How do stories help people become aware of and care about environmental issues? How does storytelling support people in daring to take action?
In this episode, I speak to Fran Stallings in Oklahoma. I met Fran through the Earth Up! Festival that she co-organised through the National Storytelling Network in April of 2021. Earth Up! brought together storytellers from around the world who are passionate about using their craft to help reconnect people to the rest of the natural world and to bring about change in relation to sustainability. Fran has had twin interests in stories and biology since she was quite a young person. She trained in biology and taught it at university, before leaving academia to become a full-time storyteller and trainer of storytelling. She has had a long, illustrious and international career in storytelling. Currently, she brings together her scientific background and her storytelling experience in writing the Earth Teller Tales column, which is available on her blog and through Oklahoma City University's Environmentor. And she hosts the Artists Standing Strong Together online Climate Conversations. Join me in finding out more about Fran's work; her aware, care, dare approach to telling; stealth eco-telling and EarthUp! 2022.
Fran Stalling's website is: https://www.franstallings.com/
EarthTeller Tales can be found here: https://www.franstallings.com/web/Environmentor
The Oklahoma City University Enviromentor page is here: https://www.okcu.edu/artsci/enrichment/environmentor
Watch this space at the National Storytelling Society for more information on EarthUp! 2022: https://storynet.org/earth-up/
Artists Standing Strong Together Climate Conversations can be found on their Events page here: https://www.artistsstandingstrongtogether.net/upcoming-events
With their resources page here: https://www.artistsstandingstrongtogether.net/climate-resources
photo credit: James McColloch