Last weekend I had the pleasure of teaching at the WV Writers Conference in Ripley, WV. The last time I was at Cedar Lakes Conference Center I was attending Conservation Camp and I was 11 or 12-years-old.
It was even better being there this time around!
In addition to leading some classes, I got to take some. One was led by Michael and Carrie Kline. Musicians and folklorists they hosted a class titled “Listening for a Change: Gathering Local Memory and Wisdom.” Well. That sounded like my cup of tea!
And it was! The focus was on interview techniques to get at the stories of everyday people. My favorite! I got started writing because I needed a vehicle for the stories I’d been hearing all my life. And the Klines guided us through the process of drawing those stories out in a way that invites folks to share their hearts. No agenda. No preconceived notions, just a listening ear. It was delightful. (Plus, their music is wonderful!)
And now I want to go up and down the street trying those techniques on every Appalachian native I know! Oh, if only my grandparents were still with us. There’s such a wealth of stories in the people we talk to every day. And I get to draw them out.
If you’d like to hear some of the stories the Klines have drawn out, check out their Talking Across the Lines podcasts at www.folktalk.org. Their curated stories certainly made my drive from WV back to NC fly!
Hi, Sarah
Your unsolicited review of our “Talking Across the Lines” offering at the WV Writers Conference was an act of unmitigated kindness. I am sure that your presence in the class provide the key for unlocking the major concepts of the listening approach for the rest of the group in such a short session. Carrie and I so enjoyed our departing session with you in he parking lot. We wish you well in your pursuit of good listening. We’re going to be doing another TATL session in eastern Kentucky at the Whippoorwill Festival in Beattyville on August 20-21. Thank you once again.
Michael Kline
Yes–I wish we’d had time for MORE listening! Stories are all around us . . .
I hope we connect again soon. I’ll keep an eye (and ear) out when I’m back home in Upshur County.