Tomorrow, the 35th Annual Storytelling Festival takes place at The Ark.
In the event, six local and regional Storytellers will tell a story of different styles and types, including personal stories, tall tales, folk tales, literature, and a few songs from the folk tradition. The storytellers are from Ann Arbor Storytellers Guild, Lansing Storytellers, and Detroit Association of Black Storytellers.
When I first heard about the event, my mind wandered off instantly to try to remember when was the last time I heard a decent story. Not a chat, not a recite from an epic day of a friend’s life, not Youtube videos with flashy visuals to raise clicks. It has been such a long time, and to think about it, we have, at least I have long forgotten the art of a good story. The true value of things can be seen when all the additional decorations are taken away. Imagine how enchanting and powerful it is to be immersed in a story not accompanied by digital subsidies like the way we are used to now, and go back to the experience of bedtime stories where the teller’s voice was all that guides us and the rest is filled up with our imagination: isn’t this exciting?!
Entrance is free for U of M students who have the Passport to the arts! Information on where to get the ticket can be found here:
http://artsatmichigan.umich.edu/programs/passport
Also, the festival is live-streamed through The Ark’s Facebook Live page and YouTube channel. Links to more info on the event and live stream can be found here:
https://theark.org/event/35th-annual-storytelling-festival-220226/
