The art of storytelling is nothing less than sharing the narrative of our lives in all its real and imagined voices. From Homer’s Trojan War epics to bedside fables at night, or watermen recounting a hurricane on the Bay, storytelling has conveyed truths, adventures, and entertainment for millennia.
But in a world saturated with the frenzied blare of multi-media, the art of storytelling—aside from written literature—seems a quaint artifact found at art fairs and in historical society archives. For many, only the tales of Lake Woebegone come to mind if you ask about spoken arts.
But you wouldn’t think storytelling has lost any of its vitality if you were in Jonesborough, Tennessee, the International Storytelling Center. This year’s 43rd Festival expects at least 50,000 people. Columbia, South Carolina and Culpepper, Virginia’s Storytelling Alliance also hold festivals each year.
Queen Anne’s County Arts Council Executive Director Belinda Cook would like the storytelling tradition to catch fire on the Eastern Shore and has a set up a partnership with Chesapeake College to offer the first Chesapeake Storytelling Festival from 7-9 pm this Friday at the Todd Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available online here or at the door and are $45. Nationally acclaimed storytellers Tim Lowry and Geraldine Buckley will be highlighted at this important first event.
“I think this could be a wonderful annual highlight for Queen Anne’s County. It’s a theme close to my heart—I was raised listening to stories my father and uncle told, and I believe we have an opportunity to really make a mark as hosting an annual event like this, ” she said. ” It’s a natural platform to also preserve our regional culture. For instance, planning for the 2016 Festival, we want to start a “Heritage of the Chesapeake” series and will kick off with storytelling by local waterman,” she adds.
Tickets are still available. Call 410-827-5867 for an update.
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