East Bay Pagan Storytellers & Listeners
Welcome to our story group! This is really very simple: we are here to enjoy ourselves, and we'll be happy to have you join us in that. To help us along in that direction, we have a) The Definition, and b) The Rule. They go like this:
The Definition
This is a group of people who get together to tell stories and listen to stories.
There are three ways you can impart a story to an audience with your voice: you can read a story, you can recite a story, or you can tell a story. These are actually very different phenomena. What we do here is either recite or tell. We don't read.
Reciting is what people usually imagine when they first learn about storytelling. Reciting requires memorization. For most people, this is a lot of work.
Telling is much easier, and most stories can be told. To tell a story, become familiar with its plot and its characters, and then just let it come back out of you. Stories that are truly told in this way are not as tidy as a well-memorized recitation, but they are often more engaging: the teller is just talking, and what emerges takes on a life of its own.
Whether you choose to recite or tell, just being up in front of others as the focus of attention takes some getting used to. But most people do get used to it, and even learn to enjoy it, in the right kind of environment. One of our goals is to create that environment.
This is a pagan storytelling group. "Pagan" here means you are probably an Earth-religion polytheist of some stripe, for example Asatru or Wicca, among others. You either know a lot of mythology and folk tales, or, if you don't, you'd like to. If this doesn't sound quite like you, that's OK, too, as long as you find the stories interesting and the company agreeable. Most of the stories you hear here will be floating somewhere along the general pagan axis. If you discover that our stories aren't your cup of tea, but you're still interested in storytelling, there are many other story groups in the area that might be more to your liking, and the moderator will be happy to help you find one where you feel more at home.
The Rule
We have only one rule here, but it is a very general one: Respect.
As was mentioned earlier, we want this to be a place where even those who quake at the thought of talking in front of a group can feel comfortable doing just that. Be the kind of respectful audience you'd like to have when it's your turn to get up and tell.
If you want feedback or a critique of your telling, let us know before you begin. If a teller has not asked for such feedback, don't give it. If feedback has been requested, what you give needs to be constructive and useful. And if you have asked for feedback yourself, you need to accept what comes with some grace. It's always fun to hear that a telling was fabulous, but the purpose of feedback is to learn about the ways in which it wasn't, and what we might do to improve the art of our storytelling.
At every meeting of a group such as this, many people want the opportunity to tell. That means stories generally need to be no longer than ten to twelve minutes. A fifteen minute story is stretching things, but is probably still OK. If you want to tell a longer story, ask at the beginning of the meeting, and find out if something of that length will fit into the evening. Or you might tell a longer story in segments at several successive meetings.
If you come to this group, it is assumed that you don't need to have your own religious viewpoint hailed as the only valid one. It is also assumed that you don't need to convert everyone, or anyone, to your beliefs. If you do not fit in under these assumptions, leave now: this is not the place for you.
Do not mistake this for a political group. Political diatribes are no more appropriate here than religious proselytizing.
Do not mistake this for a therapy group. While personal stories are often very interesting and are welcome here, there are some matters that really belong in your therapist's office. Please leave them there.
We are less likely than other groups to be dismayed by stories involving certain topics: religion, for example, and sex, for another example. Still, there are boundaries of taste that need to be recognized. Stories that push the boundaries must do so for a reason. In this group, legitimate reasons need to have something to do with our pagan emphasis.
It is customary in the storytelling world to acknowledge the source of your story if it did not originate with you. If you heard a story from someone else, or if you read it in a book, tell us that either at the beginning or the end of your telling, and be specific if you can. Your own versions of classic stories, such as myths and well-known folk or fairy tales, do not need attribution unless you relied heavily on some particular source.
What Do You Need To Do?
Come prepared to listen to stories, and if you're up for it, tell some, too. That's it!
We meet at 7:30pm on the first Wednesday of every month at the Ancient Ways Bookstore, 4075 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland CA, just a very short walk from MacArthur BART. Parking is hard to find nearby, so public transit is a good idea. The moderator will gladly escort you back to BART when we're done.
There is no membership form, and there are no dues. We are here as guests of the bookstore. Donations to the store are welcome but not required.
We meet after regular store hours. For safety reasons, we need to lock the door when we begin, so please be on time. If you arrive late, knock loudly on the glass, and maybe we'll hear you in the back. If you want to do some shopping, please arrive early, as the moderator does not work for the store and cannot make sales.
Contact the moderator.
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