Cayucos Beach, California

Stories 'round the Fire, summer 2008

Stories 'round the Fire, summer 2008

I am sitting around a fire at the beach. We sing along with the speaker, “Two you too, two you too, I want to be blue, I want to be blue.” It is a story about coyote, who wants his fur to be blue, like blue bird. The chorus is repeated more than 20 times in a sing-song chant, complete with hand and body movement.

We are at a summer event called “Stories ‘Round the Fire,” a series of storytelling performances featuring local storyteller, Kirk Henning. The event takes place at Cayucos Beach on the Central Coast of California. Approximately 100 to 150 people of all ages attend each performance which includes a campfire on the beach, stories, songs and a marshmallow roast.

Kirk's story resonates through us in a way that television cannot. We feel coyote’s muscles contract. We experience his desperation as he swims across the lake, over and over, trying to turn his fur blue. Around the fire, we all receive coyote’s message in the same place and time. We read coyote’s expression in Kirk's face and listen to coyote’s heartbreaking cry in Kirk's voice. Sharing this experience has brought us closer together as people. We are not alone, with our own interpretation of the author’s imagination, but living, breathing, laughing and singing as one.

Over the past 14 years of "Stories 'Round The Fire", thousands have come to see Kirk because, as he says, "no one can get enough of a good story." I disagree. Technology has driven storytelling from our lives. For this brief hour on the beach, we are free of our cell phones, XBoxes, laptops and televisions. Children play with rocks, sticks and sand. Our experience goes beyond the story. For this moment Kirk's story connects us to each other. As we walk to the car I hear coyote’s mantra from my children over and over. I also hear it throughout the next week-along with several other alliterative refrains. I might remember that Coyote’s fur did not turn blue, but more than that, I will remember the moments of connection that I felt with my family and the people around me.

Jennifer