5 Tales of Storytelling
One of the simple pleasures of childhood is having a story read to you. For 20 minutes your mind is whisked away to a fantastic world which fires the imagination or gives pause for thought. It is presumed that, as adults, we have grown out of all that. These days it seems the only things that are read to us are PowerPoint slides.
Audio books and radio are seen as bridging this storytelling gap, but the stories they tell are often too abridged. Shorter spiels are a great alternative as, like fairy tales, they are complete in themselves. If you want to listen to an original and compelling story, often an exclusive preview, check out the following.
1. Litro is London’s literary alternative to Metro Magazine. A bit of Metro‘s salacious gossip and an 
overview of the latest celebs’ outfits/affairs/misdemeanours are interesting enough in small doses. What really captures the imagination is Litro with its excellent short stories. Litro is now also venturing out into Litro Words so that anybody not commuting under someone’s armpit on the London Tube won’t miss a thing. Access at www.litro.co.uk
2. Literary Death Match is a US/UK collaboration which is rather whacky, billing itself as a half-circus cross between stand-up comedy and American Idol. Authors perform their often eclectic writing in no more than 7 minutes before an audience and panel of judges who may or may not destroy their self-confidence forever. Judge for yourself at www.literarydeathmatch.com
3. Ghost stories – everyone is drawn to a spooky yarn, even if they profess that the supernatural does not exist. Fireside tales of lurking forces have had us entranced for centuries. Listen to these stories late at night in the middle of a storm preferably in a log cabin far from civilisation. Alternatively just listen alone, when all is dark and quiet, too quiet… at the over-the-top website www.ghostsandstories.com
4. Liars’ League is a monthly live fiction event performed in venues in London. The storytelling is recorded and placed on the internet. If you are a budding writer as well as a listener why not submit your creative scribblings? Check it out at www.liarsleague.typepad.com
5. Short Story Radio aims to promote this genre which is often overlooked in favour of weightier tomes. The site has had tens of thousands of downloads by people from all over the world. Experienced actors bring to life stories from established authors and new entrants. Click on www.shortstoryradio.com
Take care. Hardluxeliving at http://twitter.com/hardluxeliving and http://facebook.com/hardluxelass
-
Storytelling and Leadership . “The cosmos is indeed made of stories, not atoms. A story told... Read Full Story » -
[Pictured above: George Ewart Evans (1909–88) was a pioneering oral historian. He published a... Read Full Story » -
Anything can happen at Camp Nana. If you can dream it, we can try it. I've been acting out... Read Full Story » -
The Anatomy Of Narrative: Analyzing Fiction And Creative Nonfiction Rating: (out of 1... Read Full Story »
