Odds Bodkin and the art of storytelling
BY AVERY NEWTON INDEPENDENT WRITER
Renowned storyteller Odds Bodkin will be on Nantucket for the 7th Annual Storytelling Festival, hosted by the Lighthouse School this Friday and Saturday. Bodkin will be one of several storytellers present, but perhaps the only one who actively encourages parents to delve into the art of storytelling, in addition to wowing island youngsters. Bodkin emphasizes "lots of singing and participation" in his performances in an effort to make his storytelling experiences as enjoyable as possible, especially for younger children. In nearly every story, he includes "full-scored original accompaniments."

"I play several instruments including Celtic harp, 12-string guitar and alto recorder. It's very much like musical theater," said Bodkin.

Bodkin first got his inspiration 26 years ago in New York City. He began by taking people from the city out on wilderness adventures, telling stories along the way.

He soon developed a passion for telling stories to people of all ages and began teaching storytelling to adults in his "The Door to Imagination" workshops.

"It is important to open up adults' imaginations as well as childrens,'" he emphasized. "I teach that storytelling can be creative, fun, and require no memorization."

Lizbet Carroll Fuller, director of The Lighthouse School, agrees with Bodkin's philosophy.

"Storytelling helps develop the imagination of both children and adults. It helps people empathize. Everyone should be a storyteller," said Carroll Fuller.

Although many professional storytellers generally perform only for young children, Bodkin is a performer for people of all ages. When he performs for younger children, he emphasizes participation. He calls himself "a practicing mythologist" and gets much of his inspiration from ethnic stories from Africa, Ireland and other areas.

When Bodkin performs for middle and high school students he employs a slightly different method; the stories he tells are often longer and less musical.

Bodkin enjoys telling Homer's epic stories "The Odyssey" and "The Iliad."

Some of his stories require several hours over a series of days to perform and so compelling are his tales that he has been named by Billboard "a modernday Orpheus."

Bodkin has won several awards for his performances and has performed all over the world. In the past two decades, he has traveled to Great Britain, Bangkok and various universities across the United States. He has been featured in The National Storytelling Festival and on Broadway and has performed at the White House.

The Lighthouse School and The Nantucket Atheneum are sponsoring Bodkin. "It gives a context for learning and it helps introduce new concepts," said Carroll Fuller. Carroll Fuller is concerned with society's obsession with TV, computer games and Facebook and said that storytelling is more enriching and more "therapeutic."

In hosting the Nantucket Storytelling Festival, Carroll Fuller hopes Nantucketers realize how beneficial storytelling can be for children and adults.

Odds Bodkin will be performing on Friday, August 8, at 4:00 p.m. for young children and at 7:00 p.m. for older children and families. Both events will be in the Atheneum's Great Hall.

On Saturday, August 9, Bodkin will teach his "Door to Imagination" storytelling workshop for adults from 9:30a.m. to noon in the Atheneum Gallery. I