The Tall Tale Event October 26, 2014
— submitted by Pam Raider
The 2014 Tall Tale Event will be held on October 26 in the Brown County Public Library from 1 to 5 p. m.
In 1995, Henry“ Hank” Swain, a Quaker pacifist and home builder, and Von Williamson, a country farmer turned painter and writer, established the local writers group, Writers Readers and Poets Society( W. R. A. P. S.).
Earlier this year Hank’ s sojourn on Earth was completed. We all miss his gentle ways, his guiding hand, and his sense of humor. WRAPS has decided to revive Hank’ s Tall Tale Event as a tribute to our founder, mentor, and friend.
Hank remained a faithful WRAPS attendee who mentored many newbies through early stages of their writing careers and he encouraged them to publish their material. Hank’ s mentoring went far beyond the material we presented each week and he became a beloved role model to all of us. The group published a compendium of its members’ work with Hillsounds in 1997, and a follow up edition, Hillsounds II, in 1998. Most recently in 2013, it published Hillsounds Three which is still available from members of the group or on Amazon.
Although the group saw a wide variety of people come and go over the course of many years, the people who stayed and attended regularly witnessed a big change in Hank’ s writing style. His early forte
44 Our Brown County • Sept./ Oct. 2014
was composed mostly of serious essays on many topics. His first book, published in 2005, entitled Leaves for the Raking contained a montage of stories, essays, poetry, and observations on the human condition. Many of his essays had also appeared in Our Brown County for which he had been a regular contributor for many years. His second book, published in 2006, entitled Why Now?, detailed the evolution of his thinking and experiences as a conscientious objector.
As time went on, we were all able to see a more humorous side to Hank Swain. His essays on serious subjects often had a surprise ending and later this developed into what he called tall tales. His definition of a tall tale?“ Any tale is a story about something to be written or told. It should begin with a theme and follow a narrative progression to a conclusion. A tall tale follows the same story progression, but the writer becomes essentially a trickster. A well- crafted tall tale should seem plausible but not possible. As the story develops, the writer gradually injects into the tale humor, suspense, and a creeping
skepticism so that by the end of the tale, the writer and the reader become partners in one of the oldest scams on earth.”
In 2004, Hank and his wife Mardi began to sponsor a Tall Tale Contest held in the Brown County library. What could be more in keeping with the traditions of this community and its legacy of the Liars Bench? This was an annual event for four years. Later in 2012, the WRAPS partnered with the Brown County Literacy Coalitions and revived its event as part of the Liars Bench festival. it was a big hit. In the meantime, Hank taught classes about how to be a proper tall tale teller, and his book entitled, Hank’ s Tall Tales and Harmless Exaggerations, appeared the same year.
The stories for this year’ s event should follow Hank’ s definition of a tall tale, i. e. be plausible but not possible, and be original and no longer than 1000 words. From the entries submitted, five finalists will be chosen who will read or recite their tall tale in public. A panel of five judges will determine the winner. For more information, see contest rules posted on the facebook page, W. R. A. P. S. Forms will be available at the Brown County Library or contact Pam Raider at < psage9 @ aol. com > or( 812) 988-0035. Submit your entry by September 26. Good luck. •