Reality Bypass

Timpanogos Storytelling Festival August 24, 2010

I have always had a love for the written word.  I like writing.  I like reading.  I like the texture and the scent and the feel of books.  However, I also love listening.  I love stories told outloud and performed by those who know them well.  I grew up with stories about ancestors and farming life and stories are the only way I know the paternal grandfather who died before I was born.  All of this a long way to just say I love stories.

Once a year in Orem, Utah, not far from where I was raised, national and local storytellers get together for two days of telling.  They tell personal stories, twisted fairytales, cultural mythos and everything around and in between.  And for a few days we all sit in big tents and we listen and live stories of times and places and thoughts.  I always come away from the Timp Festival inspired about my own stories and knowing I have something to share.  If you’ll be in Utah around Labor Day you really should join us (details at www.timpfest.org), and if you don’t look for storytelling opportunities in your area.  I truly believe listening to others makes me a better writer and it’s good for the soul.  There’s just something uplifting about gathering around in the quiet and letting go and being told a story.

Jana Brown