Winner of 2008 Storytelling World Awards Honor
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& their Libraries $180.00 High Schools, Libraries & Non–Profit Groups $95.00 Rental $60.00 |
Diane Wolkstein: A Storyteller's Story explores the extraordinary career of one of the world's most celebrated storytellers. In 1967, the City of New York offered Diane the position of Official Storyteller and she traveled throughout the city telling stories in parks, schools, and hospitals. Her commitment to the art and preservation of storytelling took her to Haiti where she collected folk tales in Creole from local storytellers. Her love of myth led her to perform and publish the first modern translation of the ancient Mesopotamian epic Inanna. Now, forty years and twenty–three books later, A Storyteller's Story reveals how Diane — as artist, scholar, folklorist, teacher, and cultural anthropologist — came to be at the forefront of the modern storytelling movement. Through archival footage, in–depth interviews, and spellbinding performances, this thirty–seven minute film illuminates the power of storytelling and shows one woman's courageous journey to communicate heart–to–heart.
Watch a preview of A Storyteller's Story
(hosted at YouTube)
Video ©2007 Cloudstone Productions.
Special features
School: "I'm Tipingee, She's Tipingee, We're Tipingee, Too"
Haitian story from the book The Magic Orange Tree
(2007, told with Fifth Graders from P.S. 242 in Harlem, 9 min.)
Poetry Festival: Hans Christian Andersen's "Hans Clodhopper"
(2006, from the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, 11 min.)
Museum: "The Water Spirit"
A Hasidic story of the Baal Shem Tov
(2003, told at the American Museum of Natural History, 12 min.)
Central Park & Harlem: "The Dreaming"
A Chinese Genesis Creation Story told with T'ai Ch'i
(2007, told in Central Park with the Fifth Graders from P.S. 242 in Harlem and featuring Taoist Master Sat Hon, 5 min.)
Interviews:
Honest insight into what is behind the art of storytelling: research, dedication, courage, and craft.
Behind the Books:
Commentaries on Wolkstein's 23 Award Winning Books.
What the critics are saying
"This is an excellent choice for beginning storytelling units, from middle grades to adults. Those interested in the art and practice of telling stories will benefit from watching this fascinating journey… the production values are superb." — School Library Journal (March 2008 issue).
"I once asked an Aboriginal woman in Australia how we differed from the animals. She replied, 'Why mate, we are the ones who can tell the stories about all the others.' The luminous Diane Wolkstein is such a one, a boon to humanity in that she is one of the greatest tellers of stories of this or any time. In this remarkable DVD, we meet Diane as she performs her high craft, igniting, inspiring, and bringing to her enraptured audiences the tales that thrill as they enlighten." — Jean Houston, author of A Mythic Life.
"Some people are storytellers at heart. They hold stories in their heart and are compelled by the hidden genius of story. Diane Wolkstein is one of those, and by virtue of that, she is a national treasure. It is important that her story be told and become known, for she is part of the genius and wisdom of these times." — Michael Meade, author of The Water of Life.
Diane's daring, beauty, depth, and delight in bringing story to the world will fascinate everyone who watches this film. It will especially inspire current and aspiring storytellers who will greatly increase their skill and understanding of the art of storytelling. There is no film out there like this one — it's a treasure." — Jay O'Callahan, master storyteller.
"A Storyteller's Story definitively identifies what storytelling is and what storytelling can accomplish in human terms. Diane Wolkstein's fascinating journey, as she moves gracefully through forty years of storytelling, shows us how she changed the American landscape of the oral arts." — Sue Ann Martin, Dean, Central Michigan University College of Communication and Fine Arts.
"Informative and thought provoking — with intriguing scenes from Diane's collecting in Haiti (leading to my favorite folktale collection of all time, The Magic Orange Tree) as well as twelve added interview clips giving Diane's wise take on storytelling." — Margaret Read MacDonald, librarian, folklorist, and author of Ten Traditional Tellers.
"In her commitment to storytelling as both a communal experience and an inner journey, Diane Wolkstein has delighted thousands. This film offers a glimpse of the path she has followed, opening doors onto wonder. The interviews, the storytelling and Wolkstein's artistic journey will inspire everyone who seeks to understand and honor story in our multicultural world." — Laurence J. Kirmayer, M.D., Director, Division of Social & Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal.
"A Storyteller's Story shows us how story lives within our days, as vital as our breath — sustaining, companioning, transforming our lives. It is a valuable resource for anyone using story in community or therapeutic settings. Within the house of story, Diane is artist–in–residence." — Elizabeth Anthony, Art Therapy Coordinator, Centre for the Arts in Human Development, Concordia University, Montréal.
"A Storyteller's Story is the only film I've seen that documents the extraordinary career of a master American Storyteller. Beautifully told, this film needs to be seen by every student of education in the country. It will inspire and challenge young educators to integrate storytelling into their class work as a way to impart the values and wisdom that young people crave but rarely receive at their schools." — Barbara Kirshenblatt–Gimblett, Director, Performance Studies, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University.
"It's long been said that the real world is cobbled together with stories and not just atoms. This marvelous film about Diane Wolkstein, the consummate storyteller, reveals the wisdom behind those words. I heartily recommend this documentary to everyone who is searching for the deeper patterns that connect us all." — Phil Cousineau, author of Once and Future Myths and The Hero's Journey.
"Wolkstein's work as a storyteller celebrates the world's great masterpieces of oral literature. It also gives us an honest insight into what is behind the art of storytelling: research, dedication, courage and craft. Excellent for multi–cultural studies, mythology, ancient histories, and religion; highly recommended for high schools for suggesting alternate career choices; or for middle schools and libraries as part of book talking or book club programs — especially for groups reading one of Wolkstein's twenty–three books." — Kaye Lindauer, Librarian, Lecturer at Chautauqua Institution.
"Great stories have the power to transform us all. In this rich and vibrant film, we travel with master storyteller Diane Wolkstein, on her own journey of transformation through stories. It is a surprising, joyful, and illuminating adventure." — Barbara Abrash, Director, Center for Media, Culture & History, New York University.
"This excellent film offers wise and practical insights into the art of storytelling from a teller, collector and interpreter of stories who has had a profound impact on storytelling in America." — Rita Auerbach, librarian.
Study Guide for A Storyteller's Story