April 2025 Newsletter
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Click here to find out more about the content and to register.
To learn about the facilitator please go to their website here.
The 11th Storytelling Festival 2025 – Shine Bright Like a Diamond!
This year, in celebration of Singapore’s brilliance and resilience, our festival theme is “Shine Bright Like a Diamond.” Just like a diamond reflects light in many facets, stories illuminate our hearts, minds, and shared experiences. Join us as we celebrate the power of storytelling to inspire, connect, and uplift!
We have Storytelling for Children both on-site and on zoom and for Adults as well.
If you’re interested in learning and practising storytelling for children in English, we can arrange an online Zoom session for beginners.
Email 398admin@storytellingsingapore.com by 25 April 2025.
SAS members, do look out for our email with more details.
Children love stories because they spark imagination and wonder! Join us for an exciting Oral Storytelling session with two talented members of the Storytelling Association Singapore (SAS). Each session features fresh, fun tales that engage young minds and encourage creativity.
Our storytellers will interact with the audience, making it a lively and participatory experience!
Children must be accompanied by an adult throughout the session.
No registration needed – just come and enjoy!!
Calling all SAS members, come take part in a Story Web session at a member’s home in Potong Pasir. Come and try out a rough and raw story with a small group of supportive listeners.
Events in Singapore & Around the World
Last month, we shared stories on the World Storytelling Day theme of ‘Deep Waters’. This month we rise above for moments and events that unfold atop the water.
Ripples and Reflections invites you to a Storytelling session that will dive into the mysteries, beauty, and secrets found on the water’s surface and just below in shallow waters. Tales of nature, history, myth, and legend unfold like ripples—spreading outward, revealing hidden truths. Let us be taken to lakes, rivers and ponds where boats glide, nature thrives, and the water whispers its endless stories.If you would like to tell a prepared story of 5-6 minutes email Christine Carlton at storyaus@gmail.com to be put on the list to tell a short story that must include the words “they all saw it”. The stories are told, not read.This is a free online event organised by the Australian Storytelling Guild (NSW) Come as a listener or teller. All welcome.
Wednesday, 16th April 2025 – 5.20 pm SGT
Register on Humanitix for your free link.
We are thrilled to invite you to our Online Story Swap, featuring the timeless and tellable tales of renowned storyteller, Margaret Read MacDonald, in her presence!!! This special event promises to be a celebration of the art of storytelling, bringing together story enthusiasts from all walks of life especially MRM’s story fans.
The Open Story Swap is FREE and is open to anyone! You don’t need to be a member of FEAST.
THEME : Margaret Read MacDonald Exclusive!
Join us to experience the magic of her stories, connect with fellow storytellers, and share your passion for storytelling in a warm, engaging environment.
Starts Tuesday April 8th, 2025 7:00 am Singapore time
Unlock your potential as a storyteller and build the confidence to share your truth! This interactive online workshop guides you through the step-by-step process of crafting and delivering compelling narratives from your life experiences.
Monday April 7th, 7 am SGT
Thursday, April 10th, 11 am Singapore
With featured tellers Robin Bady and Howard Lieberman!Click here to register and to find out more about the tellers.
Click here for the website and zoom link
Thursday, April 24th 2025, 7 am Singapore time
Stories! Stories! Share Some Stories!
20th March was World Storytelling Day.
20th March was International Happiness Day.
21st March was International Colour Day.
Invitation
If you are a dreamer, come in,
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer…
If you are a pretender, come sit by my fire,
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!
Shel Silverstein
Where and how did stories originate?
What happened today? How did you feel? I think these two questions are the origins of all our stories.
People have always gone about their daily lives and realised that stories are in the everyday occurrences of life.
The Seneca people of North America believe that all stories were told to a Seneca boy, and he went from land to land sharing the stories he heard; he continued sharing all the stories and legends until he died. Luckily for the rest of us, the stories didn’t stay buried inside him and hence stories from then are still shared to this day.
Another legend goes, Goddess Parvati was so furious with a boy who eavesdropped and listened to stories that she thought were exclusively hers to keep and know that she banished him. She told him to go to Mother Earth and share all the stories he heard. Humans on earth got lucky, I guess.
The Panchatantra is a collection of children’s stories and is composed of five volumes. In Sanskrit, pancha means five and tantra means strategies. Animals are used as characters to show us humans’ amicable co-existence and growth on Mother Earth.
King Amarshakti of Mahilaropyam in South India had three sons; however, they disliked any kind of rote learning and this worried the king. He wondered if they could manage the kingdom when he was no more. He thought to himself, “It would have been better to have no children at all than such disinterested children.” One day the king heard of a teacher named Vishnu Sharma. The king entrusted his sons to the teacher’s care and bade him educate them to rule the kingdom wisely.
Vishnu Sharma readily and happily took up the daunting task and took the sons to live with him in his hermitage. He imparted knowledge from all the areas he knew; from politics, law, moral science and civics, all that was required to run a kingdom. Within a matter of one year the princes were sent back to their kingdom. King Amarshakthi was overjoyed and relieved to see the transformation in his sons.
He felt he could now die peacefully when his time came.
One day, curiosity got the better of King Amarshakti, so, he went to the hermitage of Vishnu Sharma and asked him, “O venerable scholar! Tell me, how did you educate my sons to become so wise?”
The wise Vishnu Sharma smiled and said, “I just told them a few stories.”
The rest is history.
“If a nation loses its storytellers, it loses its childhood.” – Peter Handke
Here are two Naseeruddin Hodja stories for us to see wisdom in our foolishness and foolishness in our wisdom.
Cherishing baklava
Hodja was a disciple of a wise man. In that place there were many others and oftentimes the disciples’ brought gifts for their master. Hodja never brought anything for his master.
One day a disciple brought a plate of baklava for the master but was afraid someone might eat them all and hence announced, “This is from our master’s enemies. It may be poisoned, so do not touch it. Our wise master will know what to do with it.”
All the students left but Hodja couldn’t resist the temptation that was in front of him.
He picked up the plate of baklava and dropped it. Crash! Hearing the sound, all the students rushed in to see what had happened and found Naseeruddin Hodja down on all fours, eating baklava.
Naseeruddin sheepishly said, “I dropped the plate of baklava and in my shame, I want to die, so I am eating as much of the poison as I can so my death will come quickly.”
You do not understand!
Naseeruddin Hodja in one of his dimwitted stupors decided he was going to buy an elephant. He knew it would be exorbitantly expensive to buy one and he didn’t have money for it. He went to his wealthiest friend to borrow money. That friend downright refused to lend him money. On the contrary, he reprimanded him, “You are being foolish, Naseeruddin. Elephants are expensive purchases and besides they are expensive to keep. Where will you house the elephant and how will you feed it? Have you given it any thought?”
“I thought you were my friend, and you would understand, but you turned out like the rest. I came here for a loan, not advice,” said Naseeruddin and stormed out.
References:
The Panchatantra Stories
Naseeruddin Hodja Stories