The discussion of storytelling in this module focused on stories written for children and books written about children’s stories, and not so much on children telling their own stories. But this is what interests me about storytelling: people including children telling their own stories. In Picturing Canada: A history of canadian children’s illustrated books and publishing, Edwards and Saltman do note that Canadian publishing houses Annick Press and Kids Can Press both originally intended to publish writing by children, but found it was unfeasible, leaving children authors with no real platform. I think that has changed with the advent of digital media.

For most of human history, storytelling meant a spoken performance in front of a live audience. People used stories to learn about the world around them including the natural and social aspects, to explain their experience of it to others, and to describe things the way they would like them to be. Stories taught and still teach people the values and morals of their cultures, how to understand the motives of other people, and how to create new visions of the world (Gottschall, 2012). The performances could be spoken or chanted, accompanied by music or singing, supported by gestures and even props such as live actors or puppets. Although there was a role for ‘official’ storytellers in most cultures, and even training traditions to initiate new members, in practice anyone who could hold an audience could tell stories.

But the printing press meant an increasing focus on written language. Traces of the oral tradition survived in pockets, in the traditional folk songs and tales of the European bards, among First Nations in North America, and among Australian aboriginals. Traces of performance also survived in plays and musical concerts, although these modes were not as widely available as printed books. Traces of the visual tradition survived in illustrated books. But by and large, storytelling came to be seen as primarily the domain of written language and the illustrations or performances were subordinate to the printed words.

The new mode of storytelling called for a new group of official storytellers, and also for teachers who could initiate newcomers into the use of this technology. But it is fair to say that for most people, not just anyone could be a storyteller any more. Story-telling became more formal, and for most people, using this technology meant consuming rather than producing: reading rather than writing.

In the age of radio and television and offset printing, the performance  and visual aspects of stories became important again, making the stories more accessible and less formal, even though most of the storytelling was still quite formal and ‘official.’ The focus for most people continued to be on consuming rather than producing content: still the audience, not the performer.

Today stories still serve the same purposes they always did. But now with digital media and the internet, the possibilities of inventing, combining and reconfiguring storytelling are almost limitless. The stories have changed because different media open new ways of telling them, allowing new ideas to be expressed, and new storytellers to express them. The role of the audience has changed–no longer are they only passive consumers of one-way communication. Now, as in the days of live performance, audiences can respond almost immediately. As a result the storyteller has changed as well: once again anyone who can hold an audience can tell a story. Now it could be you who tells the story, or you who takes it up where the ‘official’ storyteller left off.

And of course there is still a need for teachers, who once again will help students learn the new technologies, but now this technology includes producing as well as consuming. It includes formal and informal modes. Just as it affords new ways of telling stories, it requires new ways of teaching.

In the material below, I have identified different ways that stories are now created and used, intended to serve as inspiration and examples for student authors. The first group of material represents linked ideas on First Nations issues, the second, material for younger children. Taken together, these examples represent only part of the variety of forms, audiences, and purposes for storytelling available to us all now.

Works Cited

Gottschall, Jonathan. The Storytelling Animal How Stories Make Us Human. Boston, Mariner Books, 2013.