World Read Aloud Day 2016 and Trans-Pacific Partnership

Are you looking ahead?  Remember there's lots of ideas at Storytelling + Research = LoiS ... although the actual address became a bit ridiculous.  Wish I'd known my "+" and "=" wouldn't show up.  

For lots to read, just look for the many posts here under "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" or "Public Domain" to find many wonderful stories -- and my added information about their books and authors -- now in Public Domain and deserving to be remembered.  Haven't figured out why there are 3 more in the first category.  Probably I missed putting Public Domain on 3, but 116 versus 119 posts is too daunting to check for such minor revision only I would probably notice.

Just remember the importance of Public Domain, especially when you hear about the coming agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

I had hopes for this as international partnership is needed, but I keep finding entirely too many things the U.S. Congress will no longer be able to control by legislation: our copyright mess (it passes it along to other countries), rules concerning safety and labeling of foods, access to healthcare and medicine, regulation of banks, rights or workers, future energy sources and so much more. Essentially, its scope is everything.  The history of trade agreements since NAFTA shows these types of trade agreements produce trade deficits, lost jobs, lower wages, and environmental damage.

TPP also undermines the Internet as well as weakening U.S. democracy and sovereignty. VOTE IT DOWN, Congress!

For those wanting to know more about this agreement, here's Wikipedia's look at it.   I strongly recommend you look at the Criticism section of it, especially the part about Intellectual Property as even Fair Use such as occurs on World Read Aloud Day will be affected.  The United States will probably not hear much about it until this coming summer or after our elections as a "lame duck" session is most likely.  It would be wise to keep aware of this agreement precisely because it will affect both Copyright and the Public Domain.  Digital Rights are especially going to be impacted.  This is why the non-profit Electronic Frontier Foundation deserves your support or at least following what they say.  That last link was to their Wikipedia article, but drop down to the bottom for External Links to their own website and useful articles at places we frequently recommend (because they host so many of our Public Domain books) like Project Gutenberg and the Internet Archive.

Freedom to read and publish needs our support.

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This isn't my usual "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" post, but my usual recommendations and Copyright rant still seem worth publishing here.  Happy Reading and Storytelling!
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This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, "Keeping the Public in Public Domain."  The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated.  I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20th century.  My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them.  I hope you enjoy discovering new stories.  


At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.    

There are many online resources for Public Domain stories, none for folklore is as ambitious as fellow storyteller, Yoel Perez's database, Yashpeh, the International Folktales Collection.  I recommended it earlier and want to continue to do so.  He has just loaded Stith Thompson's Motif Index into his server as a database so one can search the whole 6 volumes for whatever word or expression he likes by pressing one key. http://folkmasa.org/motiv/motif.htm

He also loaded to his server the doctorate thesis of Prof. Dov Noy (Neunan) "Motif-index of Talmudic-Midrahic literature" Indiana University, 1954, as a PDF file.

http://folkmasa.org/motiv/NOY_%20Dov_%20Motif-Index_of_Talmudic-Midrashic_Literature.pdf

in the hope that some of you would make use of it.

You can see why that is a site I recommend to you.

Have fun discovering even more stories!

Jan. 25 - The Importance of Robert Burns

This was written a while back by Scottish storyteller, Tim Porteus, for the international online network, Professional Storyteller.  It's almost Burns Night and I'm grateful that Tim gave me permission at the time to repeat his article and the discussion which followed.

As January 25th approaches Scotland gears up for Burns Night, when we celebrate our national poet's birthday. Burns however is not our national poet by government decree, but by popular opinion of the people. His work reflects his lifelong passion for social justice, based on his own experiences of brutal economic landlordism as well as social snobbery even when he was a famous poet. He was a man of the people.

More than that, for Scots he spoke the language of the people, and wrote in it. So on Burns Night we eat peasant food, sing oor ain sangs in oor ain leid, hae a blether wi oot havin tae feel that awfy cringe that oor high heid yins hae put intae oor hearts n heids aboot oor ain leid. Oan this day, aboon a' ithers, we can screive the way we talk, we can hae a sang an no fash aboot oor wurds, cause we can be prood o' them. Oor bairns can yaise their heritage wi oot censure frae ignorant fowk wha constantly put doon the way they speak, and inferiorise their wurd.

Sae as Janurar 25th approaches, lets celebrate no jist the Scots leid, but a' leids frae a' ower the warld which hae hae experience o' marginalisation an inferiorisation, cause we are , tae quote Burns himsel, "brothers (and sisters) for a' that" . So tae a' the folk wha I ken, an those wha I dinnae ken yet, on 25th turn aff the telly an computer, an get yersel oot tae a Burns event and celebrate by makin guid craick yersels!!
An if ye want ony advice on how tae dae it, then let me ken.

Tim

Because Professional Storyteller offers a network for discussion, the following comments were made.

Reply by stephanus prajogo

how do you  do Mr.porteus, I would like to introduce my self to you, and trough this opportunity I would like to ask you. My question is how to be  a good story teller?how I  have to practicing my self on this? so thank you before.


regards,


steven

Reply by Lois Sprengnether Keel (LoiS)

Our local storytelling group tells at the Highland Games here annually.  It will be the 162d annual St. Andrew's Society of Detroit  Highland Games this summer.  Your comments lead this Stirling descendant to want to include a wee bit o' Burns.

Reply by Tim Porteus

Hiya Lois,

let me ken if ye want ony help!

Tim

Reply by Lois Sprengnether Keel (LoiS)

Thanks, Tim.  It's a laing while awaa.  (August)  I'll mull it o'er & yell out if need be.
Lois(ummer; what a concept!)

Reply by Tim Porteus

http://www.scotslanguage.com/articles/view/2342
We hae a census takin place here in Mairch, and fir the first time folk are goanie be asked if they can speil in or screive Scots. Mony folk can hae a richt guid blether in the leid but dinnae ken it, cause it's bin drilled intae oor heids that whan we yaise the words they're just examples o' bad English. But o' course it 's really the ither way roond!! :-)

Reply by Lois Sprengnether Keel (LoiS)

Too funny, Tim!

I once auditioned for a Renaissance festival as a seanachie, but they musta thought similarly as I laid the Scots on wi' a ladle.

Appreciate a Dragon Day

Today is Appreciate a Dragon Day.

Chloe (Midnight Storytellers), the Dragon Whisperer

Honest!  It is officially listed as that.

There have been other posts here about Dragons and that link currently gives you three (3!) stories from the Keeping the Public in Public Domain.  Today I want to give something more.

My British storytelling colleague, Chloe, of Midnight Storytellers, and I started talking on the international network of storytellers, Professional Storyteller, about her work as a Dragon Whisperer.  She has generously given me permission to repeat what was said.  Librarian that I still am, we both mention some dragon books worth reading.

What started this was I mentioned my friend, Loretta Vitek, (found here at Loretta Vitek) and her love of the saying "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crispy and would be good with sauce!" and Chloe responded:
Hi Lois, The Brit version is "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons - for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" ;)
I have another window / bumper sticker which says 'Sometimes the dragon wins'.
I've fascinated by dragons since I was 8 years old. A family friend with a talent for drama read The Hobbit to his children and me on joint family holidays. Then he read us Farmer Giles of Ham. I still love both. I think it was worth wading through excessive film hours to see Smaug gloriously realised - and voiced!!
My idea of dragons is like C S Lewis' idea of Aslan - not a tame lion... At DCHQ [Dragon Conservation Headquarters] we tell apprentices "Only The Keenest Survive".
This summer I was the world's first (probably) ever Dragon Whisperer in Residence at my local stately home Sudeley Castle. It's now just a Victorian replica of castle-ness but the place has links with King Henry VIII (the one with all the wives...) and has a lovely garden surrounded by farm meadows. A little place of magic in the Cotswolds.
What brought you to dragons?
Kind regards, Chloë.

My reply was:

Hi Chloe,
Finally free of a very challenging play I was in.  Wanted to do justice to a reply.
Ketchup?  Thought that was strictly American.  At least expected a Brit to call it Catsup.  (Now the word looks like a funny derivation should be hunted up.)
Tolkien's Hobbit's dragon also got me started back when I was a teen and reading it one summer. 
My favorite dragons are the Asian ones -- powerful, but not intentionally like the European ones who are so often either greedy or worse.  (Not that such stories aren't fun to tell, too.)  Presume you also know the Scottish, Assipattle vs. the Sea Monster tale -- title varies.  Such fun to tell and, while not a dragon, so dragon-like.  In contrast I also like Kenneth Grahame's Reluctant Dragon for the relationship between the little boy and the dragon.  That reminds me of Ruth Sawyer's The Year of the Christmas Dragon, with another boy + dragon friendship.  It's too little known, but I love its explanation of why so many in the western hemisphere look Asian.  As for Asian dragons, there are too many to count and I love to count their toes to see if they are imperial dragons or not. 
Something that really sticks in my mind from generations ago is "Day of the Dragon", a short story in Alfred Hitchcock's Monster Museum.  A professor, who has had his reputation ruined because he writes for the tabloids, experiments on a male and female alligator, giving them fully functioning hearts, whereupon they evolve back into dragons and wind up taking over the world.  Definitely a case of "Sometimes the dragon wins."  Love that saying, too.  Thanks for telling me about it.
Do you know P.S. member, Jill Lamede?  She does the Tintagel Dragon and even has a book, Tales of the Tintagel Dragon.  You would probably enjoy her website, http://www.lamede.com/index.html, especially http://www.lamede.com/page10.html.  If you get in touch with her, by all means be sure to say hello from me!
Happy whispering, Chloe!
LoiS(ssssss!)
P.S. I've enjoyed our conversation on this.  Would you mind my quoting any of it, complete with full credit and links to your information and site, in a blog I do?  Storytelling + Research = LoiS could do with another look at dragons.  Here's the two I've done there so far: http://www.storytellingresearchlois.com/search/label/dragons

Donita K. Paul

As you can tell, Chloe said "Yes", although by now there are three stories at that link.  It was worth saving until Appreciate a Dragon Day which you may want to know was started by the author, Donita K. Paul, back in 2004 to promote the release of her award nominated book, DragonSpell, which became a 5-book series.  If you go to the AaD Day link above you will find it includes additional dragon resources for those of us who do indeed appreciate them. For anybody wanting to read more dragon stories there is a bibliography page of recommended books, as well as not one but two pages of program and flat out sizzling fun with her AaD Day page and then additional links given as Bright Ideas.


By the way, when I mentioned Professional Storyteller, I want to back up just a bit and mention you can find Chloe's page there gives even more information about her.  Professional Storyteller is an excellent resource for and about storytellers and storytelling.  For my storytelling friends it gives a free page of promotion, the opportunity to blog, post photos and videos, and even promote storytelling events.  The discussion groups there aren't overwhelmingly busy, but are yet another resource both for public viewing and conversation.  Members can post on each other's page or email there privately and the search box gives a wonderful means of locating other storytellers nearby and also when traveling.  Here's my own page there.  Can you tell I consider PS a resource worth promoting?

But as they say in television infomercials "Don't Stop There!"
I also want to mention another dragon-loving, and, of course, dragon-telling British storyteller, Jill Lamede, she is a resource mentioned here earlier when trying to find more about something happening at Land's End, another name for Cornwall and Tintagel where she lives and works. Back then I said: Then I remembered Jill Lamede, whose delightful Tales of the Tintagel Dragon is now available on Kindle.  I had bought from her a hard copy of the book years ago, ordering it for Mount Clemens Public Library so I could tell it.  It's still there and I finally remembered her saying another name for Tintagel was Land's End.  That's Cornwall!
As Jill recently reminded me, Tintagel is not very far from Lands End, both are in the magical county of Cornwall in the furthest southwest toe of England.

I especially enjoyed the summer she even worked with me to use her book at the library.  Jill (also on Professional Storyteller where she has so far posted 6 videos) has always been a great online friend to me starting way back with the international email list, Storytell, sponsored by the National Storytelling Network.  NSN is truly a member-driven organization for those of us who love storytelling, so I also urge you to go to the jam-packed website if you are a storyteller, want to find a storyteller, or just want to know more about storytelling.


You just never know what we storytellers might share with each other to resolve research questions.  I'm delighted to have the friendship of both these British storytellers and my local storytelling friend, Loretta Vitek.  If you scroll down to the bottom of North Oakland County Storyteller's directory of members you will find more about Loretta.  Just be sure to remember her warning, which I slightly misquoted.  It should say Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for thou would be crispy & good with sauce or Chloe's British version "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons - for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup"  Either way, be sure you do your appreciating dragons carefully.

Bailey - The Birthday Stick - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

The White Rabbit by John Tenniel

Let's hear it for Un-Birthdays with today's story!  If it should actually be your birthday, here's a story about measuring up to be the best you can be...sounds like all those New Year's Resolutions. 

I want to say more after the story (which isn't from Alice in Wonderland) about a great Alice in Wonderland site, because the concept of Un-birthdays originated in Lewis Carroll's wonderful nonsense.  It might be called "illogic", but there's always a ring of truth in his work and shouldn't be dismissed as just for children. 

Before today's story, at the risk of saying this twice like the White Rabbit, "I'm late! I'm late", that's what made me look for a birthday story.  Too often I'm late getting out birthday wishes.  It's especially bad, not just for me, but for most people when it comes close to those with end of the year birthdays around the holidays.  I posted earlier this week on Facebook an apology to friends with birthdays recently.  It's no excuse, but I said: You are probably used to it, since the holidays get everybody's attention, but I've a few other things happening, too, so I feel like I've been worse than usual at wishing you had a great birthday. Happy Un-Birthday!"

I've often posted stories by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey as she not only published a great deal, but her writing is fairly close to being tellable without a lot of changes.  She knew how to reach an audience and wrote a lot on seasonal and special times of the year.  In fact earlier I gave a birthday story by her, "The Princess Who Saw Herself", about a tomboy of a princess I called "not your typical fairy tale princess, but more of a terror of a princess."  Here's a prince receiving a birthday present that, like the fairy godmother's gift in "Sleeping Beauty", is not what was expected.  Since New Year's and Birthdays are milestones, they're a perfect time to see if we are measuring up to all we might be.  That's the theme behind today's story from Bailey.  She calls it a folk tale but doesn't give the source.  Maybe it is, but it's also very much from the fortunate Miss Bailey.

Lenny de Rooy, creator of Alice-in-Wonderland.net

So if today should actually be your birthday, consider this your special present.  For the rest of us, let's enjoy our Un-birthday!  If you're at all interested in Alice in Wonderland, I recommend Alice-in-Wonderland.net/ where you can find so much for lovers of the original story and more.  That "more" includes not only Alice in Wonderland, and the sequel of Through the Looking Glass, complete with a lost chapter, and even the original manuscript which started it all, but also The Nursery ‘Alice’, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland retold for children ‘from nought to five’, but as they say on t.v. "infomercials", That's Not All!  Disney's movie script and illustrations are given along with all the wonderful illustrations by John Tenniel, complete with information about him and also Alice Liddell, Carroll's inspiration for the stories.  There are other things like quotes, links, and trivia, enough to satisfy serious researchers, but also resources to throw your own Mad Tea Party, even ideas for an Alice inspired Christmas tree, playing cards, a store to purchase Alice items, a forum, and the blog by Lenny de Rooy, the site creator.  

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.
“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”
“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.
“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”

 

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Don't go away mad.  Come back next week to see what's here.

This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, "Keeping the Public in Public Domain."  The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated.  I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20th century.  My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them.  I hope you enjoy discovering new stories.  


At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.    

There are many online resources for Public Domain stories, none for folklore is as ambitious as fellow storyteller, Yoel Perez's database, Yashpeh, the International Folktales Collection.  I recommended it earlier and want to continue to do so.  He has just loaded Stith Thompson's Motif Index into his server as a database so one can search the whole 6 volumes for whatever word or expression he likes by pressing one key. http://folkmasa.org/motiv/motif.htm

He also loaded to his server the doctorate thesis of Prof. Dov Noy (Neunan) "Motif-index of Talmudic-Midrahic literature" Indiana University, 1954, as a PDF file.

http://folkmasa.org/motiv/NOY_%20Dov_%20Motif-Index_of_Talmudic-Midrashic_Literature.pdf

in the hope that some of you would make use of it.

You can see why that is a site I recommend to you.

Have fun discovering even more stories!

New Year, New Ideas?

Well maybe these ideas aren't new to you, but it's time to start the New Year right. . . AGAIN!

We're obviously digital folks, so here's P.C. Magazine's 10 Ways to Get Your Digital Life Together in the New Year.

I'm going to add another one for myself and any of the rest of us putting information online: Scan old posts for broken links or at least graphics no longer appearing.  I did a Victorian Christmas program recently where the presenter forgot to print the pictures showing the difference between the original British illustration of Queen Victoria at Christmas and the later American changes.  We had time enough before the program started and the country club where the program was held was willing to look for the pictures here on my blog and print them out for participants.  YIKES! one of the illustrations had disappeared.  (Fortunately I was able to track down the original.)
Memo to self: Fix it and maybe look for more of the same on other posts.

I enjoy Care2.com, they offer free e-cards, information on a variety of topics for healthy living, and stand up for a wide variety of causes.  Here are some of their articles that fit today's theme:

• 7-tips-to-avoid-getting-sucked-into-Distraction
• 5-reasons-why-motivation-is-difficult-to-sustain
• 3-easy-things-you-can-do-to-make-good-habits-stick
• 7-tips-for-actually-keeping-your-resolutions
• here's this one for your physical improvement ideas whats-the-best-type-of-exercise-for-your-personality
• and this bit of an excuse for those of us who are creative -- easily-distracted-your-creativity-may-be-to-blame. 

O.k. it's actually good to make plans for a New Year with New Ideas.  If you don't always succeed, don't quit!  It's normal, keep trying, but remember to analyze what you're doing to see if revision or breaking it into smaller steps are needed.  Supposedly if you keep doing something for a month you've etched the new habit into your normal way of operating, but that doesn't say how often you need to do it within that month.  WHATEVER!  As a certain company likes to remind us

Here in Michigan we have many former Nike missile sites including the site I call the Forrest Gump of locations: those Nike missile pads were removed and it's now the Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center, but looking back in the 19th century it was the Lerich family's Underground Railroad Station, and a bit later in the early 20th century it was Joe Louis's training center and nightclub.  I'm always happy to help them carry on the history there.

Hale - Peterkins' Christmas-Tree - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

Never think the Victorian era was humorless!  Now that the chaos of Christmas is winding down, it's time to see how silly it could be.  Once before, I posted a Noodlehead tale, and Lucretia Hale's Peterkin stories are prime examples of people doing the silliest things due to flawed thinking, proving common sense isn't.

As one reviewer of The Peterkin Papers said, "Before Amelia Bedelia and the Stupids there were the Peterkins."  Even a relatively simple thing like a Christmas tree shows their incredible lack of sense sure to be the "masterpiece" praised by the New York Times and why Harper's Bazaar said, "The years pass them along to every new generation, with the hint that human nature is about the same everywhere and all the time."

The Peterkin stories began in 1867 and appeared in magazines for nearly a decade, breaking ground by providing amusement for the young rather than the usual uplifting or instructional writing.  The subtitle, The Return of the Lady from Philadelphia, mentions a recurring character throughout the stories.  The book's title sometimes is given as The Complete Peterkin Papers, but The Last of the Peterkins, offers further tales and has a subtitle of With Others of Their Kin showing how they manage without their Philadelphia friend.

YouTube even has a LibriVox recording of The Peterkin Papers.

It was all I could do to keep information about Lucretia Peabody Hale and her family until after giving the story.  Her father, Nathan Hale, was named after his uncle, yes, the Revolutionary hero who reportedly said, "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country" before being hanged by the British.  Lucretia was one of eleven children in a literary family that continued to be important.  Her father was a lawyer and editor/owner of the Boston Daily Advertiser, while her mother, also an author, was a sister of Edward Everett, a Unitarian minister and politician. That uncle was both a United States senator and later a president of Harvard.  Lucretia's brother, Edward Everett Hale, was yet another Unitarian minister as well as a prominent abolitionist, and prolific author in his own right.  She was able to support herself with her own writing and additionally was active in charity and politics.  To be elected as the first woman member of the Boston School Committee Lucretia overcame fierce opposition from many including her brother, Charles, yet another literary Hale, who was a journalist and author. As the article in Encyclopaedia Britannica (the first hotlink in this paragraph) notes, she also produced a great many books, but her major reputation was gained from the Peterkin stories.

from http://susanpowersbourne.net/2015/09/02/born-02-sep-1820/02-sep-1820-lucretia-peabody-hale/

May the rest of 2015 be filled with fun and with your own family.  Come back in 2016 for more storytelling research and stories that help with Keeping the Public in Public Domain.
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This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, "Keeping the Public in Public Domain."  The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated.  I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20th century.  My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them.  I hope you enjoy discovering new stories.  


At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.    

There are many online resources for Public Domain stories, none for folklore is as ambitious as fellow storyteller, Yoel Perez's database, Yashpeh, the International Folktales Collection.  I recommended it earlier and want to continue to do so.  He has just loaded Stith Thompson's Motif Index into his server as a database so one can search the whole 6 volumes for whatever word or expression he likes by pressing one key. http://folkmasa.org/motiv/motif.htm

He also loaded to his server the doctorate thesis of Prof. Dov Noy (Neunan) "Motif-index of Talmudic-Midrahic literature" Indiana University, 1954, as a PDF file.

http://folkmasa.org/motiv/NOY_%20Dov_%20Motif-Index_of_Talmudic-Midrashic_Literature.pdf

in the hope that some of you would make use of it.

You can see why that is a site I recommend to you.

Have fun discovering even more stories!

Christmas wishes and Saint Joseph

by Ana LaRouche - 2015

This is a "special edition" of  Storytelling + Research = LoiS

Saint Joseph tends to be the "bit player" in the Christmas story although his role was far more vital than just leading a donkey to Bethlehem (his ancestral town required by the Roman census) and asking for room at an inn.

I thought about this when our local storytelling group, North Oakland County Storytellers regained a member, Ana LaRouche.  The card with St. Joseph and the infant Jesus on the left was her Christmas greeting card to me.  She's been living away from Michigan for a few years, so it was great to learn she's back.   She's Brazilian, so her stories always have the bonus of that delightful sound.  She's also found, with all the moving the past few years required, it was time to really get back into her art work.

As a result I went searching for Christmas stories where St. Joseph had more than a fairly unimportant walk on.  It's almost nonexistent!  Almost, but not quite thanks to friend and storytelling colleague, Marilyn Kinsella.  (Be sure if you go looking for her website you either use that hotlink or put her name in with a ".org" as there's yet another visual artist with the same name using the ".com" for her web address.)  Marilyn's story can be found along with other Christmas tales worth telling on the wonderful Story Lovers World site created by Jackie Baldwin.  That site remains available even though it can no longer accept additions.  The Roman census I mentioned earlier happens a bit further in this story.  Joseph doesn't appear right away, but is more important than in most stories of the first Christmas.  With Marilyn's kind permission I give you this Christmas present of a St. Joseph story.

A Bed Fit For a King
[By Marilyn Kinsella.]

Story:
Benjamin was a young orphan who lived on the dirt roads of his village. He never had much but somehow he always had just enough. You see, even as a young boy, he discovered that he had a special talent. He could carve. He could take any piece of plain wood and carve it into something other needed or wanted. “Benjamin, can you carve me a bowl for my mother?” “Benjamin, can you carve me a boat so I can play?” Benjamin could carve beautifully. So, the people would give him just enough silver. With the money he bought some food or clothes, but always kept enough to buy more wood.

Well, as Benjamin grew, so did his talent. As a young man he started to build furniture. Most people in his village could only afford a table or a chair. But whatever his job, he always did his best. The people were very happy and paid Benjamin well for his work. Word spread and soon he had orders for his carved furniture from many different towns.

Yes, it’s true. Benjamin did well in his business, but he never seemed to have enough money to set aside for his dream. And his dream was this. He wanted to carve a bed, a bed fit for a king. He wanted to order the finest mahogany wood and inlay it with ebony and ivory. Such a beautiful bed! He could see that bed in his mind’s eye. But everytime he put some money aside something always happened to take it away.

Benjamin was what nowadays we call…an easy touch. Whenever anyone needed anything they came to Benjamin. “Oh Benjamin, did you hear? There was a terrible fire and the family across town lost their home. Can you help?” Oh Benjamin, my child is so ill. She needs special medicine, can you help?” And if Benjamin saw children homeless and cold, he gave them enough money to buy some food. Benjamin was so generous he never had any money left over.

And so it went for many, many years. Benjamin working…but never saving any money for his dream. Years passed and Benjamin was becoming an old man. He was beginning to believe that his dream would never come true. Then, one year, miracles upon miracles, Benjamin did have enough money to purchase everything he needed. Unfortunately, Benjamin did not live by the sea. It would be a 3-day journey by foot to the nearest seaport. But, now Benjamin, more than ever, wanted to fulfill his dream. So, he prepared for his journey. He got himself a donkey and built a fine, strong cart. He would need that cart so he’d have a place to put the precious wood he bought. He put his silver pieces in a bag hidden under his cloak and headed out towards the sea.

Benjamin walked on and on. It was even longer than he thought because the cart and donkey slowed him down. He was almost to the gates of the seaport village when some Roman soldiers stopped him. “Where are you going?” they demanded.“Well, I’m on my way to the seaport to buy some wood,” said Benjamin.
“Where are you from and where was your family from?” they asked.Benjamin thought these questions were rather odd, but he knew he should answer their questions or they would probably throw him in prison.

“Well, now I live in a little town 30 miles to the east. But I was orphaned at an early age. My father was originally from Bethlehem.”
“Then you must go to Bethlehem immediately!”
“Why, why do you say that I must go to Bethlehem?”
“Because the emperor has declared that there be a census taken. Every Jew must return to the home of his ancestors.”
“But I have come such a long way. Bethlehem is in a totally different direction. Couldn’t you please let me settle my business here and then I will go.”

But the soldiers would hear none of it. “Oh, you people are all alike. Always coming up with some kind of excuse. You must go and you must go now!”

Benjamin knew there was no use in arguing. Besides he’d heard terrible stories about men being thrown in prison and never being heard from again.  So, he turned himself and his cart in the direction of Bethlehem and continued his journey.

As he walked along he noticed many others were also traveling to the homes of their fathers. It seemed, at times, that the whole world was traveling. He knew that his hardship was nothing compared to others.

Once he met a small family. They were traveling with nothing to eat and no money. So, he dug out a few of his silver coins and purchased some food for them. Then someone needed to buy medicine more silver coins. He even gave away his donkey and cart to a woman who could no longer walk. Bit by bit his silver pieces dwindled and his dream of building that bed became dimmer and dimmer.

Finally, he arrived at Bethlehem. He had just a couple pieces of silver left. He wasn’t worried, because he brought his tools with him. And if necessary, he would work for food and a place to stay. He went to an inn to see if there was any room. The innkeeper said, “All the rooms are filled. I have a closet where you could put down a pallet, but that is all.” He said he could stay, but he would have to do some odd jobs to earn his keep. “The animals out in the back are all over the place. The goats are with the cows and cows are scaring the sheep. I need someone to build stalls and feeding troughs for them. Can you do this?” Benjamin readily agreed.

Benjamin began his work with his usual vigor. He even talked to the animals while he worked. “Yes, this new stall is for you. Now, you can leave those poor sheep alone.” “Look, what I made for you. This is much better than eating off the ground.”

Finally he was down to his last pieces of wood and decided to do something extra special. He put the pieces together and even carved little animals on it. “I hope you appreciate all the work I do for you,” Benjamin laughed.

He was just putting away his tools when the innkeeper appeared at the stable door followed by a man and a young woman. “Benjamin, let me introduce you to Joseph and his wife Mary. I had no room at the inn, but I told them they could stay here, if they liked. At least it should be warm enough with all these animals.”

Benjamin nodded his head and said, “I see you too have come a great way. I hope you are comfortable here.” Joseph looked around at Benjamin’s handiwork. “Benjamin, I see that you too are a carpenter. You have the hands of a carpenter and it shows in your work. I think Mary and I will be quite comfortable. Thank you.”

But, when Benjamin helped Mary down from her donkey, he noticed she was great with child and that they didn’t have any blankets with them. He quickly excused himself and made his way to the plaza on the other side of town where he found a woman selling blankets. She was in no mood to bargain and made him pay his last silver piece. It was dark now, but strangely enough he had no trouble seeing for there was a strange star overhead. It lit his way as he made his way back across town to the inn.

By the time he got back to the stable, he noticed that there were some shady looking men lurking about. He was sure they were going to hurt the young couple. But when he got close, he saw that they were shepherds and that were standing in awe and on bended knee. Then he saw what they saw – a beautiful baby boy was lying in the manger that he had just finished. He was wrapped only in swaddling clothes. He went over and placed the blanket on top of the child.

As he did Joseph placed his hand on Benjamin’s shoulder and said, “Benjamin, you have truly made…a bed fit for a king.”
•••••
Contributed by
Marilyn A. Kinsella, Taleypo the Storyteller
Fairview Heights, IL
Storyteller, Writer, Puppeteer, and Workshop Presenter
http://www.marilynkinsella.org

Go to Google Images for St. Joseph and you will find many traditional images of Saint Joseph with the elements of the infant Jesus and the staff of lily blossoms which inspired Ana's own version.

My usual Saturday posting with the final promised public domain Christmas story will appear on the 26th, but before then I wanted to share with all of you my own wishes for you to have a merry and blessed Christmas, belated wishes for my friends who've cleaned up the last of the latkes from Hanukkah, and, looking off slightly into the distance with appreciation for the principles expressed in the celebration of Kwanzaa.