Keeping Community Storytelling Alive & Well in Times of COVID
How has COVID-19 impacted local arts organizations? One group shares its story: In January 2020 the Mother Lode Storytelling Guild began planning many public storytelling events for the people of Tuolumne and Calaveras County. After an invigorating leadership retreat, the core group outlined a calendar of programs, and began work on a new mission statement. They launched into plans to renew collaborations with other organizations. Plans also included building a new website, organizing a membership campaign, and a transition in leadership. Like many groups, MLSG was ready for a new year.
“After our January retreat, we felt invigorated,” says Guild co-founder and Vice-President Colleen Nunn. Then just as these community storytellers prepared to host their March Open Telling, Coronavirus-19 hit the nation. “Everything came to a screeching halt,” Nunn explains. “Traditionally storytelling is known for close, face-to-face contact. Our public programs stopped immediately.”
Normally the local storytellers travel throughout the area, telling tales in libraries, at local festivals, at schools and senior citizen centers. They organize special concerts and holiday programs. Just a year earlier the Guild worked with Columbia College and Tuolumne County Arts to host a two-day visit with an internationally acclaimed Native American storyteller, Lakota Sioux-Apache Dovie Thomason. More than 500 local people attended various events. But now COVID-19 put the brakes on all of that!
At first the Mother Lode Storytelling Guild's leadership team struggled. Still the small group was determined to keep going. They started using Zoom Meetings to stay focused. “We wanted to continue sharing storytelling with our community,” notes Dana Gross, the group's secretary. “Since we usually work in person, we had to find another way.” In April the group began an outreach on Facebook Live. By summer’s end they had hosted 77 storytelling programs for different ages groups, featuring storyteller BZ Smith. Over 1000 people logged in to these shows.
One of the Guild’s favorite events is the annual Murphys’ Story Slam contest, which usually takes place in mid-October. People plan their stories for months. Experienced and new tellers sign up to compete. Every year since 2014, large audiences pack into the Old Murphys' Schoolhouse for a fun night of raucous tales.Then COVID came along, and the annual event was in jeopardy. “We kept hoping that we’d be able to pull it off,” Gross comments.”It’s so important to continue this wonderful event, which has become a tradition.” Reluctantly the Guild had to notify their lead sponsors that this year’s Story Slam was canceled. And they asked themselves, “Now what?”
Creativity, innovation, and pivoting are universal themes for 2020. Like many groups, the Guild had to rethink its approach. In late September a new plan hatched, and now the 2020 Story Slam will happen in a different way. A virtual Story Slam retrospective, entitled “Murphys’ Story Slam Remembered,” highlights the first six years of the Guild’s popular storytelling contests, will launch on the Mother Lode Storytelling Guild's new YouTube Channel this weekend on Saturday, November 14th (Search “Mother Lode Storytelling Guild--YouTube). On the video the 2019 Story Slam champion Lahna Von Epps shares her winning story, along with reminiscences from Guild members. Then the virtual Story Slam will continue with four more days of stories. Each day the Guild will release a daily short video on their YouTube channel, featuring tellers from Past-Slams: Richard Haratani, Tim McCaffrey, Claudia Tonge, and Julie Orth.
Another popular program, November’s Tellabration!™ , will also take place online. The Mother Lode Storytelling Guild will participate in “The 2020 ZOOM Tellabration!™ North Meets South.” Four Sierra Foothill storytellers will partner with six Los Angeles area tellers for a 90- minute concert on the afternoon November 22nd. Participating from our area will be Colleen Nunn, Tim McCaffrey, and Cynthia Restivo, joined by Mariposa storyteller Angela Heiss. To catch this free show, contact BZ Smith for registration information at bzsmith@me.com or leave a message at 209.559.7697.
“The year 2020 certainly did surprise us, but we keep going back to the goals we set in January,” Nunn comments. “Including our newly completed mission statement, which took months to finish via ZOOM and emails!” For all nonprofits and service organizations these statements establish priorities and guide funding opportunities. MLSG’s mission now states, “The Mother Lode Storytelling Guild connects people and communities by inspiring storytellers of all ages and abilities. We amplify unique voices and build eager audiences across cultures and generations.” These words will give focus to future decisions as the Guild moves forward.
“Online storytelling is exploding all around the world ,” says current Guild president BZ Smith. “Sierra Foothill region tellers are learning from other storytelling groups, who are doing online performances, workshops and seminars. “Stories offer rich experiences,” Smith explains. “From helping young children build language and literature skills in story times to helping adults find common ground through shared wisdom tales and personal stories. The medium may change from live in-person to online digital, but the message of meaningful stories remains constant.”
