August Eliot 2020 NOW ONLINE: "The Storyteller's Compass" with David Novak

Saturday, August 01, 2020 from 07:00 PM to Friday, August 07, 2020 to 09:00 PM

David Novak

"Who are we, who is each of us if not a combinatoria of experiences, information, books we have read, things imagined?"   –Italo Calvino, Six Memos for the Next Millenium  

The same need that brought about the search engine has brought about the revival of storytelling. The Storytellers’ Compass orients us to ourselves and each other. By exploring the role of storytelling in our lives, we can deepen our understanding of who we are and where we may be headed. Telling stories gives us the cognitive tools and the story constellations that we need to find our way. The art of the storyteller is the art of the wayfinder.

International Storyteller, David Novak, shares his engaging, theatrical approach to discourse and story with a wide variety of games and activities.  Build mosaics of conversation, create story lines with string, explore persona with masks, massage ideas, co-create worlds, and enliven yourself with a world of imagination and memory. The telling and sharing of stories helps us to find our way in a changing world of ideas and issues. Together we will get creative with words, with crafts, with impersonation and improvisation and make of this week A Telling Experience!   

“The act of constructing stories is a natural human process that helps individuals to understand their experiences and themselves.”         -James W. Pennebaker & Janel D. Seagal, The Health Benefits of Narrative

David Novak is a remarkable speaker with a background in theatre and arts education. A touring professional storyteller since 1987, he is recipient of the Circle of Excellence from the National Storytelling Network, and former Master Storyteller for the Disney Institute in Orlando, Florida. David teaches storytelling at East Tennessee State University and has been guest instructor for the International Storytelling Institute, Oklahoma Arts Institute, John Campbell Folk School, and Walt Disney Imagineering. David frequently speaks and leads workshops at The Mountain UU retreat center in Highlands, North Carolina, and for UU congregations across the country.

August Eliot 2020 will be held online on Zoom: We will be offering several opportunities for participation. Registered campers may choose to participate in only an hour or two of programming during the week, or could choose to participate for several hours each day, depending on their interests and availability.

We can’t promise that the virtual experience will re-create all the magic of a typical August Eliot. However, it’s important for us to offer opportunities to gather online – to see each other’s faces, to hear each other’s voices, and to connect through shared activities.

Here is a sketch of what a daily schedule may look like.

Mornings
9:00 - 10:30: Ingathering/Speaker (storyteller, David Novak)
10:45 - 12:00: Small Groups

Afternoons
1:00 - 4:00: Children/Youth programing (1 hour segments each for various age groups)
2:00 - 5:00: Afternoon workshops/gatherings/games

Evenings
5:30 - 6:30: Social hour informal chat rooms
7:00 - 10:00: Evening programming TBA (Worship, Talent Show, Youth Bridging, etc.)

If you'd like to join us, you can still register - this year's Eliot is just $50 to participate. We'd love to see you there.