Eric James Wolf of The Art of Storytelling Show has been on my radar for a long time and was one of the first people I invited to participate in a Q&A. Because he has dyslexia (see his comments about dyslexia below), writing isn’t easy for Eric, and he initially abandoned his attempt to respond to my questions. But recently, he revived and refreshed his responses. I’m honored to present this Q&A with Eric over the next several days. This Q&A will also be unique in that Eric has suggested he will respond to additional questions, so further parts of this Q&A may pop up in the future.
Bio: [From his Web site] Eric Wolf was awarded an Oracle Award for Distinguished Service to the National Storytelling Community in 2010 for his work on the podcast. This Oracle award is the highest award given by the storytelling community to those who have worked to support the art of storytelling nation wide.
Eric James Wolf was born three minutes after the taxi arrived at a New York City hospital on January 20th, 1970. He has attended numerous educational institutions, both public and private, graduating with a BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic for which his senior project was storytelling. His experience has included an apprenticeship with a professional storyteller. He completed an M.S. in Environmental Education from Lesley University – sister school to Harvard.
He has been telling stories since 1993 for compensation — but his first public performance was at the age of 8 when his sister told her teacher that he was a good storyteller. The kindergarten teacher proceeded to nod knowingly and invited him to tell a story to her class. Little did she know — 20 minutes later, with the lights turned low, Eric finished telling, “The Old Man in the Shack.” Then the fifteen parents lined up out side were finally able to pick up their children.
Q&A with Eric James Wolf, Question 1:
Q: You blog about your struggle with dyslexia. Briefly, how has this struggle affected your development as a storyteller?
A: First it made me reliant on my voice — because I could not use the pen as a means of expression. Secondly it made me permanently side with the underdog — because I was the brightest dumb kid you ever met; because of this I learned firsthand — how screwed up institutions can play with your mind. Most importantly, dyslexia made me kind and humble very early in life, and I hope I never forget those lessons.
I wrote a great series of posts called Seven Principles every Parent should know about Dyslexia. I have been told by a lot of parents of dyslexics and dyslexics that it was very useful.