Steve Glazer, my friend, colleague, and huge supporter played a Taylor guitar on this recording. Steve has given me no end of support for not only this CD, but for my career as a storyteller. He is an amazing guitarist and without him, the music on this CD would not have been what it is - fantastic. Steve loves guitars & gardening, friends & family, dancing & his dog, music, meditation and Questing! He is currently the author/editor of four books: Questing: A Guide to Creating Community Treasure Hunts, Valley Quest: 89 Treasure Hunts in the Upper Valley, Valley Quest II: 75 MORE Treasure Hunts and The Heart of Learning. Visit www.vitalcommunities.org for more information.

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Rick Barrows plays a Flatiron mandolin on "Secondhand Tales". I heard him first playing "properly" at Peabody Library (where I work as children's librarian), and, having fun, at Treasure Island, Thetford Town's beach (in Fairlee, VT). He is a friend who I have a great deal of respect for, as a musician, recorder of artists and father! His advise and generosity towards me has been amazing. He plays in two contradance bands: Northern Spy and Cuckoo's Nest. Go and see him (and the bands he plays in) if you get the chance. He also has a rapier wit!

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Steve recommended Maureen Burford as fiddle player. Maureen is a friend of ours who is also an accomplished musician. We went into the studio a day after she returned from a long trip from the other side of the country. Despite suffering from jet-lag, she gave over 100% to the recording. Maureen provided rehearsal space, a generous spirit for this project and a lot of creative input to the music. Maureen started violin in 4th grade, but never liked to practice much! She dances a lot, sings with Revels North, and still tickles the ivories once in a while. She has a wonderful laugh, too.

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Rick recommended a friend of his (of course) for the recording process of the project - Kristina Stykos. Kristina is an accomplished musician herself, not only a member of a number of bands, but also as a solo performer.Kristina has her own website, well worth a visit: www.kristinastykos.com It has been a joy working with Kristina who made this, my first time in a studio, a fun experience. Kristina's studio is Pepperbox Studios, Chelsea, Vermont and is completely off the grid. So you might say this CD is an environmental one! Solar-powered recording, with minimal plastic packaging! If you are looking for a studio, you can reach her at: pepperbox@starband.net

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It has to be said that these people have been incredible. I sent the musicians a rough cut of the stories and in three meetings, we put together an original piece of music, and rehearsed it. We then went to the studio and put it all down. The music you hear is original, written by all of us (mostly Rick, Maureen and Steve - if I am to be honest) in a truly creative and collaborative effort. No one person can take credit for writing this piece and I wish I could share some of the moments (on film or tape) we had coming up with the music! Kristina offered some great creative input when we were in the studio, bringing out the best in everyone. Each brought their own background and very distinctive way of working to the project. To all of them I offer a huge amount of thanks. By the way, the piece is called "Bear Hoot Holler" (Barrows, Brooks, Burford, Glazer).

The cover artwork was done by Rob Brookes (no relation). Rob, like myself, is British, but Rob still lives in the UK. He and I worked cross-Atlantic, back and forth with phone calls and emails on the design for the CD. Click here if you want to see the other ideas and working materials. Rob is a good friend of mine from way-back-when. I have always wanted to work with him in some form or another. I wrote a book which he started to illustrate, but I have not yet found a publisher for it! Rob is one of the best artists I know. His imagination is literally out of this world. He is the consummate professional and brings so much life to his art. I cannot say enough about his talents, but will let his work speak for him. If you care to work with a British artist residing in the UK, then you can contact Rob by emailing rob@robbrookes.demon.co.uk . He gets a bigger picture because he gave many, many hours to this project and for that I thank him.

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Acknowledgments and thanks
First and most importantly, I have to thank my own family: Sarah, Aidan and Perry, for supporting me through this whole process. Aidan is a great listener to my stories and gives me encouraging feedback (for a six year old) and it is his voice at the end of the CD. Perry is also good at listening and has been a wonderful sounding board for when I practice my tales. She is 9 months old! My wife is the most generous person in the world, so forgiving of me. She works so hard and yet still finds energy to help me with my career as a storyteller, children's librarian, stay-at-home dad and sometimes photographer. She is one of life's real heroes!

Making a storytelling CD is not a solo project, but is one filled with many helpers on all levels. It is not just, in my case, a question of recording my stuff and putting it on disc. Many people contributed to the whole process, from finding and learning the stories, to ideas and encouragement. These thanks extend to the families of all those who helped. Thanks for letting my friends "play" with me and my ideas. Thanks to my friends who have looked after the kids when needed, given energy and support to this project and to our lives. Robert Smyth gave very generously of his time, providing advise that I took and applied to the project. Curt Doughty, a friend, professional photographer and musician out in Seattle, WA told me I could do it easily and I should not be so worried. He was right about the worrying! Robert Savell, his wife Ruth and their daughter Trillium all helped. Robert, for the use of your portable DAT machine and your time in getting those initial rough recordings of mine on to a CD, thanks. Ruth thanks for your support and Trillium, thanks for listening and giving feedback. Thanks to the many people of the League for the Advancement of New England Storytellers (L.A.N.E.S.) who also gave advise and support. L.A.N.E.S. is a wonderful community of very creative people, not only storytellers, but graphic designers, and artists in other fields and mediums. All these people helped create the CD and make it what it is, however, any faults that you might find are entirely my own. Enjoy!

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