Bio.
"Through stories we see ourselves as if in a mirror," says Marni Gillard, who
discovered storytelling while teaching middle school English in Niskayuna,
New York.
With her students Marni investigated the art of storytelling by
exploring charaters from Curious George to Madeline, Anne of Green Gables to
Anansi. Marni traveled with her young tellers to elementary schools, inviting
other teachers and students into this unique dramatic art.
Then after almost 20 years of teaching, Marni left the classroom in 1991 to tell stories full
time. Today she performs for children and adults alike and writes about her
process as an artist-educator for teachers and tellers.
Marni's new tape Without a Splash: Diving into Childhood Memories has been
long awaited by the storytelling community. It is a coming of age double
cassette of five interlocking stories about a girl's life from age "4 and
3/4" to age 13 in a small town in upstate New York in the early 1960's.
In these tales you see her face the high diving board, big brothers, both public
and Catholic school teachers, wise and loving adult mentors, a family
member's death, her first kiss and more. She speaks in the voice of a child
but looks back from the perspective of an adult.
Marni's tales will inspire her listeners to find stories in themselves. She
reminds us all that we have a storyteller alive within.
"It is a false notion
that talent is the commodity behind our artistry. We humans must simply
activate our desire, and find the courage, to look into a story at our own
reflection. Then with our unique brands of creativity we can bring that
reflection to life."
Marni performs for all ages at schools and universities, libraries, museums,
prison facilities, houses of worship, family gatherings, festivals, even at
airport openings.
A frequent conference presenter, Marni is the author of
Storyteller, Storyteacher: The Power of Storytelling for Teaching and
Living (Stenhouse, 1996) winner of a 1998 Ann Izard Storyteller's Choice
Award for storytelling resources.
Marni has written many articles beginning
in the mid 1980s, and she co-edited Give a Listen: Stories of Storytelling in School published by the National Council of Teachers of English, a
collection of essays by teachers using storytelling in their work.
Her newest
book, in progress, is Mining the Gold from Personal Memories: The Inner Work
Behind Performance Tales
Marni shares with her audiences how the love of story became rooted in her
through her Irish-American family's love of singing.
At The Story Studio in
Schenectady she offers individual and group coaching for beginning and
experienced tellers as well as workshops in spontaneous storytelling. She
also travels for coaching and works with tellers by phone.
Marni helps
storytellers find life themes through the fairytales, poems, and songs of
childhood and through memories of mentors, dreams, and moments of trauma and
triumph.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
- National Council of Teachers of English
- Whole Language Umbrella
- National Storytelling Membership Association
- Teachers and Writers Collaborative
- International Women's Writing Guild
- Story Circle of the Capital District
- League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling
- Connecticutt Storytelling Center
- The International Order of E.A.R.S
Top of page
Marni Gillard, storyteller
833 Parkside Ave.,
Schenectady , NY 12309
(518) 381-9474
You can email Marni at marnigil@aol.com
http://www.storypower.com/gillard
All materials © Marni Gillard. All rights reserved.
Questions about this site? Contact the
Webmaster
|