The Storytellers - Part F

LEC: One of your projects is StorySave, which records tales told by Canadian elders. Tell us what StorySave involves and why you believe it's necessary.

JAN ANDREWS:  StorySave is a project of SC-CC -- Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada. I initiated it in an awareness that while a writer leaves a book behind at the end of their days, a storyteller’s voice may well be lost. I knew there were a number of older storytellers with very particular repertoires. As an organization, we worked to ensure the voices of those tellers should be preserved. There are audio CDs for purchase but I suspect there will also be access to electronic versions soon. The variety is impressive: a Native elder from Northern Ontario; a teller who made Chinese tales her life’s work; a teller who specializes in Icelandic saga; a teller steeped in the heritage of Cape Breton; on and on and on! I’m not involved any more but I was responsible for producing six three CD sets so I’m strongly connected to the richness available.

LEC: In addition to telling stories orally, you're also a picture book writer. After years as a successful storyteller, what was it like switching to print?

AUBREY DAVIS: The switch was quite natural. I told a story that children and adults liked. Then I wrote it down and submitted it to a publisher. They accepted it almost right away. I learned more about writing while working with the editor: what to add, subtract and change.

LEC: What role do you think storytelling plays in the preservation of culture?

BERNICE GEI-YING HUNE: The community legacy that I share is very fragile. Gold Mountain tellers are rare, Canadian-born offspring from that era are relatively few as the barrier of the Head tax from 1885 to 1923, followed by the Exclusion Act from 1923-47 meant families were separated by an ocean. There were decades of being overlooked and silenced.

LEC: Some of your programs include songs as well as storytelling. How does the impact of the story change when music is involved?

SHOSHANA LITMAN: Stories are usually more linear while songs and melodies are not. This gives the listeners a chance to relax in between or during the story. It also provides another opportunity for the audience to join in the story with a shared melody. Singing makes the stories more lively, fun and inclusive.

Thanks for joining us today, and have a great tour!