- Leif Erickson’s Voyage to Vinland, The Greenlander’s Saga
The first stop, Scotland, involves performances at two major, and overlapping, Scottish storytelling festivals: The Scottish International Storytelling Festival, and the Orkney Storytelling Festival. The theme for the 2013 Scottish storytelling festival explores the role of wandering storytellers, minstrels, explorers, and pilgrims. I'll be performing at the Royal Botanic Garden, and the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh, before heading off to Orkney.
This year, Orkney is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of John Rae, the Scottish doctor who explored Northern Canada, surveyed parts of the Northwest Passage and reported the fate of the Franklin Expedition. So, in the words of one of the festival organizers, “we are all about Canadians in 2013!”
My performances in Scotland and beyond will revolve around this theme, and I’ll be telling historical stories from Newfoundland, including adventure stories of early European visitors to this part of Canada, as well as stories of Newfoundland’s legendary wanderer and explorer, Jack.
From Scotland, I head to Belgium, where I’ll be teaching workshops, and on November 3rd, performing a set of ghost stories alongside Zus & Zo (fabulous Flemish storyteller Veva Gerard, her wonderfully talented, accordion-playing sister, and a double bassist).
Then, from there, off to the Storytelling Festival Amsterdam, where the theme of the festival is "Searching for the New World." I’ll be performing alongside noted Canadian storyteller and author Dan Yashinsky, as well as The Global Savages, the Anishnaabeg Storytellers of Manitoulin Island.
Stay tuned, as I’ll be posting notes from along the storytelling pilgrimage route. Thanks to the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council for their travel support!
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