Dates
April 21-23, 2005
Venue
Hilton Vancouver Metrotown
Location
Territory of of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim speaking peoples, in Burnaby
Theme
Those who tell the stories rule society. – Plato
The story – from Rumplestiltskin to War and Peace – is one of the basic tools invented by the human mind, for the purpose of gaining understanding. There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories. – Ursula K. LeGuin
How many times have you been requested to “tell me another” (story)? For those of you with children, you probably cannot keep count. Plato and Ursula LeGuin, quoted above, have slightly different opinions of the power of the storyteller. Plato’s comment is simple and direct: that the storyteller is a ruler, a leader. According to LeGuin, stories are told to gain understanding.
Of course, they are both right. Stories are told to illustrate ideas and to help get to the heart and truth of many matters. Storytellers engage and connect with the listener because they reveal a part of who they are. This revelation helps to break down barriers and ultimately creates a commonality of experience between the storyteller and the listener, which, in fact, creates the foundation for a relationship. We can apply this same principle to community service organizations: using storytelling as a technique, we can break down barriers and create a common language. Like storytellers, strong leaders reveal who they are as they work with their staff and community stakeholders, telling a story about their organizations’ vision, values, and goals — and then they listen as they are told stories that express what their communities want and need. This ability to incorporate storytelling techniques into our arsenal of skills can go a long way toward creating healthy community relationships … because when knowledge is shared through stories, people understand issues. And, of course, creative thinking often occurs after listening to an excellent storyteller. This creativity sparks imagination and ideas. And ideas help solve problems. It’s that simple!
BC is home to many strong leaders and storytellers. It is our hope that you will find this year’s conference From Scrolls to eBooks: The Story Continues engaging and enlightening. You will see that the program offers an amazing number of storytellers – many of whom are your colleagues from all over the province – as well as invited speakers from across Canada and the United States. All we need you to do now is select your programs, register, and be prepared to connect with the many storytellers and colleagues who will be sharing their experiences in an attempt to spark our imaginative spirits.
Diana Guinn
President
British Columbia Library Association