Storytelling: My Grandfathers and Ira Glass

2009 July 6

by Jesaka Long

My favorite storyteller was my grandfather “Papa,” my father’s father. He loved an audience. I remember many holiday meals with him sharing a long, winding tale with a table of riveted listeners. He had to travel for work and I was always eager for him to return home, full of new adventures to share.

I was a very lucky girl: my mother’s father was also a storyteller. He recorded his prose into a tape recorder and shared it with me. I especially loved the comic tale he wove of taking his three young daughters grocery shopping.

It should be no surprise that I consider myself a storyteller. That’s actually why I started my blog – to share stories with people. I hope people are inspired to share their narratives, too.

Another favorite storyteller of mine is Ira Glass. Maybe there’s something about him that reminds me of my Papa. Or maybe it’s that he finds the most fascinating people and helps them share their stories.

Here’s Ira Glass on storytelling. Although he talks about storytelling from a perspective of broadcasting, his “building blocks” of a story are universal, regardless of the medium. It’s all about the anecdote.