dalejarvis.ca - Dale Gilbert Jarvis - Storyteller

The first 2012 Storytelling Circle, and tales of rats, rats, everywhere...

2012-01-20T15:53:00.001-03:30

Last night was the first night of the St. John’s Storytelling Circle for 2012. It was a great night, hosted by musician Delf Hohmann. Delf and I performed a few pieces from our new show about the Brothers Grimm, there were recitations from Storytelling Circle favourites Dave Paddon, Chris Brookes, and Hubert Furey (including a few recitations that were new to me) and a story about the Chinese New Year, from the lovely Zoe Wu.

There were a lot of new faces at the Crow’s Nest, which is always great to see. I love the mix of people who come to the monthly event. Last night there was everyone from high school kids, to university students to seniors. It is the type of varied audience that I love about storytelling events in St. John’s, something which I haven’t seen at a lot of storytelling events in other places.

I first met Delf Hohmann through Memorial University’s Department of Folklore, back in 1994. Ten years ago, we started collaborating on Brothers Grimm material, with a show called “Under the Juniper Tree: The Stories and Songs of the Brothers Grimm.” This year, 2012, marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of the Grimm’s first edition of their Kinder- und Hausmärchen – the famous collection of tales that would be the most translated book ever produced in the German language.

To celebrate that anniversary, Delf and I have been working on a new show, and we tested out of one of our new pieces on the audience last night. The piece weaves together two stories taken from another work by the brothers, Deutsche Sagen, German Legends, which was published in two volumes in 1816 and 1818. The two stories are united by the theme of retribution, and by a cast of thousands... of rats.

One of the pieces, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, is well known to North American audiences, while the other, The Mouse Tower on the Rhine, is perhaps less familiar. In it, the evil Bishop Hatto burns a group of hungry peasants alive, mocking them as rats that only consume food meant for their betters. The Bishop meets a rather grisly end at the teeth of rats sent as a form of divine punishment. You can read a 1910 English version of the tale here.

Delf and I are off to perform our new show in February in Peterborough and Perth in Ontario, and in Wakefield, Quebec. Check out the 2wp website for details.

Newfoundland audiences will get a chance to hear the show later this spring. Stay tuned!

Norma Cameron on cultivating narrative intelligence #storytelling

2012-01-17T09:09:00.001-03:30

I love the TED talks series, so it was with great delight that I saw a mutual friend had posted a recording of the wonderful storyteller Norma Cameron giving a talk at TED Victoria. Norma was a teller here in St. John's at the storytelling festival a few years ago, and was a crowd favourite. Here she is, talking about narrative:

Ghost Stories and Murder Ballads, Saturday 9pm, at the Rocket Room!

2011-10-27T12:46:00.000-02:30

October 29th, Saturday 9pm
Rocket Room (3rd Floor of Rocket Bakery, 272 Water St.)
Ghost Stories with Dale Jarvis, Pearl- Ann Gooding, with Murder Ballads by Gerald and Tobias Pearson!
$10 at the door

Dale Jarvis tells ghost stories, legends and traditional tales from Newfoundland and beyond. Founder of the St. John's Storytelling Circle, he was Storytellers of Canada’s representative at the inaugural meeting of the Federation for European Storytelling (FEST) in Norway, 2008. Since 1997, Dale has been the host of the St. John's Haunted Hike, named “Event of the Year” by the City of St. John’s. Author of four books on Newfoundland folklore and ghost stories, Dale has also taught workshops across North America on historical storytelling. He has taught hundreds of children to tell their stories, and is a passionate supporter of the oral tradition.

Pearl-Ann Gooding is a recognized storyteller in Canada and has been telling and teaching stories nationwide since 1995. In 2007 she recorded her third CD with Children's Stories entitled AGAIN and has had her stories published in an anthology for the grade 4 curriculum in Alberta. Her love of a great tale and spine tingling anticipation has drawn her to develop a haunted hike in her home town. Intrigue, mystery and reaching into the realm beyond bring her 'October Repertoire' to you! Pearl-Ann resides in what she claims to be 'the most haunted small town on the prairies', Wainwright, Alberta.

Tobias and Gerard Pearson were born in Merasheen, Placentia Bay, to Aggie Wilson and Cecil Pearson. Their grandmother, Kate Wilson, was a powerful traditional singer who passed her songs to the boys and their mother. Tobias and Gerard also learned the old songs from their father, whose origins were in Petit Forte, Placentia Bay. The brothers have performed at various folk festivals in Newfoundland. As well, Tobias has performed at traditional music gatherings in Boston and New York. Gerard's lovely tenor voice and Tobias's sense of humour place them in high demand at folk festivals and ballad sessions.

Part of the St. John's Storytelling Festival!

Tickets selling fast for "Come Into My Parlour"! Tickets remaining for:

2011-10-24T17:11:00.000-02:30

"Come Into My Parlour: An Evening of Victorian Ghost Stories" opens tomorrow night, Tuesday, October 25th, at 8pm at the Newman Wine Vaults, 436 Water Street. Tickets are $15 per person. Seating is limited.

As of today, Monday, at 5pm, the following number of tickets remain:

Tuesday, October 25th - 20 tickets
Wednesday, October 26th - 15 tickets
Thursday, October 27th - 26 tickets
Friday, October 28th - 4 tickets!

Advance tickets (CASH SALE ONLY!) are available at Britannia Teas and Gifts, 199 Water Street, and will be on sale until 6pm before show time. If tickets are left, they will also be available at the door, but some nights may sell out in advance, so buy yours now to avoid showing up the night of the show and being disappointed.

You are welcome to come in Victorian, Gothic, or Steampunk attire!

Come into my parlour: an evening of Victorian ghost stories

2011-10-18T16:43:00.001-02:30

Come join me, storyteller and author Dale Jarvis, for an evening of Victorian ghost stories, perfect to get you into a suitably macabre mood for Hallowe'en!

8pm
October 25-28, 2011
Newman Wine Vaults Provincial Historic Site
436 Water Street, St. John's
Victorian, Gothic, or Steampunk Attire Welcomed (but not required)

The show will be about an hour long, by candlelight!

Tickets are now available at Britannia Teas and Gifts, 199 Water Street, St. John's.
Tickets are $15 each, first come, first served, CASH SALE ONLY!

Seating is limited!

Facebook event listing

(Awesome poster design by Graham Blair)

New storytelling series: Tales of Town. Wed, Oct 5, 7pm, The Rooms

2011-10-04T13:27:00.001-02:30

HFNL and The Rooms kick off the Tales of Town series this Wednesday night, at 7pm. I'll be sitting down with three engaging locals: businesswoman Margaret Dunn, music shop owner Gordon O'Brien, and author Lisa Moore. We'll be sharing memories and stories about growing up in St. John's, and hope you will join us!

The Rooms, Wednesday, October 5th
7pm
Tickets $5, free for members

Ghosts of Signal Hill to go out with a bang (and Hurricane Maria)

2011-09-15T16:49:00.000-02:30

Friday, Sept 16th is our final show for Ghosts of Signal Hill, with Jed Baker closing out the season as Lt. Ranslaer Schuyler.

We also have a date with Hurricane Maria, and some of you (including Jed) are worried about what this means to our season finale. Well, have no fear! We'll go ahead rain or shine. If weather is good, we'll march you up the hill to the usual storytelling venue. If weather is bad, we'll move the show into the Parks Canada Theatre at the Signal Hill Visitor Centre, and tell stories from there.

The show starts at 8pm. Tickets are $15 at the door ($10 for kids 12 and under).

If anything changes, we will post a note here, and on the Ghosts of Signal Hill facebook page.

UPDATE - FRIDAY, 3PM

As of right now, we are still going ahead with the show at 8pm tonight. This will be a fully indoor show at the Signal Hill Visitor Centre Theatre, which is safe, warm, and cosy! If you have tickets purchased for tonight, they are non-refundable, so we hope to see you there. We will post again at 5pm.

UPDATE - 6PM

We are in the eye of the hurricane now, and everything is a go for 8pm! See you on the Hill.

Ghosts of Signal Hill - Closing Night, Friday Sept 16th

2011-09-10T10:33:00.001-02:30

We've had a fabulous run of Ghosts of Signal Hill. We've sold out every show except two early in the run, and we've had a blast telling you stories. There is ONE last show for the 2011 season, with Jed Baker closing off the season on Friday, September 16th, at 8pm. There are tickets still available at the Signal Hill Visitor Centre, and if you want to see the show, I'd advise you to get them in advance.

Thanks to everyone at Parks Canada for all their help, support, promotion, and expended black powder!

Ghosts of Signal Hill - flashlight time!

2011-09-01T22:02:00.004-02:30

There are only three more shows left of Ghosts of Signal Hill, concluding Friday, September 16th, 2011. We've been selling out almost every show, so if you want to catch one of the last ones, you are best to get your ticket in advance from the Signal Hill Visitor Centre on Signal Hill Road.

It is also now getting a lot darker a lot earlier. There is a walk (in the dark) from the parking lot to the show venue, so if you want to bring along a flashlight to help guide your way up and down, you are invited to do so. We just ask that you shut the light off once you come into the performance space.

And yes, I'm still 8 years old at heart, playing in the dark with a flashlight! Hope to see you on Signal Hill soon.

PS @thescopeNL is looking for the Best Late Night Walk. Give me some ghoulish love at http://t.co/k5Wx2D4 and suggest the St. John's Haunted Hike!

Stories from down on the farm

2011-08-10T17:45:00.000-02:30

An Evening with Century Farmers: The Rubys and Lesters

Tuesday, August 16
Free admission
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Lester Farms Inc, 92 Pearltown Rd., St. John’s

As part of the Seeds to Supper Festival, host Kevin Aucoin, of the Agricultural History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, will sit down with Leonard and Lena Ruby, and Jimmy and Michelle Lester, and share stories about farming past, present, and future. Jimmy Lester represents the 6th generation Lester to continue farming in this area. Jimmy and his wife Michelle produce vegetable crops, bedding plants and flowers and operate the Lester catering facility on Pearltown Road. Leonard and Lena Ruby continue to grow vegetables on their own historic farm, where others might choose to retire and travel, reflecting their close connection to the soil. Join us, and fill your ears with some home-grown stories!

(NOTE: Lester Farms, Inc. is located at 92 Pearltown Road, not to be confused with the Lester's Market on Brookfield Road. If driving from St. John's along Brookfield Road, pass the Market, and turn left onto Pearltown Road).

Casting call for short horror film in St. John's

2011-08-06T18:45:00.000-02:30

Baristo Pictures is casting a new short horror film called “Our House” that will be shooting in early October as part of NIFCO’s First Time Filmmaker program, and they are looking for volunteer actors. Yours truly, hopefully, will put in a guest appearance, in my St. John's Haunted Hike persona.

You can follow Baristo's Mike Hickey on Twitter, or check out the casting call. I'll post more as details come available.

Re-imagining the Brothers Grimm

2011-08-01T17:47:00.003-02:30

Next year, 2012, marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of the first edition of the first volume of the Brothers Grimm's remarkable Kinder-und Hausmärchen, which went on to become the most widely translated book ever produced in the German language.

About a decade ago (see archival photographic evidence above) musician Delf Maria Hohmann and I produced a show called "Under the Juniper Tree," a selection of stories and songs from and inspired by the Brothers Grimm.

In honour of the Brothers' 200th anniversary, Delf and I are going back, revisiting that wonderful material and working on a new show which we'll be touring next year. We're off tonight with the fabulous Chris Hibbs to shoot some promo photos. Keep your eyes peeled (and/or away from doves, if you know the story of Aschenputtel).

To keep you entertained in the meantime, a discussion of the Brothers Grimm, and the telling of dark, grim material, is featured in this podcast by Rachel James of radio station CIUT.

And you can listen to my version of the Grimm Brothers' rarely-told story "The Mother in Law" here.

Wrigglin' Riddlin' Pickets and Palings - Newfoundland Fences

2011-07-15T09:43:00.000-02:30

After a chat with Kim Paddon with the English Harbour Arts Centre last night at the Crow's Nest Storytelling Circle, I'm posting a few things related to traditional Newfoundland fence.

First, check out the 1977 Wrigglin' Fence video. This short film, directed by Newfoundland artist Don Wright, follows the Paddy Brothers of Port Kirwan, Newfoundland, as they build a traditional 'wrigglin' or riddle fence around their garden patch.

And, you can download our traditional fence brochure here in pdf.

The Ghost of Deadman's Pond and thoughts on recitations

2011-07-09T15:25:00.000-02:30

This video is a small excerpt from my new show "Ghosts of Signal Hill", being performed every Friday night on Signal Hill, in partnership with Parks Canada. The video shows the performance of a recitation called "The Ghost of Deadman's Pond."

The recitation is my own adaptation of a poem written by E.T Furlong in the Newfoundland Quarterly Christmas Edition, December 1939 - Vol. 39(3), p. 27. The original poem is quite long; I shortened it for performance.

In writing the script for "Ghosts of Signal Hill" I very much wanted to include a recitation as part of the show. Recitations are roughly equivalent to the English tradition of monologues. Folklorist Kenneth Goldstein defined them as "a solo, stylized, theatrically mannered oral performance from memory of a self-contained dramatic narrative in poetic or prose form." It is one of those aspects of traditional Newfoundland performance that I love, a tradition which is still living in many communities.

Recitations, while sometimes told in private settings, were, and continue to be in many Newfoundland and Labrador communities, more often part of public performances, concerts and times. In a sense recitations are more highly formalized than oral stories, following a set text prepared in advance, and often, though not necessarily, in rhyming form.

Special thanks to Trevor Kearsey, Internet and New Media Officer with the Newfoundland East Field Unit of Parks Canada for filming and editing together this piece!

Daring escapes, murdered pirates, ghost ships and more

2011-06-27T19:31:00.000-02:30

Daring escapes, murdered pirates, ghost ships, buried treasure, tragic drownings, and headless phantoms: it is all in a night’s work at Signal Hill National Historic Site in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Or at least it is for storyteller Dale Jarvis, creator of the award-winning ghost tour, the St. John’s Haunted Hike. No stranger to strange stories from old St. John’s, Jarvis has created a new storytelling show for Newfoundland’s most historic hill.

Ghosts of Signal Hill is Jarvis’s newest work: an evening of ghost stories, historical tales and strange adventures. His spooky stories are spun out for eager listeners by lamplight inside the historic Queen’s Battery Barracks, overlooking the Narrows, the entrance to St. John's Harbour.

“There are ghost tours in other historic sites across Canada,” says Jarvis. “Halifax Citadel has a ghost tour, for example, and it seems like a perfect fit for St. John’s. And you couldn’t ask for a more dramatic setting than Queen’s Battery to tell a tale.”

The last North American battle of the Seven Years' War between England and France was fought on the Hill in 1762, after St. John’s had been captured by the French. In September of that year, the British reclaimed the town, marching overland from Torbay.

“The 1762 Battle of Signal Hill provides a great backdrop for the show,” says Jarvis. He portrays a real historical character in the piece, a role he shares with local actor Jedediah Baker.

“Lieutenant Ranslaer Schuyler was a member of the British force sent to take back St. John’s,” explains Jarvis. “We’ve brought him back to life for this show, so to speak!”

Jarvis is passionate about local history and folklore, and believes storytelling is a great way to get people interested in what is often portrayed as a dry and dusty subject.

“When someone starts going on about dates and battles and generals, people tune out,” says Jarvis. “But when you tell a story about real characters, with drama and intrigue and mystery, people love to hear more. That is part of what makes this show much fun. That and the ghosts, of course!”

Ghosts of Signal Hill runs every Friday night at 8pm until September 16th. Tickets are $15 ($10 for kids 12 and under) and are cash sale only, available at the Signal Hill National Historic Site Visitor Centre. There is no performance on Canada Day, July 1st.

For more information, contact :
Dale Jarvis
www.hauntedhike.com
709-685-3444
info@hauntedhike.com

High resolution promo photos available at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dalejarvis/sets/72157626756149194
Photo credit Chris Hibbs

Name that ghost! #namethatghost

2011-06-23T09:38:00.001-02:30

Well, the little photograph of what might (or might not) be a ghost in the historic Newman Wine Vaults in St. John's, Newfoundland is getting a lot of attention: reports on CBC radio and television, VOCM radio, the internet, and as of this morning, apparently, it has made the CNN Morning Express television program!

Read the article and see the video here.

What the ghost needs now is a suitable name, and suggestions are already starting to trickle in on twitter and facebook. So far, names include:

The Lone Tourist
Vinnie
Port-ia
Porthos (which I like!)
Swayze
Charlie
Bob
and (most obviously) Newman

Got a suggestion? Let me know!

The St. John's Haunted Hike turns 14!

2011-06-01T07:50:00.000-02:30

1997 was the year of the John Cabot celebrations in Newfoundland. According to legend, heresay, and the provincial tourism department, John Cabot had landed in Bonavista (and definitely NOT Cape Breton) five hundred years before. The Matthew sailed into port, tourists descended, and I started a little summer business called the St. John's Haunted Hike.

Fourteen years later, the Hike is still going strong. We've just started up our season, with people already showing up in the cold and drizzle to hear our stories. So, if you are downtown these evenings, you'll likely see myself, or one of my long-time guides Dave Walsh or Steve O'Connell, leading a group of tourists and fans of the paranormal from site to haunted site.

Hope you'll join us!

The Hike runs every Sunday to Thursday evening at 9:30 pm from the stone steps of the Anglican Cathedral on Church Hill. Tickets are $10, with no need to book in advance.

www.hauntedhike.com

A busy day in the life of your friendly neighbourhood storyteller

2011-05-30T13:09:00.001-02:30

I'm in an airport! It is hardly news to anyone who follows me on twitter that I'm writing from yet another airport, but it is true. I'm in Ottawa, having just finished a speaking engagement last night for Memorial University Alumni. It was a great turnout, with some familiar faces in the crowd, which is always a plus for me. Here is the interview done by Dean Verger at the event.

I'm off to Halifax, for another talk and storytelling session tonight at the Elephant and Castle Pub. Last night I was telling ghost stories, Jack tales and some oral history material from Newfoundland. Who knows what tonight will bring, through there will definitely be some ghostly tales, and perhaps the appearance of a sea monster or two. It has been a great mini-tour so far, and I'm delighted that Memorial University, and their sponsors Johnson Insurance and the Elephant & Castle pubs, have been so supportive. It is great to get storytelling out to new audiences, and introduce Newfoundland stories to new (and old) listeners.

I went out for breakfast this morning with Ottawa's Ruthanne Edward, who was host of the St. John's Storytelling Festival's first story slam earlier this year. It is always great to get to hang out with fellow storytellers, to talk about what is happening in the storytelling community. We talked about how it is that storytellers so often work in isolation, working individually on personal projects, without a lot of opportunities for some of us to collaborate, critique, grow and converse about our art.

I head back to St. John's in the morning, taking every chance I get along the way to run lines for Ghosts of Signal Hill which opens this Friday night at 8pm! Zounds!

Something wicked this way comes! Ghosts of Signal Hill coming soon

2011-05-17T00:10:00.001-02:30

I've been working on an exciting new ghost story project, and its launch date is coming closer and closer! This summer, as part of the fourteenth season of the St. John's Haunted Hike, I've created a new show, in partnership with Parks Canada and Signal Hill National Historic Site: Ghosts of Signal Hill.

Daring escapes, murdered pirates, ghost ships, buried treasure, tragic drownings, and headless phantoms: it is all in a night’s work at Signal Hill National Historic Site.

Ghosts of Signal Hill will be an evening of ghost stories, historical tales and strange adventures. Join the dashing Lieutenant Ranslaer Schuyler by lamplight inside the historic Queen’s Battery, and find out what happens on Newfoundland’s most historic hill, after the lights go out.

The show will run every Friday night this summer at 8pm, from June 3rd to September 16th. Tickets will be $15, $10 for kids 12 and under, and price includes admission to Signal Hill National Historic Site Visitor Centre. The role of Lieutenant Schuyler will be played by yours truly, with Jedediah Baker performing the role on alternating nights.

Seating is limited. Tickets will be available for advance purchase at the Signal Hill Visitor Centre. Check the website, and I'll let you know when tickets go on sale!

And, of course, you can like this on Facebook!

UPDATE: here are the promo photos!

Here Be Monsters! Encore Family Performance Sunday 2pm

2011-05-13T16:55:00.001-02:30

It sold out its first show, and now the Monsters are back!

Sunday, May 15, 2 pm
Encore Family Performance
Here Be Monsters!
The Rooms, St. John's

In the ocean's depths lurk rarely seen horrors. From giant squid and whales the size of a house, to mind-reading mermaids and the most angry sea-horse you'd ever want to meet, the seas off the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador have seen it all! Join storyteller Dale Jarvis of St. John's Haunted Hike fame for tales of creatures from the deep. You may never want to dip your toe in the water again.

Tickets just $5 and free for Rooms Members.

The Menin Gate, and why you should vote #elxn11

2011-04-28T10:23:00.001-02:30

Earlier this year, I had the great opportunity as a storyteller to take part in the wonderful Alden Biesen International Stortyelling Festival in Belgium. It was a great experience, and wonderful to see so many storytellers working and sharing in so many languages.

Since I was in Belgium, I took some time off to explore some of the country's great cities, and I made certain that I visited some of the sites that have entered our consciousness as Canadians, sites with names that resonate with those of us who have never even visited Belgium, names like Passchendale, Flanders, the Ypres Salient.

At Ypres, on an appropriately grey day, I walked around the imposing Menin Gate. The gate is a memorial to those soldiers whose bodies were never found, 55,000 of them, which was erected on the spot where the soldiers left the city for the frontline, never to return. Even today, they are still digging the bodies of fallen soldiers out of the Flanders clay.

It brought the reality of that conflict home to me in a way that can only be described as emotional; and what struck me most as I walked through the impeccably kept graveyards of Flanders was how young all those soldiers were.

I came home from Flanders to a country facing an election. In a world where young people are dying every day to for the right to have a democratic say in their own futures, I think we all too often forget about all those young men and women who died to protect our freedoms.

I've already made my vote in advance, as I'll be travelling to Hopedale, Labrador, on election day. If you haven't voted, you should. The democracy that people died for works when we all make it work, together. You can make a difference with your vote.

To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
- John McCrae, 1919

Haunted Waters reviewed on CBC Radio

2011-04-18T16:41:00.003-02:30

Laura Cameron at Flanker Press was kind enough to send me this transcript of a review aired on CBC Radio, Corner Brook this morning. Here it is! - Dale

Haunted Waters: More True Ghost Stories of Newfoundland and Labrador

I've always admired folklorist Dale Jarvis for the way he treats stories of the supernatural and unexplained. Newfoundland and Labrador, as part of its history, is rich with stories and accounts of hauntings and paranormal phenomena.

Jarvis, with his academic background and solid reputation for doing high quality research, gives this aspect of our history extra dignity and credibility. His interest in this field is quite genuine and he treats it seriously – and not just because these events make for fascinating stories.

Jarvis's latest book, “Haunted Waters: More True Ghost Stories of Newfoundland and Labrador” is a follow-up to his popular collection “Haunted Shores.” Many of these stories were published previously in Jarvis's column in the Telegram, “Newfoundland Unexplained,” and in Downhome Magazine.

Jarvis takes an organized approach; “Haunted Waters” is sorted into sections dealing with specific types of haunting or disturbance. There are haunted houses and other buildings; apparitions; phantom ships, and animal spirits; there’s also a section on faerie folklore and local legends.

There seems hardly a corner of our province where Jarvis hasn't found something otherworldly or hard to explain. Many of the things recounted here relate to places in St. John's, but most deal with other places and readers won’t be able to help being impressed by this rich assortment.

The Town of Deer Lake, incidentally, has a ghost story of its own, and Jarvis supplies it here. The section on scaring off evil spirits relates specifically to Codroy Valley.

While our folk legend having to do with the sleep disturbance, known commonly throughout Newfoundland as the Old Hag, seems to have particular power to terrify, and Jarvis covers that one in this book as well.

“Haunted Waters” is an excellent collection –highly readable and enjoyable for adults and young adults – and not just those with a fondness for creepy tales. Readers interested in the folktales, superstitions, and history of our province will find much to admire about it as well.

For Newfoundland and Labrador public libraries, I’m Darrell Squires.
CBC Radio, Corner Brook, April 18, 2010

Two Storytelling Workshops with Clare Muireann Murphy

2011-03-02T16:15:00.000-03:30

I want to give a plug for two workshops coming up next week with the fabulous visiting Irish storyteller Clare Muireann Murphy. How could you not love that face?

I met Clare through her work with FEST (Federation for European Storytelling) and I'm delighted that she is coming to Newfoundland. If you have an interest in storytelling, performance, spoken word, or theatre, take one of these workshops! There are two, one in Mount Pearl, one in St. John's, and they are for people with a wide range of backgrounds, or no background in storytelling at all. You can read more about Clare at http://claremurphy.org/

“Introduction to the Art of Storytelling”
Tuesday, March 8th
Admiralty House Museum,
23 Old Placentia Rd, Mount Pearl
7:00 – 9:00 PM

The Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl is pleased to present storyteller Clare Muireann Murphy offering a workshop in the fundamentals of storytelling that will teach the essential tools for creating and telling stories. Pre-register at: storytellingstjohns@gmail.com
Aimed at: Beginners
Admission: $20

"Finding Your Voice"
Saturday, March 12th
Gower Street United Church Hall
1:00 – 3:00 PM

Turn familiar stories into true treasures! Each storyteller is blessed with their own unique style. Having trouble finding yours? Treat yourself to this workshop and find your own voice! A workshop focused on how to make stories uniquely your own; how to discover and develop your own style of storytelling. Learn how to uncover your own voice, turning old or familiar stories into something beautiful and inherently yours.
Aimed at: Beginners / Intermediate storytellers
Admission: $20 Pre-register at: storytellingstjohns@gmail.com

Fantastic sea monsters invade St. John's!

2011-02-15T20:07:00.000-03:30

Well, I'm getting stoked. There is nothing I love better than a giant squid (with the possible exception of a cloned wooly mammoth). My new sea monster storytelling show "Here Be Monsters" is coming up quick, at The Rooms on February 27th.

The event is part of a travelling exhibit at The Rooms called "Fantastic Sea Monsters" running February 12 - June 19 on Level Two.

Here is what The Rooms website says about the exhibit:

Fantastic imaginary creatures? Amazing but real marine life? Either way, stories of ocean and lake monsters have fascinated us since the dawn of time. Seafarers were convinced that the oceans were the devil's kingdom, a place of terrifying monsters eager for shipwrecks, the home of sirens, krakens, whales, sea serpents, and giant sharks. Early naturalists were fascinated by the strange creatures of the deep. This bilingual exhibition will take you where the fantastic intertwines with reality.

The exhibition is produced by the Musée du Fjord, in partnership with The Rooms Provincial Museum Division, the Maritime Museum of British Columbia, and Océanopolis (France). I'm going to check it out this week, and will report back!

In the meantime, you can visit the exibit website at:
http://monstresmarins.ca/en/home.html

The Drawer Boy - friendship, storytelling and remembrance

2011-01-21T21:48:00.000-03:30

While learning about farming from a couple of ‘old fellas’, a young city actor stumbles upon a decades old mystery. The Drawer Boy is a funny and heart-warming play that weaves a tale of friendship, storytelling and remembrance.

This modern Canadian classic by Michael Healey is directed by award-winning director Danielle Irvine and runs in the Basement Theatre of the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre.

Opening Wednesday, February 2nd, The Drawer Boy starring veteran actors Bruce Brenton (The Tempest and Sound of Music) and Steve O’Connell (Republic of Doyle and Woman in Black) and up and coming young actor Brad Bonnell (Diary of Anne Frank and Troilus and Cressida).

Show time is 8pm Wednesday through Saturday and closes with a Sunday matinee at 2:00pm. Tickets are $22.00 and $10.00 for students.

Feb 2-6, 2011
Basement Theatre
St. John's Arts and Culture Centre

(Click here for box office info)

Facebook event listing here

Haunted Shores now available as Kobo ebook

2011-01-16T09:37:00.000-03:30

Haunted Shores: True Ghost Stories of Newfoundland and Labrador by Dale Jarvis is now available as an ebook through Kobo and chapters.indigo.

From the northern shores of Labrador to the south coast of Newfoundland, there are as many ghost stories as there are bays and inlets. The province of Newfoundland and Labrador is rich with tales of ghost ships, mysterious lights, sinister spectres, tokens of impending death, headless pirates, and murdered loves. From legends of phantom loggers to stories of possessed teapots, Haunted Shores: True Ghost Stories of Newfoundland and Labrador is an eerie exploration of the phantom-filled nooks and crannies of the province. Why does a mournful lady ghost return to Arnold's Cove every November? Do ghostly submarines still sail the waters of Trinity Bay? What is the most haunted street in St. John's? Drawn from both archival sources and first-hand accounts, the stories herein weave together anecdote, oral tradition, history and folklore to form a rich tapestry depicting a rarely explored side of Newfoundland and Labrador. Read the ebook, if you dare…

Storytelling Circle Events for 2011

2011-01-07T10:31:00.000-03:30

Happy New Year! A new season of storytelling is upon us, and we've got most of our hosts lined up for the 2011 Storytelling Circles at the Crow's Nest. We've got some old favourites, and some new ones, including a special visit in July from Massachusetts storyteller Karen Chace. We're also talking with the Folk Arts Society about co-hosting a Story Slam in March, so stay tuned.

Our first night in January is a bit later than usual. We've had to shift the date to January 20th, so mark that on your calendars.

Our first host of the year, Crystal Martin, is a multimedia graduate who grew up in a tiny fishing village and enjoyed many Newfoundland traditions including storytelling. Today Crystal's hobbies includes gathering information on her family history, and preserving the memories of home with interviews, film, and restoring old photographs of relatives. She has also performed in numerous drama productions including the play "No Man is an Island", and has taught the piano during most of her teenage years. Crystal has been telling stories at the storytelling circle since fall of 2009.

You can see who will be hosting for the rest of the year at http://www.storytellingstjohns.ca/circle.html. We'll be adding other hosts as they are confirmed.

See you at the Crow's Nest on the 20th!

A Steamed Christmas Pudding - My Christmas tradition, in Three Acts

2010-12-24T19:32:00.003-03:30

"Oh! All that steam! The pudding had just been taken out of the cauldron. Oh! That smell! The same as the one which prevailed on washing day! It is that of the cloth which wraps the pudding. Now, one would imagine oneself in a restaurant and in a confectioner's at the same time, with a laundry next door. Thirty seconds later, Mrs. Cratchit entered, her face crimson, but smiling proudly, with the pudding resembling a cannon ball, all speckled, very firm, sprinkled with brandy in flames, and decorated with a sprig of holly stuck in the centre. Oh! The marvelous pudding!" - Charles Dickens, 'A Christmas Carol'

This Christmas, I bought myself an early present: a new Christmas Pudding mould. Every year for the past decade or so, I've been making a traditional English Christmas Pudding, in the same mould every year. Last year, for the first time, I made the pudding out in Clarke's Beach, and this year, when I went pulling supplies together for the pudding making, I found that I'd left the mould out around the Bay. So off to Living Rooms I went on Christmas Eve Day, and got myself a new mould (above).

A steamed pudding was not something I grew up with at Christmas time, but I love it, and have made the annual making of the pudding my contribution to Christmas dinner. It is thick, sweet, heavy, and probably terrible for you, but that is what the best traditions are all about anyway.

My pudding recipe varies slightly from year to year, depending on what I have in the kitchen, and on my mood. The rough recipe is as follow:

Act One - The Fruit of Spain

Flour of England, fruit of Spain,

Met together in a shower of rain;

Put in a bag tied round with a string;

If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a ring.

The answer, of course, is a pudding, which was often steamed in a bag.

Dark raisins - 2 cup
Currants - 1 cup
Glazed Cherries - 1/2 cup
Cut mixed peel - 1/2 cup
Chopped Pineapple - 1/2 cup
Shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
Ground almonds - 1/2 cup
White flour - 1/2 cup

Mix it all together in a large bowl, stirring well to cover the fruit with the flour. The exact mix of fruit can vary. This year, for example, I didn't have currants or coconut, or almonds for that matter. So I used more cherries, some ground walnuts, and a handful of trail mix. As long as you have about 4 1/2 cups of fruit and a 1/2 cup of flour you are fine. It should look something like this when it is done:

The mixing bowl I'm using is one I borrowed from "Aunty" Paula MacDonald. Last year, I interviewed Aunty Paula as part of the Here[Say] narrative cartography project for Water Street. She told about her memories of S.O. Steele's, which was THE place to buy china years ago. You can listen to her story here. Remembering her tale of the bowl, I asked to borrow it for the mixing this year and it worked wonderfully!

Act Two - Suet and More Mixing

The key ingredient for a good pudding is suet. Suet is fat. That's it, plain and simple, just fat, usually beef, but sometimes mutton. I suspect there is some kind of vegetarian alternative for suet, but I can't imagine using anything else in a Christmas pudding. I've used coarse chopped and fine grated suet in my puddings, and I have to say I like the coarse ground suet better. I like the final texture it gives the pudding, more airy and with more nooks and crannies to soak up custard.

Chopped Beef Suet - 1 cup
Dry bread crumbs - 1 1/2 cups
Baking powder - 2 teaspoons
Baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Ground cinnamon - 1 teaspoon
Ground nutmeg - 1 teaspoon
Ground ginger - 1/2 teaspoon
Flour - 3/4 cups

Mix it all together with the fruit. I sort of play this stage by ear as well, and I'm generous with the suet and the spices. A little bit extra suet doesn't matter, and I like a strong tasting pudding. Sometimes I'll use a bit more flour in the first stage, to cover the fruit, and then a bit less in the second half.

Then, beat together 3 eggs and 3/4 cup of milk. Add that to the mix and stir it up.

Grease your pudding mould. I've got two this year, my new one, and a smaller ramekin with a little individual pudding for Aunty Paula. Here are the puddings, in their basins, ready to be covered and steamed:

Act Three - The Steaming

If your pudding pan or mould doesn't have a snap on lid like mine does, you can use a cloth or double thickness greased foil, and tie it down with string. Put it in a pot with boiling water 2/3 up the way of the pudding and boil for 3 hours, adding water as needed.

For the past couple years, I've used a Westinghouse two-tier vegetable steamer, which has a removable middle tray to accommodate the height of my pudding mould. It is a lot easier than watching a boiling pot. It has a 60 minute timer, so I just top it up with water and let it steam for an hour and then repeat for 3 hours.

As I write, my Christmas pudding is steaming merrily away. It will be served tomorrow as the grande finale of Christmas dinner. I've got half a flask of St. Remy Napoleon Brandy saved for the flaming, which looks great. Heat the brandy in a pan still it starts to steam a little, pop the pudding out of its mould, onto a plate with a bit of a lip. Pour the hot brandy over it, light it on fire, turn off the lights and carry it to the table amidst oohs and ahhhs. A fine bit of drama to end your dinner! I always serve it with custard, but you can serve it however you like.

If you are hungry to know about the history of puddings, you can read the Wikipedia article on Christmas Pudding or check out The Story of Christmas Cake on the Christmas Archives.

Merry Christmas!

Here Be Monsters!

2010-11-10T00:58:00.001-03:30

Here is a sneak peek at my new one man show, now in the works! I'll post more information as it comes available.

Sunday, February 27th, 2011 - The Rooms, Fort Townshend.
Here Be Monsters! In the ocean's depths lurk rarely seen horrors! From giant squid and turtles the size of a house, to mind-reading mermaids and the most angry sea-horse you'd ever want to meet, the seas off the shore of Newfoundland and Labrador have seen it all! Join storyteller Dale Jarvis of St. John's Haunted Hike fame for tales of creatures of the deeps. You may never want to dip your toe in the water again!

Contact The Rooms for information on times and tickets
http://www.therooms.ca

And to keep you entertained in the meantime, check out Professor Hans Rollman's article on Labrador sea monsters.

Hurricane Igor Storytelling Benefit Concert in the works for Friday, Oct 8th

2010-09-27T20:33:00.000-02:30

The St. John's Storytelling Festival is pleased to announce that noted international storyteller La'Ron Williams will be coming to St. John's to tell in local schools and be our headline performer at a storytelling benefit concert to assist with Hurricane Igor rebuilding efforts!

The storytelling concert will take place at Gower Street United Church, in the lower auditorium, at 8pm on Friday, October 8th. Stay tuned for more details.

La'Ron Williams is a nationally acclaimed, award-winning storyteller who has toured extensively presenting programs and workshops. His music-spiced, highly participatory performances present a dynamic blend of original and traditional tales crafted to help improve literacy, encourage community, foster cooperation, promote peaceful conflict resolution, build self-esteem, and deepen the historical understanding of the American ideal of democratic inclusion.

For more information, join the St. John's Storytelling facebook page at:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2339137807&ref=ts

Listen to La’Ron Williams on supporting peace and social justice through storytelling:
http://www.artofstorytellingshow.com/2008/04/07/laron-williams-supporting-peace-and-social-justice/

Chris Brookes & Margaret Hitchens to perform in Petty Harbour CultureDays

2010-09-24T09:48:00.001-02:30

This Sunday, September 26, well-known local storytellers Chris Brookes and Margaret Hitchens will be sharing tall tales and old-fashioned recitations at the historic Chafe's Landing in Petty Harbour.

Chris Brookes is an award-winning independent radio producer whose documentary features are heard in the U.S.A, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, England, Sweden, Finland, Canada and The Netherlands. He has also produced documentaries for network television, and is a published author and playwright. He seems to be obsessed with narrative, which makes him keep telling stories in hopes of one day getting them right.

A crowd favourite at the St. John’s Storytelling Circle, and star of the annual Recitation Night, Margaret Hitchens delights audiences with her renditions of classic English monologues and recitations, including the ongoing adventures of Albert Ramsbottom and Samuel Small. Margaret has been involved for many years with the Kittiwake Dance Theatre, and is the company’s annual choice to play the role of the Grandmother in their Christmas production of The Nutcracker.

Chafe's Landing is the oldest home in Petty Harbour and was built in the 19th century. It is located just over the bridge in the heart of Petty Harbour.

Sunday, September 26th, 2010
2:00pm
FREE EVENT
http://www.chafeslanding.com

Storytelling and Historical Interpretation Workshop in New Bedford, MA

2010-08-26T21:48:00.000-02:30

On Saturday, September 18, 2010, I will be giving a Storytelling and Historical Interpretation Workshop in New Bedford, Massachusetts!

Full details on the workshop, including cost and location information, is on the lovely Karen Chace's blog at:

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2010/08/history-heritage-and-community.html

Spread the word!

TIME: 11:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.
LOCATION: ArtWorks 384 Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford, MA
DIRECTIONS: http://www.artworksforyou.org/hours.html

Dale Jarvis and Norma Cameron on the CBC Podcast

2010-08-19T13:01:00.000-02:30

WAM July 24-25 18th Annual Storytellers of Canada Conference

Spinning a yarn, making a nuisance of yourself, and Mom Liked You Best... these are some of the topics covered this coming week at the 18th Annual storytellers of Canada Conference. The national storytelling meeting is here in Newfoundland for the first time ever. Haunted Hike founder, author and Intangible Culture Officer Dale Jarvis is one of the organizers, and Norma Cameron is a Scottish Canadian storyteller visiting for the conference.

Download and listen to the podcast at:
http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/nlwamgaloot_20100725_35873.mp3

Newfoundland's Storytelling Events for July, 2010

2010-07-11T18:27:00.002-02:30

There are a lot of storytelling events coming up this month, with visitors from South Carolina, Italy, the UK and Denmark, plus some performances by local favourites. We've got stories for adults, stories for families, stories by kids, stories by candlelight, and stories with tea!

You can check out the full listing of this month's events at:

http://www.storytellingstjohns.ca/events.html

Wheelchair accessible events are noted!

Dale Jarvis book launch to kick off international storytelling conference

2010-07-07T14:27:00.001-02:30

St. John's will soon be host to an international conference of storytellers, with lovers of stories coming from across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Local storyteller and author Dale Jarvis will start things off on Monday, July 26th with a pre-conference book launch.

From an encounter with a shrieking horror on Signal Hill, St. John’s, to the legend of the headless pirate of Red Bay, Labrador, Jarvis has captured stories of white horses, men in black, haunted punts, vanishing boats, and things that go bump in the basement.

Blending local history, folklore, eyewitness interviews, and archival research, Haunted Waters is the latest collection of ghostly tales from one of Canada’s finest, and creepiest, storytellers.

The book launch will take place on Monday, July 16th at the Martini Bar (upstairs) on George Street at 8:00pm. The author will read from his book, and will be signing copies for sale.

Watch the book trailer at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltS_QZM2xOo

Book Trailer: Haunted Waters by Dale Jarvis

2010-06-17T14:29:00.000-02:30

From an encounter with a shrieking horror on Signal Hill, St. John's, to the legend of the headless pirate of Red Bay, Labrador, folklorist Dale Jarvis conjures up stories of white horses, men in black, haunted punts, vanishing boats, and things that go bump in the basement.

With its tales of premonitions of death, eerie phantoms, and strange creatures, Newfoundland and Labrador is truly a haunted place. Beware, gentle reader! The unquiet spirits of dogs, wolves, little girls, ships, and soldiers drift through these pages. You may even run into the Old Hag herself, Newfoundland and Labrador's most infamous nighttime visitor. Blending local history, folklore, eyewitness interviews, and archival research, Haunted Waters is the latest collection of ghostly tales from one of Canada's finest, and creepiest, storytellers.

Haunted Waters: More True Ghost Stories of Newfoundland and Labrador
by Dale Gilbert Jarvis
Format: Paperback, 170 pages, b&w photos
Pub Date: July 2010
Price: $16.95
ISBN-10: 1-897317-79-4
ISBN-13: 978-1-897317-79-2

Link to YouTube book trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltS_QZM2xOo

Canadian Youth Storytelling Scholarship – Call for applications

2010-06-06T14:40:00.002-02:30

The St. John’s Storytelling Festival and Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada (SC-CC) is pleased to announce the launch of the Canadian Youth Storytelling Scholarship. Each year, SC-CC holds its annual conference in a different location across Canada. The Canadian Youth Storytelling Scholarship will send a young storytelling enthusiast from the conference’s home province or territory to that year’s conference.

In 2010, the conference is being held in St. John’s from July 28th to August 1st, and the first recipient of the Canadian Youth Storytelling Scholarship will be from Newfoundland and Labrador. One scholarship winner from Newfoundland and Labrador will be invited to the conference to meet and interact with storytellers from across the nation and around the world, take part in exciting workshops, and be invited to concert performances by some of Canada’s and the United Kingdom’s finest storytellers. The winner receives:

• Free admission to the SC-CC conference, July 28-August 1, 2010
• Entrance to all concerts and workshops
• A one-year membership to Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada
• A $250 grant to help offset the cost of travel and accommodation
• Partnership with an established storyteller, who will act as a mentor, guide and resource.

WHO MAY APPLY:
Youth aged 18-30 interested in using storytelling in their respective fields (i.e., education, psychology, museum work, environmental education, healing arts, law, religion, business, theatre, or freelance storytelling!)

HOW TO APPLY:
Please provide the following information via email:
• Name, Address, City, Province
• Telephone Numbers (home and cell)
• Email Address
• Date of Birth
• Storytelling experience (either telling or listening)
• Answer the following three questions:

1. Why are you interested in attending the Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada Annual Conference?

2. What do you hope to gain from the conference?

3. How can storytelling be used in your present or desired line of work?

Completed applications for the Canadian Youth Storytelling Scholarship must be submitted, by email, to youthstorytelling@gmail.com by Wednesday, June 30th, 2010.

Information about the annual conference may be found at www.sc-cc.com

Wicked Wednesday with Dale Jarvis, Storyteller

2010-05-21T10:16:00.000-02:30

Celebrating 13 years of telling terrible tales!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010
8:00pm
Newman Wine Vaults, 436 Water Street.

$13 at the door

Join storyteller Dale Jarvis as he launches the 13th season of the award winning St. John’s Haunted Hike with a special evening of his favourite ghoulish and ghastly tales by candlelight in the haunted Newman Wine Vaults.

Since 1997, the Haunted Hike has thrilled locals and tourists alike with stories of public hangings, duels, and horrific murders, forgotten cemeteries and unmarked graves, vengeful lovers, murdered soldiers, and mysterious fires. He also tells stories of the faerie folk, tales from the collections of the Brothers Grimm, local legends and traditional tales from Newfoundland, Ireland, the United Kingdom and beyond. He is the founder of the St. John's Storytelling Circle, and president of the St. John's Storytelling Festival, Inc.

Last chance to register for storytelling conference

2010-05-20T18:12:00.002-02:30

The response to the July 2010 Storytellers of Canada conference in St. John's has been fantastic! We have only twenty slots left before we're completely sold out, so we have decided on extending the registration deadline! If you haven't registered yet, it isn't too late, and we will take the first 20 people who send in their registration forms and payment.

http://www.sc-cc.com/conference/2010/2010-registration.html

If you have already registered and haven't make your room bookings, you can get the information on accommodations at:

http://www.sc-cc.com/conference/2010/2010-accommodation.html

Don't forget the 5-Minute Story Slam, happening Wednesday July 28th, at 7:30pm. We want the slam's theme to fit the local environment, and for St. John's, that means fog, and lots of it! The foggiest place in the world is the Grand Banks off the island of Newfoundland, the meeting place of the cold Labrador Current from the north and the much warmer Gulf Stream from the south. With storytellers from all over the world congregating in St. John's this July, all that hot air is bound to see an increase in the misty stuff. We welcome stories related in any way to fog: foggy days, the mists of time, fog horns, fog banks, lost in the fog, living in a fog, condensation nuclei, various visibility hazards or drizzle, fo' shizzle! Have your foggy tale ready.

Vikings take over the Ship Pub

2010-05-14T10:18:00.000-02:30

This from the Folk Arts Society:

On Wednesday night, May 19th, join Bjorn the Beautiful, L'Anse aux Meadows' Viking Chief, (shown above) and his merry band of Vikings at the Ship Pub, where they'll be hosting the Folk Arts Society's Folk Night. Featured guests Jeff Dyer, Bill Brennan and Glen Collins will dazzle us with a mixture of Newfoundland and international folk songs, with a few blues and jazz standards mixed in, while Bjorn will regale audiences during the Open Mic portion of the evening with snippets from the Norse Sagas that relate to the Viking's journeys to L'Anse aux Meadows over 1000 years ago, and tales of the gods and goddesses they brought with them. So come raise a glass, share a story and celebrate 1000 years of the music and culture of this place.

Do you know the ghost horse of Bannerman Street, St. John's?

2010-05-13T11:12:00.000-02:30

Help! I am trying to track down some information about a little-documented ghost story from Bannerman Street in downtown St. John's.

Here is what I know, taken from Frank Galgay and Michael McCarthy's book "Olde St. John's: Stories from a Seaport City" (Flanker Press, 2001, page 111):

"A house on Bannerman Street was said to be troubled by the spirit of a white horse that galloped up a stairway and then vanished through a second-storey window."

Dramatic stuff! But that, sadly, is all that I know of the legend. I would love to know more! Does anyone know which house was said to be haunted by this rather extraordinary ghost? Have you heard the story before, and if so, from whom?

You can reach me by email at info@hauntedhike.com

Other stories of ghost horses also welcome!

Brimstone and Gall! A Stratford Postcard

2010-04-30T16:05:00.000-02:30

Earlier this week, I went went my parents and a few family friends to see the Stratford Festival's production of Peter Pan. It was great fun, well staged, beautifully costumed and acted, with Tom McCamus as an elegant Captain James Hook, who must be one of the most entertaining stage villians to play.

It was nice to be there with my parents. I have strong memories of going to see pantomimes as a family when I was young, and I'm sure that it was one of the things that influenced my love of the arts and performance. We are all getting a lot greyer, but it was good to still sit and laugh and enjoy the spectacle of Peter Pan as a family.

I like the mythology of Peter Pan, and I do believe that J.M Barrie captured some of the otherness of the fairy realm quite well. There is magic and wonder and adventure, but always that hint of sadness, death and loneliness.

In the program notes for the Stratford production, Bob Hetherington writes, "Peter Pan is arguably the last man-created myth of near-universal appeal, in the sense that subsequent fantasy narratives have tended to be regarded as pastiches of general to which Barrie's belong unambiguously." In a sense, Barrie's word is a pastiche, a blending together of fairy lore, Rackham-esque buccaneers and classical mythology. But it does have a remarkable wholeness that does, as Hetherington argues, move it beyond a pasting together of motifs towards its status of modern myth.

As a storyteller, I loved the framing of the Stratford production around the on-stage presence of J.M Barrie as narrator. And I had nearly forgotten as an adult that it was storytelling that enticed Peter to the Darling household, and that it was Wendy's professed talents as a storyteller that ultimately took her to Neverland. All in all, a great production, for all those who believe in fairies, or those who never really wanted to grow up.

Storyteller on the road: A Wisconsin Postcard

2010-04-26T12:12:00.000-02:30

I've just finished the Northlands Storytelling Network conference in Green Lake, Wisconsin, and barely know where to begin. The conference was great, and packed full of stories and wonderful conversations with storytellers. It is a very busy conference, with lots of great workshops and storytelling concerts. Some highlights for me:

Jeff Gere from Hawai'i and his great Pele and chicken skin stories;
Greg Weiss's workshop, and great ideas for using story cards with kids to create stories;
Sue Black's fantastic story (with a rather grisly stew recipe);
Cathryn Fairlee's illustrated talk on traditional Chinese teahouse storytelling;
Debra Morningstar's great workshop on who should tell aboriginal stories;
Having another Canadian there this year, Renee Englot of Alberta;
Hanging out with the American tellers who are coming to the 2010 St. John's Storytelling Conference this July; and,
"Goldilocks and the Three Beers"...

Thanks to the very large, very enthusiastic group who braved my early Sunday morning workshop on working with historical material!

Links:

Jeff Gere

http://www.jeffgere.com

Sue Black

http://www.sue-black.com/

Debra Morningstar

http://www.debramorningstar.com/

Cathryn Fairlee

http://sonic.net/~cfair/

Renee Englot

http://www.reneeenglot.com/

July 2010 Conference

http://www.sc-cc.com/conference/2010/index.html

Storyteller on the road: A Toronto postcard

2010-04-22T09:33:00.001-02:30

Another note from the storytelling odyssey that is my month of April. I had a VERY long day on Tuesday. I woke up early in the morning, and storyteller Ruthanne Edward kindly picked me up and took me to the airport, for which she earns lots of celestial karma, I am sure.

I flew Porter into Toronto Island, the first time I've flown them. I loved it. I loved skipping Pierson altogether, and ending up right downtown. Emily Pohl-Weary was there to meet me, waving from beyond the sea of men in suits.

I met Emily in Happy Valley-Goose Bay at the Labrador Creative Arts Festival a few years ago. She is an author, poet, comic book writer, youth organizer and the type of community arts activist I love doing stuff with. I'd done a workshop for her Parkdale Writers group before, and had said I'd do it again. She asked me to do a workshop for a native men's writing group at a place called Sagatay (a new beginning), a transitional shelter developed and operated by Native Men’s Residence (Na-Me-Res). So after breakfast at the Tequila Bookworm, we went off to Sagatay.

I told a few supernatural stories, and the guys started in with stories of the Wendigo, little people, ghosts and hauntings. I had them map out the community they grew up in, and tell each other stories about that place, and then everyone did a writing exercise about one of the stories they had told.

After than, Emily and I booted it to Parkdale Library, where Emily runs the Parkdale Writers group, or as their website describes it, a "free writing group in Toronto's west-end led by kick-ass local authors, comics artists, filmmakers, hip hop poets, and street artists."

I started them all in on a fairytale workshop, telling the Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella, complete with toes getting cut off and eyeballs getting plucked out. Then I taught them how I teach storytelling to younger kids, teaching them all the tools to be able to do that themselves in the future. All of them worked with a short traditional pourquoi tale or Aesop's fable, and ALL of them told their story in front of the group. I was impressed at how supportive they were of each other, and even the shyest of them felt comfortable enough in the group to share their story, a testament to the kind of work that Emily is doing.

Afterwards, most of the group stuck around for another hour, and we talked about art and working as an artist, storytelling, and how to get started doing what you love and making money at it.

A late subway and bus to the Cousin Cindy Slaney-Miller Bed and Breakfast, where she fed me, as always (mmm, homemade macaroni and cheese...) and put me to bed.

Then, the next morning, less than 24 hours from when I arrived, I was back at the lovely Porter lounge, waiting for my flight to the US. If you ever need to fly from Toronto to Chicago, trust me, there are about a thousand less headaches flying Porter than flying anything that goes through Pierson. Just a little plug for Porter there (anytime you want to thank me by sponsoring the St. John's Storytelling Festival, just let me know, Porter Management!).

Links:

Sagatay
http://www.toronto.ca/housing/newsitem-sagatay.htm

Emily Pohl-Weary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Pohl-Weary
http://emily.openflows.org/

Parkdale Writers
http://parkdalewriters.ca/

Tequila Bookworm
http://tequilabookworm.blogspot.com/

Storyteller on the Road: An Ottawa Postcard

2010-04-20T00:33:00.000-02:30

I'm travelling for a few weeks, doing a series of storytelling events, and am just finishing up in Ottawa. It has been a great week! My storytelling show (part of the Speaking Out/Speaking In series at the NAC's 4th Stage) sold out a week ago (woot!) and I had a lot of fun with those of the Ottawa storytelling community who turned out to my day long workshop on historical storytelling at Library and Archives Canada.

I spent two days on the lake out near Almonte, Ontario with Jan Andrews, Jennifer Cayley and Ellis-Lynn Duschenes. It is always fabulous to see them, and I had great long walks, and chats with Jan and Jennifer about the state and future of performance storytelling in Canada and abroad.

Then I hung out today with Ruthanne Edward, who is our Señorita del Slam for the first Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada story slam in July. The poetry slam stuff happening here in Ottawa seems to be exciting, and it would be great to see some of that energy in contemporary storytelling.

Tomorrow I head off to Toronto, where I'm doing two workshops for the fabulous Emily Pohl-Weary. Stay tuned! Props to Jason Brophy for lending me his house while he is ash-bound in Italy, poor unfortunate that he is, and to the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council, who are making my trip to Toronto and beyond possible.

Links:

Ottawa Storytellers
http://www.ottawastorytellers.ca/

St. John's Story Slam
http://www.sc-cc.com/conference/2010/2010-storyslam.html

Sharing Stories in a Digital World

2010-03-22T10:55:00.000-02:30

Spark is CBC's weekly audio blog of smart and unexpected trendwatching. As its website states, "it’s not just technology for gearheads, it’s about the way technology affects our lives, and the world around us."

ICH Development Officer Dale Jarvis spoke with Spark host Nora Young about the digital shift in cultural fieldwork, and how we are using digital technology in Newfoundland and Labrador as a tool to better record, share, safeguard and transmit our province's stories.

You can find the Spark blog entry at:
http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2010/03/spark-106-march-21-23-2010/

Or you can download the podcast as a MP3 directly from:
http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/spark_20100321_29504.mp3

Dale Jarvis on Voices Of The Past

2010-02-26T15:44:00.002-03:30

The Ghostly Ballerinas of Gower Street

2010-01-17T17:27:00.000-03:30

Stories of true encounters with the paranormal continue to be told to this very day in St. John's, Newfoundland. In this podcast, storyteller and author Dale Jarvis shares a story of ghostly ballerinas that dates back to the years of the Second World War. In the tale, a young girl receives nightly visitations from phantom dancers, as well as a black-haired lady in a black dress. When the girl's mother finds an old photograph at the bottom of a drawer, the mystery deepens.

The story is taken from the author's book "Wonderful Strange: Ghosts, Fairies and Fabulous Beasties of Newfoundland and Labrador" published by Flanker Press.

Download the story as an MP3 at:

http://tinyurl.com/ydnromw

Or listen to a streaming audio version of the tale at:

http://www.archive.org/details/GhostlyBallerinas_463

NL Storyteller featured artist in ArtsSmarts annual report

2009-11-02T11:35:00.003-03:30

ArtsSmarts is a dynamic approach to teaching, learning, doing and thinking that has been changing the lives of students, artists, educators, and entire schools and communities since 1998. ArtsSmarts generates and sustains innovative school partnerships centred around the arts to push the boundaries of learning, redefine the environment of schooling and re-imagine student success.

I've been involved with a storytelling ArtsSmarts project at Holy Cross Elementary, with fellow storyteller Mary Fearon, for the past 3 years, and for the 2008-2009 ArtsSmarts Annual Report, I was chosen as the featured artist! How cool is that?

Download the excerpt here:
http://www.scribd.com/document_downloads/22018241?extension=pdf

Or the full ArtsSmarts annual report here:
http://www.artssmarts.ca/media/17807/annualreport2008-09_web.pdf

Newfoundland and Labrador Studies 2205 Storytelling Resources

2009-09-16T20:35:00.005-02:30

This is a list of resources for teachers of the NL Studies 2205 course, used in the presentation by Dale Jarvis to teachers Thursday, September 17 and Friday, September 18. If you have any questions about how you can incorporate storytelling into 2205, contact Dale Jarvis by email at storytelling@nf.sympatico.ca

List of Podcasted Stories told by Dale Jarvis

The Origin of Death Folktale on TeacherTube

Newfoundland and Labrador Ghost Story Videos

Selection of short story texts for teaching pourquoi tales and fables

Holy Cross Elementary "Tell Me Another One" Podcast

Visiting Artists Grant Program (to bring a storyteller to your classroom)

Storytellers of Canada Conference July 2010, St. John's, NL

Comic Life Software for making comic strips/storyboards

List of Podcasted Stories

2009-08-11T10:48:00.011-02:30

Just so they are all in one place, here are the links to the audio stories podcasted thus far on dalejarvis.ca:

Stories in MP3 format:
The Body in the Box
The City of Art
The Devil and Mr Kinchler
The Fatal Peat Ember
Foolish Jack
The Ghostly Ballerinas of Gower Street
Goldenhair
The House on the Fairy Path
The Isle of Skye
Jack and the Little Man Under the Stove
The Lady at Number 16
The Mother-In-Law
The Origin of the Fairies
Paddy Mahoney's Gold
Town Cat and Country Mouse
The Whistling Ghost
World Storytelling Day Concert 2007

Interviews:
Art of Storytelling with Eric Wolf interview with Dale Jarvis
Coast To Coast Ghosts -Ghost Panel Victoria BC 2009
Dale Jarvis and Norma Cameron
Fairy Stories in Newfoundland
Storytelling in Happy Valley-Goose Bay
Toronto Festival of Storytelling Interview
Voices of the Past interview

Dale Jarvis on the Voices of the Past Podcast

2009-08-10T14:04:00.002-02:30

According to its website, "The purpose of the Voices of the Past netcast, podcast and accompanying website is to help inspire the advancement of heritage values in our society using the new form of communication called social media."

Director Jeff Guin writes: "With Voices of the Past, you will find a new type of journalism using the heritage preservation community as its focus. It retains the news gathering techniques and production values of traditional media as familiarized by six o’clock television news programs across the country. But it also integrates social media tools to help viewers understand how to communicate heritage values in the new Web 2.0 world."

This week, your friendly neighbourhood folklorist, Dale Jarvis, is the featured guest on the podcast, talking about how he uses social media for intangible culture heritage work and for storytelling.

Read the transcript at:
http://www.preservationtoday.com/2009/08/10/podcast-dale-jarvis-on-the-art-of-storytelling-on-the-world-wide-web/

or go directly to the MP3 at:
http://tinyurl.com/DaleJarvisVOP

Call For Proposals: July 2010 Storytelling Conference

2009-08-01T11:57:00.001-02:30

Call for Proposals
International Perspectives on the Art and Tradition of Storytelling
Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada National Conference and AGM
Wednesday, July 28 to Sunday, August 1, 2010
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Join the Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada for a 5 day conference as part of the 400th anniversary of English settlement on the much-storied island of Newfoundland, with workshops, professional development, concerts, tours, story slam, and international symposium.
The 2010 Conference Planning Committee invites you to submit proposals for consideration in the following two categories:
1. Professional Development Workshop
2. Panel Discussion Participants

1. Professional Development Workshops (90 minutes)
Attendees at the 2009 SCCC conference listed workshops on Collecting Oral History, Newfoundland and Labrador Ballads, Stories behind the Storyteller (life stories and practical experiences of storytellers), Vocal Warmups, Storytelling and the Internet, and Storytelling in Education as their top choices for workshops for 2010. Other topics identified included Mask and/or Clown, Storytelling Techniques, Grant Writing, Press Release Writing, Stories with Music, Critiquing, Researching Stories, and Body/Movement workshops. The committee will be looking for innovative approaches, hands-on practical workshops for storytellers at different levels of their careers and workshops that will help tellers with the business of storytelling: addressing marketing, technology, and other tools for working storytellers.

Who May Apply:
We welcome proposal submissions from anyone. Presenter does not need to be a member of Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada(SC-CC). Non-members are strongly encouraged to join SC-CC if their proposal is accepted. Workshops will be funded to a total of $300 per workshop, and presenters are responsible for their own travel, accommodation, and conference registration costs.

2. Panel participants - International Perspectives on the Art and Tradition of Storytelling
As part of the 2010 Conference, one day will be devoted to panel presentations on international perspectives on the art and tradition of storytelling. The morning will focus on the oral tradition of storytelling, while the afternoon will focus on contemporary performance, art and use. We are seeking representatives of national, regional, state, or provincial storytelling organizations and academic programs who would be willing to address issues of current focus or concern to their organizations or areas.

Who May Apply:
We welcome proposal submissions from anyone, though official representatives of established groups are preferred. Presenter does not need to be a member of Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada(SC-CC). Non-members are strongly encouraged to join SC-CC if their proposal is accepted. Panel participants will be given an honorarium of $50, and participants are responsible for their own travel, accommodation, and conference registration costs.

Please include • a one-two paragraph description of your proposal
• a copy of your recent CV or artists profile
• complete mail, telephone and email contact information

Send to:
SCCC2010proposals@gmail.com
Deadline for submissions is September 30, 2009. Only successful applicants will be contacted, by mid November.

Ghost Story Panel: Coast to Coast Ghosts

2009-07-14T19:25:00.000-02:30

John Adams (Victoria, British Columbia) and Pearl Ann Gooding (Wainwright, Alberta) join host Dale Jarvis (St. John's, Newfoundland) for a spirited discussion, recorded live in front of an audience of storytellers and lovers of a good spooky tale on Friday, 10 July, 2009, at the Storytellers of Canada - Conteurs du Canada 17th Annual Conference in Victoria, BC. All of these fine storytellers specialize in collecting and sharing true ghost stories; and both John and Dale have published some of their tales.

John Adams founded a company that conducts ghost and history walks in the City of Victoria. He is an excellent speaker and is at home in both formal and informal settings. His natural, lively, humorous and clear style makes his stories a memorable experience.

Pearl-Ann Gooding has been telling stories and recognized professionally since 1995. She travels extensively telling stories and teaching seminars on a variety of storytelling related subjects nationwide. Pearl-Ann runs the Wainwright Haunted Hike, and also has received grants from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for support on a storytelling project for her hometown's 100th birthday, "A Walk Of Heroes."

Host and moderator Dale Jarvis is a performer who has been telling stories since 1992. Dale is the owner of the St. John's Haunted Hike in St. John's, Newfoundland, and has been running the popular ghost tour since 1997.

Streaming Audio:

Download the mp3 at:
http://www.archive.org/download/CoastToCoastGhosts/GhostPanelVictoriaBC2009.mp3

Haunted Victoria Street

2009-05-20T17:20:00.000-02:30

Toronto Festival of Storytelling Podcast

2009-05-15T13:00:00.001-02:30

Rachel James of radio station CIUT interviews three storytellers as part of the Toronto Festival of Storytelling, 2009: Howard Kaplan, Dale Jarvis, and Kathy Jessup. Howard Kaplan is a storyteller, musician and webmaster for 1001 Friday Nights of Storytelling in Toronto. Dale Gilbert Jarvis is a storyteller, author and folklorist living and working in St. John's, Newfoundland. Kathy Jessup of Edmonton spent ten years as a broadcast journalist with CBC radio, before deciding to explore her "closet passion": writing and telling children's stories.

CIUT 89.5 FM is Toronto's preeminent, listener-supported presenter of leading-edge music and spoken-word programming since 1966. Firmly rooted in the University of Toronto community, CIUT's programming reaches and represents the community at large and encompasses a wide panorama of styles and expressions.

Download the podcast here.

Town Cat and Country Mouse... in Clarenville!

2009-03-05T13:25:00.001-03:30

On the evening of Wednesday, March 4th, I was invited to give an address on intangible cultural heritage for the Clarenville Heritage Society’s annual general meeting. I started off with a folktale about names and naming that I had learned from a past resident of the area, and spoke on the folklore of naming and some of the possible origins of the name “Clarenville” itself.

You can listen to the folktale "Town Cat and Country Mouse" and the rest of the address here.

Storytelling in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador

2009-01-31T14:31:00.007-03:30

(from www.cbc.ca/labradormorning)

Storytelling is an art. One that won't be lost if Dale Jarvis can help it. He's a storyteller who's touring schools in Labrador. It's part of the School Outreach Program with the St. John's Storytelling Festival. Each year it sends storytellers to different schools in the province. Queen Of Peace Middle School was one of them. Reporter Tara McLean dropped by for a session with Dale Jarvis, earlier this week.

→ Click here to listen to the CBC podcast

Notes from the Fairy Path: The Woodcutter

2009-01-05T21:39:00.001-03:30

What follows is a bit of an experiment! I've been toying with the idea of recording some short little local fairy stories, on the sites where they happened. This is the first attempt, using a little story from North River, Conception Bay, and told on an old, overgrown and little used path that leads down to North River itself.

The Isle of Skye - a ghost story

2008-11-13T00:31:00.001-03:30

A traditional tale of a ghostly ship from Holyrood, Conception Bay, Newfoundland, Canada, told by storyteller Dale Jarvis, and adapted from his book "The Golden Leg and Other Ghostly Campfire Tales" published by Flanker Press.

Download the audio only in mp3 format.

The Legend of Paddy Mahony's Gold

2008-10-02T17:12:00.007-02:30

The story of Paddy Mahony's gold, a tale of buried treasure and its supernatural guardian, from Horse's Head, Little Colinet Island, St. Mary's Bay, Newfoundland, Canada.

Horse's Head was inhabited by one Paddy Mahony, who dwelt in what was referred to as a "solitary hut". Somehow it was revealed to the lucky Paddy that a great treasure was to be found in a certain place near Horse's Head. Paddy lost no time, and set out with shovel in hand in search of the buried treasure.

What he found at the bottom of his pit, and what was found to be guarding it, can be discovered by listening here.

Read by storyteller and author Dale Gilbert Jarvis from his book "Haunted Shores: True Ghost Stories of Newfoundland and Labrador" published by Flanker Press.

OggVorbis and streaming audio versions of the story available from archive.org

The Lady at Number 16

2008-08-30T08:39:00.009-02:30

A ghost story from the city of Valletta, Malta. Told by storyteller Dale Gilbert Jarvis, and recorded live at the "Voices in the Vaults Summer Storytelling Series" on Friday, August 29, in the Newman Wine Vaults Provincial Historic Site, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.

A classic ghost story, incorporating motif E281 - “Ghosts haunt house.” While this story could be told about countless port towns, this particular tale is based on a story from the walled city of Valletta, on the island of Malta. A printed version of the story can be found in my book "The Golden Leg and other Ghostly Campfire Stories" (St. John's: Flanker Press, 2007).

The story is said to be true, and the street in question is St. Ursola Street, in the heart of the old city. An early version of the Maltese tale was written up in Blackwood’s Magazine in the 1800s, and a more recent version can be found in Joseph Attard's book “Ghosts of Malta” (Malta: Publishers Enterprises Group, 1997). Another good source for Maltese stories of the supernatural is Vanessa Macdonald’s “The Unexplained: Ghost Stories From Malta and Beyond” (Valletta: Progress Press, 2001). When I was in Malta in 2006, I had the privilege of meeting Vanessa and her family, and sharing ghostly tales from both sides of the Atlantic. I would certainly recommend her book to anyone with an interest in true hauntings.

Meet the mysterious lady by clicking here.

OggVorbis and streaming audio versions of the story available from archive.org

Foolish Jack

2008-04-15T16:42:00.002-02:30

Newfoundland has a great tradition of Jack stories, and I've been telling a lot of Jack tales to my storytelling students in grades 4-6 at Holy Cross Elementary in St. John's. This is a story recorded live with one of my classes on Friday, 11 April 2005.

"Foolish Jack" is a Jack tale from Appalachia, and while I had heard many versions of the story, I had never considered telling it until I heard it told by storyteller Elinor Benjamin last November when we told stories together at a few schools in Conception Bay as part of the St. John's Storytelling Festival school outreach program. For more information on the origins of the story, and for references to other versions, visit:
http://www.ferrum.edu/applit/bibs/tales/FoolishJack.htm.

You can listen to the recorded version by clicking here, if you have the sense you were born with!

The Origin of Death - Dale Jarvis

2008-01-28T09:02:00.001-03:30

A week ago a friend and valued member of the local arts community passed away, very suddenly. Ever since, I've been thinking a lot about this particular story, so I decided to record it, and put it up here. Just a little something to think about...

The City of Art

2008-01-06T14:01:00.000-03:30

A man dreams of a city of art, and upon waking, sets off to find the place he has seen in his dreaming. Told by storyteller Dale Gilbert Jarvis, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. January 6, 2008.

I first heard this story told by Irish storyteller Ray McGrath at the St. John's Storytelling Festival in 2005, and it stuck in my mind. The music in the background is "Estampie" from the Naxos CD "Landini and His Time". Listen to the story here.

The Body In The Box

2007-11-17T16:20:00.000-03:30

This is one of my favourite old ghost stories from St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. The story involves a young bride who goes missing, her heartbroken husband, and a terrible secret that emerges some time later. I've told this story over the years on the St. John's Haunted Hike, and it is always a favourite. This version was recorded live at The Rooms, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, on (appropriately enough) Hallowe'en night, October 31, 2007! Listen here, if you dare!

Away: An Evening with the Faerie Folk

2007-08-03T17:28:00.000-02:30

The tradition of fairy stories in Newfoundland is most likely as old as European settlement on the island. The hidden people of Norway and Iceland, the gentry of Ireland, the little fellows of West Country England, and the bogles of Scotland all came together in Newfoundland to create a new fairy race, similar to their European ancestors, but very much their own people, with their own stories and their own way of interacting with us larger, clumsier folk. Storyteller Dale Jarvis talks about his most recent storytelling show, "Away: An Evening with the Faerie Folk" on CBC Radio Noon, St. John's, NL, August 3, 2007. Listen here

Jack and The Little Man Under the Stove

2007-06-01T07:50:00.000-02:30

For the past few months, I've been telling stories and teaching grades 3 to 6 the basics of storytelling at Holy Cross Elementary School here in St. John's, Newfoundland. On May 31st, 2007, we had our final night storytelling competition and concert, and the kids told their remarkable tales.

At the end of the night, I was asked to tell one final story, and this is it. In the story, our hero Jack takes on a job as a cook in the house of a rich man, and discovers that he is not alone in the kitchen...

Listen here!

The Mother-In-Law

2007-04-29T15:08:00.000-02:30

A terrible tale from the Brothers Grimm, recorded in a live performance by storyteller Dale Gilbert Jarvis in 2004. A king rides off into battle, leaving his wife and two infant sons with his extremely hungry mother. This tale was found in a compilation by folklorist Maria Tatar, and is based upon a story fragment recorded by the Brothers Grimm, but which was not included in their book of tales in a finished format. Enjoy it (with relish). Listen here!

World Storytelling Day Concert 2007

2007-04-01T13:33:00.000-02:30

Started in Sweden in 2003, World Storytelling Day has grown in a few short years to a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling, celebrated every year on the first day of spring. On World Storytelling Day, as many people as possible tell and listen to stories in as many languages and at as many places as possible, during the same day and night. Participants tell each other about their events in order to share stories and inspiration, to learn from each other and create international contacts. World Storytelling Day 2005 had a grande finale on spring equinox, Sunday March the 20th. There were events from 25 countries on 5 continents, and 2006 saw the program grow further. 2007 was the first time a storytelling concert was held in Newfoundland to commemorate World Storytelling Day. The concert featured Corner Brook storyteller Elinor Benjamin with host storyteller Dale Jarvis, and was sponsored by the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council, The Rooms and The St. John's Storytelling Circle. Recorded live at The Rooms, St. John's, Newfoundland, March 21, 2007. Running time 1:04:05. Listen here!

The Devil and Mr Kinchler

2007-03-02T20:23:00.000-03:30

A story from Fortune Harbour, Newfoundland, about a man named Kinchler who dearly loved playing cards, and who once boasted that he would play a game with the Devil himself. Recorded live July 30 2004 at the Newman Wine Vaults Provincial Historic Site, St. John's, Newfoundland. Listen here!

Goldenhair

2007-02-10T13:16:00.000-03:30

The wicked Count Rinaldo loves a young girl's long golden hair, and wishes to marry her. But Goldenhair loves a peasant lad by the name of Pietro, and refuses to marry the Count. Storyteller Dale Jarvis tells the traditional Corsican ghost story and folktale "Goldenhair" and relates what happens when Count Rinaldo's love is spurned, and how desire is very hard thing to kill. Listen here!

The Whistling Ghost

2007-01-11T18:31:00.000-03:30

The true story of a whistling ghost from the community of Cartwright, Labrador, Canada, read by author and storyteller Dale Jarvis from his book "Haunted Shores: True Ghost Stories of Newfoundland and Labrador" (Flanker Press, 2004). Recorded January 11, 2007. Listen here!

The Origin of the Fairies

2007-01-11T16:52:00.000-03:30

There are many legends and tales about where the fairies come from. This tale, borrowed from the Scandinavian storytelling tradition, gives one explanation. Listen here!

The Fatal Peat Ember

2007-01-11T00:08:00.000-03:30

A traditional fairy story from the Isle of Skye, originally collected by W.Y Evans-Wentz in the early part of the twentieth century, and which was published in his book "The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries." It includes references to the fairy practice of abducting human children, and also of the fair folk's gift of prophecy. Listen here!

The House on the Fairy Path

2007-01-10T17:43:00.000-03:30

A traditional tale from the Southern Shore of Newfoundland, Canada, concerning a young married couple who discover they have built their house on a path used by the good people, and the steps that couple take to rid themselves of fairy mischief. Recorded by Dale Jarvis, September 3, 2006, St. John's, Newfoundland. Listen here!