2013: A Look Back

I’m starting off 2014 with a look back at 2013:

January:

My first public storytelling appearance of 2013 was at one of my favorite places to share stories & fun: the Sunnyvale Library!  Every visit is a pleasure, and this time was no exception.

Sharing my stories & nonsense with everyone at the Sunnyvale Library

I began a new year of storytimes for toddlers, preschoolers & families at the Livermore Public Library; and I found a NEW library home in Menlo Park!  I'd been filling in for the occasional storytime at the Menlo Park Library since the previous summer, but in January they made it official, with a Library Assistant position, and a wonderful array of duties. Things started off with a pair of regular storytimes, plus early planning for both the Youth and Adult Summer Reading Programs.

The Menlo Park Library.  I love being here.

In mid-January, as I have the last few years, I spent a weekend of professional development at the Asilomar Reading Conference in Monterey County.  Back in the Bay Area later in the month, I did some school storytelling in Alamo, and performed for the first time at the Palo Alto Children's Library's Annual Storytelling Festival.  THAT was a very fun day!

February-March:

A full slate of storytimes in Menlo Park & Livermore, plus school storytelling in Menlo Park & Fremont, and giving teacher workshops in read-aloud techniques at schools in Redwood City & Palo Alto. 

I also paid my first visit of the year to Children's Fairyland, one of my very favorite storytelling homes!  When I spend a weekend there, it's two performances each afternoon--and families who attend both get different stories each time. 

On stage at Children's Fairyland

April:

I returned to the Sunnyvale Library this month, as just one of many participants in the library's annual Storytelling Festival.  I also paid visits to Fairfield & Berkeley, as libraries in each of those cities hosted my storytelling program.

There was more school storytelling this month (in Redwood City & Palo Alto), plus all of my storytimes in both Menlo Park & Livermore.

May:

With the end of the school year coming--and libraries' Summer Reading Programs starting--last-minute activity keeps EVERYONE in schools & libraries busy!  My silly "come to the library, read, and win" messages were filmed and played online for the libraries in both Livermore & Menlo Park (we even had a special visitor for the MP shoot).

THAT dude.

I spent a week at Encinal Elementary in Atherton, storytelling & talking up the summer games about 25 classes visiting the school library, one at a time.  A fun, invigorating change of pace!

Also in May, I brought some cool, interactive storytelling fun to schools & churches in Hayward, San Mateo, San Jose & San Ramon.

June:

I say it all the time: 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, Mondays kept me SO busy, with 3 storytimes.  I'd begin with my "Dream Weaver Story Club" (stories, book-sharing, science & games with grade schoolers), then run inside for an Infant Storytime (those guys love me--it's my round head, I think), and finally return several hours later to finish out the day with a 7pm Family Storytime.  I also had a school-age storytime Fridays at Livermore's Rincon Library, plus hosting all of the special programs I'd booked: music, animal education, puppetry and more.

In Menlo Park, I'd also booked summer programs--including a couple I'd put together as the person in charge of the Adult Summer Reading Program.  I hosted a Plant Exchange, and also a dumpling-cooking program featuring chef & cookbook author Andrea Nguyen.  Both events were huge hits, as were all of the ones I'd arranged for the family programs.  Planning, publicizing, shopping, decorating and all the other details for the summer reading in Menlo Park--as well as learning from & collaborating with the wonderful, wise, dedicated & hard-working staff--kept me very happy, indeed.  It was a very extensive, wildly-successful program.

June was not just "storytiming" and other library-staff-type stuff for me: I was also out & about, storytelling!  I spun my tales at Children's Fairyland, the Campbell Library, and schools in Cupertino & Concord.

July:

A little road trip to San Luis Obispo County!  I enjoyed returning to the libraries in SLO, Atascadero, and Paso Robles (as well as the Paso Robles Library's Study Center) for some summer storytelling.

The San Luis Obispo Library, and some of its creative furniture.

More storytelling closer to home, at libraries (Cupertino & Fairfield), schools (Fremont, Belmont, San Ramon & Morgan Hill), and (a sleepover event at) Children's Fairyland.

My busy season continued at the libraries in Livermore & Menlo Park--and July marked a year since there very first time I'd set foot in the Menlo Park Library for the one-time assignment of filling in for its Toddler & Bilingual Storytimes.  I sure am glad that first visit was a success!

August-September:

My final storytimes & events of the summer in Livermore & Menlo Park, and a lot of anticipation of "what comes next" (a lot of what comes next is usually immediate forethought to the following summer).  I spent another couple of weekends at Children's Fairyland; shared stories at schools in Alameda, San Ramon, Los Gatos & Pleasanton; gave a Family Reading Seminar in Redwood City, and did some campfire storytelling for a special needs family camp at Camp Arroyo in Livermore.  

October-November:

In October, I told Halloween stories--inside a Christmas tree showroom!  I spent three Wednesdays at Balsam Hill--seller of upscale artificial trees in Burlingame--sharing stories among a well-lit forest.  An interesting change of pace!

Something else new & exciting that started in October was my Thursday Afternoon Storytelling series at the Menlo Park Library.  The Children's Librarian, ever thinking of how she could use a storyteller on her staff (having previously assigned me to storytelling at local schools & for class visits to the library, and a staff training in adding elements of storytelling to their storytime reading), suggested this new event just for school-agers & their adults.  It's "something cool after school" for the big kids, and it's gotten off to a really great start.  I enjoy exposing everyone to storytelling and folklore, and getting those "398s"--the library's folktale collection--moving off of the shelves!  

The new Thursday Afternoon Storytelling series was covered by the local news site, InMenlo.
http://inmenlo.com/2013/10/30/menlo-park-librarys-john-weaver-spins-tales-for-school-age-kids-every-thursday-afternoon/

October & November brought my regular storytimes at my two libraries, of course, plus I returned to Livermore's Camp Arroyo, shared stories with some scouts in Hillsborough, and spent another weekend at Children's Fairyland. 

December:

In December, all story events in Menlo Park have taken a little winter break, giving me the chance to jump ahead in my planning.  Livermore storytimes also came to a stop mid-month.  Children's Fairyland, however, kept me very busy!  I spent three weekends at the park, with new stories at each visit, including Fairyland's annual "Winter Fairyland" event.  I love being a part of it!

My final school visit of the year was at a huge Book Fair event at a school in Hillsborough.  Such a large crowd, such a variety of ages--and I loved hearing afterward that kids wouldn't allow their adults to drag them away before the stories ran out!  I could tell there were also some adults who would not allow their kids to drag them away before the stories' end.

So what’s ahead for 2014?  January kicks off with another round of professional development in Asilomar--and this time I'll also be presenting!  I'll give the teachers my tips on refreshing their reading presentation for their kids' benefit & their own sanity.  Storytimes & storytelling will resume in Livermore & Menlo Park, and I'll be returning with my storytelling to libraries in Sunnyvale & Palo Alto.  Beyond that, I've got school visits on the books, a little storytelling in Hawaii, and...beyond that?  Stay with me and we will find out together!

Looking forward to the 2014 Asilomar Reading Conference!

Happy New Year!  Wishing you much health & happiness in 2014.

Storyteller John Weaver 

storytellerjohnweaver.com

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2012: A Look Back

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.

Storyteller John Weaver 

storytellerjohnweaver.com

(Want to revisit 2011?  Click here!)

.

NICE "Dear John" Letter!

Received from the director of a school in Palo Alto:

"I am not sure who had more fun, the teachers or the kids!  We were still laughing about it today in the staff room.  You have such a gift and I am so thrilled that you are using your gift in this manner.

 

"In this day and age parents,  and even some schools, rely so heavily on media to educate their children, that they are missing the single most important piece and that is a child’s imagination. You nailed it right on the head when you were telling the children that their imagination is what makes the story come alive; for each of us will imagine the same character in a different way.  You said it much more eloquently than I just did but you know what I mean!"

 

 

 

2011: A Look Back

I’m starting off 2012 with a look back at 2011:

January:

Having just returned from Hawaii, where I performed at the Honolulu Aquarium & the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center, I kicked off 2011 with a weekend of professional development at the Asilomar Reading Conference in Monterey County.  A new year of storytimes for toddlers, preschoolers & family groups begins at the Livermore Public Library; I marked my first performance of 2011 at Children’s Fairyland; and I did some classroom storytelling in San Francisco.

February-March:

More storytime fun in Livermore, including a few Baby Storytimes, which are always a sweet change of pace.  I had the pleasure of sharing more stories on the Emerald City Stage at Children’s Fairyland, and I also got to perform at a couple of my favorite events—Family Reading Nights—at elementary schools in Brentwood & Fremont.

April-May:

I began a series of performances at branches of the San José Public Library, and I also got to perform twice for the Sunnyvale Library: once on my own, and once as a part of its annual storytelling festival.  More library fun: I got to do my thing in San Leandro, and of course there were the ongoing storytimes in Livermore.  There were also storytelling sessions at preschools in Milpitas, Palo Alto & Santa Clara; another trip to Children’s Fairyland; and I visited Livermore elementary schools to tell students about the library’s summer reading programs.

June-August:

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 (as well as the evening Family Storytimes I love), AND I book & present a season of very special family programs.  This year, I also made time for a nice variety of storytelling appearances: preschools & school-age groups in Alameda, Danville, & Lafayette; a gym daycare; a Girl Scout Day Camp in the East Bay hills; another San José Library; and my first storytelling trip to Palo Alto’s famous Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital!  And yes, I was even able to fit in a weekend at my beloved Children’s Fairyland.

September:

The end of the Summer Reading Program is always a huge letdown for me, but this year I had something big to look forward to: a trip to Asia to attend the Singapore International Storytelling Festival & Asian Congress of Storytellers! Professional & personal development time, as I was exposed to hundreds of teachers, storytellers & other early childhood professionals & volunteers from throughout the region & also far-flung locations including Australia, Spain & the U.S.  The seminars were very much like teachers’ conferences I’ve attended over the years right here at home, as were many of the concerns & questions brought up by the attendees.  The festival portion of the event included one of the most amazing storytelling performances I’ve ever seen: the epic Indian tale of the Ramayana, told by six very different tellers.  So glad I finally made it to this big event; hope to be finding myself back!  I also took a lot of time to explore as much of Singapore as I could, and took advantage of a Hong Kong layover on the way home to explore that island for a couple of days—and even briefly took in the local Disneyland.  This was a fitting end to a trip that in fact did reinforce that people are so much the same—it’s a small world, after all.   Within a couple of days of my return, I was back to storytimes in Livermore!

October:

Another first-time event for me: storytelling at a mall! I also conducted a course in classroom storytelling for preschool & elementary school teachers, and shared stories for families at an Oakland preschool’s Halloween party.  Of course, I also did my thing at Children’s Fairyland & the Livermore Library!

November-December:

Winding down the year with classroom storytelling in Pleasanton & San Jose, a final pair of events for Children’s Fairyland (the second a special performance for the park’s annual “Fairy Winterland” celebration), and the last storytimes of 2011 at the Livermore Public Library!

So what’s ahead for 2012?  January kicks off with another round of professional development in Asilomar, another visit to Children’s Fairyland, and a new year of library storytimes in Livermore.  Beyond that?  Stay with me & find out!

Happy New Year!  Wishing you much health & happiness in 2012.