Research Guide
TELLING A STORY:
A Guide To Resources on Storytelling
Scope: Storytelling is an ancient art form being re-discovered by parents, artists, educators, business people, health professionals, and religious leaders as a way to memorable way to communicate and entertain. Storytelling covers a broad range of artistic and communication styles: the traditional oral storytelling, book sharing, visual storytelling, and even writing. This guide will help you find basic, introductory information in your library, on the Internet, and in the community about storytelling. To aid in your search, log on to CyberMars with your library card to reserve any titles that interest you, or ask a librarian for assistance. To return to the Research Guide page, click here.
A. Introduction

The resources listed here focus on the traditional method of the spoken (or oral) transmission of a story to an audience.

B. Subject Headings and Shelf Numbers   
  • Storytelling
  • Storytellers
  • Folklore
  • Dewey Classification: 398.2; 808; 372
C. Frequently Mentioned Texts

There are several excellent books about Storytelling. A few of the books are listed below. To locate more books, use the suggested keywords and phrases to search the online library catalog.

  • Baker, Augusta. Storytelling: Art and Technique (1987).
  • Bauer, Caroline Feller. New handbook for storytellers: with stories, poems, magic and more ALA. (1993).
  • Brand, Susan Trostle. Storytelling Emergent Literacy: Fostering Multiple Intelligences Delmar, (2001).
  • Breneman, Lucille N. Once upon a time: a storytelling handbook (1983).
  • Cabral, Len. Len Cabral's Storytelling Book.
  • DeVos, Gail. Storytelling for Young Adults (2003).
  • Geisler, Harlynne. Storytelling professionally (1997).
  • Journal of American Folklore. Folklore in America : tales, songs, superstitions, proverbs, riddles, games, folk drama, and folk festivals ( 1966).
  • Lipman, Doug. Improving your storytelling (1999).
  • Lipman, Doug. The Storytelling Coach: Principles for giving and receiving good help (1999).
  • Livo, Norma J. Storytelling: Process and Practice . Libraries Unlimited (1986).
  • MacDonald, Margaret Read. The Storyteller's Start-Up Book (1993).
  • MacDonald, Margaret Read. Three minute tales (2004).
  • MacDonald, Margaret Read. Twenty Tellable Tales (1986).
  • MacDonald, Margaret Read. Parent's Guide to Storytelling (2001).
  • Mooney, Bill & David Holt. The Storyteller's Guide: Storytellers share advice for the classroom, boardroom, showroom, podium, pulpit, and center stage (1996).
  • Sawyer, Ruth. The Way of the storyteller (1942).
D. General References, e.g. Guides, Encyclopedia, or Dictionaries   
  • Green, Ellin. Storytelling: a selected annotated bibliography (1986).
  • MacDonald, Margaret Read. The Storyteller's Sourcebook: a subject, title, and motif index to folklore collections for children. 1982 (Not in the system - see about Inter-library loan)
  • Pellowski, Anne. The World of Storytelling. Rev. and expanded. (1991) (Not in the system - see about Inter-library loan)
E. Magazines or Newspapers
  • Oklahoma Chronicles [In MLS]
  • Storytelling World
  • Storytelling Magazine
  • Journal of American Folklore [available through Ebsco Host database]
F. Audio-Visual
  • Our library has the following multimedia resources on your topic:
    • Folktales of conflict and peace [videorecording]
    • Folktales of peace [videorecording]
    • God's Drum [videorecording]
    • Tell me a story, volume 1 [videorecording]
    • Tell me a story, volume 2 [videorecording]
    • The 20th anniversary of the National Storytelling Festival [videorecording]
    • Spiders in the hairdo [audio tape]
    • Tales to Tell from around the world [audio tape]
G. Online Resources
The Web sites listed on this page have been previewed and selected for this topic. If additional information is needed, use the suggested keywords and phrases to search the Internet.
  • National Storytelling Network (NSN). www.storynet.org - The web site for the national organization of storytellers, includes index to guilds, grants, special projects.
  • National Association of Black Storytellers (NABS). www.nabsinc.org - This group promotes and perpetuates storytelling that embodies the history, heritage, and culture of African Americans.
  • Network of Biblical Storytelling. www.nobs.org
  • East Tennessee State University. http:///www.etsu.edu/stories - This site lists information about the Masters program in Storytelling and Reading at ETSU; National Youth Storytelling Olympics, and other projects.
  • Tellabration! http://www.tellabration.org - This site provides information on the global storytelling event held each November.
  • Center for the Book, Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/bookfair.html - Book fairs, festivals, and storytelling events.
  • Kid's Storytelling Club. http://www.storycraft.org - This site provides information for students and teachers on how to compose, illustrate and preasent a story using an overhead projector.
  • Circle of Stories. http://www.pbs.org/circleofstories/storytellers/index.html
H. Storytelling in Education
I. Story Collections Online
J. COMMUNITY RESOURCES - Events and Groups

The following community contacts may help you with your topic:

The Territory Tellers, the Oklahoma Storytelling Organization. A 501C-Non-Profit Organization.

Territory Tellers
P.O. Box 914
Jones , Oklahoma 73049-0914
ttellers@yahoo.com

Tellabration!® www.tellabration.org - An evening celebrating storytelling for adults, held around the world the third week of November. Held annually in Oklahoma at various locations around the state; their web site lists locations of those who have registered to hold Tellabrations.

Prepared by M. Hudson
September 2005