Original artwork for "More Second-hand Tales"- Rob Brookes © 2008

Dear Storytelling Friends,

The artwork is in! Rob Brookes has sent the final artwork for "More Second-hand Tales." All that we need to get done is the final copy (I am proof reading it tonight), so it should all be coming together very quickly. If we can get all the ducks lined up, as it were, the CD will be out in July!

A friend of mine from Hadley, MA who is a storyteller, interactive educator, creative movement and drama specialist is conducting a five day workshop. The workshop: "Moving the Body, Freeing the Mind: The Art of Storytelling with International Storyteller, Rona Leventhal" runs from June 29-July 3, 2008. She is a very good coach and I speak from experience having attended two workshops with Rona at Sharing the Fire over the years. If you are at all interested in ‘the art of storytelling’ with Rona, this would be a great workshop to go to. You could even call it a working holiday as it is held at the Beach Rose Inn, W. Falmouth, MA (http://www.thebeachroseinn.com). For full details either call Rona at 413-586-0624, or visit her website: http://www.ronatales.com/events.html where you will find all you need to know. But do this soon, the date is almost upon us! I will not be there I have to be in the UK whilst this is on at my sisters wedding!

Another ‘plug’ for another friend: Laura Packer, storyteller, is doing a ride to fight cancer. 100% of the money raised by riders goes directly to the Dana Farber, a virtually unheard of return for a charity fund raising event.

As Laura is a cancer survivor, this ride has been a transformational experience for her. I have a couple of other friends who have suffered / are suffering this disease and both have used Dana Farber, so this is close to my heart, too. You can be part of this same incredible experience by donating and telling Laura who she is riding for; who in your life has been effected by cancer. She'll bring them with her on the ride, their names on paper or on her legs, so they are pedaling along with Laura. Laura needs to raise $4000 this year. We all know money is tight, gas and food bills are higher than ever, but...

Please donate what you can by going to http://www.pmc.org/mypmc/profiles.asp?Section=story&eGiftID=LP0063

Then tell your friends, pass this email (or this part of it) onto anyone you think might be interested. Tell them the story of how they, too, can fight cancer. How they, too can send the people they love who have had this terrible disease on the ride of a lifetime.

Okay, end of plugs, until the next newsletter, which will be plugging "More Second-Hand Tales" told by Simon Brooks, my new CD! Nothing else is to report at the moment. Sales of the current CD continue to go well, I have had a number of great school performances which I have enjoyed immensely and have included a couple of day-long residences. I have entertained at a few Summer Reading Programs in Vermont already, which were great. Here is an up-to-date list of my confirmed summer public performances, so far!

Wiley and the Hairy Man - Performing Arts Center, Plaistow, NH, Aug 2007

CD

The new CD is pretty much ready to go to press, as I mentioned above. It is all very exciting. For a sneak peak and a bonus story go to: http://www.diamondscree.com/audio.htm - a wonderful new page I have added to my website. I will be trying to update the stories with new ones - taking the 'old' ones down as and when I get to record new tales. There even stands a chance these stories will end up on another CD, but not for a while!

The current CD is always available from www.cdbaby.com/cd/simonbrooks and also locally here in the Upper Valley at Music Matters, West Lebanon (603-298-6625), Booked Solid, Bradford, VT (802-222-5826), the Norwich Bookstore, Norwich VT (802-649-1114), Mini Kids Corp, Lebanon (603-643-2633). It is also now available at Woodbury Monutains Toys, in Montpelier, VT (802) 223-4272. They have wonderful people that work there, so if you live nearby, drop in and see what else they have for you, or those you love. By purchasing at these locally owned businesses, you are supporting the folks who invest in the Upper Valley (and Montpelier) which is a great thing. Also, you can buy the CD from me at a gig! Which always leads me to:

I hope that the beginnings of the summer are looking good for everyone.

Peace,

Simon Brooks, storyteller
Orford, NH
603-353-9305
http://www.DiamondScree.com

It's a World of Stories out there! Listen for them, share them!

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Member of LANES League for the Advancement of New England Storytellers
http://www.LANES.org