Reviving the ancient tradition of itinerant storytelling, a Vancouver-based artist has travelled on a year-long journey around the world by train and ship. Next stop: Powell River.
By sharing her craft around the globe, self-funded storyteller Naomi Steinberg said she not only travels using unconventional means, such as cargo ships, but also transports listeners to other realms of imagination with the magic of rhyme, metre and cadence.
“With storytelling you can leap into another realm,” said Steinberg. “Listening to the rhythmic lull of words, listeners get ready to step onto a magic carpet and journey into the land of once upon a time.”
But the life of an itinerant storyteller isn’t always easy, and Steinberg said her travels have sometimes seen some upset, particularly of the tummy variety.
Voyaging by cargo ship from BC to New Caledonia, Hong Kong, Japan and Vladivostok, she said it took her some time to gain her sea legs.
“After a while I understood that there were pretty much three forms of seasickness,” she said. “The throwing up stage, the tired stage and the hungry stage. Luckily, the seas were not that rough.”
Now returned to her home waters, Steinberg is bringing her round-the-world tale to Cranberry Community Hall, beginning with her story of Goosefeather and what she learned from her grandfather before he passed away.
Steinberg said her grandfather taught her the many uses for a goosefeather in France. From a writing implement to an arcane measuring device, the goosefeather was adopted as the rather ironic symbol of her flightless journey.
“It never occurred to me that it was funny to choose a feather as my symbol,” she said, “but many people pointed that out to me along the way.”
Aside from writing and measurement, Steinberg said geese also represent the spirit of sharing and collaboration, which provides a useful lesson to humanity on learning to work together.
“Geese fly in a V to make it easier for the birds behind,” she said. “It’s a really useful metaphor for leadership. You do the work and share the burden.”
Travelling around the world, Steinberg said what she saw reinforced her view that it is more important than ever for humanity to work together.
“It is a critical time,” she said. “It is urgent for each person to do the work, step up and act together as one on this planet.”
On a recent trip to Japan, Steinberg told a simplified version of the tale to children through a storyteller, using a technique known as tandem storytelling.
“It is beautiful,” she said, “to see your words and work reflected by another.”
By telling her personal tale, Steinberg said she is also sharing the message that humanity has more stories yet to tell and a wealth of imagination to draw them from.
“I stand up and tell adults once upon a time tales,” she said. “Take a risk and listen.”
Steinberg brings Goosefeather to Cranberry Community Hall on Saturday, December 5, at 7 pm.
