What’s your story?

I was inducted early into the world of stories. “Madeline” taught me bravery. “Curious George” made me laugh. “Three Billy Goats Gruff” defeated that menacing troll. By 8, I was gifted a child’s anthology of folktales, via Mom (or Santa). “The Turtle Who Could Not Stop Talking” taught me the value of silence. In “The Shoemaker and the Elves,” I saw Spirit reward the hardworking poor. Greedy “King Midas’’ turned his beloved daughter to a lifeless golden statue, but repentance for his greed brought her back to life.

That treasury of tales found its way to my mom’s elementary classroom, but decades later those story scenes and characters helped me create my first repertoire as a storyteller. Curious to go through my mother’s retirement box, I stumbled on that book, and my heart began to pound. A fledgling middle school English teacher, I was learning to encourage my students in the fun and art of reading aloud with flair. Each one found a memorable story or poem and practiced drawing listeners into its characters, scenes and emotions.

Some readers struggled to both decode words and connect to listeners. A few “faked” reading the words. They just dived into telling the tale, poem or story’s world. A few chose life memories or shared tall tales heard around a summer campfire. Each found the fun of exaggerating or surprising listeners. At the same time I was discovering storytelling with no text in hand. I’d joined a local library storytelling circle. I dived into a new tale each month, liberating myself from text as my students had. I learned to draw listeners into my told tales. It took some practice, but I was hooked.

Shortly after the passing of writer Brian Doyle, I discovered his collection, “The Thorny Grace Of It” (Loyola Press). An essay contained his advice to a Korean girl’s fan letter.

“Stories matter more than we understand. Stories are powerful prayers, food for our souls. We carry stories and must savor them. They are compasses, our lodestars.”

He reminded me of my first storytelling gig at a noisy church bazaar. I felt listeners enter my stories and respond to characters, finding personal meaning. Some begged to share my mic. How could I say no? Like Doyle I want the world to experience how the stories we carry change us and the world, if we dare tell them.

If tale-telling intrigues you, come join new and committed tale-tellers July 16-18 at Pyramid Life Center. We arrive both excited and shy, carrying tales to work on. Or a story may surface after you hear others’ tales. Some recite or read aloud a poem. Some sing a story.

We welcome Ayah Osman, a Sudanese American “spoken word artist” who will share her journey of truth-telling with us. (Remember Amanda Gorman from last January’s inauguration?)

Following Friday’s dinner we gather as a community to try a memory tale or “telling” a poem from a text. Bring a favorite short poem or memory. Saturday morning’s workshop will take us to the art of telling, ways to learn tales and draw in your listeners.

After lunch, we swim, hike, nap, try a kayak or canoe and relax. Saturday evening we put on a show with each other’s applause. Tellers make wonderful listeners! Encouragement (not critique) is our theme. Registering soon at www.pyramid

life.org is wise. $175 covers room, meals, workshops; boats and lifejackets. Bring sunscreen, linens and towels. Any Questions? Don’t hesitate, email me at marnigillard@earthlink.net. Hope to see you there!