Education and Inspiration through the ancient art of storytelling!
Author and storyteller, Brian “Fox” Ellis steps into character to bring history to life. Over the years he has developed more than a dozen monologues that allow participants to meet the movers and shakers of history. Fox has spent countless hours exploring the life story of these authors through primary source documents. The goal of this program is to explore the ideas and perspectives that have shaped our world. Often Fox speaks first person when it suits his character, but occasionally he chooses to be ‘a friend of’ because this second person voice allows him to put the life of the author into the broader perspective of his time. Many of these programs come with extensive follow-up lesson plans in creative writing, history and science. Programs include:
Learn to tell historical stories and collect family stories. Learn how to write good questions, prepare for and conduct oral history interviews to research local history, with an emphasis on people often left out of the history books. Learn library research skills and how to read between the lines. Learn how to turn "field notes" into dynamic literature. And learn to perform, share, or otherwise publish this work.
In this participatory workshop you will learn to use stories to build cultural awareness and teach alternatives to violence. Learn how to use stories to introduce cooperative games that help your students to develop an appreciation for cultural diversity.
Brian "Fox" Ellis is an internationally acclaimed storyteller, historian and museum consultant who works with The Field Museum, The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and numerous smaller historical society museums to develop curriculum, write interpretive booklets and present staff training on storytelling as an interpretive tool. Fox has been a featured speaker at regional and international conferences including the Great Lakes Conference of Social Studies and the North American Prairie Conservation Conference, et al. Fox is also the Artistic Director for Prairie Folklore Theatre a unique theatre company that celebrates history through original musical theatre productions. He is the author of eight books including the critically acclaimed children’s picture book, The Web at Dragonfly Pond, (Dawn Publications, 2006). Many of his stories are also available on one of nine CDs.
