HomeSpotlight Gallery 2022

In the Spotlight 2022

THE SPOTLIGHT MEMBERS GALLERY

Welcome to our gallery of previous members in the Spotlight, a feature that we launched in April 2022 to coincide with our new website.

As a volunteer-run organisation, FEAST recognises the important contributions that members make - either individually or collectively in teams. The Gallery showcases the variety of our members - their interests and talents, and the many ways they help further FEAST's objectives. We are grateful for their dedication, creativity and sense of community service and we would all be the poorer without their efforts.

MULTI-LINGUAL OLIO TEAM (November 2022)

Stories are timeless. Some stories may be native to a particular land but the wisdom they carry are universal and are not limited by the language barrier. Banumathy and Lavanya hail from the South of India, while Debjani and Nidhi from the East and North of India.

In a country that boasts many languages and dialects, through this unique collaboration they bring forth the timelessness and the universal appeal of tales native to their land, India. These tales of Epic conundrums - Vikram and Vetal speak to every human being in their own language! Join these vibrant ladies as they bring alive to you these tales in seven different languages weaving in music, movement and theatre.

Lavanya Prasad

Lavanya is an electrical engineer turned professional storyteller and believes that she makes better and long lasting connections using stories than electrical wires.Her Organization Tale’scope has stepped into its ninth year and works with children and adults using stories as a medium. Lavanya loves to incorporate the Indian classical and folk elements of music and dance into her telling styles.She has been invited as a featured teller representing India, in many international storytelling festivals.Her project roots with senior citizens was acknowledged and appreciated by the Honorable Prime minister of India very recently.Lavanya not only believes in incorporating the art that she has learnt in to her storytelling forms but delve deep into them for greater understanding and clarity. Her paper regarding an indigineous storytelling form in India was recently selected to be presented at a prestigious conference in a renowned platform. This journey has taken her into the path of deep research with respect to the storytelling artforms in India.

Banumathy

Banumathy is the Founder-Director of Fables n Tales. She believes that stories can entertain and educate. As part of the Government of Tamil Nadu's "Children's Program", Banu has shared stories in Public Libraries across Chennai. She is also a member of the Government of Tamil Nadu's "Story Corner" project. Banu has told stories and conducted workshops in Storytelling Festivals and schools across Tamil Nadu. She has performed for Regional and International Radio Channels, for DD National Television and with International Storytelling Guilds. When Banu tells stories, she uses her theatrical expertise to transport listeners to different worlds. Listeners make the story their own by relating themselves to the characters. Banu believes that by telling and/or listening to a hero’s / heroine's story journey and by deciphering the metaphors of a story, one can enhance one's problem-solving skills, develop moral values and creative imagination, improve vocabulary, and even experience healing.

Debjani Bhaduri

A decade ago by sheer coincidence, Debjani came to know about the artform Storytelling. Since then she has been sharing stories across all age groups to spread happiness and joy. She loves retelling folktales, mythological accounts and authored classics lacing them with contemporary thread and adding a hint of humour. She believes Storytelling can be used as a tool to teach concepts and has trained 1500 teachers to replicate it in the classrooms. She uses stories to develop soft skills of professionals and has led workshops at various Multinationals. She has been part of the story project pioneered by the Government of Tamil Nadu both in curating the stories and training the teachers. Video of her Storytelling is used as a model in Tamilnadu District Schools. She has worked as guest faculty at National Institute of Fashion Technology, Chennai, teaching Narrative and Storytelling in the department of Fashion Communication in 2020 and 2021. She is currently associated with Orbit Innovations as a Softskills coach.

Nidhi Gujral

Nidhi is a finance professional turned storyteller who believes that the universe is made up of stories. She launched her storytelling initiative Pip & Squeak in the year 2019 where she uses her stories to facilitate literacy, encourage thinking, incite creativity, and make learning fun for children. She has since performed in various renowned schools, libraries, and children's carnivals. Nidhi has collaborated with corporates for their client/ employee engagement programs and is also working as a voice artist for Sonalika Publications where she lends her voice for their audio library, animated video stories and podcasts. She enjoys collecting and telling folktales and brings her stories alive through her voice and expressions.

Jeff Gere

Hawaii, USA

My name is Jeff Gere. I am old but I rock.

I grew up on TV & Disney movies on the beach of Los Angeles. In 1982 I moved from Italy to Hawaii to study Asian Mask Theater forms at the University (which didnʻt last long.)(Ironically, I am teaching storytelling there now.) One day in 1989 I looked in the phone book and found under the municipal ʻculture & artsʻ branch a phone number for the ʻdrama specialistʻ. I called them. I got the job, which gave me regular paychecks for 30 years doing undefined ʻcreative work.ʻ

I created and produced Hawaiiʻs largest storytelling celebration, toured the island constantly, and the state regularly (7 islands). I learned tech and made spin-off story TV & radio series. I toured tons, told constantly, invented programs, and made myself useful. I retired from that career to end 2014. 2015 began with the Thailand Story Fest (Wajuppa Tossa.) I met all of Asia! I seemed to pass the audition, for these new friends invited me to come to their celebrations (Sheila Wee, Roger Jenkins, Jeeva Raghunath, Aryo Zidne . . . and many others.)

When covid hit, I tried to always say "Yes, Iʻll do it." Now, as covid lifts in Hawaii (somewhat) I will be celebrating my 70th Birthday on Halloween by performing 13 LIVE Spooky Tales (lucky!), Some are virtual- see below. You can find many many videos of my stories on YouTube . . . shadow puppets too.

I am delighted by the vitality of FEAST! WOW! It is natural to want to share some of the FEST talents on video with American audiences. * Due to Time Zone allocations, FEAST events land in Hawaii in the middle of the night, so I miss lots. So I am reviewing recordings. The projected series is titled (for now) "Jeffʻs Picksʻ so people know who to blame

KISA -Korea International Storytellers’ Association

Presenter: Seo Young-Joo (KISA Youth Storyteller, Yonsei University Korean Language Integrated Course, Master’s degree)

Greetings1 Hi, everyone. My name is Seo Young-Joo, and I am a youth storyteller from the Korea International Storytellers’ Association. I would like to introduce you to the Korea International Storytellers’ Association, KISA, which connects people to people, communicates with people, shares the value of stories all over the world, and put all these into practice.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Children’s Day by Sopa Bang Jung-hwan (1899~1931). The KISA plays a special role in publicizing the life and literary of Mr. Bang Jung-hwan, the exponent of the Children’s Day, and carries out a task of delivering his stories through global storytelling networks.

You can read more about KISA (our Association) and the KISF (the Korea International Storytelling Festival) in the accordion below. We also have a video message from Alicia Bang Joo, and share information on our members. Enjoy.

WONG SWEE YEAN

(Singapore)

Swee Yean s the immediate past President of the Storytelling Association Singapore.

She has built a reputation for her work with seniors and in this article shares insights and stories (some 'Ah-ha!" moments!)

Some selected passages (400 words) are quoted here. To read the full article (843 words) please use this link:Working with Seniors

Working With Seniors by Wong Swee Yean (Singapore)

I have been working with older people around storytelling since 2017. I was formerly a secondary school teacher and taught students ranging from those with low self-esteem and poor learning abilities to the gifted and motivated high achievers. I told stories to entertain and educate. They could be in schools or in museums. Gradually, my audience profile widened to include adults and older people.

The year 2017 was my first time engaging older people in a workshop series that included storytelling performances by experienced storytellers as well as equipping the older people with storytelling skills. Sheila Wee headed our team of storytellers that included Karen Lee, Dolly Leow, Nancy Leppard and me. It was so successful that up till today, the participants continue to keep in touch with us. Storytelling has bonded us together!

. . .

As a storyteller, I like stories that feature an underdog character triumphing over villains or adverse situations. I see the marginalized older people as the underdog characters in our youth-centric society. In our society, the more digitalized we become, the more we are 'othering' the older people, making them feel unworthy and unimportant.

When I work with older people and pull out stories of their lives, I see the quiet strength in them that is a reminder to me that they have been the backbone of society contributing to its advancement. They still can contribute with stories of experience, resilience and wisdom. They may be slower compared to the younger generation, but they deserve the chance to learn and to develop. In fact, regardless of their education level, their social status, I get such thrill when I see the older people come out of their shell of shyness, of low self-esteem to become better than they were.

. . .

Age has no limits when it comes to learning. The positive attitude of the senior participants in my classes have inspired me to learn more about how to older people. I am constantly reading about research and learning new ways of engagement.

I have undergone training on the person-centred approach to arts facilitation by Dr. Felicia Low (https://www.personcenteredarts.com/) and training with a non-profit organization called Timeslips (https://www.timeslips.org/) to carry out evidenced-based approach to guide persons with dementia to creative story-making.

. . .

I started out as a teacher transforming the lives of young people. I am now transforming the lives of older people.

GABRIELLA SANTOSO

JULY 2022

I’m a coach & a mental health practitioner based in Jakarta, Indonesia. I've loved fairytales & singing for as long as I can remember. I started telling publicly in 2017, but it was during the pandemic when I started telling fairytales that I wrote for grown-ups, accentuating the calming & therapeutic properties of stories.

FEAST started a series of coaching programs then, in which I was very grateful to secure a slot, since the session gave me great feedback and confidence. My coach was Cassandra Wye, and she made me aware of how powerful my story could be.

I became convinced that this is the right moment to do sessions related to mental wellness, due to the increased awareness & needs of it, especially since the pandemic. I brought a little tale about a cloud who tried so hard to hang on and stay strong, scared of letting it rain, and it grew darker and darker with time. Cassandra and the other tellers in the session also gave constructive feedback on how to enhance it - for example, how to prepare the audience better, adding rain/sound effects to moments in the story, or composing my own soundtrack. I believe the coaching is really helpful and I'm delighted that I had a chance to be guest-coached again, this time by Christine Carlton in FEAST's session at the end of May.

After the session led by Cassandra, I combined musical performances & breathwork/reflection moments with the telling, and also invited my musician/vocalist friends to join this heartfelt project. It has grown into a small community called Rasa Tenang (Instagram @rasa.tenang)--which means "taste of calm" or "feeling of calm"--and we’ll hold our first on-site intimate storytelling concert for about 100 people in August. (We’ll be receiving stories from the audience, telling the cloud story I brought to FEAST coaching session, and another story about a cactus with an impossible dream).

I'm also looking forward to publishing Rasa Tenang fairytales in the form of picture books, and re-publishing my 2016 grown-up fairytale novel online.

My recommendation is a book which I found very interesting, The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning & Importance of Fairy Tales

by Bruno Bettelheim (1976).

I was particularly impressed with this line: “Each fairy tale is a magic mirror which reflects some aspects of our inner world, and of the steps required by our evolution from immaturity to maturity”

The team behind the

KIDS OLIO

N. Ambujavalli

Pretigaya Haran

Nandita Sankaran

Richa Sinha

K. R. Vidhyaa

N.Ambujavalli or Ambu as she is fondly called, preferred stories over her IT career and is happy to spread positive stories to audiences of all ages. Based at Chennai, she does workshops for Children and adults apart from performances and curating Hindu spiritual series. A member of FEAST from the beginning, she has been a Workshop lead, contributor and performer and continues to extensively participate in all FEAST programmes. She is in charge of Feast Membership liaisons 2022.

Nandita Sankaran juggles between her job as a Chartered accountant and storyteller. Based at Bengaluru, she has co-founded Story-Mitr with Prakrati Agrawal doing theme based story sessions with games and activities for kids and senior adults. Associated with FEAST for the past one year she has participated in FEAST FEST 2021. She is one of FEAST’s selected mentee for Puppetry this year and she believes that stories connect people cutting across borders and backgrounds.

Pretigaya Haran is a theatre trainer and actor who tells stories to anyone who likes listen - be they kids, teens, adults or Corporates! Based in Chennai, she also runs public speaking and Reading programmes for kids. She is currently guiding a young author on her creative writing skills. Though this is her first year at FEAST, she has already had the opportunity to perform and volunteer for the FEAST FEST 2021 besides participating in several Story Swaps.

Richa Sinha, Founder of TheStoryMunch, is a performance artist is from Jamshedpur, now residing at Goa. A happy mother to two teenagers, she is at ease telling stories whether at a park, orphanage or old age home, online or offline, for she believes stories bring hope, peace and smiles. She also curates and organizes Katha Parab, the annual story-telling festival of Jharkhand to increase the happiness and emotional quotient of people. She has been actively participating in the programmes of FEAST for the past three years including the role of marketing head in the FEAST FEST 2021.

K.R.Vidhyaa quit her corporate job of 32 years in June 2021 to become a storyteller, which is her passion. For the past nine years, she has been re-writing Indian stories on her website www.storibuzz.in. After her voluntary retirement, she has been honing her skills of storytelling for the past year. She believes that stories are the medium through which the culture of a civilization is carried forward. This is her first year at FEAST and she has participated in the story telling swap for the World Storytelling day 2022 hosted by FEAST.

CEM ALFAR, May 2022

Organiser, Lycian Way Tour

CEM ALFAR

I am Turkish, I live in Istanbul, I used to be a CEO until the pandemic started. To tell you the truth, I was a nerd before I met storytelling at Emerson School in England. Stories helped me for my personal and professional growth. I have been telling Turkish tales and stories. I am inspired by Nasruddin and Jelaleddin Rumi.

I believe that only stories could change the World. FEAST offers a good platform for that. Such a colorful harmony and diversity exist there. I try to be a part of it.

This year together with my friend Prakrati and Roger, we initiated the first FEAST Games Nights where we interact with the participants in silly – crazy manners through various online and improv games.

I am busy now with the Lycian Way project which is the first cultural Storytelling Tour of FEAST. We will walk during the days along the old paths, visit nomadic villages. In the evenings we will tell our stories in the gorgeous antique amphitheatres. Unfortunately, the Lycian Way is in danger. Construction is damaging it ruthlessly. This is why I extended my call to FEAST hoping that the stories we tell together on this ancient path will be retold and shared by others and this will be a valuable step to protect the Lycian Way.

Cem's book recommendation for you: Secrets of a Vanishing Country: Fairy tales for Adults, by author Pelin Turgut, a Turkish storyteller who reveals her childhood memories in a fairy- stylish form.

APRIL 2022

The Fulcrum was set up in January this year. There are currently 12 members who work in teams of two and who are responsible for a distinct area of FEAST's management or activities.

FEAST has enjoyed a remarkable and frankly meteoric growth since its launch in August 2018. However, while we have accomplished much, we are (painfully) aware that the development has been uneven.

Recognising that there is only so much that the Directors can accomplish on their own, the Fulcrum is an initiative designed to help FEAST address the omissions.

Membership services - and the way that we involve our community members, young tellers and Institutional members - could all be significantly boosted, and the Fulcrum teams are working (behind the scenes currently) on ways that we can enhance our relationship with these membership groups.

We are all storytellers first and foremost - no one joined FEAST looking to do admin work. But, as the Fulcrumights say in the slideshow, they have embraced a broader vision of what FEAST means to them, and their role within it.

FEAST is most grateful for their efforts and willingness to serve.