By Town Crier Staff Report
In the age of video games, e-mail and distracted listening, the ancient art of storytelling is still alive and well - especially in tech-savvy Silicon Valley.
South Bay Storytellers is a loosely structured, 10-year-old organization comprising people of all ages and interests who simply love to spin a good yarn.
“We’re kind of a sleeper group,” said Joy Swift, referring to herself as South Bay’s “benevolent leader.” The group has 15 regular storytellers and up to 35 “listeners.”
“We often call ourselves South Bay Storytellers and Listeners, because listeners are just as important,” Swift said. “Some have never told a story.”
The group was founded in 1992 by the late Paul Drexler, known as Grandpa Paul, a resident at Pilgrim Haven retirement community in Los Altos. Drexler started by telling stories to abandoned children at the San Jose Children’s Shelter.
The group meets 7-9 p.m., the second Sunday of every month in the Garden Room of the Los Altos United Methodist Church, at Magdalena Avenue and Foothill Expressway. The next meeting is scheduled for June 9.
“It’s a cozy group and a great place to tell your stories,” said Swift, who added that meetings are free and open to the public. “Children are welcome,” she added.
With its Los Altos roots, South Bay includes several storytellers from Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. In addition to Bob Pearl, one of the subjects of this week’s cover story, the group features: Alice Crenshaw of Pilgrim Haven; 14-year-old Mia Lieberman, a prodigy who already is attending college and began with South Bay at age 7; and Debra Ting and Kristin Link of Los Altos Hills.
Story subjects run the gamut from Biblical and spiritual to Native American, folklore and personal. Ghost stories, of course, are a staple of Halloween programs.The group also holds an annual Tellabration in late November.
Several South Bay members also are members of other storytelling groups, such as the 50-year-old Peninsula Story Guild and the National Storytelling Network. The national group gave Swift a service award in 2001 for the Pacific Region.
South Bay Storytellers will be represented during a 100th anniversary celebration of Big Basin State Park July 20 at the park.
For more information about the group, call Swift at 494-1383.
