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RANGELEY — As part of Rangeley Library’s popular weeknight series, folklorist, storyteller, poet and writer Peggy Yocom will lead a free workshop on “How To Recall and Tell Our Stories,” Tuesday, Aug. 29, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Participants will learn fun ways to mine their memories for stories and to encourage their relatives to tell stories all will treasure. For adults and older youths, the workshop will be especially useful for those who want to remember past events, to write pieces that draw on memory, to research family history, to make family scrapbooks, and to have more tales to tell on cozy fireside evenings. People who would like to come just to listen to stories are also welcome.
“People can choose whether or not to share their stories in the workshop,” Yocum adds, “but I’m sure people will recall stories they will want to tell others sometime.” Participants will leave with new ideas, new stories and a handout on techniques and resources.
Yocom grew up listening to her grandparents’ stories in the Pennsylvania German farm country. She has been writing about the people of Rangeley, especially those families who work in the timber woods, since 1975. Interested in stories throughout her life, she helped put together a book of tales told by the Inuit of northwestern Alaska, and she has written about the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Retired from a teaching career at George Mason University, she lives in Rangeley and Farmington with her husband, John Slack. As a sponsor of Western Maine Storytelling events, the library is inviting anyone who would like to listen to stories or to share a story to come to the “Storytelling Swap” Saturday, Sept. 9, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Three members of Western Maine Storytelling will be on hand with stories to tell.
Through its events, Western Maine Storytelling hopes to underscore the vital role storytelling plays in people’s lives. Research has shown that reminiscence gives much more than pleasure, connecting strangers, strengthening the links between generations, and giving children a crucial sense of identity. Knowledge of family history has even been linked to better teen behavior and mental health. In these days of tweeting, texting and other “social” media, people may need stories even more.
Both events are part of Western Maine Storytelling’s “A Community Celebration of Stories!” — a series of workshops and informal storytelling gatherings in four area towns–Livermore Falls, Wilton, Rangeley and Farmington. All is made possible by grants from the Maine Humanities Council and United Way of the Tri-Valley Area.
Organized in 2011, Western Maine Storytelling is a group of storytellers and story-listeners who present programs and support the art of storytelling in the region for audiences of all ages. Vice-president of Western Maine Storytelling, Yocum’s website is margaretyocom.com
For more information about the Rangeley events, call the library at 207-864-5529 or Yocom at 207-864-3421, e-mail myocom@gmu.edu or visit westernmainestorytelling.org for more details about Maine storytelling.
