Learn and develop storytelling skills in all areas – professional, performance, and applied. This is a monthly series with a certificate after each time that can be used for professional development or continued education credit.
Upcoming Workshops:
Monday, September 5, 2022
9:00am – 10:30am MDT (UTC-6)/ 11:00am – 12:30pm EDT (UTC -4)
Convert to your time zone: http://tinyurl.com/timezone-TimWorkshop
Telling Stories from American History
Story Facilitator: Tim Lowry
Cost: Sliding Scale Tuition: $5 minimum, $25 suggested donation, on up to $50
Tim Lowry will share his methods for collecting stories from primary and secondary resources, using comparative literature to discover themes, designing costumes and props, and creating bonus material for audiences that wish to dive deeper.
Wanting to be Story Facilitator? Apply online here: https://tinyurl.com/AllThingsStory-app
Past Workshops:
Any of these past workshops are possible to order. Receive audio/video files recorded on that date – unedited/raw footage. Accompanying handout sent along upon purchase. Receive files from info@storycrossroads.org through wetransfer.com. All files are for PERSONAL USE ONLY. Files sent within 2 days of purchase date.
“A Storyteller’s Guide to Self-Publishing” taught by Robin Moore – August 13, 2022
Author and Publisher Robin Moore will show storytellers how to set up their own publishing company and publish their books in print and digital format on the Amazon platform.
“Boosting Productivity through Creative Rituals” taught by Steffani Raff – July 16, 2022
Explore and establish a personalized ritual; a predictable, repeatable sequence that will help you overcome your obstacles to enter the mind space to create.
“Uncovering the Story You Don’t Want To Tell…And Telling It Anyway” taught by Robin Bady – June 4, 2022
Is there a story lurking around your unconscious? Do you want to uncover it and work on it? Find the courage to tell that hard story.
“Using Stories to Reach At-Risk Youth” taught by Lorna MacDonald Czarnota – May 9, 2022
Discover traditional and original stories for using the stories to help troubled teens in need of character formation and re-formation.
“Reimagining Traditional Tales” taught by Laura Deal – April 9, 2022
Explore ways to breathe new life into familiar fairy tales and make obscure folk tales more accessible to a modern audience. Brainstorm new variations
“Professional Tools for a Powerfully Expressive Voice” taught by Karla Huntsman – March 12, 2022
Acquire professional tools for developing the kind of expressive voice they always wanted to have. Be introduced to the Laban Movement Analysis – but for the voice.
“You Can Do Dunbar! Add him to your repertoire” taught by Oni Lasana – February 12, 2022
Storyteller and Teaching Artist, Oni Lasana — hailed by Nikki Giovanni as the “Voice of Dunbar” — will guide you in adding his inclusive and diverse works in your repertoire.
“Grant Writing for Storytellers” taught by Rachel Hedman – January 8, 2022 as well as separate “The Follow-Up: Grant Writing for Storytellers” on February 19, 2022 – order one or both parts
Original Part: Discover how storytelling can be funded with already-out-there grants. Learn the basics from what to expect, how to tackle the “hard stuff,” and what to do to improve overall success.
The Follow-Up Portion: Experience the pure asking questions and projects that people are undertaking that can apply to your own needs as a grant-writer.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts for original workshop yet a little more than an 1 hour for “The Follow-Up” due to Breakout Rooms
“It’s All Relative – Finding Stories in Your Family History” taught by Marilyn McPhie – December 4, 2021
Explore your genealogy stories and turn them into tellable tales, weave them into traditional tales, and/or share them in introductions and segues. Some research, some family lore, some imagination and it’s all good, relatively speaking.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
“Crafting the One-Person Show” taught by Omar & Lori Hansen – November 6, 2021
Whether writing a play, telling stories, or combining the two, crafting a one-person show can be a daunting task. Utilize dramatic structure, theme, plot, and character to create powerful work.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
“The Charms and Challenges of Genre in Storytelling” taught by Milbre Burch – October 9, 2021
Delve into a primer in approaching myriad story genres, identifying and overcoming obstacles obstacles in performing each one. Includes online and hard copy resources.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
“Following the Folktales Around the World: 200 Countries – 200 Collections” presented by Dr. Csenge Virág Zalka – September 18, 2021
Over the course of 5 years, Dr. Csenge Virág Zalka read a folktale collection from every single country around the world! More than 10,000 tales later, she is ready to tell us about the adventure.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
“Participation Storytelling on Zoom & In-Person” taught by Jeff Gere – September 6, 2021
Learn kinesthetically by doing something new, different and FUN! This training gives every age at any level some new skills and ideas to increase involvement in dynamic storytelling on and off screen.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
“A Well Crafted Lie” taught by George McEwan – August 7, 2021
Learn from an award-winning storyteller the real secrets of the liar’s tale. You’ll find out how to take the smallest grain of truth and grow it into a whopper worthy of a golden shovel.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
“Finding the Funny: Using Humor in Stories” taught by Steve Daut – July 10, 2021
Humor can have pitfalls, so it’s important to understand what makes humor work and what to avoid. Discover different types of humor and learn techniques for presenting that humor effectively.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
“Bringing HerStory & History Alive Through the Art of Storytelling taught by Suzanne Hudson – June 5, 2021
Discover what it takes to honor people of the past, specifically understanding what women faced in different eras and the strength needed to express their femininity.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
“The Art of Crafting a True, Personal Story” taught by Jessica Robinson – May 1, 2021
Explore storytelling structure, character development and other techniques for creating engaging, true, personal stories. Discover the stories you always meant to share with other people.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
“Filling Your Creative Idea Bank Account – daily & quick exercises” taught by Ginger Parkinson – April 17, 2021
Heighten your imagination and play with words and images in minutes a day to help any type of story. Come fill your creative bank account with daily activities that keep you focused.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
“Who Are You Anyway: A Deep Dive Into Creating Believable Characters” taught by Laura Packer – March 6, 2021
Compelling characters help the storyteller love the story more and help the audience empathize with the protagonist. Deepen your characters so they feel more real to everyone who hears the tale.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
“The Incredible Science Behind the Power of Storytelling” taught by Karl Behling – February 6, 2021
Explore the science of why and how storytelling works. Learn what the research says about how storytelling affects us cognitively and emotionally. Tap into the keys to effective storytelling.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
“The Magic of Words: Storytelling Art & Technique” taught by Heather Forest, PhD – January 9, 2021
Explore the intuitive, creative process of the storyteller’s art in selecting, composing, and performing both folkloric and personal stories. Examine voice, body, imagination, words, and metaphor.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
“Coaching Performers & Storytellers” taught by Nannette Watts – December 5, 2020
Gain confidence, whether you coach student storytellers, those in your community, or people who want to tell stories better. Learn tips, tricks, and ideas to gain skills.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
Hidden Gems taught by Antonio Rocha – November 7, 2020
Hidden Gems Transitions are moments in a story where we shift between one thought and the next. Identify and develop the transitions within your stories with voice and body language.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
“Simply Scary to Totally Terrifying: telling ghost stories from kids to adults” taught by Julie Barnson – October 6, 2020
Discover how to tickle the bones of the preschoolers without nightmares. Find out how the “cool” teenagers can be engaged. Learn how to convince adults that something wicked is coming.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts
“Breaking Boundaries of the Screen: Presenting On-line” taught by Simon Brooks – September 7, 2020
Learn how to look great and comfortable in this new world of digital performance to take your shows to the next level. Discover the basics of lighting, backdrops, and how to utilize your space.
Length: 1 1/2 hour video/audio with handouts