Fire, Foraging, and Folktales: The art of storytelling meets the art of foraging.
Join us on a journey of food, fire and folktales: 4 seasonal weekends of foraging, fire by friction, cooking food and conjuring tales. As a story is woven from key moments, the craft of foraging arises from the sustainable gathering of roots, fruits, seeds, and leaves. In both these spheres, we need to cultivate an awareness of our place in the physical and imaginative landscape. Preparing for and marking the transitional moments that connect each story scene, or the seasonal shifts in a plants developmental journey, is essential. In both storytelling and foraging, we learn that an appreciation of transitions or threshold moments bring exciting new possibilities. Weekend by Weekend what to expect 1st Weekend- Autumn This is the season of fungi, the arch-communicators and storytellers: The world wood web mycelially whispering beneath our feet. Foraging Fungi, roots, and seeds: These are the key botanicals of autumn. Using some excellent fungi identification keys, we will learn how to distinguish the edible and medicinal from the inedible and poisonous species, all the while taking creative inspiration from the incredibly diverse, ephemeral, and beautiful forms of the fungi themselves, as well as their often hidden nature. Key botanical characters of the season: Hairy Nuts Disco, Slippery Jack, Destroying Angel, Devil's Fingers, King Alfred's Cakes, Dead Moll's Fingers, Plums and Custard. Storytelling An Introduction to the Art of Storytelling. During this weekend, you will become more aware of your innate storytelling skills; you will develop a starter tool kit to help you learn and connect with a seasonal folk story, and to craft and share it in your own authentic way. You will learn: how to recall the story in time and space; how to bring your own colour and imagination to the tale; how to launch and land with clarity. 2nd Weekend- Winter This is the season of inwardness, reflection, stillness and the gathering of lessons hard won, and hard foraged throughout the year. Foraging Roots, fungi, and bark: These are the key botanicals of Winter. Winter foraging is a time for reading the natural world for both tales of what has been, but also what is to come. We will gather and eat as well as craft tales accordingly in terms of times past, time present, and times future. Key botanical characters of the season: Yellow Legs, Blushing Brackets, Hairy Curtain Crust, Ale Hoof, Coltsfoot, Alexanders, Rosebay Willow herb, Ox-eye Daisy, Tiger's Eye Biographical Storytelling Through reflective games in nature, and winter-time musings, we will draw out a fond old memory. It may at first seem of value to no-else, but dust it off and polish it a little, share it round the fire and it may just contain a nugget of soul protein for its listeners. During this weekend, we will learn some tips for biographical storytelling, creating a little distance between us and our story to allow its universal appeal to shine through. 3rd Weekend- Spring Foraging This is the season of rising sap, growing light, and awakening senses. Through sampling the wild delights of the Spring, we will feed our bodies and our imaginations. Leaves, flower buds, and flowers: These are the key botanicals of spring. When foraging, our visual sense is key for accurate identification but our senses of touch (e.g: appreciating the texture of fine hairs and veins), smell (e.g: the pungent aroma of garlic), taste (e.g: sharp apple-skin sour of sorrel) and even hearing (e.g: subtle sounds of plants), all play an important part. Using all our senses, we will continue to develop our learning of the 2 vital skills of identification and culinary usage, separating the delicious from the poisonous, and creating pickles, syrups, salads and vegetable side dishes: Some to take home and some for fireside sampling. Key botanical characters of the season: Hogweed, Bristly Ox-tongue, Silverweed, Bear's Garlic, Pineapple Weed, Goosegrass. Sensory Storytelling Drawing on the tastes, smells and sounds of Spring and through flexing our imaginative muscles, we will breathe life into a story. We will explore our senses through different playful games and exercises, refreshing our relationship to the emerging bounty of spring. We will then work on putting words to these experiences, striving to close the gap between the living moment and the re-telling. We will then apply this to a selection of creation myths, adding richness and texture to the stories by crafting sensory passages at key moments. 4th Weekend- Summer Foraging Fruit, flowers, pollen, seeds, and bulbs: These are the key botanicals cont..(Youtube only allows 5000 letters) Spontaneous Storytelling....continu... For full course description, pricing, and bios of both co-facilitators, Fergus Drennan and Arthur Dyer, follow link below https://www.eequ.org/experience/836
Join us on a journey of food, fire and folktales: 4 seasonal weekends of foraging, fire by friction, cooking food and conjuring tales. As a story is woven from key moments, the craft of foraging arises from the sustainable gathering of roots, fruits, seeds, and leaves. In both these spheres, we need to cultivate an awareness of our place in the physical and imaginative landscape. Preparing for and marking the transitional moments that connect each story scene, or the seasonal shifts in a plants developmental journey, is essential. In both storytelling and foraging, we learn that an appreciation of transitions or threshold moments bring exciting new possibilities. Weekend by Weekend what to expect 1st Weekend- Autumn This is the season of fungi, the arch-communicators and storytellers: The world wood web mycelially whispering beneath our feet. Foraging Fungi, roots, and seeds: These are the key botanicals of autumn. Using some excellent fungi identification keys, we will learn how to distinguish the edible and medicinal from the inedible and poisonous species, all the while taking creative inspiration from the incredibly diverse, ephemeral, and beautiful forms of the fungi themselves, as well as their often hidden nature. Key botanical characters of the season: Hairy Nuts Disco, Slippery Jack, Destroying Angel, Devil's Fingers, King Alfred's Cakes, Dead Moll's Fingers, Plums and Custard. Storytelling An Introduction to the Art of Storytelling. During this weekend, you will become more aware of your innate storytelling skills; you will develop a starter tool kit to help you learn and connect with a seasonal folk story, and to craft and share it in your own authentic way. You will learn: how to recall the story in time and space; how to bring your own colour and imagination to the tale; how to launch and land with clarity. 2nd Weekend- Winter This is the season of inwardness, reflection, stillness and the gathering of lessons hard won, and hard foraged throughout the year. Foraging Roots, fungi, and bark: These are the key botanicals of Winter. Winter foraging is a time for reading the natural world for both tales of what has been, but also what is to come. We will gather and eat as well as craft tales accordingly in terms of times past, time present, and times future. Key botanical characters of the season: Yellow Legs, Blushing Brackets, Hairy Curtain Crust, Ale Hoof, Coltsfoot, Alexanders, Rosebay Willow herb, Ox-eye Daisy, Tiger's Eye Biographical Storytelling Through reflective games in nature, and winter-time musings, we will draw out a fond old memory. It may at first seem of value to no-else, but dust it off and polish it a little, share it round the fire and it may just contain a nugget of soul protein for its listeners. During this weekend, we will learn some tips for biographical storytelling, creating a little distance between us and our story to allow its universal appeal to shine through. 3rd Weekend- Spring Foraging This is the season of rising sap, growing light, and awakening senses. Through sampling the wild delights of the Spring, we will feed our bodies and our imaginations. Leaves, flower buds, and flowers: These are the key botanicals of spring. When foraging, our visual sense is key for accurate identification but our senses of touch (e.g: appreciating the texture of fine hairs and veins), smell (e.g: the pungent aroma of garlic), taste (e.g: sharp apple-skin sour of sorrel) and even hearing (e.g: subtle sounds of plants), all play an important part. Using all our senses, we will continue to develop our learning of the 2 vital skills of identification and culinary usage, separating the delicious from the poisonous, and creating pickles, syrups, salads and vegetable side dishes: Some to take home and some for fireside sampling. Key botanical characters of the season: Hogweed, Bristly Ox-tongue, Silverweed, Bear's Garlic, Pineapple Weed, Goosegrass. Sensory Storytelling Drawing on the tastes, smells and sounds of Spring and through flexing our imaginative muscles, we will breathe life into a story. We will explore our senses through different playful games and exercises, refreshing our relationship to the emerging bounty of spring. We will then work on putting words to these experiences, striving to close the gap between the living moment and the re-telling. We will then apply this to a selection of creation myths, adding richness and texture to the stories by crafting sensory passages at key moments. 4th Weekend- Summer Foraging Fruit, flowers, pollen, seeds, and bulbs: These are the key botanicals cont..(Youtube only allows 5000 letters) Spontaneous Storytelling....continu... For full course description, pricing, and bios of both co-facilitators, Fergus Drennan and Arthur Dyer, follow link below https://www.eequ.org/experience/836