Story Events: A Running List of Events for Those Interested in Narrative and Storytelling

I won't be going to the Smithsonian storytelling weekend this year, but I'm sure it will be excellent as usual. Just added:
*Saturday May 10, 2008 -- 3:45-5:15 pm*
*Innovating Education and Training for Organizational Story Work Professionals*
At some point, every discipline must explore how to educate and train professionals in the field in order to advance its field of knowledge and support excellence. The field of narrative/story work in organizations is maturing and the time is ripe for working on this topic.
Many organizations are working with stories and storytelling, and more and more professionals (internal and external) from all fields are working with stories with their clients. Over the last eight years, most of the focus in the field has been on establishing the need for stories/storytelling in organizations, and in developing and sharing tools and experiences.
Little attention, however, has been paid to excellence in engagements or the training of professionals. Yet for the field of organizational storytelling to continue to be highly regarded in the marketplace, notions of how we train professionals in the field will need to be developed. Because the field of organizational story work is so large and diverse, this will take creative and imaginative thinking to come up with a field of study and innovative delivery methods.
Now is the perfect time to begin exploring and determining this topic. The purpose of the workshop is to explore topics and innovative techniques for educating story work professionals and support life long learning. This is a hands-on experiential workshop.
We'll break into working groups to discuss what educational excellence is or could be in our field, generate the initial set of educational maps for working with stories in organizations, and brainstorm delivery methods. Debriefs will occur in the larger group and next steps determined.
Don't miss this opportunity to shape the field of org story work! I look forward to seeing you there.
Karen Dietz
Polaris Associates, Inc.
Jonesborough, TN 423-426-1637 cell
There will be a new Thursday evening session on May 8, "Organizational Storytelling 101." Svend-Erik Engh and Steve Denning will cover the basics of organizational storytelling. [ SOLD OUT ] The theme of the sessions on Friday (and Saturday) will be storytelling and innovation. Speakers will include Dorothy Leonard, emerita professor of Harvard Business School and author of "Deep Smarts: How to Cultivate and Transfer Enduring Business Wisdom"; Linda Coffman will discuss how storytelling has been used at Procter & Gamble. Claudia L'Amoreaux, Education Community Developer for Linden Lab, will share examples of organizations innovating in the new storyspace of Second Life. What if you discovered an entirely new world where you could tell stories in ways you've never done before? How might it change you? What stories would you tell? To find out more go here.

Worldwide Story Work Monthly Teleconference: Robin Rice on "Using Metaphor as a Compass"
May 14 at 3 pm Washington, DC, time, or
May 15 at 5 am Melbourne, Australia, time or figure it out wherever you are.
Just call 1-218-936-1600 using access code 710691. And if you want a teaser, check the forum "Are Your Stories True or Real?"

George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling Third Annual Series: Research Seminars 2008
Thursday 15th May 6 p.m.
Dr Jacqueline Harrett – What’s in a story?
Dr Jacqueline Harrett, Lecturer in Education at the University of Glamorgan examines telling tales and written words and asks ‘The same or different?’
Thursday 29th May 6 p.m.
Dr Patrick Ryan – Narrative Learning/Learning Narrative: Storytelling, Experiential Learning and Education
Dr Patirick Ryan, Research Fellow at the George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling will explore theories of cognition, neorology and liminality and how these explain the use of storytelling in both formal and informal learning, particularly with reference to experiential education.
Thursday 12th June 6 p.m.
Dr Geoff Fox – ‘There’s Game in the Wind!’ Tracking Red Riding Hood with the Old Watercress Woman and the Green Hunter
The session will draw upon versions of the old tale from around the world, many of which will be on display.
All sessions will take place in The Zen Room in The Atrium, Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries, Adam St. Cardiff.
To reserve your place at any of the seminars or to discuss any of the activities of the centre email storytelling@glam.ac.uk or call 01443 483312
Ailsa Richardson
Research Assistant
Canolfan Adrodd Storïau George Ewart Evans
George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling tel +44 (0)1443 668631 e mail
Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries, ATRiuM, University of Glamorgan, Adam Street, Cardiff, CF24 2XF
Ysgol Diwydiannau Creadigol a Diwylliannol Caerdydd, ATRiuM, Prifysgol Morgannwg, Stryd Adam, Caerdydd, CF24 2XF

DS3 – Festival of Digital Storytelling, Thursday 5th and Friday 6th June at Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Following from the success of DS2, DS3 the third festival of Digital Storytelling aims to inspire, encourage and show the exciting possibilities of Digital Storytelling.
Whether you work in education, the community or as an artist, it is your opportunity to share experiences, explore new creative ideas, see the latest technological developments, look at examples of best practise in the U.K. and worldwide and celebrate the growing significance of Digital Storytelling.
The George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling is delivering day 1 of the festival which includes:
Opening address: “A Public Voice – Digital Storytelling, narrative and technology – a major AHRC/BBC Research Project” delivered by Professor Hamish Fyfe, Susie Pratt (University of Glamorgan) and Karen Lewis (BBC Cymru/Wales)
Breakout Sessions:
Digital Storytelling - New Forms and Social Software: Making Space with Lisa Heledd and Susie Pratt
Digital Storytelling and Pedagogy with Professor Hamish Fyfe
Sustainability of Digital Storytelling with Daniel Meadows and Karen Lewis
In the afternoon we are hosting main speaker Pat Kane whose bio is below:
Pat Kane, 44, is a musician, writer, theorist and father. He is the author of The Play Ethic: A Manifesto for a Different Way of Living (Macmillan, 2004). Pat is also one half of Hue and Cry, whose new album Open Soul will be released later this year. He is a blogger for the Guardian's Comment is Free page, a lead reviewer for the Independent's books page, and contributes regularly to Scottish and UK media. Pat has consulted and lectured on the power and nature of play to organizations as diverse as Lego, The Cabinet Office, The Scottish Government, Nokia, Bartle Bogle Hegarty and Toy Industries of Europe.
For more information about the festival please visit DS3
Please note: You can sign up for one or both days of the festival.
Ailsa Richardson
Research Assistant
Canolfan Adrodd Storïau George Ewart Evans
George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling
tel +44 (0)1443 668631
e mail
Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries, ATRiuM, University of Glamorgan, Adam Street, Cardiff, CF24 2XF
Ysgol Diwydiannau Creadigol a Diwylliannol Caerdydd, ATRiuM, Prifysgol Morgannwg, Stryd Adam, Caerdydd, CF24 2XF

A one-day workshop, led by Australia's leading experts in story listening, teaches you to gather and make sense of stories so as to see revealing patterns and use them to gain traction on solving messy organisational problems or reaching complex goals.

Dates and locations:

Sydney 16-Jul-08

Canberra 16-Oct-08

Download brochure here.

Download a case study of results here.

As humans we continually story our experiences. We construct our world through our personal, community, institutional and political narratives. The 2008 Narrative Matters conference theme aims to explore all of these narrative sites. Narrative continues to gain recognition as something people do, use and research. The Narrative Matters conference provides a meeting place for people interested in doing, using and researching narrative in diverse contexts and fields. The blurring and crossing of boundaries catalyzes discussion and inquiry at Narrative Matters conferences. Conference Dates: May 7-10, 2008 Venue and Location: Courtyard Marriott Hotel 475 Yonge St. Toronto, Ontario, Canada Information here.

An International Day for Sharing Life Stories has been set for May 16, 2008. The day will be an opportunity for people around the world to gather in community halls, classrooms, public parks, theaters, auditoriums, as well websites, email exchanges, and virtual environments to hear each other’s stories.

You can read more here

The Narrative Practitioner Conference will be held in the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education Wrexham North Wales in the UK June 23-25, 2008. The Narrative Practitioner site also has some nice links to narrative and storytelling resources.

The Transformative Language Arts (TLA) Network, focused on networking and right livelihood for those who use the written, spoken and sung word for social change and personal growth, holds a conference September 12-15, 2008, at Goddard College, Plainfield, VT.

The organization also offers a book called The Power of Words.

The Department of History of Art and Architecture of University of Pittsburgh in collaboration with the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Film Studies Department announces the 2008 edition of its graduate student symposium.

The topic of the forthcoming event is "Storytelling: Playful Interactions and Spaces of Imagination in Contemporary Visual Culture." The symposium is scheduled for October 10-12, 2008 and it will tie in with some of the thematics of Life on Mars, the 55th Carnegie International (CI08), a world-renowned triennial exhibition organized by the Carnegie Museum of Art.

The symposium will feature prestigious keynote speakers. In conjunction with it, the Carnegie Museum of Art will organize University Night, a special event including vibrant gallery and social activities to which one of the artists in the 55th Carnegie International will be invited to give a talk. More information here and call for papers (due March 17) here.