Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

I’m not sure why the current writers strike doesn’t make it closer to front page news as it drags on. With the Academy Awards coming up, the average American may pay closer attention. Not-for-profits planning fundraisers around the event have already taken note, because if the celebrities don’t show up in Hollywood, party goers around the nation may choose not to go to a local party. Whether we ignore it or pay close attention, the story is at the root of almost every activity.

History and the future are based in the story of the present as we understand it. One thing I do understand though, is that what passes for entertainment these days on television is downright degrading to the viewer, and even many of the people who find themselves being filmed when they are down and out, (I can only imagine without their permission or compensation for that matter.) There’s no beginning, middle or end, just commercial breaks and an endless parade of “reality.” The downslide in the already questionable quality of TV entertainment is just a sign of the times, though. We are now a special effects culture. People go to movies to see the car chase. Fiction and poetry books are getting harder and harder to publish. But some of us still look for a good story. The fact that people don’t seem too interested in the writers’ strike is a reflection of a lack of interest in meaning.

The contradiction in the truth of what is going on is that sometimes you need fiction to get at the truth. Sometimes a fairy tale is the only vehicle, like a dream that speaks to you, to get at the heart of the matter. I’m still looking for meaning. Most people still want to know the story. You can try this test. Start telling a friend or associate what happened to you yesterday on the way to work, or when you were hanging out at Listen & Be Heard Poetry Cafe , and then suddenly stop in the middle of the story. The person listening will almost certainly ask you what happened. I don’t care if you were just telling them about starting to brush your teeth. They’ll want to know why you brought it up.

It may not sound exciting to get together for a storytelling circle, but most people will immediately get caught up in a good story line and want to hear the whole story, as long as you don’t tell them that that is what they are doing. I was wondering, ‘why is that?’ Why do most people relegate storytelling as being a children’s activity? I don’t know but I’ll be a child at heart all my life. Tell me a love story. Tell me a hero story. Tell me any kind of story, just make it a good one, or a few good ones. I would much rather sit with you and drink coffee or tea and listen, and tell you a few of my own, than switch on the TV, or stick a movie in the player. Every third Saturday of the month, that’s just what we do at Listen & Be Heard Poetry Cafe from 2:30-4pm. Come join us sometime or start a storytelling circle of your own.

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