I remember the first chapter book that made me fall in love with reading. It was Christmas, and I was 12 years old. I was sitting under the tree, wrapping paper thrown about, and I grabbed another gift with my name on it. When I unwrapped it, the title jumped out: “Maximum Ride.” As soon as I started reading, I was hooked. I sped through all the books. After that, I couldn’t put books down.
The first quote that jumped out to me in this module was “I was inspired, moved, changed” (Stephens, 2019). That is always how I feel after reading or hearing something powerful. This includes books, movies, songs, and any other form of storytelling. Storytelling can do powerful things, including inspiring change, building empathy, sharing knowledge, and building connection. There is something moving about stories you can relate to and know you are not alone. Stories have been around forever. Nothing feels more freeing, to me, than sitting around a fire chatting and swapping stories. This was the original storytelling and is just as, if not more, powerful.

“Live storytelling is immediate and personal; it’s a direct line to the oral tradition from which formalized literature emerged” (Stephens, 2019).

There are many ways libraries can incorporate more elements of oral storytelling. Book clubs are a popular program, and patrons can read their favorite passages from the assigned reading. My favorite way I incorporated this type of storytelling as a Library Page was by hosting a Slam Poetry Reading. Our library has always struggled to bring teens into the library. This was one of several successful programs we introduced to bring more teens in. The most successful were the Poetry Slam and our Escape Room program created by another Library Page. Teens from surrounding towns came to join these programs (we lived in a small town far from many things so this was impressive!) It is amazing how storytelling can really motivate people and bring them together.

References:

Stephens, M. T. (2019). Wholehearted librarianship: Finding hope, inspiration, and
balance. ALA Editions.