Hello Friends,

Today has been a thoughtful day: a day of classes, and, perhaps more relevant to the thoughtfulness, I spent a good deal of time working on the story I mentioned yesterday.  I’m interested to discover how this story turns out.  I have taken some struggles in my life and am attempting to work them out in my story, using my recent study of folklore format and the universal nature of many human experiences.

This project is both a self exploration  and an application of the folklore I have been studying’ so please, keep checking in and tell me your thoughts when I present this piece in this blog.  I hope all is going well for you, and may all the best stories tumble your way.

Best,

Lethan

Hello friends,

I’ve spent the day today, for the most part, reading.  Lots of reading on a variety of different subjects: Daniel Boone, the Founding of Nashville, John Sevier, and the analysis of folktales from a psycho-analytical perspective.  While I found all these subjects interesting, it was the last that most got my attention.  To summarize in (very) brief: myths and folktales can be viewed from a Jungian vantage point to contain a variety of symbols (cultural and universal) that reveal things about the human experience and lessons given to us by our predecessors.  While this reading does get dense at times, it is fascinating, and has inspired me onto a new, hopefully soon to be released project.

I intend to apply my new learning about the structure and symbols imbedded in folklore and attempt to write my own story in the folktale format.  I consider it a way to process my new knowledge, and what better way to process then by applying.  I have some ideas tumbling about in my head, but nothing definite yet.  I do plan on releasing a version it soon on this website, so please come back and check it out when it is up.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

But, until then, may all the best stories find you and may you all rest with a smile on your face.

Best,

Lethan

Yesterday, I had a hopeful experience: I attended a peace march and rally in Johnson City, TN, and I was not the only person there.  In fact, according to the official count, there were 212 people in the march, the largest rally for peace in the region since the Vietnam War.  I was inspired by the hundreds of people attending this movement for peace, but that was not what I found most exciting.  What I found most exciting was the support from the community: as we traveled our ½ mile path, car-horns called their support for the cause of peace; meanwhile we, the peace marchers, let our voices sing:

Gonna lay down, my sword and shield

Down by the riverside

Down by the riverside

Down by the riverside

Gonna study war no more

The area communities: Johnson City, TN; Bristol, NC; Ashville, NC, even a few people from Alabama; united around this common desire for a stop to this false justification of murder: murder of the men and women in combat; murder of, by some reliable estimates, of as many as 1,000,000 Iraq citizens; murder of the basic ideals of our constitution.  As another chant in our march passionately proclaimed:

One, Two, Three, Four

We don’t want this stupid war

Five, Six, Seven, Eight

A cry for peace and not for hate

This was a peace march that took place in a consistently red (conservative) state, in the a buckle of the bible belt; not an area known for its liberal ideals, yet the support came from all around.  As we marched, our ranks grew and the feeling from nearly all the passer-bys was one of frustration toward the government that has betrayed our trust.

I will not pretend that the support of the community was unanimous: as we marched there was a group of bikers, which seemed to consist almost entirely of older veterans, that circled us; like hawks waiting for a chance to kill.  And there was one incident of a man screaming and cussing at us: labeling us as un-American traitors, and I will not begrudge these people the chance to exercise their freedom of speech, but I found it interesting that as the march progressed, the number of bikers seemed to diminish, and there was only one vocal opponent while there were hundreds of supporters from the passing traffic.

The march ended in front of the library at East Tennessee State University where we heard speeches by an international political activist for peace, a local minister, and a veteran of the current conflict in Iraq.  These speakers all presented facts, many of which I had already heard bits and pieces of; but what seemed to be a universal call from all was the need for action, not just disapproval.  And that is one reason why I am writing this blog entry.

I do not believe I ever blatantly stated my political beliefs as part of Traveling Tales.  I’ve never been shy about what I believe, but I’ve always attempted to keep politics out of my storytelling.  I now recognize I cannot do that any more.  We are in a war justified for false reasons (Iraq was not involved with the horrors of 9/11, they did not have nuclear weapons,…), and this war has cost hundreds of thousands of lives.  Our 2008 department of defense budget is larger than that of ever other country in the world; no longer just larger then the top ten combined.  This will cost the American taxpayer, you and me, approximately 1.8 billion dollars, a day.  That’s $75,000,000.00 dollars an hour.  This is more than half our national budget; meanwhile there are more than 40 million American citizens who cannot afford healthcare, our school systems are falling apart, and, for many the idea of any university education is not even a dream.

I am not saying you should support the left or the right, the liberals or the conservative, the democrats of the republicans (both of which are too often lying to us); this is a plea for activism, for sensible thought, for peace.  My opponents my suggest that pulling out of Iraq will only “embolden our enemies,” or “support a culture of terror;” but I will reply by reminding these people that since we began our “war on terror” it has been found, by bi-patrician studies, that we are now at a far greater risk of terrorist attacks than we were before we invaded Iraq; I suggest that we are not defending against a “culture of terror,” but this nations actions are only further propagating both terror and the negative international opinion of the United States of America.

Therefore, I ask all of you to look critically at this war; and don’t just look at the war, speak your mind about this war.  Find the facts and argue reasonably about what you believe.  Ask yourself if you feel we can justify the deaths of men and women, soldiers and civilians because we were lead into this conflict on false pretenses by a man who we asked to represent the common person of America by electing him to office.  Ask yourself if this man, George Bush Jr., has honestly represented the American public when 70% want us to pull out of the country, to bring our men and women home.   And then speak to your congressional representatives; speak to the public through your newspaper; speak your neighbor and inform him or her about the facts.  That is what this blog asks you to do: don’t just criticize (or support, if that’s what you believe), but act upon your beliefs.  As American citizens, we are supposed to live in a government where the common citizen has a voice, but I am often afraid that the voice of the people is not heard because we don’t use it.  Use your voice.  Speak for what you believe.  Please, speak.

Thank you.  May the best stories find you and may you not be afraid to take action if the stories cause you troubles.

Best,
Lethan

At: Tipton-Haynes, TN

Lethan is excited to be bringing Traveling Tales to a Tennessee audience for the first time.  Several stories that are favorites up north (Rapunzel, the 3 Little Pigs…) will be traveling down south and getting acquainted with a brand new group of friends.

At: Glenwood El Sch in Greenwood, TN

Lethan and his friends in storytelling will be visiting a school in the lovely state of Tennessee to share some stories filled with fun and an exciting, positive energy.

At: Mars Hill College, near Asheville, NC

At this performance, Lethan will be presenting at least one brand new story about the Revolutionary War - perhaps at a bonfire, perhaps inside, but wherever the event, lots of fun (and education) will be had by all.

At: Hillcrest El School, TN

Lethan is excited to be storytelling for the first time as part of East Tennessee State University’s storytelling guild, the Tale Tellers. He will be telling with several of his new friends as they all share with the students of Hillcrest Elementary School. An exciting new step in Lethan’s storytelling.

Today I’m recognizing the importance of trusting my impulses.  Too often I fall back on what is secure, what is logical.  I feel it is from this that many of my missed opportunities stem.

In the heat of the moment, when the story of life is turbulently tossing about you, one is often faced with a decision: you may take the safe, accepted route or the more dangerous path of impulse.  In my experience, I tend to take the route that is safe (to some degree), be this more known, moderate, or just easier.  This is the path where I don’t risk any major losses; but it also happens that I don’t attempt any gains.

Now, I have never been much of a gambler –a few friendly games of poker, an occasional slot machine – and I choose this path because I won’t loose what I have earned.  At times, this seems right; I needn’t worry about the tragedy of loss; but at the same time I don’t get to revel in the joy of a win.

I don’t mean for this entry to be about financial, recreational gambling; instead, I am suggesting my fear of following my impulses when I feel they contain too great a risk, may hinder my interaction with the world – with some destiny that is before me, if I would but seize it.

Yet, the fear still remains: what if I am wrong.  If I am wrong I would lose; but if my impulses are correct (as I too often discover they are, after the moment), I might bask in the glorious events that emerge from my action.  This can be applied (in some degree) to many events: financial gambling, romance, career choices, particular storytelling performances; and still I don’t know.  When I do follow my impulses, miraculous events tend to occur – usually – there have been times when my impulsive decisions have lead to tragic conclusion, and it is those possible tragic conclusions that make me hesitate.

I suppose, in some ways, this raises the question: do I wish to “boldly go where no one has gone before, or would I rather stay in my nice, safe world where I know I will benefit in some small way, though I will also fail to grasp the massive benefits which I could gamble for.

In some ways, I am asking dangerous questions in this entry; in some ways foolish, but these are the questions that are rolling through my mind as I move toward sleep tonight, so I thought I’d share.

Best,

Lethan

We begin with a slow, grand, almost pompous statement:

My Lords and My Ladies,

Of the Royal Court,

the religious fantasy of Jonah

and the Whale.

From here the story shoots into a flurry of words, syllables, sounds, silence, and beat beat beat beat – a musical concoction that is derived from only the speaker’s voice.  This is Lord Buckley’s storytelling.

A performance artist from the 40’s – early 60’s, one can easily recognize Buckley’s influence on the alternative movements emerging at the time (beatniks, hippies, ect…).  It seems he was finding barriers established by cultural norms and shattering them; he took known pieces (Biblical stories, famous speeches…) and turned themed around using alt-cultural idioms of the day.  This made the stories new, fresh, accessible by a new group of people and reminding the public of the oft forgotten themes imbedded in the tales.

From a technical standpoint, Buckley seems to approach each tale as a piece of music – finding the rhythm in each word and using his fast speaking voice to carry the listener along on a wave of words; until the wave breaks, for the wave does break in a hard, sudden stop.  A crash of silence that leaves the listener hanging, seeking the next word, the next sound; knowing the next piece is important, for it is with it that we will land.  But as soon as we land, Buckley sweeps us up and carries us off on anther torrent of words and sounds.

I recognize, however, that it is not every story that is like this.  Buckley also delivers pieces with a slow, calm, grandiose tone that sounds formal and culturally proper, but he inserts slang to keep the audience not knowing what is actually happening: are we being formal or hip?

Buckley’s work is something different – art that came out of the beginnings of a cultural revolution and performed by a man who pushed the barrier of acceptability of the time, and is on the edge when viewed in a contemporary light.  The songs that fly out with his voice are interesting because of the style in which he presents.  The new view of classic works can capture the soul of listeners and inspire a journey through the paths shared by the story.

Hello friends,

It occurred to me that, while I have been (somewhat) more regular about my blog entries, and I’ve been peppering them with philosophies, critiques, and bits of poetry, I haven’t yet spoken much of my recent journey, so this entry will be about that:

The primary bit to mention is how I have begun to take my storytelling style, dismantle it, recognize what I am doing, and will spend the next two years trying to change it all.  It’s a little bit scary: I’m recognizing that what I have done in the past walks the line between one person theatre and storytelling; and leans toward one person theatre.  That is not to say what I did was bad or wrong – I like to think I was a moderately good solo performer – but I believe I’m starting to see the limitations in the path I was headed.  I can’t quite use words to clarify this (I am working on that), so I’ll now tell about what I’ve seen in my time here and what I intend to explore:

I am looking to return to the simple telling; move away from making a production out of the work.  You may have read my critique of Ray Hicks (a few blog entries earlier) where I mentioned the pure simplicity he used to tell his story.  I am looking to move my telling in that direction – though I don’t anticipate becoming able to tell in nearly as simple a style as Hicks, nor do I know if I would want to take my style to that extreme; we are different tellers, and Hicks has an Appalachian history I cannot comprehend.  I simply am looking to learn to allow me to tell a story.

I desire to simplify my style because I am finding it opens the paths of communication with the audience in a way the more theatrical approach can never do.  I’ve seen and heard lots of tellers in the short time I’ve been here, and have observed varying degrees of both approaches to the art, and while all the tellers have been very good, I’ve noticed that the fewer theatrics, the more I find myself pulled into the tale.  I don’t claim to understand it yet and I certainly don’t have any definitive idea of how this will change my style: all I know is that I am here to learn how to be the best storyteller I can be, and I’m excited to see what this next stage in the journey brings about.

I am not saying I intend to abandon all theatrics; several storytellers I hold to be primary influences (Jay O’Callahan, Hal Pratt, Bill Harley) have shows with some theatrical stunts; and I have been raised in a theatrical world all my life, and I want to keep that with me.  Instead, as I attempt to disentangle words from the jumble of thoughts running through my head, I am looking to be more honest (maybe) in my stories; maybe trust the story more?  Allow the words to speak louder then my actions?  Don’t feel I need to put on a clowning show?  I’m really not sure if any of those last phrases say it, right now I’m exploring, and we shall see what happens.  Be excited; I know I am.

I hope all is well for all of you, and I look forward to seeing you again, and sharing my new learnings someday soon on our travels.  Continue to love the stories you see, though they can be hard at times.