Some people can just tell a good story. The minute they open their mouths anyone within earshot will attend to whatever it is that's pouring out of them. You can ask any two hundred folks on the street to read the exact same story or joke, and maybe - maybe - one or two has the gift of breathing life into the words. Well, every October those one or two people and their ilk, plus thousands who have the gift of listening (no small gift, that), gather for the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. Over the course of three days, well over 10,000 people are completely captivated by the spoken word from storytellers who have had their tongues and hearts touched with pure gold. Read about what happened at this year's festival here. "Go home and tell stories to people you love," ends Kathryn Windham. Amen.From Jonesborough, head north to Salem, Massachusetts, where muggles indulge their Potter-power-envy at a 4-day symposium called "Witching Hour." Kind of a Harry Potter University, real-world scholars lead seminars and discussions on a range of Potter-centric topics ranging from economics to theology, creative writing to sociology. "Witching Hour" is not sanctioned by JK Rowling or Warner Bros. (movie rights' holder), but I'm sure both will richly reap rewards of the symposium in the end. Now where did I put my Marauder's Map?
Go forth and tell good stories . . .
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