there is something really visceral for those of us old enough to remember schooling when books were all, and an overhead projector was as the devils work, in thinking that the school library may become a thing of the past.

So I started thinking about how the library might be re-framed / re-branded / re-thought about / re-launched and become a desirable place to be, an attractive prospect and re-gain it's rightful respect as a treasure trove equal to but different from the world of information available to us via screens.

In terms of reference, then yes, aside from information that is best viewed in a massive format ( eg large detailed maps ) perhaps the interweb will remain the dominant sourcing tool, but stories, particularly picture books, are different.

Is there something about bringing the experience of reading, telling and sharing stories - those that exist on the page already, those that young people create themselves, and those that we all build on every day of our lives - to the forefront of the library experience, over and above it being a storeroom for books?

The school and I are working together on this experiment, to see if we can bring this room back to the heart of the school, as a place where children of all ages; teaching staff; parents and outside professionals can share the joy of experiencing a story unfold together.

I'll keep you posted how that unfurls.

Professor Smedley of Storytelling.

Where do you get your ideas from?

Well the short answer is YES!

At a 4 form entry Infant School, I held a whole school assembly where we all learned and sang my song of the moment : OLYMPIC BABY (get it while it's hot Mr. Cowell! ) . . . . . .  and then over two days performed the tried and tested quartet which are here on the stories page of the website, along with various permutations of other newer creations, including the debut of REMEMBERYMEMBERY ELEPHANT and INCAPABILITY BROWN.

The wonderful Nicola Richardson at http://www.vortex-creates.co.uk/ (who also made my glorious Storytelling Skirt) has made me the most wonderful elephant puppet - photographs will be posted anon - which the children treated rather like a beloved grandma - even though to me it looks like a male!

Although all the new stories went down fantastically well - and the first outing has helped me to see where the language used, concept and content fits best within the FS2 - yr2 age range - it was the popularity of my travelling salesman and greatest inventorator in the world INCAPABILITY BROWN that was the greatest surprise. Perhaps it's just the right pitch for year twos, perhaps it's just the right mix of sitting back and listening and joining in, perhaps it's something to do with the slightly nonsensical feel, or the rhythm - further outings will help clarify it I'm sure.

This is one of the main reasons why STORYTELLING is such a magical thing - it really is a two way process.

Sometimes I'd like to re-name the whole process . . .  maybe STORYLISTENING, no, that's not quite right . . .maybe STORY...... UM, I DON'T KNOW - ANY SUGGESTIONS?. . . .

......looking forward to hearing from you . . 

love from Nikky in The World of Mouth x

This week I held a workshop at Birmingham Hippodrome for students from Solihull College training to be Early Years Practitioners.

It was a jam-packed morning, covering some tips and techniques they could take away and implement - but also delving more deeply into the nature, power and philosophy of storytelling - why it matters and why we care about doing it well.

My overarching theme was that it's all about commitment.

Everything in life comes back to storytelling - we tell ourselves stories about how worthwhile / smart / handsome we are, and similarly we sum up everyone we know and everything we experience in a little story.

Most of psychotherapy, and certainly hypnotherapy is about acquiring techniques to recognise the stories of ourselves and our history, and change them if we wish.

Business relies on effective storytelling - Steve Jobs was a master.

This is not cynicism - quite the reverse - it's finding the beautiful power of language in everything around us....... and that language doesn't have to be verbal..... a perfect subtle story can be told with a few facial muscles.

And there's nowhere to hide - no matter who your audience are, they can tell whether you mean it or not, and if you're worried about engaging them - you need to mean it .... also, that's what makes it more fun for the storyteller ..... the person ceases to matter, and the story is all.

It was a privilege to work with a group of young people who care enough to want to take their place in our oral tradition seriously ...... but who also understand the value of silliness..... they take our words into the ears of future generations.

Happy New Year from Nikky in the World of Mouth.

Just to let you know that you can find me on twitter @StoryNikky .... hope everyone's having fun getting ready for Xmas .... Who has an original story to tell? The sprouts? The wrapping paper? The wreath? The puddle? The Xmas Fairy? Why not have a go at the telling .......... enjoy and Season's Greetings,

love from Nikky in the World of Mouth.