Giorraíonn beirt bóthar means "Two people shorten the road". This blog features streamed fables, folktales, and lies as told by storyteller John David Hickey (aka Hobbes).
A month ago, I attended a spoken word event called Wired on Words (hosted by Ian Ferrier) at Casa Del Popolo. I met up with my friend Ruthanne who told me about the event and I met her friend Amal El-Mohtar. Amal is a poet from Ottawa who has recently published a book of poetry called "The Honey Month".
After hearing her read from her book, I immediately purchased a copy and I love it. With her kind permission, I have recorded a poem from her book called Day Two. What's cool about this collection of poetry is its origins (from her website):
28 days there are in the month of February, a cold month in our part of the world, a month in which the summer seems an endless dream one had once, long ago. We should not be tricked by the frost, for it was during the dreaming month of February that Amal El-Mohtar composed The Honey Month, a book that tastes and smells of sun. Each day she uncapped a vial of honey, letting the brew inspire the words that became this book. Amal offers us much more than poetry and prose, however. Her words wrap around us like spiderwebs, gently pulling us into the web she weaves, where honey girls tempt and tease us, where things lost return and sorrow paints the leaves. This is a colourful book, but it is by no means a frivolous one. Remember, not all honey is sweet.
I'm starting to run out of recordings to post! That's the summer for you: storytelling tends to be an activity for the Autumn/Winter months when people are happy to be indoors, snuggled up next to a fire. Unfortunately, due to a bunch of mishaps, I wasn't able to record my final show at Hurleys, which is a damn shame 'cause it was awesome. I hope you were able to make it.
The Bard's New Hat CD is selling bit by bit and I'm getting great feedback on it. I'm more than half-way to my goal of 180 CDs sold, so that's encouraging. I'm trying to schedule some shows in Ottawa and Quebec city in the coming months, so stay tuned to this website and we might be able to bring our stories to a cafe/pub near you!
Today's story was taken from a collection of bedtime stories called 365 Bedtime Stories by Christine Allison. It was recorded in Montreal in February 2010 at Cafe 92 Degrees with the mystical Shayne Gryn on guitar. It's one of those poignant stories that moves me, but it's not a traditional plot-driven tale. It reminds me of a painting that is so moving, you can't stop finding new aspects to it.
I'd also like to dedicate this story to Isaac Bonewits who is resting quietly in his home and waiting for his time to come. Isaac is a favorite author of mine and I had the pleasure to meet him in late 2009 in Ottawa at a speaking engagement. In late 2009, he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. He went through several treatments over the following months, and although the treatments were going well, things have taken a turn for the worse.
The latest note from his partner Phaedra Bonewits (taken from Facebook): Just wanted to address the rumors that Isaac is back in the hospital. He is at home as he had wished, but he is nearing the end. His brothers and sisters are on their way to say goodbye. Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.
Unlike Lilly Chen, I don't pretend to think that Isaac was goodness itself. But I know that he's been a positive influence on many, many people through his books and just by being who he is. I wish him a smooth and painless passage to the Summerlands and offer my sympathies to his wife Phaedra and I hope she leans on her family and friends during this difficult time.
Update from Phaedra Bonewits (http://www.facebook.com/#!/isaac.phaedra.bonewits):
This morning, August 12, 2010 at approximately 8 AM ET, Isaac Bonewits passed away peacefully in his sleep. All his brothers and sisters arrived at his side last night. His family and friends surround him
The Maiden & the Mirror -- Told by JD Hickey (4:55 minutes)
If you think you're going to see me in person soon, you might want to wait until we cross-paths. But if you just can't wait, CDBaby might be a good option for you. The tracks should also be available on iTunes in a few weeks as well.
If you already have a copy of my CD and enjoyed listening to it, please visit my CDBaby page and leave a glowing review to encourage others to buy it! Thanks for your support!
This is a story I heard many years ago by a few tellers, each with their own version, each with their own ending. However, I wasn't satisfied with any of their endings, so I came up with my own. I hope you enjoy it.
This story was recorded in April 2010 at Cafe 92 Degrees, featuring Shayne Gryn on guitar.
I would also like to dedicate this story to Rick, who says this is his favorite story from me, and to Brendan R., who says I tell this story too often. What can I say? Some stories haunt me.
The Samurai and the Teamaster -- Told by JD Hickey (5:12 minutes)
Join us for an evening of storytelling and music with Shayne Gryn and friends at Hurley's Irish pub. This is the third and last time I'll be standing in for Mike Burns as he gallivants across Ireland.
This will also be the official CD Launch party for my new CD "The Bard's New Hat". You can by your own copy for the ridiculously low price of $10 a copy.
I was just checking my webstats for this blog and noticed an odd thing. If someone finds this blogcast using a search engine with keywords, I can see what the keywords are. Today, there were two entries for Google searches using the keywords:
"likes the truth" "the naked truth"
I think someone heard my telling of Truth and Story and tried to track me down with keywords from the tale. Fear not True Believer! The story postings you are looking for could be:
Of course, I could mention that Truth and Story is just one of many tracks on my new CD The Bard's New Hat, but that would be self-serving and I would never fall victim to such practices.
July 25th, 2010, 7pm
Hurley's Irish Pub
1225 rue Crescent
Montreal, Qc Facebook Event
Join us for an evening of storytelling and music with Shayne Gryn and friends at Hurley's Irish pub. This is the third and last time I'll be standing in for Mike Burns as he gallivants across Ireland.
This will also be the official CD Launch party for my new CD "The Bard's New Hat". You can by your own copy for the ridiculously low price of $10 a copy.
If you can't make the CD Launch party and you still want to purchase a copy, the easiest (and cheapest) way is to buy it directly from me. You can read more about it on my storyteller website. But if you don't think you'll be seeing me in person anytime soon, I can mail you a copy for $12 ($10 + $2 for S&H). Contact me at mtlbard@gmail.com to make these arrangements (payment via cheque/money order or PayPal).
You will also be able to download the tracks only from CDBaby. Stay tuned for updates on that!
It is with great pleasure that I get to feature a fellow storyteller on this blogcast. Laurent Castellucci (aka LC) is a comedian, actor, writer, and storyteller based (mostly) in Montreal, but he has been known to travel hither and yon.
Back in April 2010, during the 92 Degrees of Foolishness, LC was invited to share a couple of tales with us that night. There is a bit of an ick with this story because there are hand gestures that, due to the limits of sound, you cannot see with the naked ear. Without seeing the gestures, the story loses a good chunk of its meaning.
To fix this problem, here are the gestures:
1. The Bishop holds up three fingers. Joshua holds up one finger.
2. The Bishop gestures in a circular manner above his head. Joshua thumps his chest once with his fist.
3. The Bishop pulls out a cup and a piece of bread. Joshua pulls out an apple.
Enjoy! Also, please remember that LC will be telling tales with us at Hurleys Irish Pub on the last Sunday in June! You do NOT want to miss that evening of tales!
Guess who is now featured on The Moonlit Road? I am so honored... I've been a fan of this fantastic site that specializes in Creepy and Ghostly stories from the Southern US (it's where I discovered the Hall of Wonders story). I am also doubly honored to share the page with Priscilla Howe, another fantastic storyteller from the US.
Go have a listen to these two versions of the Ghost with One Black Eye. I'm especially honored since this is one of my nieces Natasha, Sam(antha), and Alex(andra)'s favorite stories, although they refer to it as the "Apple Juice" story.
We are pleased to announce that LC has confirmed he will be joining us at Hurley's Irish Pub on June 27th as our guest teller. Shayne Gryn will be providing the musical accompaniment as well as a few of his own pieces and I have a whole new set of stories to share.
We hope that you can join us for pints and a few tales too! See you in a couple of weeks!
John David Hickey has been telling tales across Canada since 1996. He is based in Montreal (Quebec), Canada and performs in cafes, pubs, and schools to the delight of many.
To be able to listen to the stories on this site, you need to download and install the latest version of Adobe Flash Player. You can get it by visiting the Adobe site.
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