I'm taking a children's literature class right now, and since it's a very small class (there are 5 of us) our fabulous Professor Settle decided to venture out and take us to Indianapolis to the Hoosier Storytelling Festival.Here's Professor Settle and the two other classmates (Becky [c] and Linette) who were able to go on the trip yesterday, sitting in the main tent as we were listening to Kevin Kling (who's on NPR, All Things Considered).
We got there late last night and enjoyed quite a walk through the city on our way to listen to Scary Stories.
There were storytellers from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds- Chinese/Japanese, African American, Native American among them. Each with its own twist, its own style. Some I liked more than others, but... that's something you can count on anywhere! One thing I loved all around was the obvious presence of culture as an element of the storytelling.
We stayed last night at Prof. Settle's sister's house, which was amazingly generous of her. And then this morning, we all got up and headed out for a tour of the Indianapolis/Marion County Public Library.
Yeah, yeah, I know. It sounds like a waaay weird and nerdy thing to do. And maybe it was.
And yes, I'm the kind of person who could live in a books-only library for an indefinite length of time, devouring the written word and little else. But this... this is a different experience altogether. But trust me: You'd like it.
This... is just their lobby.
That um... dwarfs the whole library back where I'm from. Eheh.So yes. Hugeness established.
We continued onward to the children's section. Yes, I do want to write for kids. But yes... this was an incredible kids' section. I challenge any adult with any imagination NOT to want to hang out there!
The room with the interactive "green screen stage" that lets you be on TV:
The Learning Curve's Vortex, which displays different quotes and colorful images while kids read:
Does this look like any kind of library you've ever seen before? It's... veeery tech-savvy.
But my favorite element of tech-ness would have to be this little guy: Pleo.
Pleo is a robotic dinosaur that kids (or probably even just really curious grownups) can program to move and respond... veeery convincingly like a real animal. According to the tour guide: "He loves to have his chin scratched." And he did. The evidence? He purred. It was pretty darn cool. Note to parents, self, or pet-limited others: If you can't have a real pet, this guy could come in a close second. Definitely better than a goldfish for the whole cuddle factor.
So anyway. Yes. The library was definitely a high point for me!
After that, our little group headed back over to hear stories... stories of ALL different kinds. One lady was dressed up as a former Civil War nurse. Another group told Bible stories. In another tent, a children's theater group presented a dramatic representation of an African/Haiti folk tale. Another tent offered crafts. (Yes, I did make an African mud cloth... because I'm just crafty like that. Tee hee!) We heard inspiring stories about overcoming obstacles and hanging on to love until death because you value every last second. We heard stories about mermaids and about coyotes, bears, and even haunted trees.
But despite the differences in how the stories were told and the emotions behind them, I discovered something beautiful that I think pretty much everybody at that festival had in common: We're all in love with the spirit of Story. Everyone has a story. Everyone has something to share. And there's magic in the words that relate that so clearly and so deeply that you can see the crystal tear falling in slow motion from the little Indian girl's browned face to the dry earth, where it sends up a tiny puff of dust.
It's incredible.
That's why I want to be a writer.
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