(Read and annotated by participants of the directed study. Bangor Theological Seminary. Spring 2006. Instructor: David Trobisch)
Bausch, William J., 1984. Storytelling: Imagination and Faith. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications. ISBN # 0-89622-199-7
Bausch writes, “ ‘Once upon a time’ is no time and every time. It is the standard phrase
that introduces us to other worlds and to our own world, that connects humanity to
common story and storyteller. That is why storytelling and story listening are so
congenial, for, in one way or another, we are hearing about ourselves.” This book is
informative, instructional, and illustrative. It is written to be easily understood so that
many audiences can take the tools and begin to use them in many different settings, not
just the pulpit. (GK)
Campolo, Tony, 2000. Let Me Tell You A Story.
This book is written from the collection of stories Tony has compiled over the years.
They are a source of humor and intended to illustrate a host of different truths, and
touches upon many facets of our daily lives. Excerpt from preface: “I want you to feel
free to use these stories at will…it would be a source of encouragement to my ministry if
I knew that these stories were being used to drive home truth and illuminate the messages
of those who seek
to communicate the gospel.”
(GK)
Haley, Gail E., 1970. A Story A Story: An African Tale Retold. NY: MacMillan Publishing Co. ISBN# 0-689-20511-2.
African Storyteller begins: “We do not really mean, We do not really mean, That what I
am about to say is true. A story, a story; Let it come, let it go.”
Excerpt from front flap: “…were no stories on earth for children to hear. All stories
belonged to Nyame, the Sky God. Ananse, the Spider man…” A wonderful illustrative
children’s story of a very old African folk tale. (GK)
Jensen, Richard A., 1995.
Thinking in Story: Preaching in a
Post-literate Age.
Jensen supports the idea that the world has experienced three communication eras. The first era was oral communication, the second, print and now the third is happening, the electronic communication era. We must begin, as the title suggests, to think in story to communicate in preaching with this post-literate culture that has returned, through the media of television, radio and movies, to a somewhat auditory and visual communication. He believes there may be clues in the past from the era of oral communication and looks primarily to the Bible to being the task of this form of thinking. This would be a valuable resource for those who live the preaching life. (GH)
Kelber, Werner H., 1997. The Oral
and Written Gospel: The Hermeneutics of
Speaking and Writing in the Synoptic Tradition, Mark, Paul and Q.
In this highly academic presentation, Kelber looks at what happens when an oral tradition gradually turns into a written tradition. He proposes that the written texts serve to standardize what in the past had been a creative oral tradition, where each oral telling is its own creative interpretation. Although dense, this book is helpful in thinking about moving from the Biblical text, back to a tradition of storytelling. (GH)
Larsen, David L. 1995. Telling the Old, Old Story: The Art of
Narrative Preaching.
As long as you can get past the author’s extensive reliance on other’s works and the fact that he is unapologetically evangelical and sometimes too much of a fundamentalist in his center of attention, this is a great book which gets better the farther into it one gets.
After arguing for the richness of the Scriptures, Larsen gets down to the “nitty gritty” and focuses on how to find the meaning of the story, constructing the story, craft that story and finally how to successfully communicate it to an audience. In the second half of the book, he takes a look at the type of biblical stories (parables; miracle-stories; the life, death and resurrection stories; bible biography; apocalyptic and prophetic stories) and how to use them to encourage and enhance their relevancy, application and impact for the growth of one’s spirituality. (RA)
L’Engle, Madeleine, 1993. The Rock that Is Higher.
ISBN 0-87788-808-6
L’Engle, well-known author, reflects on her lifetime of storytelling. She tells of her use of the Bible and her Christian living as inspiration for her books. Particularly, her chapters, ‘Story as the Search for Truth’ and ‘Story as Joy’ contain timeless reflections. She states, “The storyteller is a story teller because the storyteller cares about truth, searching for truth, expressing truth, sharing truth. But that cannot be done unless we know our craft, any more than a violinist can play Sibelius’s Violin Concerto unless the techniques are there, learned, until they are deep in the fingertips as well as the mind.”
This book is an inspiration for any serious storyteller. (GH)
Lowry, Eugene L., 2001. The Homiletical
Plot, expanded edition: the sermon as narraive art form. Loiusville:
Although not a book on storytelling, Lowry offers a method for constructing sermons that complete a narrative whole. He brings out the important point of ‘Upsetting the Equilibrium’ in one chapter, to keep the congregation engaged, emphasizing the important idea of conflict in storytelling. This would be a valuable resource for those who want to pursue a narrative theme in worship between the text and the sermon. (GH)
Miller, Mark, 2003. Experiential Storytelling: (Re)
Discovering Narrative to Communicate God’s Message.
ISBN # 0-310-25514-7
Excerpt from back cover: “…Miller shares real-time, hands-on ways that church leaders can bring greater scriptural understanding…combination of radical storytelling techniques and practical examples of how to carry them out…”
Excerpt from page 41: “My belief is that when a story becomes personal and people begin to become unsettled and challenged by it, then they have been touched in a place where facts fear to tread. It is a place so personal that it can spark an inner transformation.” This book focuses on the importance of bringing the story to life so that the spirit can once again begin to flow, both personally and within our faith communities. (GK)
Ross, Steve. 2005. Marked.
This is not a book about storytelling, but THE STORY told in a very unique way. It is the gospel of Mark in comic book fashion. It tells the "human story of passion and murder. Of a compassionate man brutally killed and yet compellingly alive." Unnerving, violent and very graphic, it makes one look at this gospel in an entirely new way. A really kick *** presentation of a familiar story! (RA)
Rue,
As one who has consistently been shy and afraid to act, it seems strange that I love this book so, a book that encourages the teacher and the student to move past shyness and insecurity in order to embody sacred texts so that the self’s seclusion can be broken open and an integration of ideas and lived experience can help each one of us rehearse the world we would like to see into being. Filled with exercises, ideas and resources, drawing from different faith traditions and from secular writings, Victoria Rue calls teachers, theologians and scholars to recognize that religion and belief breathe and are tested in our daily lives, thus learning and talking about God must also be connected to our physical, emotional, imaginative and spiritual selves. “Belief, values, and God-talk must find expression within our imaginations and find form in our lives.” (p. 69) I still often feel shy, (and frustrated and disappointed with myself in class) but I agree so strongly with what Ms Rue writes, largely because of what I have experienced in David Trobisch’s classes, that I am committed to pushing past my insecurities. “Courses in religion need more than a cognitive understanding of central concepts. Students need to viscerally encounter belief, religious practice, religious imagination, and religious experience. Religions are more than ideas: they are lived, enacted by human beings in particular ways.” (p.2) I will buy this book for myself and I will experiment with some of the methods she presents in my own teaching, in fact I already have! (BP)
Swanson, Richard W., 2005.
Provoking the Gospel of Mark: a
storyteller’s commentary, year B.
Swanson suggests that we poke and provoke stories. “Without a little provoking, a story can just sit there, inert and agreeable, tame and safe.” After an introduction that offers imaginative encouragement for the creative presentation of lectionary text, Swanson offers thoughts for each Mark lection in year B. Although not deeply scholarly in background research, it is rich in contemporary imagery and edgy challenge. It also contains a helpful storytellers translation of Mark and a primitive DVD showing Swanson’s college students dramatically “provoking the text.” (GH)
Swanson, Richard W., 2004.
Provoking the Gospel:
Methods to Embody Biblical Storytelling through Drama.
Swanson believes biblical interpretation is not for the church alone. If Bible stories are well and properly told they will be attractive it insider and outsiders as well. “As both script and scripture, these stories have their own power and integrity.” Swanson suggests a way for a group of committed people to approach telling the stories through drama with a very physical and emotional approach. This is a highly recommended technique for those who like to ask “why” and are not afraid of the answer. (GH)
Webb, Joseph M.,
2001. Preaching Without Notes.
ISBN # 0-687-09088-1
Excerpt from back cover: “Preaching without notes is not so difficult to learn as some might imagine, and the immediate and long-term rewards are worth the effort. Joseph Webb shows clearly how to do what those who listen to our sermons prefer.” This is a great text to help one to plan & develop, prepare, and deliver a sermon without notes.
White, William R., 1988. Stories for the Journey: A Sourcebook for Christian Storytellers.
This is a book of short tales grouped by themes. Word and Witness, Faith and Faithfulness, Love and Forgiveness, Prayer and Worship, Community and Hospitality, Justice and Courage, Simplicity and Discipleship, and Christmas and other Festivals are the thematic headings. Very useful for a quick story for children or adults, the stories could be adapted or lengthened to suit the storytellers needs. (GH)
Wire, Antoinette Clark. 2002.
Holy Lives, Holy Deaths. A Close Hearing of Early Jewish Storytellers.
Human beings are storytellers and we recognize humanity in
others by hearing their stories. From
this premise, the author divides the stories of early Jewish storytellers into
four categories: prophecies at the time
of birth; marvelous provisions of healing, rain, food or other help; signs of
destruction or deliverance by a prophet; stories of martyrdom and
vindication. Listening for who told the
story, to whom it was told, when, where and why it was told, the author seeks
to combine responsible diachronic work with current synchronic studies and thus
to find a way of understanding the power and currency of these stories through
time. The bulk of the book is the
stories themselves which come from canonical and non-canonical sources. Many stories are from the Mishnah
and the Talmud. The author, a woman and
a Christian, states that her goal is to explore a broader context for the roots
of her tradition and to suggest and highlight the tradition of women
storytellers in ancient times. (BP)