Stories for Life showcases enduring art at its finest

In "The Meaning of Shakespeare," Harold Goddard writes that the destiny of the world is determined less by "the battles that are lost and won than by the stories it loves and believes in."

Political winds blow themselves out in time; humanity's great stories endure. So will storytelling, even in the electronic age.

"It will survive because storytelling is the basis for most of the art forms we have: theater, opera, music, poetry and dance," said Hawk Hurst, co-director of the Stories for Life Festival, a Piccolo Spoleto event. "All of these art forms are telling a story, each in its own way. In one sense all of us are storytellers."

While the oral tradition was endangered as an art form in terms of traditional myths, legends or tales, it has made a major comeback in the last 20 years thanks to events such as the National Storytelling Festival each fall in Jonesborough, Tenn., he said.

But Stories for Life, which runs today through Sunday, is not solely about the verbal; it also is devoted to the written word, and to the dovetailing of the arts. A local nonprofit, educational organization "dedicated to teaching children the dynamic art of storytelling," the chief mission of Stories for Life is to showcase the power of the spoken and written word in Lowcountry schools and communities. In 2007, Stories for Life engaged some 3,500 students while entertaining many more at evening Showcase Tales events and the Tell Me a Story Children's Festival. For its second year, the festival continues to attract some of the most accomplished national, regional and local professional storytellers, poets and authors.

Featured storytellers for 2008 include Kurt Lamkin, Ellie Davis, Margie Clary, Brian Pemberthy and Jack Smith from the Charleston area, as well as Connie Regan Blake, Andy Offutt Irwin, Carmen Deedy, Donald Davis, Barbara Locklear, Gregoria Pedroza, The Healing Force, Tim Tingle, Lynn Ruehlman, Madafo Wilson, Nancy Shapiro-Pikelny and Michael "Badhair" Williams.

"These performing artists represent storytelling at its very finest: from the serious to the utterly hilarious, from Southern Fried to Cuban, from Native American to African griot-style poetry," said co-director Linda Stout.

Festival offerings include Hear We Grow school concerts, more Showcase Tales evening concerts and the Children's Festival. New this year is Ghostly Tales to be held at Washington Park downtown and Aquae Mundi, an Italian poetry, opera and storytelling concert, to be held at the Maritime Center. Presented in cooperation with the South Carolina Storytelling Network, there are 12 different events planned Friday through Sunday at tri-county area locations and 12 separate events scheduled Friday in area schools, in addition to Saturday's Children's Festival.

"What keeps us enthused as organizers is the partnerships we've developed, the response of the venue hosts and the sponsors and the excitement of the people who participate and attend," Hurst said. "We are exposing people to one of the oldest art forms, but one of the less appreciated in modern times."

Reach Bill Thompson at 937-5707 or bthompson@postandcourier.com.