The Art of Storytelling: Telling Truths Through Telling Stories

by Amy E. Spaulding

Overview

Storytelling is an art, as well as a skill. It allows the listener to take an idea and shape it into something that is relatable on a personal level. In The Art of Storytelling: Telling Truths Through Telling Stories, Amy E. Spaulding enables the reader to learn how to develop this skill, while also discovering the tradition of storytelling.

Spaulding covers a wide array of important storytelling elements, from advice on choosing, learning, and presenting the stories to discussions on the importance of storytelling through human history and its continued significance today.

This book includes an annotated list of stories, as well as a bibliography of collections and a brief list of recommendations for online sources. Designed for anyone who wants to develop the skill of telling stories, The Art of Storytelling is a resource for drama students, teachers, librarians, and for those learning on their own without a formal class setting.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810877764
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/01/2011
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Amy E. Spaulding is professor of Library and Information Science at the Palmer School of Library and Information Science of Long Island University. She is the author of The Page as Stageset: Storyboard Picture Books (1995) and The Wisdom of Storytelling in an Information Age: A Collection of Talks (2004), both published by Scarecrow.

Table of Contents

Part I Telling Truth, Telling Stories

1 Teaching Storytelling and Teaching through Storytelling 3

2 Welcome and Congratulations 7

3 Celebrate the Joy of Storytelling 13

Part II How to Become a Storyteller

4 A Living Art: How Does One Learn Stories? It Is Worth the Effort 25

5 Types of Stories 35

6 Selecting a Story, and Version, to Tell 43

7 Building a Program 55

8 Performance Issues 69

9 Interacting with the Audience 75

10 The Business of Storytelling 81

Part III Why Bother Learning and Telling Stories?

11 Storytelling versus Storycrafting: Traditional versus Current Forms 91

12 The Ethics and Psychology of Storytelling 101

13 The Energy of Storytelling 109

14 Storytelling in Times of Anxiety and Change 116

15 The Storyteller's Responsibility to the Audience: Choosing Stories You Trust 124

Part IV Farewell

16 Storytelling Values, the Value of Storytelling 133

Appendix A Storiography 139

Appendix B Story Collections 179

Appendix C Webliography-Web Sites Useful to Storytellers and Students 189

Selected Bibliography 195

Index 203

About the Author 209

Editorial Reviews

Books dealing with the art of storytelling are plentiful, but Spaulding's book on this topic is an exceptional one. Her division of the book into four parts—"Telling Truth, Telling Stories," "How to Become a Storyteller," "Why Bother Learning and Telling Stories?," and "Farewell"—is predictable, but the content really speaks to the reader. Based on her experiences as a storytelling and group work specialist for the New York Public Library System, Spaulding's sage advice includes potential stories for inclusion when developing a storytelling repertoire. Each chapter includes tips for beginning storytellers, as well as useful endnotes. Spaulding's unique voice and enthusiasm for her craft are evident throughout the book. Appendixes include an excellent storiography, as well as a useful story collection and webliography. The book would be excellent for a beginning storyteller, either as part of a course or as an independent study, as it is both practical and inspirational.

Choice Reviews

Books dealing with the art of storytelling are plentiful, but Spaulding's book on this topic is an exceptional one. Her division of the book into four parts—"Telling Truth, Telling Stories," "How to Become a Storyteller," "Why Bother Learning and Telling Stories?," and "Farewell"—is predictable, but the content really speaks to the reader. Based on her experiences as a storytelling and group work specialist for the New York Public Library System, Spaulding's sage advice includes potential stories for inclusion when developing a storytelling repertoire. Each chapter includes tips for beginning storytellers, as well as useful endnotes. Spaulding's unique voice and enthusiasm for her craft are evident throughout the book. Appendixes include an excellent storiography, as well as a useful story collection and webliography. The book would be excellent for a beginning storyteller, either as part of a course or as an independent study, as it is both practical and inspirational.

Choice

Books dealing with the art of storytelling are plentiful, but Spaulding's book on this topic is an exceptional one. Her division of the book into four parts--"Telling Truth, Telling Stories," "How to Become a Storyteller," "Why Bother Learning and Telling Stories?," and "Farewell"--is predictable, but the content really speaks to the reader. Based on her experiences as a storytelling and group work specialist for the New York Public Library System, Spaulding's sage advice includes potential stories for inclusion when developing a storytelling repertoire. Each chapter includes tips for beginning storytellers, as well as useful endnotes. Spaulding's unique voice and enthusiasm for her craft are evident throughout the book. Appendixes include an excellent storiography, as well as a useful story collection and webliography. The book would be excellent for a beginning storyteller, either as part of a course or as an independent study, as it is both practical and inspirational.--CHOICE

Spaulding's passion for storytelling is evident as she shares the skills she has learned over the years. She repeatedly drives home the importance of traditional stories and the hard but rewarding work required to tell them well. She offers practical advice on selecting and learning stories, matching the story to the audience, and avoiding common performance pitfalls. Particularly valuable is an overview of the many story types paired with her extensive "Storiography."...The presentation is conversational, filled with personal insights, interesting quotes, and thorough documentation. Librarians building their storytelling collections and honing their skills will want this book.--School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Books dealing with the art of storytelling are plentiful, but Spaulding's book on this topic is an exceptional one. Her division of the book into four parts—"Telling Truth, Telling Stories," "How to Become a Storyteller," "Why Bother Learning and Telling Stories?," and "Farewell"—is predictable, but the content really speaks to the reader. Based on her experiences as a storytelling and group work specialist for the New York Public Library System, Spaulding's sage advice includes potential stories for inclusion when developing a storytelling repertoire. Each chapter includes tips for beginning storytellers, as well as useful endnotes. Spaulding's unique voice and enthusiasm for her craft are evident throughout the book. Appendixes include an excellent storiography, as well as a useful story collection and webliography. The book would be excellent for a beginning storyteller, either as part of a course or as an independent study, as it is both practical and inspirational.

CHOICE