BOB KANEGIS & LIZ MANGUAL
STORYTELLERS/STORY COACHES
Some of the " Best Things in Life" are not things. They are experiences that will last a lifetime.
We are delighted to offer you, your family and friends, the Experience of Traditional Storytelling right in your own home. We've been inspired by the tradition of the old Irish Shanachies (Storytellers) who would gather a crowd by the hearth, a chair besides the fire in a villagers cottage, and regale grandparents to babes in arms with folk and wonder tales.
When folks ask us, "what kind of stories do you tell? we usually answer, "Everything from the ridiculous to the sublime!"
Reach out to us and we will work with you to plan an unforgettable gathering, planned especially for you, whether it be small and intimate with just immediate family or a larger circle of friends and neighbors.
THE ENDANGERED STORIES ACT IN ACTION!
“Grandpa used to tell such wonderful stories. I wish I’d paid more attention or recorded them. Now they’re gone. and I can't get them back.” I created The Endangered Stories Act after hearing that sad lament one too many times.
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These stories of our families and friends area great source of wealth. They enrich our lives. They make us more fully known to each other. The loss of these stories, just like the loss of habitat or the disappearance of an endangered species makes us poorer.
I enjoy asking folks to share with me memorable stories about a special gift that they have either given or received. One young woman, a waitress in a local coffee shop, offered this tale, and I've never forgotten it.
The family had fallen on hard times. Her father had literally been run over by a truck and had not been able to work for several years. Christmas was approaching and her grandmother was sad because she had no money for gifts. Then she realized that she had something that she very much did want to, and could give. She offered this Granddaughter three days alone together during which time she gave the gift of her life story. She told of things that she had not spoken of for many years. She told these stories to this granddaughter because she had been the one who had in the past asked and shown interest. With tears in her eyes, this fortunate young woman said that this was absolutely the best gift she had ever received.
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I hope The Endangered Stories Act inspires you to ask for and to tell stories. Some people use it as a tool to encourage reluctant elders in the families to "spill the beans." Hand them a copy, note the official language and remind them... It's the Law!
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And if YOU are one of those elders, do I need remind YOU? Here's an assignment. Tell a younger member of the family something that you've never told them about you before. When we give this assignment to our students, asking them to ask for those stories, they tell us it's one of the best homework they've ever had!
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"If you don't know the trees, you may become lost in the forest. But if you don't know the stories, you may become lost in life."
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We love this quote, by a Siberian elder.
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We also love working with people, who are interested in exploring their own life stories. and who are looking for ways to pass on some of their hard-earned wisdom to the people they love and to future generations.
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We do this through occasional public workshops such as the one you see here. You can also gather a group of friends and colleagues and we will offer this workshop at your home or workplace.
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We will also encourage, coach and work with you, or as a gift to someone you love, on an individual basis.
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Finally, here is another quote we hope will motivate you!
When you heave found a trail, you are hereby ordained a guide. Having won a kingdom, you must
give it away or lose it." Ernest Thompson Seton)
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Give us a call, or email, and we'll find a way to work together, to help you find the trail through your own forest of stories and then find ways to give those stories to the ones you love!
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