“Making Connections”

Proposal Deadline: November 1, 2007

August 7-10, 2008

Johnson City, Tennessee

About the NSN Conference:
The National Storytelling Conference (NSC) brings together National Storytelling Network (NSN) members, as well as individuals and organizations from the community, who are interested in the art and application of storytelling.  Members and non-members present material appealing to attendees’ variety of interests and developmental needs. 

NSN Mission:  "Bringing together and nurturing individuals and organizations that use the power of storytelling in all its forms."
Conference Vision: Making Connections

Stories make connections. From its inception in 1978 until 1986 the National Storytelling Conference was held outside of Jonesborough, Tennessee. Now, in 2008, the 30^th annual National Storytelling Conference returns home to Jonesborough and neighboring Johnson City, where several major storytelling organizations have grown and flourish, and where storytelling has become a keystone of the regional identity and economy.

We seek proposals for presentations involving the many and varied styles, applications, frameworks, venues, and audiences for contemporary storytelling. We will explore the connections that storytelling can make between individuals, groups, generations, cultures, classes, and occupations. In the shade of the Appalachian Mountains, we will honor our storytelling ancestors and make connections to an ever-expanding future for the art.

Conference Mission: "Bringing together individuals and groups to explore the power of storytelling to connect people, groups and ideas."

Call for Proposals:
The Conference Planning Committee invites you to submit Proposals for consideration in the following session categories:

Workshop (90 minutes)

Showcase (90 minutes)

Intensive (3 hours)

Panel (90 minutes)

Coaching (90 minutes)

Lecture (90 minutes)

Who may apply:

Anyone may submit a proposal.  Presenter does not need to be a member of NSN.  Non-members are strongly encouraged to join NSN if their proposal is accepted. Presenters who presented at 2007 NSN National Storytelling Conference may not submit proposals or be co-presenter.  80% of sessions must be presented by NSN members.)

Proposal Evaluation:

Proposals will be evaluated for: quality of program, relevance to conference theme, clarity of intent, practicality of process, expertise of presenter in this topic, interest to general membership or to applications of storytelling (SIGs and Discussion Groups), diversity of region and cultural identity of presenters.

Presenter Compensation:  Each presentation selected is eligible for a $100.00 honorarium. The honorarium  may be split between presenters if more than one presenter participates in the program.

Notification: All applicants will be notified of their acceptance or rejection for presenting by e-mail or US mail sent on November 30, 2007.

Acceptance:  All applicants receiving notification of acceptance MUST e-mail their acceptance confirmation to NSN by December 15, 2008.  Failure to respond by the December 15, 2008 deadline may result in withdrawal of the offer to present. 1)  high quality photo (300 dpi) (electronic copy preferred)  or 8” x 10” hard copy photo 2)  30 word biography.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL

Deadline to submit Proposal:  November 1, 2007

NOTE: For ease of processing [and saving trees], submittals will only be accepted by email.  

*Fax or hardcopy proposals will not be accepted. 

To submit by e-mail:

1. At www.storynet.org view instructions. Download application in either MS Word document or plain text file. Follow the instructions and complete the proposal.

2. Email the completed file to proposals@storynet.org    

3. Incomplete submittals will not be considered.

4. Do not send publicity packets or handouts. Unrequested material will be discarded.

5. No materials will be returned.

6. Receipt of e-proposals will be acknowledged by return e-mail.

Problems with e-mail proposal? Contact Karin@storynet.org, or 1- 800-525-4514 ext. 203 

DEADLINE:  E-proposals must be submitted no later than Midnight EDT, November 1, 2007 to be considered.

Questions about completing proposals?

                Contact Judy Sima,                              judy@judysima.com or 248-644-3951

                Contact Yvonne Healy                         stories@YHealy.com or 810-225-2204

Questions about submitting proposals?  Contact Karin@storynet.org, or 1- 800-525-4514 ext. 203

Proposal Form follows.

PROPOSAL FORM

National Storytelling Conference 2008

Section 1. Contact Information

Name:

Address (include City, State and Zip):

Daytime Phone:  

Cell Phone:                  

Email:    

Website:

NSN member?    [  ]Yes   [  ] No          (Note: 80% of sessions must be presented by NSN members)

https://www.storynet.org/market/ to purchase membership.  

Section 2a. Region. 

North East           [  ]           ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI, upstate NY

Mid-Atlantic          [  ]           Metro NYC, PA, MD, DE, NJ, WV, VA, District of Columbia

South East          [  ]           FL, MS, AL, GA, SC, NC, TN, KY

North Central       [  ]           ND, SD, NE, MN, IA, WI, IL, MI, IN, OH

South Central      [  ]           KS, MO, OK, AR, TX, LA

Western               [  ]           ID, UT, MT, CO, NV, AZ, NM, WY

Pacific                  [  ]           WA, OR, CA, AK, HI

International         [  ]          

Section 2b: Identity

Optional. You may choose to identify yourself as:

African-American                [ ]

Asian-American    [ ]

Native American [ ]

Latino/Hispanic                  [ ]

Caucasian                          [ ]

International                      [ ]

Other _____________________

Section 3. Co-Presenter(s) Submit all presenters’ names as you wish them to appear in the program.

Section 4a. Co-Presenter(s): Region.

Please give Regional information as above for each co-presenter. 

North East              [  ]           ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI, upstate NY

Mid-Atlantic           [  ]           Metro NYC, PA, MD, DE, NJ, WV, VA, District of Columbia

South East              [  ]           FL, MS, AL, GA, SC, NC, TN, KY

North Central         [  ]           ND, SD, NE, MN, IA, WI, IL, MI, IN, OH

South Central         [  ]           KS, MO, OK, AR, TX, LA

Western                  [  ]           ID, UT, MT, CO, NV, AZ, NM, WY

Pacific                     [  ]           WA, OR, CA, AK, HI

International         [  ]          

Section 4b. Co-Presenter(s): Identity

Optional. You may choose to identify yourself as:

African-American                [ ]

Asian-American    [ ]

Native American [ ]

Latino/Hispanic                  [ ]

Caucasian                         [ ]

International                     [ ]

Other _____________________

Section 5. Attendance

[  ] I/we will attend the entire conference.

[  ] I/we will only be available on the following dates:                                                

Section 6. Proposed Session Title (maximum 10 words). Identify the topic in a short, catchy style to attract attendance. Title will be published in brochure and program.

Section 7. Session Category

[  ]  Workshop (90 minutes) must include hands-on activities and participation.

[  ]  Showcase (90 minutes) focuses on innovative storytelling programs, projects, or activities to serve as models for others. Showcases demonstrate a program or technique that may serve as model for others.

[  ]  Intensive (3 hours) Practical, hands-on, interactive, and in-depth workshop that requires a major block of time. The presenter(s) must plan sufficient material to engage the participants in a deeper learning experience.

[  ]  Panel (90 minutes) presenter acts as moderator for a group of speakers who discuss a specific topic.

[  ]  Lecture (90 minutes) is a discourse on some subject which may include some discussion.

[  ]  Coaching (90 minutes) presenter gives feedback to the storytelling of several different attendees.

NOTE:  If you are submitting the same topic in two different categories, you must submit two different proposals. Describe how you will approach the topic differently in each category. Each proposal will be reviewed separately.

Section 8. Intended Audiences   [                 ] 

To help us offer a balanced program, put up to three code letters in the box above to indicate groups/interests you think would find this program particularly useful. More information on Special Interest Groups (SIG) and Discussion Groups at http://www.storynet.org/Programs/SIGs/ :

A. General: All Storytellers

B. Craft of storytelling: (writing, improvisation, shaping stories, voice, performance skills, etc.)

C. Business: practical side of storytelling (professional ethics, publishing, marketing, intellectual property, contracts, etc.)

D. Educators-Librarians K-5

B. Educators - Librarians 6-12

C. Higher Education

D. Producers & Organizers

E. New Voices

F. Out Loud

G. Organizations & Businesses

H. Healing Arts

I. Interfaith

J. Intergenerational

K.  International

L. Environmental Storytelling

M. Media & Broadcasting

N. Technological information (recording, Internet presence, web/pod casting)

Return to the Top

3. A Conference 2007 Perspective

Have you been to those award ceremonies where you are glad the awards were being given but wished the whole thing were much shorter and maybe a little more lively?

At the National Storytelling Conference in St. Louis, MO in July of 2007, the awards included period and ancestral dress as well as dancing in the aisles—from the 500 adult attendees.  These were the standard achievement award ceremonies—person does introduction mentioning the accomplishments then the recipient accepts with thank yous.  The how of those introductions and the joy and sparkle in the receiving is previously unmatched in any awards ceremony I have attended, and I received one of those National awards myself back in 1997, plus a state award here and there and have watched many more awards ceremonies and shows.  Standing ovations did not begin to cover the activity—dancing ovations and singing words were everywhere.  The entire evening’s session was awards with no polite waiting for that part to be over so something interesting could happen.

No drums for the awards ceremony but the next day—for the Closing Circle?  African drums and the dancing were led by a national dance troupe with the involvement of everyone in the audience.  We walked in and we danced our way through and out again.

I did my cultural dance.  You know the one.  Place your weight on your left foot.  Place your weight on your right foot.  Look around to see if you are doing it right.  Do all three again.  Try to move in time to the music (you know - faster and slower) and smile, although the smile is optional.

I was trying to explain storytelling the other day.  If I said the storytellers are musicians who use the beauty and the rhythm of the language but no musical scores or instruments in their work, I think more people would understand the art of storytelling.  Some add dance and music to their stories but the emphasis is on the words.

I listened to the powerful tales told by people of the first nations and by Americans of African ancestry, and I listened to the feelings about those labels and the many others used to denote “other” than American.

Joyful comes to mind again to describe the celebration of these wonderful stories and the tellers who are at work even now to change the world through understanding enhanced by hearing the stories of people much like us.  These tellers are changing the world.  I heard the similarities in creation stories from many cultures; the similarities in the wisdom tales from many cultures, the similarities in problem-solving stories from many cultures.

I listened to Andre Heuer’s project.  He will work for ten weeks with the Center for Victims of Torture at their Healing Center in Voinjama, Liberia.  He will listen to and then give back individual stories in the healing process of individuals there.  He will help the teller deal with the contents, shape the experience into a manageable piece of life, then give the story back to the person whose story it is.  He will not be recording or gathering stories to use for his own purposes, but he will be sharing a process that allows a person to experience the healing power of sharing a personal story without exploitation.  The Healing Story Alliance does powerful work with story—a place to give an experience a beginning, a middle, and an end so that it can literally and figuratively be put down over there and the heart and mind can move on.  The story is not lost—it can be picked up and reworked as understandings change or needs arise, but it is not so heavy on the heart.

I left feeling “lesser than” as I thought,  “I’m not doing much and I need a culture!”  Then I thought of Milbre Burch’s comment:  “Excellence in what I am doing with story does not diminish the power and wonder and excellence in what you are doing.”

I see that my stories of my family and of Iowa are my culture, and I’ll be doing my dance joyfully and often as I listen to the stories of others and dance with them too.

Pat Coffie

Return to the Top