Story Camp 2021

What is Story Camp?

Story Camp is a relaxed, rural getaway centered around a shared love of story. This year, we are back at Rainbow Trail – a gem! It’s all under one roof with a nice big room for live storytelling, great food, and a lovely experience.  

What you pay:  

$135 All-inclusive. Rocky Mountain Storytelling is subsidizing the cost this year!  Ordinarily, Story Camp is $200 (still a bargain), so this would be a good year to go!

What you get:  

Heavy snacks and finger food Friday evening to accommodate various arrival times Two nights lodging – You have a comfortable bed (all lower in case of bunk beds!!), with all normal room amenities in a shared room in the newly remodeled lodge. And, in the words of Daniel, the Rainbow Trail coordinator, “less than average Verizon service, great AT&T service, and pretty decent Wi-Fi”.  All meals on Saturday and a Sunday brunch. The food is delicious and they are pros at accommodating food restrictions!
  • Friday and Saturday Evening Story Sharing  
  • Two Workshops on Saturday Morning 
  • Saturday Afternoon Activities Generated after breakfast on Saturday morning (read more below!).
  • Sunday morning is a pre-or-post brunch sharing of experiences at camp, packing,  and saying good-bye to old and new friends.  

Register Now!


Workshops

“The Stories Behind Words” by David Hooley  

Words are the building blocks of story – and they are so much fun to play with! Have  you ever heard a word or phrase and wondered, “Where did that come from”, or “I’ll  bet there’s a story behind that”? If so, then this workshop is for you! Words and  phrases can come from stories, for instance, “Sour Grapes” and “The Lion’s Share”  from Aesop’s Fables, or from a long linguistic journey, such as the granddaddy of them  all: “OK”. Learn to turn the origin of words into standalone stories or incorporate them  into stories you already know. Come play with words and learn a new way to enrich  your storytelling. 

About David Hooley

David is a retired computer scientist who became interested in traditional story telling as a result of his work in the field of Artificial Intelligence, one branch of which  tries to understand human intelligence through the stories we tell. Now there is an  Interesting origin story! That interest led to considerable research in the field of etymology, the study of the origin of words. David, as a Spellbinder, has integrated phrase  origins into many of the stories he tells as a Spellbinder to his 4th graders.  

“Breathing Life into Fairy Tales” by Cooper Braun  

Fairy Tales should be anything but dry! But too many folks tell them as if the way the  were written down (and then translated) hundreds of years ago is the only way to do  so. Join Cooper as we explore how to approach the “freeze dried soup” of classic fairy  tales. How to bring them to life, take them apart, rebuild them, and have some plain old  fun telling fairy tales. This is a workshop in three parts. How to approach getting the  fairy tale off the page. How to find what you think is most important about the story.  How to fix the parts of a fairy tale that deeply do not work for you. Good information  for stories of all ilk . 

About Cooper Braun

Cooper’s stories remind us that fairy tales were never just for children. That traditional stories can be funny, dark, poignant, and anything but dry. Stories with Spirit (his company with Rachel Ann Harding) has become one of the leading producers of virtual storytelling shows, with their series Fairy Tale Variations proving hugely successful, attracting storytellers from around the world.  

General Info and Oddities 

What to Bring:   Stories!!   Eager ears for uniquely crafted storytelling activities. Whatever personal items you would bring for a rustic weekend getaway. Any storytelling swag you’d like to share or sell is also welcome! Roommates: It looks like we can have single rooms this year!! See below to learn more. If you brought a buddy, we appreciate it if you can share a room, but singles will be available!   The Bummer Topic: Our Unwelcome Poltergeist, the Virus. A vaccination requirement will let us relax and enjoy our weekend getaway. It’s also the only way we could have Story Camp. Please send a copy of your vaccination record along with your registration. We will tell/hang out in the best combination of outdoors, masked, and distanced as effectively as possible. Less cozy than other years, but, sadly, cozy was so 2019. . .   Saturday Afternoon Activities: This is my favorite part of Story Camp, except for the camaraderie. Saturday morning after breakfast, people bring topics, ideas, questions, workshop ideas, samples, and more that they want to discuss with folks who have the same interests. Absolutely no pressure to produce an idea or participate! People who like this format can sign up under the topic they want and Saturday afternoon groups form around the topic to bat it around and mine each others’ experience and thoughts. Also, this is a good time for a workshop you’ve shaped up but never presented and want to practice. People who are less enthusiastic about the format have taken walks, napped, had tea with a friend — a great time to visit in-depth or relax. This is Camp, a getaway to do whatever you like, there are no attendance police!   How to Register:   FOR CLOSE-TO-DATE REGISTRATIONS OR QUESTIONS, EMAIL ME AT bessietwomey@yahoo.com for how-to’s, or call me at 605-787-0884! Old-School: Print out the attached registration form and return it to me via Post Office:  Elizabeth Twomey  6960 E Girard Ave Apt 309  Denver, CO. 80224  Slightly Out-Sated School: Please scan and attach the filled-out registration form in an email to: bessietwomey@yahoo.com  How to Pay:   Enclose a check in your envelope with your paper registration  OR   Pay through PayPal at: paypal.me/ETwomey761?locale.x=en_US See you at Camp!
Register for Your Story Camp Now:
Story Camp Registration