"Grimm for Grown-ups" Coming To The Québec Intercultural Storytelling Festival

During October the Québec Intercultural Storytelling Festival is set to take over many of the public venues in the city for their events and programmes.

On October 24th, a free presentation titled "Grimm for Grown-ups" is happening at the Goethe-Institut in Montreal as part of the Festival.From the Institute's website:

German storytellers who are special guests of the Quebec Intercultural Storytelling Festival will enchant your ears with traditional German folk and fairy tales for adults. Come discover the metaphors, Freudian slips, violence, beauty and poetry of these stories, which have crossed the ages and still speak to our hearts and imagination today.

You can find more information about the presentation HERE.

I wonder if anyone will be recording? This would make a great podcast!As for the rest of the Storytelling Festival it will be presented in both English and French , here's the rundown according to the press release:

The 10^th edition of the Québec Intercultural Storytelling Festival will take place from October the 16^th to the 25^th, in concert venues, libraries, and theatres around Montréal, Québec City and the Eastern Townships. More than 130 events will be presented, in French and in English, by no less than 120 storytellers. This year, the Festival's English Section is featuring artists from Germany, Israel, England, the Yukon, Ontario and Québec.

You can see the other events planned and look at the amazing number and range of talented storytellers coming to town for this event HERE.

While storytelling is often considered (at least in English-speaking countries) to be for children only, the reality is that storytelling - when done well and appropriately - has a profound impact on listeners no matter what the age. Storytelling is used, not only for recreational purposes and to communicate information but also for healing and therapy. (And just look at the news: There's a whole lot of storytelling happening right there! Sorry, couldn't resist.)

My favorite storyteller is still Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estes, whom I discovered about ten years ago. A multi-award winning author and Jungian-analyst, who uses her storytelling to look at the human condition as well as for healing and therapy, she weaves fairy tales, folktales, myths and legends effortlessly into her presentations. I highly recommend her audiobooks:

• Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Women Archetypes (which was also a NY Times bestseller)
  

• The Red Shoes: On Torment and the Recovery of the Soul Life

• Warming the Stone Child: Stories and Myths About Abandonment and the Unmothered Child
  

• The Creative Fire: Myths and Stories About the Cycles of Creativity

It's worth tracking down the out-of-print titles. I especially enjoy how she uses a mix of well known tales and lesser known ones from all over the world. The result, at least for me, is that it makes it clear how tales can transcend boundaries of race and culture because the human experience is same the world over, albeit in different forms. It's good to be reminded of that from time to time.