The New Frontier of Virtual Storytelling:

As a result of the Covid epidemic resulting in the shutting down of live face to face storytelling events beginning in the Spring of 2020, most storytellers and storytelling organizations have had to adapt to telling stories via virtual media - Zoom, Facebook, Youtube, etc. Several major festivals and conferences such as the Timpanogos Festival and the National Storytelling Network's Conference went virtual. The Seattle Storytellers Guild began having virtual Story Swaps in April of 2020 and virtual StoryFests in the Fall. As we shifted into gathering this way and telling online, I did a series of articles in In The Wind exploring the changes this has made in how we present our stories. This page is devoted to resources for Virtual Storytelling.
Virtual Storytelling brings a number of challenges to Oral Storytelling such as Telling on a small screen - to an audience gathered in an online meeting - dealing with techical and equipment issues - creating a Home "studio space"
I prepared a number of handouts to assist Guild members with Zoom and then prepared a Workshop on Organizing Virtual Storytelling events.

My Workshops On Organizing Zoom Story Events

• My Handout for the NSN Producer's Special Interest Group's 2021 Pre-conference Workshop Which includes:
  • Organizing and Hosting Zoom Story Events: The Process
  • Some Suggested Best Practices for Zoom Story Programs
  • A Suggested Checklist for Organizing Zoom Story Events
  • Hosting Security and New Features in Zoom
  • Hints on Recording and Live Streaming Programs on Zoom
  • Working with Registrations for Zoom Events How to Register and Manage Registrations!

  My December Zoom Workshop:
  • The Workshop's Worksheets - These are hyperlinked via blue text to Zoom Help Pages and other useful youtube videos. Includes infomation on the User and Host Zoom interfaces, and on Organizing Events on Zoom.

  • The Workshop Powerpoint Slideshow - Explaining the Basic and Advanced (Host) Controls, Adjusting Zoom Settings, Organizing an Online Event, The Two types of Hosts needed - An Emcee Host and a Tech Host and Co-Hosts

  • A Graphic Overview of Users' Controls in Zoom - Note, where they are found depends upon the devices used.

• Links to Tips and Hints on various ways of Social Media Promotion

Articles from In The Wind - the Quarterly newsletter of the Seattle Storytellers Guild
From Volume 43.3 - Summer 2020
• A special Virtual Storytelling Issue p.1
• How to Post Videos on YouTube by Larry Hohm p.8
• The New Era of Virtual Storytelling p.9
From Volume 43.4 - Fall 2020
• The +'s and -'s of Phase Two Virtual Storytelling p. 1
• Adventures with Green Magic p. 4
• Hints for Storytellers at Zoom Swaps by Patty Zeitlin
• Profiles of Sheila Arnold (Artists Standing Strong Together) and Rachel Hedman (Story Crossroads) p. 7
• Some Common Zoom Control and Tech Issues p.10
From Volume 44.1 - Winter 2020
• Organizing Storytelling Events in the Virtual Frontier p. 6

Other Resources regarding Virtual Storytelling
• Story Crossroads A Utah 501.C Organization spearheaded by Rachel Hedman which has become a leader in Virtual Storytelling. They recently introduced Memberships that bring all sorts of resource benefits and a variety of discounts from other organizations, and they offer regular affordable workshops on a variety of Storytelling Topcs. Story Crossroads also has a page of Story Producer Resources which includes several 5-Part Blog Series - one is on How to Set Up Virtual Events There are quite a few useful templates as well as information on creating virtual, proper-distanced, and hybrid events.

• Donna Washington is a storyteller with a Tab on her site for Virtual Storytelling. She has a Blog full of helpful articles, numbers of them on her own explorations of telling virtually. She also has a separate site called Language, Literacy and Storytelling: A Discussion About the Links Between Storytelling, Language and Literacy - that is full of useful Tips and Tools for Storytelling and Marketing 101. She is one of the founders along with Shelia Arnold of Artists Standing Strong Together - a collective of Storytelling Artists coping with the effects of Covid-19 on their endeavors.

• Storytelling via Videoconferencing and In-person: Tips and Suggestions A lot of practical ideas here! - by Eric Miller, Storytelling Institute, Chennai, India

• David Ruch's Tips and Advice a growing series of articles, tips, encouragements, and how-to’s for musicians and other performing artists who work regionally (in any region) and would like to be making a great living doing it. He started virtual performances for school kids in 2014! And offers Preforming Online advice in March, 2020. He has lots of articles on marketing as well!

• Storyteller Net Sean Buvala's Storyteller Net has been around for many years, and has loads of useful material on the art of telling. He is a Storyteller, a Storytelling Coach, an author and publisher (Small-Tooth-Dog Publishing Group) of Storytelling materials whose site has provided Storytelling resources for 20 years.

• National Storytelling Network was forced into doing a Virtual Conference this past year by the pandemic. One of the main Storytelling Organizations in the United States, they offer useful resources especially for the membership.

• Northeast Storytelling (NEST) has a number of very helpful resourses. They also help create the Worldwide Virtual Storytelling Guild.

Facebook Pages featuring Virtual Story Events
• Storytelling Seattle
• Artists Standing Strong Together Features regular shows including Family Story Fests, Sacred stories, an Adults ONLY Storytelling Show, and other online storytelling events.
• Storytellers A Private Facebook Group with 2.7K members - posts regularly lots of events.
• Northeast Storytelling NEST offers online storytelling classes
• Worldwide Virtual Storytelling Guild was organized by NEST
• Federation of Asian Storytellers FEAST offers regular concerts and workshops
• Society of Storytelling A Storytelling Organization in the UK
• Better Said than Done Storytelling shows, workshops and events in and around Northern Virginia done by BSTD

You are viewing: http://www.eldrbarry.net/roos/VST/vst.htm -- © 2020 Barry McWilliams

Follow These Links to:


Thanks for visiting! Your remarks and suggestions are welcome!
Please E-mail me at: eldrbarry@eldrbarry.net

---