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Serving the Storytelling Community of Maine
ABOUT MOOSE
Ok what about the *Maine Organization Of Storytelling Enthusiasts?
Who are they?
Were did they come from?
Where are they Going?
Who are they?
Some of our members are full time professional Storytellers; we also have listeners who are enthusiastic about storytelling yet have never told a tale them selves, and of course we have everyone in between.
Were did they come from?
Storytellers Rachael Quenk and Deborah Freedman met at a Sharing the Fire a conference sponsored by LANES.
(The League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling www.lanes.org )
Not long after that encounter they invited Antonio Rocha, Michael Parent, Jean Armstrong, and Michael Howard to meet at Rachael’s home. Their purpose was to support each other by telling and listening to the power of their stories.
Over the years the meeting locations moved from place to place, events were added such as Tellabration Portland, and a MOOSE Herd to be HEARD yet the original mission to support the storytelling community of Maine has remained true!
Where are they Going?
Members of MOOSE now support on going Programs throughout Maine in addition to Tellabration and the monthly meetings which are now held at the North Star Café in Portland.
Other ongoing programs include Stories for adults, Families, and preschoolers which may be Monthly or annual Events.
Listed below are some of our on going events and the Producer of that event.
Seanachie Nights = Lynne Cullen
In addition to the above ongoing programs many special one time events that come and go are supported by our members for Libraries and local business.
This web site was added by webmaster Learnin' Vernon
Exploration in Radio, Cable TV, and a festival in Union Maine have been bantered about, who knows where the future for Maine storytelling may lead us but one thing will always be our constant northern star and that is our enthusiasm for the power of Story and our commitment to support each other always leading us home.
A Story about MOOSE
(Now you did not think you could visit a storytelling site with out a story did you?)
Creating A Home for Storytelling in Maine
By Deborah Eve Freedman
Once upon a time, not very long ago, in a place not very far away, there lived a pig. He was well-cared-for and won many blue ribbons at the county fair. Everyone admired his girth, and grinned at his sweet face. For now, this kept him out of the pot. But one year he did not get a blue ribbon. He noticed he wasn't getting as much attention. He became more and more anxious each time the farmer came walking by. Living in this agitated state did not suit him. But the pig’s mother and father had taught him well. One night he decided to leave. Just before dawn, he broke through his wooden pen and headed for the woods. He was unaccustomed to being alone. When he heard the rooster crowing in the dawn, a tear slipped down his snout. He was very hungry. Unaccustomed to foraging on his own, he let out a deep sigh, which sent the leaves and pine needles flying in all directions, exposing the smells of the wet earth below. Without thinking, he stuck his snout down in the dirt and began rooting. And came up with some very tasty morsels! Even though he was far from home and alone, the pig was doing quite well indeed. But he missed his home all the same.
When the farmer went out to do his chores, and saw the state of the pigpen, he stopped what he was doing. It wasn't hard to follow the signs of such a large, slow-moving animal. The farmer entered the wood; soon he found his old friend, the pig. When the farmer bent down to stroke the pig's bristles, he too smelled the earthly delights that had been exposed. Truffles would bring in a pretty penny at the market. And the shrewd farmer realized that it might be better to leave the pig free and alone to pick up the truffles along the way, thus earning them some money.
Maine storytellers have often had to earn their livings away from home. But thanks to MOOSE (Maine Organization Of Storytelling Enthusiasts), one day they may no longer have to.
The memory of Marshall Dodge of
‘Bert and I’ fame still plays a role in Maine storytelling. There is a separate strand of story rooted in that Maine accent and dry humor. People like Tim Sample, John MacDonald, Joe Perham, Robert Scogland (the Humble Farmer), Gary Crocker and Chaitanya York still work within that framework.
The only storyteller still telling in Maine from that earlier time is Jackson Gillman. Jackson now lives In Massachusetts, but he makes surprise appearances at the MOOSE swap and still has close ties to the Bar Harbor area. So I consider him grandfathered into the State. I spoke with Jackson recently.
“From the early 80’s there were several attempts and efforts towards promoting storytelling in Maine... the efforts of David Neufeld and myself embraced a much broader range of storytelling than the Maine humor angle.” Unbeknownst to them, they were part of a bridge into the world of storytelling taking place in Maine today. Robin Mello was also part of that mix. Robin was part of that first group working in story; he co-hosted a radio program at WMPG along with Bob Atkinson from USM.
“Other storytelling revival efforts had some short-lived flashes,” said Jackson. “These ventures generally had one individual at the helm. I'd say what is different now is MOOSE, a collective which serves to centralize efforts, network, and welcome and support anyone who is interested in storytelling.” For the record, MOOSE would never have existed if it hadn't been for LANES and its outreach: The Museletter and Sharing the Fire.
I met Rachael Quenk at Sharing the Fire. We were taking the bus home from Boston and began to talk. We realized that we knew several storytellers from Maine, and invited them to a meeting at Rachael’s house. Present were Antonio Rocha, Michael Parent, Jean Armstrong, Michael Howard and myself. We began gathering at a Java Joe’s coffee house once a week for almost two years, getting to know one another and seeing what our strengths were. Others found us. When the coffee house was sold we moved to 10 Mayo Street in Portland. Our format changed to once-a-month with a swap and featured teller. But I still needed my chat time, so whoever can meets at Silly’s Restaurant for a meal before the swap. This has been our anchor.
In 2001 MOOSE put on Maine’s first Tellabration!. Jean Armstrong produced the first five – very successful – Tellabrations. The 2006 Tellabration! was produced by the team of Margaret Forbes, Susan Dries, and Bill Hinderer.
As confidence grows, individual MOOSE members are experimenting with new venues. I have ‘Dessert First’ at Coffee By Design on India Street. After telling some of my stories, I usually have a guest teller: Mike Harris, Bill Hinderer, and Susan Dries, to name a few. Lynne Cullen produces ‘Seanachie Nights’ at Bull Feeney’s Irish Pub, featuring performances of traditional stories and music from Ireland and the British Isles. Bill Hinderer does an open mic on Peaks Island; Susan Dries has started a storytelling evening at the Old Meeting House in Windham, inviting other tellers to perform with her. At each event you can see storytellers in the audience, but more newcomers are showing up all the time. So within one month there are five opportunities for adults and families to hear tellers in the greater Portland area! Storytelling is alive and well at home.
But what if your home is not in the greater Portland area? Jo Radner comes to the MOOSE swap when she can, but she has also established a family week of stories in her home of Lovell. Every autumn, Jennifer Armstrong holds a pie and story festival in her home of Belfast. Deena Weinstein is planning something in the Bangor area. As a member of MOOSE I say, “How can we help?” Roland Watier hosts the Golden Raven Story Circle in his home of Union. During the summer he holds weekly tellings around a bonfire. Last summer, we had a MOOSE performance there. A herd of MOOSE participated: Jackson, Pat Berry, Deena Weinstein, Vernon Cox and myself. What fun to tell stories outdoors around a bonfire! About 70 people showed up.
We are home telling our stories, supporting one another, and having fun growing in our art. Each so different, yet excited to have story in our lives.
Oh, remember the pig and the farmer? Well, the farmer made so much money with the truffles, that he sold the farm, brought a few animals with him, and built a house in the woods where our pig still roams free, but is now home!
Deborah Eve Freedman is a storyteller living in Portland, Maine.
She is a practicing Hupa. A Hupa is a person who creates fairy tales for people, based on their lives, and tells them for special events so the story lives on long after the event is over.
Deborah is also available for workshops on imaging as a way of problem solving: Imagine That! storyspell@hotmail.com and www.storyspell.com
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