Joining In: An Anthology of Audience Participation Stories and How to Tell Them [Paperback]

Teresa Miller (Author), Anne Pellowski (Author), Norma J. Livo (Editor)

Book Description

Now in its fifth printing, this anthology features stories by Heather Forest, Doug Lipman, Norma Livo, Anne Pellowski, Diane Wolkstein, Bill Harley, and 12 more tellers. The stories are from African, Indian, Native American, and other cultures; some are original. Each of the 18 stories includes notes by the contributor on how to encourage the audience to participate in the telling of the story. The first in our series, this anthology provides a wealth of information on storytelling and audience participation techniques.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Yellow Moon Press (June 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938756214
• ISBN-13: 978-0938756217
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #955,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rarity -- creative, original, unique, July 24, 2002

By 

R. Tiedemann "Sunnye" (Bellevue, NE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Joining In: An Anthology of Audience Participation Stories and How to Tell Them (Paperback)

No simple anthology, this. It's a collection of tales, each choreographed with the storyteller's actions. These are participation stories, as they're called by professional storytellers. JOINING IN is dedicated primarily to stories that engage the audience in the telling. You have the stories as well as directions on how to tell them.

Each story contains instructions for illustration and encouraging audience participation. Fran Stallings, for example, whose story is titled "Paper Flower," shares an original tale which she crafted from several different turn-of-the-century collections of Chinese folk and fairy tales. Since she uses mime and crafts paper items as she tells the story, those instructions are included. in a format similar to a television script, along with author's tips for telling.

This is a unique and fascinating book -- dazzling, extraordinary. It's very different from any other book I've seen and every person who loves telling stories will also love this book.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Joining In: an anthology of audience participation stories.., August 6, 2000

By 

J. Jensen (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Joining In: An Anthology of Audience Participation Stories and How to Tell Them (Paperback)

This is a must for all storytellers who want to move beyond book stories. To get the audience involved in storytelling is an art that calls for more than enthusiasm on the part of both storyteller and audience. This book explains to the storyteller just how to manage this, and gives hope to even the neophyte storyteller, who - like me - had storytelling thrust upon them because they were idiot enough to mention to their librarian that 'I like children'. While not all the stories in the anthology work for me, I have found several that are just perfect for my style of telling. The stories also cross age boundaries, so there is something for everyone. What I appreciated most, however, was the 'and how to tell them' part. Any tip helps, and these are examples from experts!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anyone can do participatory storytelling with this book!, January 6, 2007

By 

Philip Drexler "RagtimeTR" (Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Joining In: An Anthology of Audience Participation Stories and How to Tell Them (Paperback)

I put on a participatory storytelling event at a hospital with the help of the dance, music, and art therapists. The stories are very therapeutic and fun!