Press Release:
Philadelphia Folklore Project announces a
Storytelling Workshop With Linda Goss and Irma Gardner-Hammond
S
TORYTELLING WORKSHOP: CULTIVATING WISDOM IN HARD TIMES October 14, November 11, December 9, January 13, February 24: 6-8 PM
PFP, 735 S. 50th St., Phila., PA 19143
$100 for a 5-session series - limited enrollment
Learn to shape and share your stories in a 5-session master class with noted storytellers Linda Goss and Irma Gardner-Hammond. Applications are due at PFP by October 8. Some payment plans and scholarships available. Download application here. (PDF 52K) Call PFP for details: 215.726.1106 or email pfp@folkloreproject.org
This workshop is for anyone who feels a need, in these times, for a story stimulus package! Zora Neale Hurston said that there is no greater agony than bearing an untold story. And everyone tells their own stories in their way. Take your own steps at cultivating wisdom in these hard times in this five-session workshop with master storytellers Linda Goss and Irma Gardner-Hammond. Learn to find and cultivate your own storytelling voice (and have fun in the process).
Bring your stories - of any kind, and in any shape: healing stories (in a time where we need healing), stories about family heroes and sheroes (people who may not be known outside your family, but have had an impact), stories that deal with conflict and conflict resolution, trickster and dilemma tales (we're all caught up in alot of dilemmas), humorous tales (find your laugh center again), and other stories you may want to share, explore, shape and hold onto. Feel free to bring fragments. And don't stay away if you don't have stories: this workshop will help bring out stories you didn't know you had (that is: stories you need!)
In
the workshop sessions, Goss and Gardner-Hammond will share strategies: ways to warm up and wake up, prompts and story stimuli, using music to create a mood, building stories from fragments, approaches to crafting a story and developing your own talents, creating new rituals to share and use stories. Classes will deal with different topics, reflecting/building on participants 'interests. The last class will be a celebration of the stories that the group has recovered, developed, polished, and enjoyed.
Irma Gardner-Hammond is known for her interactive storytelling style, delighting audiences of all ages all across the globe for over 15 years. Often incorporating music, drumming, movement, and drama, she is a healing storyteller who believes that humor and education are important parts of the healing process. A graduate of Howard University, Gardner-Hammond also participates in character reenactments from the Revolutionary era and the Underground Railroad, as well as holds workshops for schools, camps, churches, and business organizations.
Linda Goss grew up listening to the storytelling of family members who shared stories of life under slavery, and reflections on everyday life, as well as a heritage of folk tales. She is the "Official Storyteller" of Philadelphia. A pioneer of the contemporary storytelling movement, she was co-founder of the National Black Storytelling Festival, and The National Association of Black Storytellers, a founding member of Keepers of the Culture, and of Patchwork, the author of numerous books, and a contributor to numerous collections on African American storytelling. She performs widely. She holds an undergraduate degree from Howard University and a Masters degree from Antioch University.
The Philadelphia Folklore Project is a 22-year-old independent public interest folklore organization committed to sustaining local folk arts and cultural heritage. For more information, visit www.folkloreproject.org, call 215.726.1106 or pfp@folkloreproject.org (PFP, 735 S. 50th St. Phila., PA 19143)
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