Here’s a little widget with the tweets of all the story folks I follow on Twitter on my @AStoriedCareer account. It’s supposed to have a shell and a nice header. Who knows why it doesn’t.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

When I was preparing to enter high school, my father told me I had to take Latin. I was not enthusiastic about the idea. I wanted to take French. My father and I compromised. I would take two years of Latin.

My Latin teacher, as it turned out, was fresh out of college and in his first year of teaching. He was only nine years older than I was (even now in his 60s, he still has a boyish look, as you can see in the photo at right).

And he was a fabulous teacher. Energetic, interesting, and passionate about his subject matter, he brought the allegedly dead language vibrantly to life. I immersed myself in studying Latin with Mr. Rhody, a.k.a. “Magister,” the Latin word for teacher. I was a good student in most of my subjects, but I worked especially hard in Latin and earned excellent grades. As you may have guessed by now, my compromise with my dad proved unnecessary because I eagerly took four years of Latin (I did also take French, but that experience was far less memorable). I enhanced my immersion in ancient Roman culture through involvement in Latin Club and two spring-break trips to Italy. At the end of the four years, I won the Latin Prize, an accomplishment I have always valued more than most (even though I kind of thought my cousin Vicki deserved it more than I did; she earned straight A’s for all four years of Latin, where I had gotten a B in the first grading period because I had mono).

Even after the years of high school, college, and graduate school, David Rhody remains — by far — my favorite teacher and one of my greatest influences.

Not that many students take Latin today, and many schools don’t even offer it. (I would have invoked the same requirement for my two children that my father did for me, but Latin was not offered at their highschool.) That’s a shame. As my Magister taught me, 60 percent of the English language comes from Latin. Mr. Rhody assigned us to keep “derivative notebooks” to catalog the English words derived from Latin. My four years of Latin were an enormous boon to my vocabulary and my life as a writer. A knowledge of Latin helps a person figure out the meaning not only of unfamiliar English words, but also words in any of the Romance languages.

But I digress … I have kept in touch with Mr. Rhody over the (too many) years since high school, and last year, we became friends on Facebook. He has been retired for several years now, but I like to think his legacy lives on just as vibrantly in the classroom (jokingly referred to as the “Latin wing” of our high school) since his successor is one of his students.

A few weeks ago, I received a Facebook friend request from Larry Smith, co-founder of SMITH Magazine, which I’ve written about many times in this space. Larry had noticed we had a mutual friend — David Rhody. Turns out Larry had had the Magister experience 15 years after I had.

It’s fascinating to speculate about whether anything about our mutual high-school or Latin experience led us both to storytelling. In fact, Larry told me Latin class did influence him, noting that he couldn’t remember where his passport was but could vividly remember Hannibal crossing the Alps on elephants. For me, The Aeneid mesmerized me with its storytelling by the poet Vergil.

I have a good chance to learn more about Larry’s Latin-storytelling connection as he has agreed to participate in a Q&A soon.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

Recently, storyteller Eric James Wolf turned the tables on me. I’ve conducted more than 57 Q&As with story practitioners — and now Eric has done a Q&A with me. I thought it would be worthwhile to excerpt some of it here because it explains some of my philosophies and approaches with this blog.

In this entry, Eric asked me about the characteristics I look for in a Q&A interviewee:

When I first began sending out invitations for the Q&A series in the summer of 2008, I focused on applied-storytelling practitioners that I knew, or knew of, and admired. I was familiar with them through their books (for example, those of Terrence Gargiuolo and Annette Simmons), through their presentations at conferences (for example, Madelyn Blair, Michael Margolis, and Svend-Erik Engh), and through encountering them on the Web (for example, Shawn Callahan and Stephanie West Allen). Once I had invited all the best-known story luminaries — and most of them accepted the invitation and participated — I didn’t really have to search hard for new interviewees. I encountered them through my ongoing research for blog material. I’m excited that for the most recent series of Q&As, I’ve received nominations and self-nominations of people who want to participate or want to recommend a participant. I had always hoped that would happen, and I’m thrilled that is has.

In the interview series, I have tended not to focus on oral-performance storytellers, people involved in transmedia storytelling, storytellers in film and TV (such as screenwriters and people who teach screenwriting), people in comic-book storytelling, and folks into the storytelling of gaming. It’s not that I’m not interested in these areas. I just feel that other bloggers and writers — like Eric James Wolf — do a good job of covering those fields and their practitioners, so it’s better for me to have a narrower focus. So many forms and uses for storytelling exist, and I can do a better job if I don’t try to cover all of them.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

See a photo of Eric his bio, Part 1 of this Q&A, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

Q&A with Eric James Wolf, Question 5:

Q: You seem to have lots of storytelling projects going on and more planned for the future. Which projects are you most excited about now?

A: Depends on which day you ask me. Right now I am pretty excited about these projects:

The launch of “The Application of Story” Podcast as a part of International Storytelling School, where I answer questions on the art of using stories in all aspects of human experience. No visible sign of this project exists…

The continued production of the Art of Storytelling Podcast — now on show #107 and climbing!



The continued development of my seven-hour-long continuous fairytale collection called Fairytales Forever.

Creating performance fundraisers for environmental nonprofits using storytelling as both a teaching tool and a long range fundraising/publicity tool, as I did during the National Storytelling Network’s Official Environmental Storytellers Retreat for the Tecumseh Land Trust this past April.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

See a photo of Eric his bio, Part 1 of this Q&A, Part 2, and Part 3.

Q&A with Eric James Wolf, Question 4:

Q: You are to receive the Oracle Award in recognition of your work as producer and host of the Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf Show during the last evening of the National Storytelling Conference this month [July 2010]. What does this award mean to you?

A: The National Storytelling Network is made up of some of the most committed people, and I am very flattered to be respected and held up by such a fine group. This award means the world to me — I have honestly never received an award for my work with storytelling — mostly because most award applications require things like a written application. I stopped doing that stuff years ago… after I didn’t get the 20th grant [I submitted a] proposal [for].

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

See a photo of Eric his bio, Part 1 of this Q&A, and Part 2.

Q&A with Eric James Wolf, Question 3:

Q: In your list of questions for me*, you asked what characteristics attract me to the story practitioners I interview in my Q&As. Let me turn that question around and ask the same of you: What do you look for in the storytellers you interview in your podcasts?

[*Eric interviewed me here.]

A: Passion and expertise is key. I am continually surprised by America’s willingness to listen to people who are not experts in their field. I think we are continually in love with that idea of western — that somehow that myth has affected or shut off that part of our brain that goes — “How long have you been doing this?”

I mean, I have guests who have been telling stories for 50 years — 50 years! — and then I have people who come up to me and say - I should be on your show! I am doing this cool thing. So I say; “How long have you been doing this cool thing — whatever?” — They say; “A year.” A year! Like that’s a long time. Again I think it’s the myth of the frontier. But the thing about the western motif is it writes out a whole group of people who were there first — in fact who spent 6,000 years there first. Those are the people I really what to have on my show. You know the natives….

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

See a photo of Eric his bio, and Part 1 of this Q&A.

Q&A with Eric, Question 2:

Q: What inspired you to “cross over” and explore the applied side of storytelling, e.g., your interview with Steve Denning (pictured)?

A: I have always been an applied storyteller so I do not view what Steven has done and what I do as any different in terms of application. What changed for me was my willingness to admit that I had anything to learn from someone who had once worked for the World Bank, in my experience, a place that has caused a great deal of human suffering in the world through its support of dictatorships and large economic projects, support that undermined small communities and storytellers like me all over the third world.

I see storytelling as the greatest tool we have in our toolbox to teach people right livelihood. The most important lesson that I learned from Steven was that he believes that too — just not in those words. He might say that stories allow us to examine more efficient way of conducting business to the benefit of all. Of course I don’t wan to put words in his mouth. I just say: Right livelihood is requirement of existing in an unjust world. Storytelling is the best way to have a conversation about how things are going in the world with the widest possible audience.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

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.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

I’ve been fascinated with Scott Schwertly’s company, Ethos3 Communications, for quite some time, having first blogged about the firm two years ago. It’s one of a small handful of companies that create dazzling presentation designs emphasizing storytelling. Ethos3’s slideshow “Storytelling 101” has enjoyed tremendous buzz (I mentioned it here). It’s a great privilege to present this Q&A with Scott.

Bio: Scott Schwertly is an epic storyteller. Today, he owns and operates Ethos3 Communications, a Nashville, TN-based presentation boutique providing professional presentation design and training for national and international clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to branded individuals like Guy Kawasaki.

He may live in Nashville, TN, with his wife and three dogs, but he calls San Diego home — the place of his beloved San Diego Chargers. Scott has a B.A. and M.B.A. from Harding University.

Q&A with Scott Schwertly:

Q: A story practitioner colleague follows this formula for presentations: “3 stories, 3 points, sit down.” To what extent do you feel formulas like that are useful for presentations?

A: I am actually a big believer in formulas. For instance, I love the rule of 3’s. Think about it: Most presentations are done in 3’s. For instance, you should always have a beginning, middle, and end. Here’s another example: Aristotle talked about the importance of 3 things: pathos, logos, and ethos. And, you should have only 3 points in a presentation. After all, the human works like this: “1, 2, 3, I forget.” With that said, I think formulas like the above can go a long way.

Q: In your often-cited slideshow, “Storytelling 101”, you talk about 3 kinds of stories: the Rockstar, the Maverick, and the Sherlock. How did you go about identifying these 3 types of stories? Given that the presentation is 2 years old, have your views about the types of stories that exist evolved?

A: Famous screenwriter Robert McKee talks about how there are more than 20 different storytelling styles to choose from. The unfortunate reality is that this diversity can overwhelm any person who is new to storytelling. Thus, these approaches were my way of creating three simple storytelling techniques that would be easy to learn and could work well in any presentation environment. As of today, they are still getting received very well, and we use them on an everyday basis here at Ethos3 when building presentations for our clients.  

Q: Can you talk about the storytelling approach/philosophy in your “The Box” story?

A: “The Box” presentation captures the delicate balance of tension and discovery. It surprises you at the end with a great “a-ha” moment. That’s what I love about it.

Q: Your slideshows Meet Henry and “Storytelling 101” have won awards in SlideShare’s contests. Meet Henry tells a story, while “Storytelling 101” is about stories. What made these presentations so good and award-worthy?

A: What I like about these presentations is that they can stand alone. They not only work well online but also in a traditional presentation setting as well. They kill two birds with one stone.

Q: The culture is abuzz about Web 2.0 and social media. To what extent do you participate in social media (such as through LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Second Life, blogs, etc.)? To what extent and in what ways do you feel these venues are storytelling media?

A: I love social media. Interesting fact: I haven’t spent a dime on traditional marketing with Ethos3. Everything we have done has been through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, SlideShare, etc. Social media is definitely the way to tell and share your story these days.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

See a photo of Barry, his bio, Part 1 of this Q&A, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

Q&A with Barry Poltermann, Questions 9, 10, 11, and 12:

Q: What’s your favorite story about a transformation that came about through a story or storytelling act?

A: We made a film called “Life of Reilly”, about

Charles Nelson Reilly. The film got limited release, but I keep getting emails from people who are inspired by it. Unexpectedly. Literally “it changed my life” kinds of emails. “I quit my job and became a teacher”, and “I came out of the closet to my parents” type of emails. To be involved in a film that changed peoples lives … kind of cool.

Q: What future trends or directions to do foresee for story/storytelling/narrative? What’s next for the discipline?

A: Is it too flowery to say that stories are the essence of what binds us as human beings? It’s true, so what the hell. From the earliest oral tradition of storytelling and the stories that were crudely painted on the inside of cave walls to the newest 3D Hollywood spectacular and everything in between — stories are at the core of what we are as people. I think we’ll see bigger stories and smaller stories and less in the middle. Meaning, I think we’ll see more Avatar in 3D and more AboutFace-Media-style short videos and stories told through social experiences online; but I think we’ll also see less in the middle. Fewer scripted television shows, fewer mid-budget feature films, fewer television commercials. Bigger and smaller — but it’s just the economics of exploiting story. Great stories will always be told. We have no choice. It’s in our nature.

Q: If you could share just one piece of advice or wisdom about story/storytelling/narrative with readers, what would it be?

A: If you’re interested in telling stories and getting good at it, do it all the time. Study great stories. Study the formulas. Study the masters. And tell your stories. All the time. Then, if you’re good at it, hopefully you’ll be able to do it successfully in your career. We at AboutFace are always looking for great storytellers, and I know a whole lot of other companies are, or will be soon, too.

Q: You say on the video clip on your site that your company chose to focus on video because it’s the fastest-growing segment of Web 2.0. In what ways does video lend itself to the kinds of stories you want to tell for your clients?

A: Video is an amazing medium for storytelling. It is lean, it is mean, it is efficient as all get out. Our clients need their story to be told in an authentic way. The web and its denizens are very adept at smelling out an ad. Anything that feels like hard-selling is going to be clicked off very quickly. These are people who are online. They have all the power. It’s not like the old days of TV where the audience had to sit and watch the commercials and wait until their show was back on. Web users know they don’t need you, and they watch you literally leaning forward with their hands on the keyboard, ready to chop off your head if they are not amused. So, rather than try to shove a message down their throats to no avail, we use documentary videos to tell them a story. It’s a different story from client to client, but the point is that we’re communicating each client’s message while offering the savvy web user something of value — a compelling story of interest to them. It’s not a hard-sell Super Bowl ad. It’s a story that puts a human face on the client and delivers the message in a framework that won’t get users clicking off because they smell a hard-sell ad. Why video? Video is imperative to our storytelling. It gives you the freedom and cost-effective ability to shoot, edit, and polish a lot of high-quality stories for a tiny fraction of what that would have cost only 10 years ago if you had to do it on film. And that doesn’t even get into the distribution side of video — being able to upload your video to all of the big sharing sites, your own site, the social-media communities at no extra cost would have been unthinkable even a decade ago. Video also is hugely advantageous for our stories and our clients because it is growing online so rapidly. Look, we all know that the point of making these videos for our clients is to get them seen by the target audience. With that target audience growing online, and watching more and more videos online, it just makes the whole process and end result that much more of a no-brainer. And, again, it costs just as much to put the video on 10 video-sharing sites as it does on one. The growth of video consumption is a key to why we’ve been able to not only get work but flourish.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.