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dream-explore-create:

As a child, one of my favorite past times was curling up next to my mother for story time. She’d read me books and sometimes even make up her own stories. She spoke very animatedly, varied her tone and pitch to match the plot, and contorted her face to convey every last emotion. Perhaps that is why people say I make all those same expressions today. I watched and learned from my favorite storyteller for years.

Now I’m “grown,” and away from home, and my sister is too. She’s currently raising her two sons more than 7,000 miles away from me on an itty bitty island called Guam. Everyone knows I’m not a “kid person,” but I positively adore my nephew Josiah, and though I’ve never met Samuel, I know I will equally relish his attention.

 
I don’t want to be some foreign moniker, only mentioned when it’s time to sign ye olde obligatory birthday card or when mom and dad reminisce about high school days. I need to be proactive and make the most of the technology at my fingertips if I am going to find a way to be present in their lives from across the ocean. 

So I’ve begun a story time series on SoundCloud. I am going to read Josiah and Samuel some of my childhood favorites, and they can learn who kooky Aunt Abby is through her retelling of some fabulous tales. Besides, that is the beauty of lore—stories are meant to be passed down from generation to generation through the act of telling, not transcribing. 

Here is my first attempt, with the short story “Tikki Tikki Tembo,” by Arlene Mosel. I loved this story as a child, and I still love it today. 

To my sweet nephews, with love. 

Liebe,

Aunt Abby

Really cool use of storytelling through sounds :)

(Source: heyabigailmae)