News Release

Stories, dance, song at Wilson Library
to revive learning – and fun – by listening

By JIM WALSH
UNC News Services

CHAPEL HILL — Storytelling, dance and music – age-old alternatives to today’s prevalence of visual entertainment – will combine in this year’s "Winter Stories" program, at 5 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 8) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"Fireside Tales" will be the theme of this 13th annual "Winter Stories" program in Wilson Library, sponsored by Friends of the Library. The free public program, beginning with a 5 p.m. reception, is designed especially for children and families.

The program will encourage comprehension by listening – a skill that can be lost in this age of computers, TVs, Xbox and PlayStation.

"‘Winter Stories’ will offer opportunities to practice auditory learning – to process information in a fun and different way," said Dr. Brian Sturm, an associate professor in the School of Information and Library Science.

"When you bring a child to an event like this, you get to see the child open up, and that’s really amazing," he said. "It’s a chance to spend some time listening to oral narrative, which is something that we don’t do anymore. Our children are becoming increasingly visually literate, but they’re not all that versed in decoding sound."

Sturm and Elizabeth Matson of the UNC Libraries will tell six stories from cultures around the world. Audience participation will be encouraged. Guitar and flute music, sound effects and elements of dance movement will accompany some of the narratives.

The musicians will be Kate Barnhart (guitar), donor relations coordinator for the University Library; Jill Shires (flute), head of music cataloging for the University Library; and Kris Walz (guitar), a music cataloger in UNC’s Davis Library, who also plays in the local Southern rock band Brothers Grim.

For one story, audience members will work with music to complement dance, Sturm said: "There’s going to be some imagining of performances from the musical aspect."

Each story will revolve around the theme of gathering, including the Inuit tale "The Cranberry Feast," Matson said.

"People of all ages can really relate to it on all levels," she said. "I can tell a senior citizen the story and they can very much relate to it … and there’s also so much about friendship and sharing … that younger children can really relate to and enjoy."

The program will be a good experience for children and their families, a fun activity during the holiday season, Sturm said.

"We wanted to tell stories that are warm and cozy and fun," he said. "The kind of stories you could cuddle up with while the winter is raging outside."

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Library contact: Liza Terll, (919) 962-4207, liza_terll@unc.edu

"Winter Stories" contact: Dr. Brian Sturm, (919) 962-9622, sturm@ils.unc.edu

News Services contacts: Print, L.J. Toler, (919) 962-8589; broadcast, Karen Moon, (919) 962-9585