03/23/2002

The Power of Stories

Storytellers weave magic with nothing more than the threads of their imagination. One of Connecticut's celebrated storytellers, Catherine Conant, tells us why.

A storyteller's place in this world
by Catherine Conant

There is a small, but persistent community of people who call themselves storytellers. They move through the world telling folk and fairy tales, original and literary, tall and ghost stories, to audiences of all ages. It seems at first glance to be about as frivolous a way to work as ever you heard. But beneath the less than power career image lies awareness of a strength that nurtures us all.

Sometimes all we have are our stories. When you lose a beloved, you feel compelled to tell the story of your loss over and over until it becomes something you can believe. When a child cries out in nighttime fear, an impromptu story of the silly old monster that is simply searching for his baseball glove shrinks terror on the spot. There is simply no way to illustrate values such as honor, compassion, endurance and community other than to paint them into a story. A story that makes us laugh allows us to reaffirm ourselves and acknowledge the crazy world in which we live.

Stories can also be used for evil purposes. Hitler told powerful stories; so does bin Laden. The force of their words fire the imagination of people who insist it is a black and white world lined with single syllable answers: Us vs. Them. Those can only be diffused by stories that say it is a multi-hued world, filled with cowards, heroes and all the people in between who are at their core just frail humans. Without hearing the stories that challenge us to think differently, more broadly, with more empathy, we don’t have a needle in our moral compass.

Stories are powerful, but they are also fragile. Left untold and unheard they will wither and disappear forever. They must constantly be given air and voice so they can retain their strength. It is a responsibility of every adult to share with the children in their lives the stories that they feel are important. The themes need not be huge and complex, but they must always be grounded in truth and some understanding of why they matter.

I told my children the stories of their great-grandparent’s struggles to immigrate and become Americans. They need to know that their lives are built on the sacrifice and courage of others. Not because I want them to feel beholden, but so they will understand that things of value are not cheap or easily bought. Just about every family in this country has a full inventory of such stories. It’s time to find them and bring them out into the open.

This is a time when I find myself seeking out the people who endured the Second World War. I need to hear their stories. I think it’s time for them to tell us how they endured. Not just the battlefield but also the home front stories. Upon what kinds of creativity and tenacity were they forced to rely? What do they remember best or most of days hemmed by uncertainty and loss?

For it is within those stories that we will be comforted and reassured as we go forth. The people who remember those times are living witnesses who can guide us through what we are facing now. I do know it was not always utterly black. Life did go on in some wonderfully mundane ways. Halloween happened, so did parties and picnics, romance and the plain business of living. We need to hear those stories again and again, until we believe that we will regain our footing.

Out of these times will come the stories that will be our gifts to those generations not yet born. We should plan on watching, listening and living with an eye to what our stories will be and how one day we will look back and share them with gratitude and pride.

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Editor's Note: Catherine Conant is a storyteller and writer who performs, teaches and coaches the art of the oral story. Her new CD, "Exit 11" has just been released. One of the stories on this CD has been awarded a 2002 Storytelling World Honor prize for best story for adult audiences. To contact Ms. Conant, go to www.4astoryteller.com.

To hear fabulous, mesmerizing storytellers in Connecticut, plan to attend the 21st Annual Connecticut Storytelling Festival, April 26-28, 2002, held at Connecticut College in New London. Native American storyteller Gayle Ross and South American mime-teller Antonio Rocha will lead a host of talented performers, beginning Friday evening at 6:30 pm and ending Sunday at 1:00 pm. For tickets and more information about programs, times and individual performances:

Phone: 860-439-2764
email: csc@conncoll.edu
CT Storytelling Festival Web site: www.connstorycenter.org

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Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.