Yankee Ingenuity

CD Review

Written and performed by Jo Radner; $15, including shipping and handling. To order, email jradner@american.edu. Also available on CD Baby.

Reviewed by Linda Goodman

            I became a fan of Jo Radner at the New England Modern Storytelling Festival in Windsor, Maine in 1997, when I heard her tell a story about outhouses. On that cold (thirty degrees), rainy September Saturday, I also fell in love with the people of Maine. There they stood, bare-footed and wearing shorts, listening in rapt attention to the stories being told. I was reminded of my own Appalachian kinfolk. No amount of rain or cold was going to keep them away from what they loved. Can you blame me for being thrilled when I found Yankee Ingenuity, a CD by Jo Radner about real Mainers, in my post office box?

            I listened to this CD during a four hour drive home from a performance in Roanoke. I listened the entire four hours, savoring each story multiple times. They are that good!

            Wimble Betty, set just after the Revolutionary War in Norway, Maine, is the story of Elizabeth “Betty” Stevens, a headstrong, smart, outrageous woman who was given her nickname after she used a wimble (hand drill) to drain a barrel of rum that was causing the men of the town to carouse a little more than their women folk could tolerate. Betty’s cohorts abandoned her once the angry men found out about the deed, leaving Betty to take the heat on her own. Mainers, it seems, never forget; but a clever peddler who stretches the truth gives Betty the opportunity to redeem herself.  Pitchforks and coconuts are prominently featured in this story.

            The Man Who Proved the Earth Was Flat tells about Joe Holden, the “old astronomer” who in the 1800’s proved (to his own satisfaction, at least) that the earth was flat and stationary, while the sun and moon moved. In his honor, to this very day, folks in East Otisville, Maine ( a town so stubborn it seceded from Cumberland County less than forty years ago), enjoy strawberry ice cream, peanuts, and popcorn at the Joe Holden Picnic ever year on the last Sunday in August.

            Lion Maker is a powerful tale that begins with a parable about three scientists who scoff at a farmer who warns them not to bring a lion back to life. As the farmer climbs a tree to safety, the resurrected lion does what lions are born to do. This segues nicely into the story of Hiram Stevens Maxim, a boy genius who at age eleven developed the first mouse powered mousetrap. Beaten to the punch at the patent office by Thomas Edison, Maxim moves to London, where someone suggests that he develop a device to help Europeans kill one another. His responds by inventing a machine gun that fires more than 660 bullets a minute and, as a result, is knighted by an appreciative Queen Victoria. “If it had been anything but a killing machine,” Maxim attests, “nobody would have paid any attention to it.” When the English use this weapon in Sudan, more than 20,000 Sudanese are killed in a single battle.  Maxim did not live to witness the devastation the gun wrought in World War I.  “What lions are we making now” Radner wonders, “and where are the trees for the rest of us to climb?”  I had to pull off the side of the road after this story, stunned to realize that the “trees” truly are gone.

            Feet First features Henry Edwards, a man who loved Hiram Walker’s Coffee flavored brandy and who had his own unique way of doing things. It takes an ornery pig with a mind of its own to make him see the light.

            In Eccentricity, Radner shares humorous memories of her eccentric uncle, Horace Greeley Adams.  Not until after his death does she discover that his eccentricity came at a terrible price.  Instead of escaping to a place where he could be anonymous, however, he chose to “stay where he (was) known.”  After hearing this story, I had to pull off the road for a second time to pay silent homage to the “characters” I have known.

            Stories like those included on Yankee Ingenuity are the kind of stories that made me want to become a storyteller. Everyone, especially our young people, should hear them. While it may be too late to turn back the clock, stories shared can teach hard lessons in such a way that wisdom may yet prevail.

The tapeworm emails and the Gloria Airmails

The Flip Side of Temptation

By Mary McReynolds

A Book Review By Linda Goodman 

            This book, modeled on C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, is actually two books in one volume that chronicles contrasting strategies to win the soul of a teenage girl during the last days on earth as we know it. On the one side, devils (tempters) viciously steer the girl in every wrong direction possible, and on the other side, angels (guardians) gently guide her to the source of knowledge necessary for her to make choices that are in her best interests. The battle is a frantic one, as time is rapidly “running out.”

            Tapeworm (Auntie T) supervises Wartmonger, the tempter’s apprentice assigned to bring about the girl’s damnation.  Tapeworm embodies every nightmare boss you have ever had.  She is moody, unreasonable, self-centered, vicious, uncaring, and conniving.  She is the kind of being who would send her own mother, if she had one, to hell.

            Tapeworm also hates texting and insists upon communicating solely through email, which can supply more detailed information.  She is, however, very familiar with the acronyms that text messengers use, and she liberally sprinkles them throughout the emails that comprise this book. As one who is not fluent in such acronyms, I was grateful for the glossary at the end of the tapeworm emails.

            Tapeworm is a one-dimensional character with no redeeming qualities, as one would expect a hell dweller to be. 115 pages of her venom were too much for me. Indeed, Lewis himself said that writing The Screwtape Letters almost smothered him before he was done.

            The volume is redeemed, however, by The Gloria Airmails, written by Gloria in Excelsis (Glo), who mentors Ariel, a recent appointee to the Academy of Guardian Legionnaires, in her mission to keep the young girl safe from the tempters so that she can hear and hopefully respond to the gospel. “You are NOT to teach her. Only humans are allowed to do that,” Glo warns.

            Glo does not seem to be as harried as Tapeworm.  She takes her time and writes like a grown-up, her airmails filled with the peace that comes from trusting that all will go according to God’s plan.

            I quite enjoyed the differing viewpoints of the two warring factions on scripture. For instance, Tapeworm’s story of the Nephilim, mentioned in Genesis 6, was quite different from Glo’s version. Their versions of Jesus expelling demons from two men into a herd of pigs (Matthew 8: 28-32) also presented a study in contrasts.

            McReynolds, a writer who displays both talent and imagination, proves to be equally adept at portraying both darkness and light. Her use of metaphor and simile (i.e. “body, soul, and spirit…like a human mood ring”) is entertaining and intriguing.

            This book is a worthy successor to The Screwtape Letters.  I particularly recommend it to teens, who seem to exhale acronyms these days, but adults will enjoy it as well.

The Heart Shaped Tree

CD Review

Stories written and performed by Max Tell; Music and Accompaniment by Doug Banner; $14.99

http://maxtell.ca/max-tell/heart-shaped-tree

Email: robert@maxtell.ca

Reviewed by Linda Goodman

Happytales@aol.com

            This enchanting CD for children, brought to life by the silky-smooth, other-worldly voice of Max Tell and the impressive musical skills of Doug Banner, features life lessons learned by “upsetting the apple cart”.

            The centerpiece of this album is the title story, The Heart Shaped Tree, set in a village where balls, stones, and children have minds of their own. Here exist two great houses, separated by barbed wire and hatred.  As a young girl and a young boy bravely defy the bigotry (one house accuses the other of “unclean blood”) and embark upon a forbidden friendship nurtured at their secret tree, they come to realize that they are not so different.  Of course, they are discovered and an angry crowd insists that the prescribed punishment, stoning, be carried out by the children’s own parents. From such ugliness, beauty of the soul and spirit is born, as innocent children teach the adults the true meaning of peace on earth.

            The sound effects in The Heart Shaped Tree are quite effective. The tongue clucking of the House of Argu drips with disdain and the hissing of the House of Argy hints at danger.  Having the voices of the different characters call to me from different computer speakers around my office was an interesting device, and one I had not experienced before.

            Two bonus tracks are included on this album. Born Upon a Shelf is a catchy tune about the treasures found in books. The other bonus track, and my favorite, is Rodney Scribble, set in the town of Scribble, whose citizens take pride in their illegible penmanship. Enter Rodney Scribble, the great, great, great, great grandson of the town’s namesake and founder.  Poor Rodney Scribble cannot scribble!  He can only write.  This story has elements reminiscent of Dr Seuss’s famous rhymes and Frank Baum’s Magical Monarch of Mo.  Children will love joining in on the repeated mantra, “This kid can write!  We’ll never sleep another night!”

            Parents seeking stories that they can share with their children will delight in this album.  Children will also enjoy listening to it on their own.  I listened to it with my eight- year-old granddaughter, who insisted on taking it home with her.  I chuckled at the first line of her thank you letter: “I cannot scribble. I can only write.”   

The Punishment

This is the story of the first and only time my father ever punished me.  And the first time I remember my mother ever hugging me. Enjoy.

Linda Goodman
Author/Storyteller/Playwright

(C) Linda Goodman 1992

http://youtu.be/a3PzO9vzxnY

To Copyright or Not to Copyright

By Linda Goodman

In January of this year, I released my new CD Bobby Pins.  For my first recording, Jessie and Other Stories, released in 1992, I had already registered the copyrights for the written versions of the stories, so I did not register the copyright for the recording. This time I decided to do both. 

I found the instructions for the sound recording copyright registration (Form SR) to be confusing, so I called several professional storytellers who have produced numerous recordings to see if they might be able to help me understand what was being asked. To my surprise, not one of them had registered copyrights for their recordings. The reason: the slight chance that their stories might be stolen did not justify the expense.

To register a copyright at http://www.copyright.gov/forms/ costs just $35.00 if it is done online (encouraged).  To register using paper forms costs $65.00.

According to the United States Copyright Office’s document Copyright Basics, “Copyright protects ‘original works of authorship’ that are fixed in a tangible form of expression.” Tangible forms of expression include a book, CD, or any other fixed format. Registration is not a requirement for protection, however:

1.       For works of U.S. Origin, registration is required before an infringement suit can be filed in court.

2.      If copyright registration is made within three months after publication, or before an infringement, statutory damages and attorney’s fees will be available to the copyright owner in court actions.  Otherwise, only actual damages and profits will be available.

On February 13, 2012, I called Richmond area copyright attorney Jonathan Pond, who verified that I had interpreted the above statements correctly. He also reminded me that works that are not fixed in a tangible form of expression are not protected.  What this means is that if you tell a story that has not been written or recorded (or otherwise preserved in a fixed format), that story is not protected. Not only that, but if someone records your telling of that story, that person can actually copyright his recording.

Most storytellers with whom I have had this conversation believe that the chance of infringement is slim.  They may be right, but I have personally had two copyright infringement issues plague me during the past five years.  In one instance, a theater group did some creative staging with one of my works, and believed that gave them the right to copyright their version, using my stories verbatim, without paying royalties. Fortunately, the group was reasonable and backed down after talking with my publisher. In the other instance, my story The Bobby Pins was published in India in a text book used for teaching English as a second language, along with a notice that the story was not copyrighted and could be used by anyone in any manner whatsoever.  Unfortunately, I do not find it feasible to fight a copyright infringement in an Indian court. Besides, there is no such thing as an international copyright.  Protection against infringement in a particular country depends on the national laws of that country.

For more detailed information than what I have presented here go to http://www.copyright.gov/ and print a copy of Copyright Basics under the About Copyright heading.

Storytelling: The Oldest Art

Tales from around the world told by Cris Riedel

Website: www.storiesconnect.com

$15.00 includes shipping & handling. To order email: cris@storiesconnect.com 

Reviewed By Linda Goodman 

            This delightful CD, recorded live at Debbie’s Café in Wayland, New York, features familiar multi-cultural tales given new life by the strong voice and enthusiastic telling of an intuitive teller who grabs the essence of each tale and makes it sing.

            Cris Riedel clearly treasures these stories.  From England’s Lazy Jack, the folktale predecessor of Forrest Gump, to Europe’s Clever Manka, who outsmarts the men in her life at every turn, the listener in engaged and eagerly anticipates the next chapter.

            Do some folks really believe that men work harder than women?  Let them listen to the perils and pratfalls of Sweden’s The Husband Who Minded the House.  That will set them straight!

            Little Rough Face, a Mic Mac Version of the Cinderella theme, and Japan’s The Boy Who Drew Cats both feature outcasts whose hearts and talents win for them both love and honor.

            The First Strawberries is a pour quoi tale about how that delicious fruit came to flourish in Cherokee country.  If an angry woman does not notice the first enticement, make the next one irresistible. Having the Sun as a friend is helpful.

            Friends Always, from India, details the strong bond of friendship that develops between an elephant and a dog.  An elephant is also involved in the Chinese tale Elephant and Hummingbird, which reminds us that if we all do our part, the impossible may become possible.

            Riedel’s stories are nice complemented by Karen Wollscheid’s colorful CD design. The wise owl on the cover seems particularly appropriate.  Kudos to Brandon Pender, recording engineering, for manufacturing a live café CD that sounds flawless enough to have been recorded in studio.

            As Riedel states both in her introduction and on her CD jacket, these stories are “so old on one knows who told them first.” Such things do not really matter. With talented tellers like Riedel sharing them, these tales are given a life of their own. They will live in the hearts of listeners and be passed along until time’s end.

No Tricks. Just Magic - CD Review

A collection of fairy tales as told by Megan Hicks

Available from CD Baby

$15.00 per CD; MP3 Download $9.99

www.MeganHicks.com 

                Magic you are promised and magic is delivered in Megan Hicks’ latest CD No Tricks. Just Magic.  Concerning the tales shared on this CD, Hicks states , “I strongly feel that they chose me to be one of their voices to keep them alive.”

                Live they do!  In Hicks capable hands (voice?), they become so real that the listener forgets that the world they showcase is not real, though it is just as frightening.  Consider these things:

·         In The Shoemaker and the Elves, a shoemaker who is both skilled and honest cannot find enough work to sustain his family.

·         Twelve Dancing Princesses are locked away each night, held prisoner because their father is more concerned about his own happiness than theirs.

·          Mollie Whuppie’s parents abandon their three young daughters, who must fend for themselves.  Unfortunately, they end up in the hands of a villain who means to do them harm.

·         Davy and the Devil tells of a young man who loses his job because he performed an act of kindness.  He meets a legendary con man who plots to better his own situation at the young man’s expense.

             Such tragic stories appear in real world newspapers every day. In real life, there are rarely happy ending to such scenarios.  In the fairy tales on this CD, however, happy endings are guaranteed when selfless elves take pity on a good man, a kind elder wins a king’s challenge, a brave and clever youngster outwits a giant, and a rescued fish provides answers just when they are needed most.  Magic trumps trickery every time.

                As a bonus, Hicks has included The Shoemaker and the Groundhogs, her “gently satirical take on the quest for ‘happily ever after’.”  This new perspective on the shoemaker’s plight brings the album full circle, for a very satisfying journey, indeed. 

                Hicks has never been in better voice.  The sound on this CD is flawless.  The stories are tight.  When the roller coaster stops, the good guy has won.  If only real life could guarantee the same.