Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Oral histories, public storytelling, and epic tales.

Most of you have probably read the great old stories from long, long, long ago. Stories from like the "Iliad" or "The Odyssey" or "Beowulf." Those were originally spoken to audiences. Oral history is the ancient groundwork for all modern storytelling. The neat thing is that these histories were written down, but some are still told today. People still want to hear stories told to them, much like children want to hear their mother read out-loud bedtime stories.

Poetry isn't an easy thing for me, especially out-loud. But, public poetry has brought me to tears. At a writing conference I was babbling like a baby after a poetry recitation. It was magical, heart-warming, and intense. So, even my hard heart is softened by oral storytelling. I'm grateful. I'm inspired. And, I'm humbled.

One specific thing I hope continues to grow is epic stories. I hope people want more, ask for more, and demand more. We need more grand epics like my favorite "The Lord of the Rings" or the "The Ring Cycle" (which inspired my favorite epic), or also "Narnia" and so many others. What those stories do is to make life grand. With such stories there's hope for better things, better tomorrows, and better people. We deserve that optimism.

- M

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