September 2024 Newsletter

JUST TELL is an informal and often intimate story swap session that debuted in 2023 as a space where FEAST members can come along and… just tell!

We welcome work in progress stories. Given the leisurely and informal setting, there’s often discussion after the telling. If you want ideas about how to make the most of this feedback opportunity, listen to Kendall Haven’s splendid advice which he shared during his excellent Learning Capsule (January 2024 – it’s available on our Store in our archive.) 

Unlike the Story Swaps, there’s no need to register (just show up on the day) and there’s no theme. We have made a commitment to let everyone who wants to tell at the session – it hasn’t happened yet, but if we have more than four keen to tell, we will go into break-out rooms and split the audience accordingly.

JUST TELL is for FEAST Members only.

Every hat has a story to tell. Join us for a story swap that will include folktales, legends, personal stories and creative fiction about the diverse world of hats. From ceremonial headdresses with ancient rituals to whimsical fashion statements and practical safety gear, each story will explore the rich symbolism and history or the magical whimsy embedded in these everyday accessories.

This is a free online event organised by the Australian Storytelling Guild (NSW) australianstorytellers.org.au/events

Join with people from all parts of the world for cultural exchange and an entertaining experience of different oral storytelling styles and genres.

Come as a listener or teller. All welcome.

Wednesday, 18th Sept 2024 – 5.20 pm SGT (check your timezone)

If you would like to tell a prepared story of 5-6 minutes on this theme, email Christine Carlton at storyaus@gmail.com

Register on Humanitix for your free link.

September 11th Monday, 7:00 am, Singapore time.

To find out more and to register click here 

SSG Virtual Story Swap

(every month on Zoom)

September 06 (Fri) 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.PST

September 07 (Sat) 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. SGT

Come to share an eight-minute story – personal or folktale, or just come to listen. Family friendly, and told, not read. Feedback will be offered if desired and time allows.

To receive an invitation to attend, please contact:

Barry McWilliams, eldrbarry@gmail.com, or

Marilyn Grevstad, grevstad@aol.com, or

To register: https://bit.ly/SSG1stFridaySwap

For the website and for other events click here 

IF you would like to tell a story at the 

Chennai Storytelling Festival 2025 (in Feb) click for details 

https://storytellinginstitute.org/Call_for_Storytellers.html

Hope Emboldens

To hope is to believe

To hope is to re-live

To hope is to scream

To hope is to dream

To hope is to hide

To hope is to seek

To hope is to hold on

To hope is to let go

To live is to hope

To hope is to live

To hope is to laugh, to sing, to dance, to tell stories.

Here’s a story for this month  

Pandora and Hope 

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, the Gods and Goddesses lived peacefully. One day however, one of the curious Gods stole some fire to go exploring other lands. He knew fire was important for survival.

Naturally, the greatest of the Gods did not like this. “How dare he steal fire without my permission! How dare he disobey me!” 

The God that stole fire came to Earth. The people of that land were overjoyed. Fire was magical to have.

The greatest of all Gods was still seething and wished revenge with all his heart. He created and sent an innocent girl named Pandora after the rebellious God. The girl was named Pandora for it meant, “the all-gifted one.” She was bestowed with all things bright and beautiful. She was given beauty and femininity. She was taught all the crafts, she could sing, dance, sew and cook; she possessed every conceivable skill.

Pandora was happy, playful, curious, full of wonder and hope. 

The sly God placed a jar tightly shut with a lid along with the other possessions that Pandora took with her.

The Earth she went to was very different from the home she inhabited with the Gods. One afternoon after she had finished all her chores, she longed for some company, some fun. Just then in a corner of the house, she noticed the jar that she had found in her possessions.  It stood there gathering dust.

“What could it be?”, wondered Pandora. Curiosity kills the cat but surely satisfaction brings it back. She missed her home, her friends, her familiar surroundings. She was sad and bored.

Curiosity got the better of her. She could not think of a good reason why she should not open the jar. As soon as she slid the lid on that jar, out came greed, vice, violence, war, disease, cunning, stealth, selfishness, madness, and meanness. 

That sight traumatized her, and she quickly rushed to slide the lid shut and close the jar. She ensured no other ominous things left the jar. 

Since then, these traits began to plague humankind.

There was mayhem and melancholy all over. 

Pandora was curious but not cruel.

Pandora was not malicious.

One day, totally frustrated at the situation, she went back and slid the lid to peer into that jar and wished to find some goodness in there and voila, at the bottom, she found hope. Hope whispered, “Kind child, never despair. Where there is life, where there is kindness, there is goodness. Go gather it.”

That got her thinking, and she wished to try and reverse the damage caused to some extent. She recalled seeing another jar in the realm of the Gods and was sure there was a mix-up. The Gods meant to send the other jar with her and not the jar containing evil. She was determined to bring back that other jar. She was successful in her quest and brought back the jar of goodness with her. Of course, she encountered many hurdles before she got that Jar of Goodness.

The first thing that she did on returning to Earth was, of course, opening   the jar. Out escaped – kindness, goodness, care, compassion, gratitude, love, joy, and the myriad other attributes that make life worth living.

Life on Earth became bearable.

There is evil but there is hope too. Hope that one day good will conquer evil. 

The hope that was left when all evil ran amok tells humankind that hope endures when all else has gone wrong. 

Ever since that day eons ago, as Pandora slid back the lid and peered into the bottom of the jar; humankind has done the same and found hope. 

Hope smiled back and told her to continue her mission to spread good all around. Who knows, someday, one by one all evil may be trapped again in the jar.

When all else is lost, there is always hope.

Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter said, “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to switch on the light.” 

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. – Desmond Tutu

References

Pandora’s Box, Greek Mythology