– by Doreen Marion Gee –
Everyone has a story, a tale to tell. From when we rise to when we shut our eyes, we are telling stories. The Victoria Storytellers Guild is reviving and honouring an old art that is at the heart of being human. Storytelling is like mining for gold: our lives and our community are richer for it.
Storytelling is an ancient art form going back to the dawn of human history. The members of the Victoria Storytellers Guild are aware of the vital importance of storytelling in all of our lives. “Stories at Fern” takes place once a month to celebrate our communal voices. They want “to promote and further develop storytelling as an art form by providing services to storytellers and to the general public in the Greater Victoria area.” The group was born in 1989, catalysed by storytelling workshops at the library. Over the years, they have evolved into a vibrant registered society.
Nejama Ferstman has been involved with the Guild from its inception. Nejama is a lively, likeable person and a passionate spokesperson for the group and the magic of story telling: “Change happens when two people talk.” To Nejama, storytelling has always been essential to our culture as a way of preserving our history. And when a story is told, a vital connection is formed between the speaker and the listener that could change someone’s life forever.
Nejama relates her own transformative journey with the storytellers group. In a challenging marriage for years, Nejama found it difficult to confide in friends. Within the Storytellers Guild, there were specific stories she told that aroused her passion, having a common thread: the heroes’ survival against all odds. In telling the fictional tales, Nejama absorbed the characters’ experiences and gained insights into her own unspoken story. This gave her the courage to talk about the challenges in her own life. In some strange unknowable way, her protagonists’ victories over adversity helped give Nejama the fortitude to face her own demons. She eventually found the strength to turn her back on her marriage. Her experience illustrates the power of telling stories.
Integral to the group is gentle caring support and encouragement of one another. The Storytellers Guild is a confidence builder, helping new members hone their speaking skills. They give skill-building workshops; their monthly gatherings are open to the public with new members always welcome.
March 17th was a remarkable evening. I was not prepared for the extraordinary talent and skill in the room when I attended a meeting of the tellers-of-tales. Spellbound, I witnessed polished deliveries of mysterious tales, hilarious comedy routines and stories that made my heart stop. There was magic in that room. How could I forget a woman who told a story in a silvery river of words and by forming string art creatures – at the same time! I loved the atmosphere of frenzied and animated creative expression. I left inspired, my imagination tingling with glee.
Nejama sums it up well: “When we started there was a feeling of excitement at bringing an art back that seemed to be dying. We have to be careful that technology does not take the place of people meeting face to face. When people get together to tell stories, they are keeping their communities healthy and alive.”
Contact and info: www.victoriastorytellers.org.
