Who Says?: Essays on Pivotal Issues in Contemporary Storytelling

By Melissa A. Heckler and Carol L. Birch

Book Overview

Winner of Storytelling World Award & Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award

Contemporary storytelling has its roots in the oral and literary traditions. Performances are often judged according to the aesthetics of print, theater, or music - even television and film. In the last two decades, the storytelling movement has gained momentum, both as an educational tool and as engaging form of entertainment.

But the revival is so young that there is no common vocabulary for discussing it. What are the aesthetics of storytelling? These ten essays provide models to think with. Most of the contributors are storytellers; they are also anthropologists, writers, folklorists, musicians, and teachers and librarians. Provocative, challenging, and robust, these essays address critical issues in an increasingly potent movement.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0874834546
• ISBN13: 9780874834543
• Release Date: January 2011
• Publisher: August House Publishers
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Great storytelling resource

This highly readable, intelligently assembled collection of essays has become a standard text for storytellers. And for good reason. The editors have chosen wisely and reading this book will bring the power of storytelling into focus. There are a wide range of issues facing storytelling today, and these concerns are not trivial. I use it in my classroom on a regular basis.