"Sycamore takes your mind and imagination to another place and time, so strongly that you can forget you are listening to a storyteller."
Ken Abalos, Park Mgr., City of Rocks Storytelling Festival
City of Rocks State Park, Faywood, New Mexico

"Dirt Boy" Stories

Becoming a story teller was not a choice, it was a discovery. About ten years ago, at a writers retreat, I had to describe myself in a room full of strangers, in a sentence. With no time to think about it, I blurted out; “I’m a little Dirt Boy from Missouri; I throw stones, and sometimes I cheat.”

The nick name “Dirt-boy” stuck. I still wonder where the statement came from. Whatever the answer is, it’s about common, working-poor people, making the best of hard lives. I live a charmed life now, privileged to be sure. But the mindset is hard-wired to the Dust-bowl Depression and to the carpet bagger era, after the Civil War. I learned early, “Blood is thicker than water; keep your secrets, and revenge is best served cold.” My boyhood, growing-up-hood was steeped in that climate.

Half a century later, I have the stories, passed down from old men and women who sometimes knew I was listening, and sometimes not. I have stories of my own; incredible how my stories reflect their personalities. It’s a different world now, and I’m different. I’ve learned that “The best revenge is to live well.” But the stories don’t change. They keep on telling how it was, how we got here.

I prefer to tell “Dirt Boy” stories. They work best with adults and high school students. I can tailor some of them to middle school audiences. The underlying themes are, take care of yourself; take care of your family; find your own joy in what you have; it’s not about success – it is about the struggle.

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History, people stories spread on a grand canvas.

These are stories that span continents and centuries, from Blackbeard the Pirate to Joan of Arc, to Genghis Khan and Gilgamesh. My personal interest and experience tend to focus on Native American culture and the evolution of Acadian Culture {Cajun – South Louisiana}. I have material that translates well to Story, especially the Fur Trade /Mountain Men period. I try to dispel popular stereotypes {Red Savage, Noble Indian.} If I could pick my audience, this category would be my second choice.

Fairytales & Folktales:

They open the door for imagination to run wild. The fairytale usually spins with a moral to the story, or a universal truth. It can also prompt the unspoken question for listeners to decide for themselves. Folktales allow us to experience a different wisdom, from another time and place. My style is to personalize tales with my own visuals, descriptions and dialogue. As a teller, this is where my strength lies.

Environmental principles and ecological values

The Nature of Nature involves balance and changes in relationships between plants and creatures, food and water, habitat and competition. Stories that send an environmental message reflect those relationships, framed to entertain, to peak awareness and prompt discussion without taking controversial positions. Sycamore is an advocate for the animal and plant nations whose voices are seldom heard.

Humor is fun.

It makes its way into almost every type of story, and jokes are some of the best stories ever.

Ghost/Scary stories

Consistent with other good literature, the scare is manifest in what isn’t seen, in the unknown.

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