DAPHNE, Ala.—Some Baldwin County residents are working toward organizing a storytelling club that will teach volunteers the art of storytelling as well as the educational, cultural and creative benefits it brings.

Trinka Hastings, the group’s organizer, held a meeting Thursday to assess interest and discuss future plans. Another meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at the Daphne Recreation Center.

Hastings said that Barry Little—a sponsor of professional-storyteller workshops and president of Baldwin County’s storytelling club, which held festivals in 2003 and 2004 then dwindled after Hurricane Ivan—and Ruth Walker, a board member of the state’s organization, will help guide the club.

“The whole point of this is for people to tell better—to hone their art,” Litttle said. “We have so many good storytellers in Alabama….”

Jo Graven, a professional storyteller and educator, also will give workshops, she said.

They already plan to attend the Oct. 10 Kathryn Tucker Windham’s Tale Telling Festival in Selma, Ala.

Hastings said the association hopes to teach the art form to new people.

“It’s especially for people who’ve never told stories before, from the novice to the expert,” she said. “I’m a novice storyteller; we’re hoping that other teachers, retired teachers and librarians will join us.”

Graven said people shouldn’t be anxious if they’ve never done it before.

“Most people are natural storytellers, they just don’t know it,” she said. “We can help each other by giving critiques and tips—there’s always something positive.”

Storytelling is for the young and the young-at-heart, Hastings said.

“A wonderful activity for creativity among all ages and for families to do to interest children and the community in the art of storytelling,” she said.

Graven agreed.

“It’s good for the imagination: I grew up without a T.V. and we used to sit on a quilt and watch the stars and share your imagination, tell if you were flying up there or whatever,” she said.

Little said, “Storytelling isn’t just for children anymore; it started with your grandparents telling you about your family.”

Graven said there are many benefits of storytelling.

“Any time two people talk, you’ve got a story—it’s heritage, culture; it’s about our grandparents. You know our children won’t know them,” she said. “It’s good for seniors to retell or relive or just have someone show an interest is a tremendous gift for them.”

“There’s an awful lot of literature that gets lost out there unless it gets shared and culture gets lost unless interest is sparked—then they go look for a book about it.”

She said she often used storytelling as a teaching aid; Graven began teaching in 1972 and worked as an administrator, grant writer and reading coordinator during her career.

“As part of my teaching, we dealt with Native Americans and it was a perfect opportunity for story telling—the kids just get turned on to it.”

She said it is a fun, free activity.

    “Especially during these economic times and with the news and the enormous amount of violence, it’s family fun without an astronomical price,” she said.

Little agreed.

“It’s a performance art; they are teaching artists,” he said. “Storytelling is like an aspirin—doctors prescribe it for headaches, achy joints and heart problems.”

“How does the aspirin know where to go?

“Storytelling affects everyone differently.”

The art form teaches a many things, Graven said.

“It’s an acting out, each time it might be a little different; you learn how to capture your audience—that’s some of the things you can learn through a critique group,” she said.

It teaches lessons to children, too, she said. When Graven taught handicapped children she found that it helped self esteem.

“They tell how they had to struggle and people say, ‘Wow, you did that?’—it builds confidence,” she said. “It teaches plot, theme, morals, character—it teaches reading.

“We often judge people from the outside and it teaches to look at people on the inside.”

The group will hold monthly meetings. For more details, visit gulfcoaststorytelling.com, or e-mail Hastings at gulfcoaststorytellers@gmail.com.