Tonight, I was hit with a revelation.  It’s a revelation that’s been creeping toward me for the last two days, but it finally sunk in tonight.  I realized how spiritual storytelling is for me; the almost religious experience I have when I am in the middle of a story.

It began to sink in yesterday: I performed at the University School (where I work as a graduate assistant), and I feel it was the best performance I’ve done since the semester began.  The performance was for the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade as part of a career day, so I was able to dust off some stories I’ve told countless times, but are some of my favorite to share.  I was expecting a fun performance, but I had no idea just how fun it would be!

Together we traveled on several grand adventures; I felt a complete unity with every person there.  The teachers and the students were all great listeners and they added to each of the stories at just the right moments, often unexpectedly.  We were all working together to create brand new stories that’s been told since near the dawn of humanity.

I left that performance basking in the beauty of storytelling, and have held onto that all through yester eve and today, and tonight I was working on an imitation of a piece by Lord Buckley that I intend to learn when the revelation hit.  The piece is titled “The Hip Ghan,” and it is about Mahatma Gandhi.  The piece concludes with a bebop scat session that Gandhi dives into, and in this moment, as a performer, I like to close my eyes and simply let the rhythms of the sounds wash over the story.

While doing this, a thought I’ve often heard attributed to Lord Buckley (and some other places as well) popped into my mind: “The theater is the modern-day church.,” and I realized that storytelling is much the same.  When stories are shared, everyone joins together for that time in a community, working together to create beauty.  Both joys and sorrows are shared in stories, but always, when those present are open the event, we become a community and support one another in the creating a story, and that is beauty.

I recognize that the words above don’t quite explain the sense I got this evening while rehearsing, experience is ineffable (cannot be described), but I’m going to continue to explore this thought, and work to – not understand – but, articulate why I feel a new spirituality with storytelling and what struck me this evening.  As for now, I don’t know, but I do like it.

A bit of news I found exciting, I finally choose a name for my new car:

Poseidon

Hello friends,

It’s been a while – lots of exciting events happening down here in Tennessee: summer tours being planned, new stories being put together, a time of self discovery, trying to keep up with my homework… But there’s one exciting moment in particular that I’d like to relate.

As you may know, I’ve been affording school by being a Graduate Assistant.  I was also fortunate to be hired as assistant for the University School – a K-12 school run on campus that university students are often active with.  As an assistant for this school, I have been working to teach Tennessee history to the 3^rd and 4^th grade through storytelling and to help the students put together their own stories about Tennessee history.  It has been a wonderful experience, but it is hard at times.

Today, it was beginning to get difficult working with the group I was focused on today – one child was upset because we had to trim the story he wrote, involving Tennessee history, so that it could be performed.  The upset child began to throw a temper tantrum and refused to listen as I tried to explain that we weren’t destroying his story, but trying to work to make the best project possible for the entire group.  This child refused to listen, and, becoming unsure of the situation, I was preparing to approach the teacher and ask her to intervene when one of the other children, a child who typically seemed to have trouble focusing, stepped in and explained to the upset child how they would work with his story – and it calmed the upset child down.  After nearly half-an-hour of trying to calm this child and get him to work with the group, the second child saved the day with remarkable wisdom, peace, and efficiency.

I can’t give the names of the children, for protection of privacy, but I ask you all to hold both children in your thoughts.  The upset child so that we can hope that he will find ways to work with other people; and the negotiator child so that we can remember to praise children when they show a maturity that too often eludes adults: a maturity to recognize that the peaceful way is best and that, by listening and talking, we can work out difficult arguments.

May your day bring similar joyful surprises.

Best,
Lethan

Hello friends,

I’m writing today to announce an exciting new beginning.  At the University Elementary School at ETSU, my friend and fellow storyteller Marjorie began our workshops about presenting Tennessee History through Storytelling to the 3rd and 4th grade classes today.  We each told one story, and presented one tandem tale successfully.

I’m looking forward to seeing how this project progresses.  We have two more days of storytelling and then will lead the students in creating their own stories about early Tennessee history.  This is the first stage in a project that will take at least two years and is hoping to validate the importance and benefit of storytelling in the classroom setting.  While some of the constraints we are forced to work with are difficult (these must be short stories PACKED with information), I am learning a lot about working within these constraints as well as the history of my current state of residence.  I’ll continue to keep you informed of the progress of this project/study as we continue with it, but today is a day of celebration for a good beginning.

All the Best,
Lethan

Patriots what?  Tom Brady who? Booyah!