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Loren Niemi
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Loren Niemi's Groups
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International Storytel...
97 members
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All the Fringe that's ...
40 members
Loren Niemi's Discussions
Another single storytelling survey question..
Replied Dec. 23, 2008
A Storied Life Still Streaming
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Latest Activity
Hey Loren,
Can't make it to Minneapolis right now, but look forward to hearing about it - photos, video? Break whatever's necessary and have a good show.
Steven
Looks fascinating. Wish I were closer.
Jennfer
Profile Information
- About Me:
- Loren has spent thirty years as a professional storyteller, performer, teacher and director of other performers. From Fringe festivals to the Great Wall of China, from the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota to Belfast, Northern Ireland, in cabarets, art galleries, churches and the Minneapolis' Light Rail Transit's public art installation; he has created, collected and told evocative stories about what matters while entertaining audiences of all ages.
Loren sees storytelling as his life’s work and an embodiment of Federico Fellini’s statement, “I have invented myself entirely, a childhood, a personality, longings, memories and dreams, all in order to be able to tell them.” Hiis work has been called “post-modern,” “with the dark beauty of language that is not ashamed of poetry." In pursuit of the story "worth telling" He has been a Humanities Scholar in Residence for Northern Minnesota, the ringmaster and tour manager of In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theatre’s Circle of Water Circus, and one third of BAD JAZZ, a performance art trio with Michael Sommers and Kevin Kling, experimenting with new theatrical and storytelling forms. Storytelling is also at the core of his work as a community organizer and public policy advocate helping communities and organizations to articulate their dreams, frame their issues and resolve their conflicts.
He is the author of "The Book of Plots" from Llumina Press on the uses of narrative to shape our stories and the co-author, with Elizabeth Ellis, of "Inviting the Wolf In: Thinking About Difficult Stories," from August House Publishers on the value and necessity of the stories that are hard to hear and harder to tell.
Loren is the producer of "Two Chairs Telling" and teaches Storytelling in the Communications Department of Metro State University. He was one of the founders of the Northlands Storytelling Network, a five state storytelling education and advocacy organization. He also served four years as the Board Chair of the National Storytelling Network,and was the 2007 recipient of the NSN's Oracle Award for National Leadership and Service.
Performancs of Note
CHICAGO TELLABRATION!
13th Annual Festival of Stories ~ A Worldwide Storytelling Event ~ brought to you by the Chicago Storytelling Guild
Sunday, November 22, 2009 ~
Featuring: Elysabeth Ashe, Paul Baker, Linda Braggs, Margaret Burk, Jasmin Cardenas, Vicki Elberfeld, Mama Edie, Joe Feinberg, Kathryn Gauthier, Sharon Giles, Velma Gladney, Judith Heineman, Carol Kerman, Jim May, Loren Niemi, Jeff Solotoroff, Sandi Sylver, Megan Wells Members of the Chicago Storytelling Guild & The Hyde Park Community Players
At the Experimental Station - 6100 S. Blackstone Avenue
*Family Program: 3-5 PM
*Adult concert: 6:30-9 PM
Suggested donation $5 Per Person
Don’t Miss a Word! ~ *Sign Language Interpretation Provided by Liz Bartlow Breslin
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For Reservations, Questions, or to Volunteer, please call 773-288-7217, juhestories@aol.com; jeffro1165@sbcglobal.net
13th Annual Festival of Stories ~ A Worldwide Storytelling Event ~ brought to you by the Chicago Storytelling Guild
Sunday, November 22, 2009 ~
Featuring: Elysabeth Ashe, Paul Baker, Linda Braggs, Margaret Burk, Jasmin Cardenas, Vicki Elberfeld, Mama Edie, Joe Feinberg, Kathryn Gauthier, Sharon Giles, Velma Gladney, Judith Heineman, Carol Kerman, Jim May, Loren Niemi, Jeff Solotoroff, Sandi Sylver, Megan Wells Members of the Chicago Storytelling Guild & The Hyde Park Community Players
At the Experimental Station - 6100 S. Blackstone Avenue
*Family Program: 3-5 PM
*Adult concert: 6:30-9 PM
Suggested donation $5 Per Person
Don’t Miss a Word! ~ *Sign Language Interpretation Provided by Liz Bartlow Breslin
~
For Reservations, Questions, or to Volunteer, please call 773-288-7217, juhestories@aol.com; jeffro1165@sbcglobal.net
Loren Niemi's Blog
Fall Equinox (Yes, two months after the fact)
This was what I posted on the electronic commons: “The last full day of summer is at hand. Tuesday 4:16 Central the eggs can stand on end, the leaves have full permission to turn and depart their branches, the dark comes giddy and soon. Take time to thank your gardens, the beaches and tar, the pop songs that made the summer what it was. Kiss it goodbye. Next year, we'll meet again.”
This was Judy Cooper Lyle response “Do you have to remind us???? I dread winter like the plague!!!!!!!”
Yes, I d… Continue
This was Judy Cooper Lyle response “Do you have to remind us???? I dread winter like the plague!!!!!!!”
Yes, I d… Continue
Posted on November 15, 2009 at 10:57am —
The Summer Solstice letter
I am tardy in many things. Posting this summer solstice missive is one of them, but for those of you who look forward to my little notes on the passing of the seasons and especially for those who e-mailed me to say, where is it? Here it is:
Sunday. The Summer Solstice arrives. Somewhere the songs that greet the day have been sung. Somewhere else the fires that greet the night have been lit and the sparks fly up, the dances danced, the flames leapt over by lovers celebrating fecundity, and the g… Continue
Sunday. The Summer Solstice arrives. Somewhere the songs that greet the day have been sung. Somewhere else the fires that greet the night have been lit and the sparks fly up, the dances danced, the flames leapt over by lovers celebrating fecundity, and the g… Continue
Posted on July 12, 2009 at 1:01pm —
Belated Equinox Missive
Friends,
When the day the light and dark were balanced I was not. My first full day in Oaxaca, I had mistakenly eaten a bad shrimp. At least I thought it was the one shrimp which didn’t taste like the others but I swallowed anyway rather than spitting it out. A mistake that laid me low for 18 hours of feverish sleep punctuated by a complete voiding of the system. That was followed by a three-day course of powerful parasite killer and a handful of aspirin.
Such was my passage of the Spring Equi… Continue
When the day the light and dark were balanced I was not. My first full day in Oaxaca, I had mistakenly eaten a bad shrimp. At least I thought it was the one shrimp which didn’t taste like the others but I swallowed anyway rather than spitting it out. A mistake that laid me low for 18 hours of feverish sleep punctuated by a complete voiding of the system. That was followed by a three-day course of powerful parasite killer and a handful of aspirin.
Such was my passage of the Spring Equi… Continue
Posted on April 22, 2009 at 4:42pm —
Winter Solstice Letter
Friends,
This is also available as a note on my Facebook page. But or those who prefer PS, here it is or your reading pleasure.
I was talking to Chris Shillock at Jules Nyquist's Solstice party last night.
He says he has a new girlfriend.
Good for you.
We had our first fight but we've made up.
Might I ask what it was about?
She called me an Idealist who wants to change the world. I said I'm a Realist.
But Chris, you are an Idealist.
Don’t think so.
Are you a poet?
Yes.
Are you a performer?
Yes… Continue
This is also available as a note on my Facebook page. But or those who prefer PS, here it is or your reading pleasure.
I was talking to Chris Shillock at Jules Nyquist's Solstice party last night.
He says he has a new girlfriend.
Good for you.
We had our first fight but we've made up.
Might I ask what it was about?
She called me an Idealist who wants to change the world. I said I'm a Realist.
But Chris, you are an Idealist.
Don’t think so.
Are you a poet?
Yes.
Are you a performer?
Yes… Continue
Posted on December 23, 2008 at 3:52pm — 1 Comment
Comment Wall (5 comments)
- At 4:59pm on April 22, 2009,
Robert Bela Wilhelm said…
- Loren, I am always reminded to remind my Solar Season dial with your Solstice and Equinox letters. Thanks.
- At 8:37pm on April 8, 2009,
Marisa Keegan said…
- Hi Loren,
I'm glad you took Molly's advice. =) Thanks for welcoming me.
- At 7:40pm on April 7, 2009,
velma gladney said… - Hi Loren
So good to hear from you. We miss you over in the windy city. Hope all is going well with your storytelling.
- At 4:02pm on March 17, 2009,
Silverchin said… - One more bit of info (I'm here at work and have a short bit of time) - not only those epics but I also have original stories and tell folklore mostly from Russia, Appalachia, and the Middle East (love the Sufi - partic. Hodja Nasruddin). I do so dearly love being an obscurantist - e.g., The Fables of Phaedrus (Roman Aesop) are loads of fun. Oops, gotta go, boss calls.
- At 3:00pm on March 17, 2009,
Silverchin said…
- Hey there. Got your message about what type of epics -
hmmm . . .okay, here's what I tell now: 5 of the 7 tablets of the "Enuma Elish," 5 of the stories from "The Ulaid Cycle," and "The Three Sorrows of Storytelling (The Fate of the Children of Lir, The Quest of the Sons of Turenn, The Death of the Sons of Uisneach). Am presently working on "The Book of DeDe Korkut" (Turkish national epic, quite bloody and warlike) and "The Legend of Lord Eight Deer" (recently translated Mixtec Codex - really wanting to make this one tri-lingual, English/Spanish/Nuahtl). Whew!! Have had the privilege of telling stories from the Ulaid cycle in several of the university classes here at St. Edward's University. Anywho, just a few things. BTW, I know and have worked with (peripherally) Elizabeth Ellis. AND I love "Letting the Wolf In . . ."
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