Winner of Storytelling World Award & Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award

Reading a story silently is a private act; hearing one told aloud is a communal act. Like musical scores that come to life when played, stories take on an added dimension when shared aurally. Carol Birch—storyteller, children's librarian, and teacher—tackles the slippery topic of the difference between memorizing a written story and reciting it aloud, and telling it directly and engagingly to a group of listeners.

We all recognize the difference when we hear it. But how does one bridge it? The same way, Birch asserts, that we take home most prizes: you must be present to win. Meaning, the storyteller must know much, much more about the story than he or she tells. How can you communicate the fortunes of a character you don't know yourself? How can you convey a story whose setting you have not fully imagined?

In addition to her own infectious prose—bursting with the "attitude" she encourages her readers to embrace—Birch provides a series of guided imagery exercises. These prompts walk the reader through the nuts and bolts of learning and imagining a story from the inside out in order to be fully present in its telling. Includes notes and bibliography.