Storyteller on a Train

While I'm always moaning about reading campaigns in Malaysia never really taking off in any way that neither I nor the readers of this blog can see, I really applaud the National Library for its latest initiative.

The Star today reports that 90 children were taken on a four-hour train ride filled with story-telling, reading and singing of folk songs aboard KTM’s Sinaran Pagi as a prelude to the 1Malaysia Reading Campaign. During the journey from KL to Gemas in Negri Sembilan, the kids were entertained by singer Nurul Huda Abdul Wahab and Japanese children’s story-teller Saki Sasamori who has been resident in Malaysia for the past 15 years.

I hope this isn't a one off experiment ... it would be so nice to have to have something like this this continue.

New Ways to Tell Stories?

Following the announcement that the MIT Media Laboratory has announced the creation of the Center for Future Storytelling and will work collaborate with Plymouth Rock Studios :

... to revolutionize how we tell our stories ...

Sam Leith in the Telegraph writes a piece which seems to miss the point of the initiative entirely!

It isn't that stories are at risk. We will always need narrative. I don't believe books will die any more than he does. There clearly aren't more plots to invent. It isn't (of course) possible to "run out of narrative". And the Centre for Storytelling project seems to refer much more to the interface between film and the online world than it does to text based fiction.

I do totally agree with him though that :

... the internet does some things very well, and the codex book does other things very well. There is an overlap - they are both means of preserving and sharing information - but it's foolish to see the two as interchangeable, or the former as supplanting the latter.

But with computer technology there are new ways to tell stories, and fiction will become undoubtedly become more interactive and there will be more hybrid forms of storytelling. I don't know about you, but I feel excited about that.

I must say though, that I am horrified, along with Leith and Philip Pullman about the decision to close a school library with its books and librarian for a "virtual learning environment".

Got a Story to Tell? Here's your Platform!

Bernice Chauly is looking for storytellers for a no Black Tie Gig. Here's her email in all its lowercase splendour, but with links added:

dear friends,

as you may know, the 'readings' that i began in january 2005 at darling muse art gallery celebrates its 3rd anniversary this month. sharon bakar, now brilliantly* runs the monthly readings at 67tempinis satu.. in the middle of 2007, i also started 'readings' at popular jazz bar noblacktie at the invitation of evelyn hii. both venues have achieved success as platforms for new and emerging Malaysian writers, as well as foreign writers who happen to be in Malaysia at the time.

since kl now has an abundance of literary events; 'readings', wayangkata (a british council event), omg (open mike gig at dram projects), maskara (malay poets/writers at rumah pena), suara kata (r a fine art) and an upcoming poetry slam (wordforward s'pore and dram projects), i have decided to open up this platform even more. inspired by stories related by ex-mcoba schoolboys who remembered mr.wilson (aka anthony burgess) at a recent event, and an email from the paris review which was an invitation to an evening of storytelling in new york (www.themoth.org), i have decided to try out a storytelling session at next month's nbt event. this is aimed at celebrating and remembering our 'penglipur lara' tradition as well as to celebrate the natural storytellers among us.. this means that your aunty, uncle, hairdresser, cikgu, taxi-driver, grandmother, cousin, housekeeper, 'siapa-siapa yang you tahu boleh cerita' is welcome to get up on stage and spin a good ol-fashioned yarn.

conditions: no script, no text, max 15 mins, have to be raconteur' style, off the cuff, entertaining, funny, sad, whatever as long as its a good story...and does not suffer from stage-fright!

i know its a bit last-minute, but if you know of anyone who can pull this off (that includes yourself) please let me know asap.

judging from the new york success of these sessions over the past 10 years, i am confident we will be able to inject even more enthusiasm and fun into our literary outings.

a website is in the works for the readings, and well as plans to publish work read and podcast work to come.

date for first storytelling session/reading - still thinking of a name. anyone??
sunday feb 3rd, noblacktie, 9-12pm

pass the word around!
and please let me know latest this sunday

have a great weekend!
bernice

Bernice can be reached at mulutmata at yahoo dot com.

She's certainly right about there being plenty going on and the need for events to differentiate themselves. I think this could be a very exciting venture. (And I wonder, am I brave enough to try myself??)

* Ahem.

(Painting = The Storyteller by David Watson Hood nicked from here.)