It’s hard to think of a world without computers and cell phones. How did we function before e-mail and text messaging? It’s easy to forget the primary means by which humans were designed to communicate—face-to-face conversation.
There still exists a select group of creative people who are firm believers in the not-so-lost art of the spoken word—storytellers.
Storytellers carry lore through generations, create new yarns and engage people of all ages in the joys of an imaginative world. Locally, they are the participants in an annual summer gathering of local and international storytellers—the Illinois Storytelling Festival. The festival’s mission is to connect generations, nurture communities and celebrate diversity.
At the Illinois Storytelling Festival, the spoken word becomes more personal, in an attempt to mend the reality that “nobody talks to one another anymore,” says Spring Grove resident and storyteller Rich Tobiasz. “Storytelling is much different in that it is a storyteller passing a story on to other people, and then they take those stories and tell their version of the tale.”
For 20 years, the Illinois Storytelling Festival was held outdoors—no matter the weather—in the sticky, clammy, 110-degree days of August. Rain or shine, dedicated storytellers entertained audiences of all ages with vivid hand gestures, frightening and amusing voice inflections, sound effects and riveting plots.
The contributors dedicated countless hours, yet the heat and humidity often discouraged people from attending. This year, on September 25 and 26, there will be a brand-spanking-new Illinois Storytelling Festival with relief for those discouraged by heat. The festival has moved to Dominican University in River Forest.
“It’s just going to be a wonderful tie-in to a school that is focused on library, education and science,” says Tobiasz. “It’s going to be a superb, engaging event.” The arrangement is mutually beneficial because the university will be fulfilling its mission to truth and service, while the festival will be more accommodating and pleasant.
Keeping Us Human
Storytelling allows one person to stand in front of 40, 50 or even 150 people, look them in the eyes, lean into a microphone and convey to them a personal experience, memory or creative tale. There is electricity that floats through the air; there is visible emotion. There is the same magic that has been experienced for centuries—ever since humans could communicate. It is this magic that has allowed storytelling to wind its way through the ages in the form of oral history, myths and folktales to the present, where it engages generation upon generation of listeners.
There is another important goal of storytelling that is far more than meets the eye. Storytellers are not simply in the business of telling stories, teaching children morals and entertaining audiences. Storytellers are saving the oral traditions that make humans unique to any other species. Storytellers enable us to think about our history and our lives, laugh at ourselves and gain understanding of one another.
“You can’t hate your enemy if you know their story,” says storyteller Sue Black. “You may not want to fight them if you know their story. We are just so hungry to share our stories with one another.”
Storytelling doesn’t need to be a professional event. Anyone can share a story with a friend, a loved one or even an enemy. The idea behind the Illinois Storytelling Festival is making connections with the emotions that all humans share. In the depths of everyone’s soul, we are frightened by ghost stories, find humor in comical stories and share empathy for those in peril.
Next time you sit down at your computer to send an e-mail, think about sharing your day’s experiences with a friend over a cup of coffee. Make your own human connection, then visit the Illinois Storytelling Festival to see how you measure up to the professionals. Who knows…you could have a storytelling gift. There are open mic opportunities for you to spin your own yarns.
Look for the many storytelling events around the area at local libraries, state parks, park districts, music and arts festivals and local colleges. A complete listing can be found at www.storytelling.org.
