I’m
starting off 2013 with a look back at 2012:
January:
The
year started for me with a weekend of storytelling at one of my favorite places
to perform: Children’s Fairyland! I also
began a new year of storytimes for toddlers, preschoolers & families at the
Livermore Public Library; spent a weekend of professional development at the
Asilomar Reading Conference in Monterey County; and did some classroom
storytelling in Sunnyvale & Pleasanton.
 |
| January at Children's Fairyland |
February-March:
More
storytime fun in Livermore, plus school storytelling in Fremont, Hayward,
Livermore & Brentwood. I also got to
pay a storytelling visit to the Sunnyvale Library—an opportunity I always welcome!
 |
| Storytelling at the Sunnyvale Library |
April:
I
got to return to the Sunnyvale Library, this time as one of the tellers in its
annual Storytelling Festival! I also
shared stories with the patients & their families at Stanford’s Lucile
Packard Children’s Hospital, and visited schools in Palo Alto, Fremont, Newark
& Alamo to share some storytelling fun.
And of course: my ongoing storytimes in Livermore!
May:
In
May, I had a very unique experience: I was the stage announcer for the
Augmented Reality Event in Santa Clara, California, “the first global conference dedicated to advancing the business of
augmented reality.” It was fun to put those announcer skills to
work! I also returned to the
Emerald City Stage at Children’s Fairyland, and shared stories at schools in
Burlingame & Pleasanton. In
Livermore Library news, in addition to finishing up the spring storytime
season, I visited local schools to promote the library’s annual Summer Reading
Program.
June:
Summer
is always my favorite time of the year—and not just because I thrive on the
warm weather & long days—it’s Summer Reading season! At the Livermore Public Library, I get
to shake up my regular routine by presenting School-Age Storytimes—newly-rebranded
(by the new Children’s Librarian) as “The Dream Weaver Story Club.” In addition to storytelling & book
reading, we also had games, prizes, and super-cool science experiments! The evening Family Storytimes I love
continued, with the summer swell of people we tend to only see this time of
year.), AND I book & present a season of very special family programs:
guest storytellers, puppetry, animals and cultural presentations.
 |
| I get to be reptile handler during an animal program at the Livermore Library. |
June was a VERY busy month, with a nice variety of storytelling appearances: San
Francisco’s Stonestown Galleria; the
Alameda and San Leandro Libraries; a school in San Ramon; a church in San
Mateo; and a gym daycare in Pleasanton! And
yes, I was even able to fit in a weekend at my beloved Children’s Fairyland.
July:
My
busy weeks at the Livermore Public Library continued, with even more on my
storytelling plate! I started a weekly
trek after dark to the Oakland Zoo, where I performed for the lucky families
spending the night as a part of the zoo’s “Family Sundown Safari” series of
events. I had run-ins with the local
wildlife—non-resident “residents” of the zoo: turkeys, deer, and SKUNKS!
 |
| A scary little up-close encounter one evening at the Oakland Zoo |
Another
notable event in July was my first trip to the Menlo Park Library, as a
storytime substitute (both English & English/Spanish bilingual events). This was such a success that I’ve spent a lot
of time there since! I was at other
libraries this month for storytelling performances: Daly City, Milpitas and
Fremont. As if that weren’t enough, I
also shared stories at a school in Morgan Hill, a church in Concord, and a “park
day” event in Pleasanton.
August:
Two
more sleepover events for the Oakland Zoo, one for Children’s Fairyland (plus a
weekend of daytime storytelling there), more storytimes at the Menlo Park
library, AND school storytelling in Santa Clara & Danville. Along with all that, there were the final summer
storytimes & special events at the Livermore Library.
September:
The
end of the Summer Reading Program is always a huge letdown for me, but I kept
busy in September with what I called my “September of Storytimes” at the Menlo
Park Library: I was there every Tuesday, sharing storytelling, book-reading
& singing for English & Bilingual storytimes! So much fun.
In addition to that: my regular toddler, preschool & family
storytimes resumed at the Livermore Libraries; I performed for the youth at a Berkeley
synagogue, and I spent another fun weekend at Children’s Fairyland.
October:
ROAD
TRIP! A special storytelling tour of San
Luis Obispo & Santa Barbara Counties.
I performed silly & spooky stories at libraries in San Luis Obispo,
Santa Maria, Morro Bay, Cayucos, Arroyo Grande, Atascadero & Paso Robles. I also held a storytelling assembly at a
school in Solvang, and shared some silly fun at the San Luis Obispo Children’s
Museum (a place my son & I spent many fun hours back when he was a “wee
little toot”)! The change of scenery was
invigorating, and I met a lot of nice people—including a family who told me
they’d seen me perform at one of my Bay Area “homes,” Children’s Fairyland!
 |
| On stage, on screen, at the San Luis Obispo Children's Museum |
Also
in October, I performed for a corporate family party in Palo Alto, and of
course was there for my storytimes at the Livermore Library.
November-December:
A
BOOK! I am a contributing author to the
freshly-published work, How to be a Storyteller: Essays and Advice on the Artof Storytelling. I share my personal views
of sharing stories with young audiences & their families in my essay, “How
to be a Storyteller for Children.” The
book’s editor has spread the word that the electronic edition of the book “hit #1 in Kindle Performing Arts books, and top 20 in ‘Meetings
and Presentations’ and ‘Communication.’”
I’ve also received some feedback from the Children’s Librarian at one of
my regular storytelling stops: “I read yours first, great job. Lots of good
tips for storytellers who would like to tell to a library family audience.”
 |
| THE BOOK! |
Also in the last few weeks of the
year, I visited a school in Orinda, did the story portion for very fun
art/story program at the Menlo Park Library showcasing Ezra Jack Keats’s “A
Snowy Day,” and appeared for the final times (for 2012) at my regular perches
at the Livermore Library and Children’s Fairyland.
So
what’s ahead for 2013? January
kicks off with another round of professional development in Asilomar, another
pair of fill-in storytimes at the Menlo Park Library, more storytelling for the
Sunnyvale Library, a visit to an Alamo preschool, and a new year of library
storytimes in Livermore. Beyond
that? Stay with me &
find out!
 |
| Looking forward to the 2013 Asilomar Reading Conference! |
Happy
New Year! Wishing you much
health & happiness in 2013.
(Want to revisit 2011? Click here!)
.
