Eva Antonel
Have I got a story for you! It seems we
love to tell them as much as we like to listen
to them. Whether around a campfire, around
the water cooler or over coffee, stories have
been told and retold since the beginning of
time. It's what makes us human. Sharing our
experiences and those of others, we connect
through our common triumphs and
misdeeds and see ourselves in those of
others. By telling stories, we know we're not
alone.
I’m not sure if it's just me, but it seems
we have less time for storytelling than we
used to. Whether it's the quickened pace of
life or our tendency to communicate more
through electronic means, we seem to tell
stories less and less and, in turn, rely on
television, movies or 30 second video bites to
communicate what we used to in words. That
may be all well and good but sharing a story
with a group of people within arm's reach
makes for a truly unique experience that no
video clip can replicate.
Mouth Piece, a local storytelling
initiative conceived by local writer and poet
Vanessa Shields, is making sure the art form
is not only resurrected but thriving in
Windsor Essex. Based on a similar concept
popular in the U.S. called The Moth, Mouth
Piece invites local storytellers to share their
original, true stories in front of an audience.
The stories cannot be memorized or read but
told off the cuff as if to a group of friends. The
evenings are held at different venues
throughout the city and offer a theme for
storytellers to focus on. A special professional
storyteller guest sets the pace for the evening
If you'd like to hear a
few good stories, the
attendance is free of
charge. If you'd like
to contribute a story
of your own, check
out the details here.
Until then, here's a
link to past Mouth
Piece podcasts.
with several others taking the stage. The
audience is encouraged to vote for their
favourite story with the winner taking home
that evening's coveted honour, The Master
Mouth Piece. At end of the season, a Master
Mouth Piece Storytelling Tell-off is planned.
The concept is not only creative and fun
but also promises to preserve the age-old
tradition of storytelling for future
generations. All Mouth Piece evenings are
recorded, and made available as a podcast for
future listening opportunities. Not only does
the initiative provide entertainment for the
evening but an audio record of local
storytellers telling local stories.
At the time of this writing, there have
been three such events held around the city.
Debuting in June of 2015, the original
gathering took place at Villains Beastro with
the theme of Books. Another followed in
August at Rino's Kitchen, centered on the
theme of Food and the last one was held this
past December at Vesta Pizzeria with the
theme of Home for the Holidays. The next
instalment, planned for February 23, is
scheduled to take place at The Foundry Club,
459 Ouellette Ave. with the timely theme of
Love. The guest professional storyteller, John
Wing, is no stranger to Windsor's art scene.
A writer, poet and standup comedian, he's an
alumnus of the University of Windsor and
most widely known for his run at the 2013
America's Got Talent trophy.
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February 2016 - The HUB 9