Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2012 - (Page 7)

Denise Ofelia Mangen released from prison, and his book publisher approached us. We knew that damien was going to talk about being wrongfully imprisoned at age 18. his challenge was to tell his 19-year story in 10 minutes, onstage, in a way that would be meaningful for him and the audience. he worked tirelessly with one of our directors to find a way to tell the story within the time frame, and it turned out beautifully. in some cases, we might not yet know what the story will be. a mutual friend suggested alan, the big cat guy, to us. the first time i got on the phone with alan, i didn’t know what story he might tell. i asked him a million questions about his life, and the stuttering story came up. storycraft once the storyteller and the moth have agreed on a story, we send them an outline of it. having someone parrot back to them what they said and putting it together with a beginning, middle, and end helps organize the story. then they’ll tell a rough draft of the story, in person or by phone, just to start saying it in order. We provide notes, and they practice some more. it could be one or two times, or more. my record is 17 hours with the recently exonerated prisoner. he was, understandably, very angry. he would forget to say that he was let out of jail. i would say, “Wait, back up a minute. You have to tell the part where you’re released and found not guilty.” the official rehearsal takes place at the moth office. the storytellers tell their story in front of our entire production team, who then provide them with feedback. it’s a chance to tell it not in front of a big crowd, but in front of a new crowd. after i’ve heard a story many times, i may not realize something’s missing, but if a member of our team is confused, then somebody in the audience will be. Advice for young storytellers We have storysLam competitions where anyone can tell their story on the evening’s theme, and we’re about to launch a teen storysLam to encourage teens to tell their own stories. i regret that in my own teen years, i didn’t write down enough of what was happening to me. it would be wonderful to have that material now. i’d be surprised if there was anyone who wouldn’t go back and use material they generated as a teen as a basis for work they’ll produce later in life. teens should write about what moves them and what happens to them in the day-to-day. at the moth, we believe that everybody—no matter how young—has a story. www.cty.jhu.edu/imagine imagine 7 http://www.cty.jhu.edu/imagine

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2012

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/december 2012
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
Well of Dreams
Making History Personal
A World Full of Stories
The Month of Writing Dangerously
Japan Adventures
Storytelling 2.0
On the Frontline of Digital Journalism
Once Upon a Summer
Awakening the Storyteller
Selected Opportunities & Resources
On the Doorstep of Discovery
When You’re Ready to Do Research
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2012