World stories

I keep lots of memories from the days when I was a young parent. Some of them are downright exasperating! A good example is the memories I have of buying gifts for my children. Gifts for the holidays. Gifts for birthdays. Gifts rewarding good behavior. I spent some serious hours searching for something unique, something meaningful. Most of the time it was rough going. It did not take very long to realize that a good gift is rare gift. A meaningful gift is even harder to find. And when I did find a special gift, I regarded it as something of a treasure. And I hoped my children would do the same.

I am now a grandparent. And I am always on the lookout for a unique gift children would enjoy. Something that will last far beyond the moment of giving. A memorable story is that kind of gift. And it is appropriate for all ages, children included. Think of all the pleasurable hours an entire CD of stories can provide. Think of the glimpse it can give into cultures and customs from countries around the world.

You can find three CDs listed on the “Recordings” page of my website. Fables in Four Minutes is a collection of ten stories, each one representing a different storytelling genre. For listeners who want to take a virtual trip around the world, World Full of Stories makes a unique present. My latest project is Parking in Manhattan, and it contains a compendium of urban folktales that will tickle the funny bone. To purchase my CDs, just follow the directions on the “Recordings” page to place your order.

Hunting for a unique gift children will enjoy and appreciate? A unique gift children can grow with? A unique gift children can enjoy sharing with their friends and family? Give them the gift of story. The kind of unique gift children will treasure for a long time to come.

Stories have been told and retold for centuries throughout the world. Why? For one thing, they are entertaining. Another reason is that they deal with the human condition, one way or another. Even animal characters in stories act out the situations of our own humanity.

The struggles of life have been with us for centuries as well. Wars. Pestilence. Thorny relationships. All of which beg for some direction, some assistance. Some kind of resolution.

At the same time, nobody likes to be preached to. We prefer to take our medicine with a bit of sweetener. That is where laughter comes in. It is the honey in the brew. Priceless humor is filled with wit and wisdom. A unique combination.

As you know, everyone loves to laugh. Laughter enlivens the spirit. And everyone loves to laugh at the foibles of our own species (as long as it happens at the expense of another). Call it priceless humor.

Look at the great humorists around us. Dave Barry. Mark Russell. Garrison Kiellor. Check out the humorists of history. Moliere. Henry Fielding All of them were storytellers. Priceless humor their brush.

What makes priceless humor? The answer is simple. Priceless humor involves situations which most of us have experienced. The missed appointment. The comic situation. The laughable consequences generally follow in quick succession.

The world of urban folktales is a rich source of priceless humor. Listeners can readily find many humorous circumstances in my CD Parking in Manhattan. Folks can relate to and empathize with the characters involved in these hilarious comedies. Priceless humor arises out of priceless situations.

You can also find many examples of priceless humor in world stories. These stories always bring gales of laughter when they are told. Check out “Rock Soup” or “Herschel in the Woods” from my CD Fables in Four Minutes. Listen to “The Egg Seller” or “Hickory Dock” from World Full of Stories. There are many similar examples of priceless humor from virtually every country on the planet. These stories will stick with you long after you heard them. You can find priceless humor and more at www.jaystetzer.com.

I listen to lots of conversations. They are filled with catastrophes and disasters. The conversants generally cannot see the life lesson they offer. It is my job as a storyteller to sort out the meaning from all the information I hear. Also, I need to inject a bit of humor to make the tale palatable. Making the story priceless with priceless humor!

There is priceless humor in virtually every genre. Why? Simple answer number two. Laughter makes learning easier. A story with priceless humor often comes with a lesson attached. It just goes to show what a treasure priceless humor can be.

I am a parent and a grandparent. And I am always on the lookout for a unique gift children could enjoy. Something that is memorable long after the gift is given. A memorable story is that kind of gift. And it is appropriate for all ages, children included. Think of all the pleasurable hours an entire CD of stories can provide. Think of the glimpse it can give into cultures and customs from countries around the world.

You can find three CDs listed on the “Recordings” page of my website. Fables in Four Minutes contains ten wonderful stories from ten different storytelling genres. World Full of Stories has a dozen stories that will take the listeners on a trip around the world. My latest project is Parking in Manhattan, and it contains a compendium of urban folktales that will tickle the funny bone. To purchase my CDs, just follow the directions on the “Recordings” page to place your order.

Hunting for a unique gift children will enjoy and appreciate? A unique gift children will never get tired of? A unique gift children can enjoy sharing with their friends and family? Give them the gift of story. It is a unique gift children will cherish for the rest of their lives!

For as long as humans could talk throughout the world stories have been told and retold. They act as vital threads that weave through the fabric of any culture. They lend definition, roots, and significance to society. As a culture grows, so do its world stories.

One of the great benefits of my travels throughout the world is the wellspring of world stories I have found in each country I have visited. And each time I visit another country I have the opportunity to learn a bit about it. So the world stories I hear have substantial meaning to me. In the process, I have discovered how world stories arise out of the cultures from which they are born. The more I experience a particular culture, the more I appreciate the value of their stories. My travels have taken me to Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and Europe. The differences as well as the similarities of the various countries impress me deeply.

Some world stories are downright funny. Other world stories are filled with mystery. Many world stories are full of insight. Often world stories are enigmatic. Generally world stories contain lessons. All world stories entertain. Click here.

Regardless of their intent, all world stories express deep bonds with the fabric of a country and culture. The experiences of people are drawn in world stories.

Listen to my CD entitled “World Full of Stories” to enjoy the variety found in world stories. It is an award winning journey that will take you around the globe! At www.jaystetzer.com you will find a rich source of world stories!

Throughout the world stories have been told and retold for millennia. In the fabric of a culture, they act as vital threads in the weave. In any society they define the roots and significance of the peoples. As a culture grows, so do its world stories.

One of the great benefits of my travels around the world is the wellspring of world stories I have found in each country I have visited. I have also had the opportunity to learn a bit about each country. Customs and rituals. Daily habits and geography. In turn, that lends substantial meaning to the world stories I hear. And one of the benefits is to see how world stories come directly from the cultures of origin. My firsthand experience of a given culture heightens my appreciation of their stories. I have visited countries in Europe, Central and South America, throughout Canada, the United States, and Southeast Asia. The differences as well as the similarities of the various countries impress me deeply.

All cultures regard certain notions as sacred. You can also find things demonic. Their stories regularly exhibit these notions. They make up the mythical soil out of which the stories grow. Myth forms the basis for many world stories. Creation stories form the majority of this category, along with other stories help explain the world.

Folktales, on the other hand, are generated from daily village life. Naturally, stories of the folk world are couched in rural settings. The world of folktales is also inhabited by fairy tales. The questioning minds of preliterate villagers found apt expression through stories of magic and mystery. Many folktales were cautionary tales with lessons for avoiding catastrophe. Do not go into the deep, dark woods! Steer clear of wild beasts! Avoid strangers! Then again, many folktales tell of reward and happy endings. Good and evil are eternal foes. One can discover the Golden Rule in most plots. No matter what the genre, a good world story brings meaning to the contemporary world as well. And that brings us to storytelling today. Contemporary society is far removed from rural villages of old, but the old stories still remain pertinent.

Some world stories are humorous. Other world stories are filled with mystery. Many world stories are insightful. Often world stories are inscrutable. Generally world stories contain lessons. All world stories entertain.

Regardless of their intent, all world stories express deep bonds with the fabric of a country and culture. People tell of their experiences through world stories. And in distant worlds they still have meaning.

To enjoy the breadth of subject matter found in world stories, listen to my CD entitled “World Full of Stories.” It is an award winning recording that will take you on a delightful trip around the world!

I grew up with the word “nifty” as a standard descriptor in my vocabulary. It was a word that meant a variety of things, all of them good and attractive. As time passed, I heard the word used in a wider range of conversations, including nifty evenings out, nifty concerts, and nifty songs. Later still, it cropped up in conversations about more “cultural” experiences: nifty books, nifty poems, and nifty stories.

Whenever I heard the word I assumed it meant something good, something attractive. Still, I did not really define the word until I found myself using it to refer to the stories I tell to audiences and on recordings. Actually, it was a listener who called my material “nifty stories,” and that comment sent me to the books. The current Wiktionary defines the word as “good; a general term for anything that is good, useful or beneficial.” A thesaurus gives synonyms such as “peachy, smashing, dandy, great, keen, and groovy,” all of which strike me as exchanging one jargon term for another!”

What’s so nifty about nifty stories? The stories I choose to tell are, indeed, particularly good and rather effective at making a point, a lesson, a message, a bit of perspective. To me, nifty stories are a blend of entertainment and education, or what some call “edutainment.” I look for stories with certain underlying values that help the listener to set their internal compass when sailing through life.

For example, a story with a moral is one that provides a clear message. It teaches using a concrete example. On the other hand, many stories are not so obvious in the lessons they offer. The characters may act out the meaning of the story. Listeners are left to figure out the message for themselves. And different listeners will carry away different messages. This kind of story is generally attractive to a wider audience. The subtler lessons tend to come from longer tales. One can learn many lessons from epic stories. Just compare a tale from the Arabian Nights to a fable by Aesop to see the difference. Which one appeals to you? My personal penchant is for finding my own lessons when I listen to a story. The stories I chose for my Fables in Four Minutes and World Full of Stories CDs are good examples of nifty stories with subtle messages.

Nifty stories edify. Nifty stories are memorable. Nifty stories carry a message that applies to all people. Nifty stories are always in vogue. Stories such as these hold the listener’s attention long enough to send their message effectively. Stories that are nifty are stories that are priceless!

I have spent a good amount of my time researching stories that offer listeners something more than simply a clever plot. Something that the listener can relate to. Call it a message. It might give the listener a suggestion of a new direction. It might even state a moral. It doesn’t really matter what name you give to this elusive quality; it is more important that the stories I tell possess it.

As a child I found deep meaning in inspirational stories. I heard similar stories from my mother and my grandfather. Occasionally a teacher would tell a story that meant a great deal to me. I noticed that stories with a message stuck in my memory. To this day I still remember and follow those messages. The Golden Rule. Honesty is the best policy. Slow down and notice the things around you. Community giving is part of community living. I am who I am because of those messages.

Today I tell many of the stories I heard as a child. The stories are ageless. The messages are as relevant now as they were long ago.

What’s so important about inspirational stories? First, consider the barrage of daily news and information. Second, the lives we live give us no breathing space to reflect. And without time to reflect, how can we develop insight into the affairs of the day? Here is the place for inspirational stories. A listener can mull over inspirational stories. They offer something to think about. Something that points us a bit closer to our “true north.” Something that offers a little perspective to life.

Looking for inspiration? You can find inspirational stories and more at www.jaystetzer.com. On the “Listen” page of my website, click any one of the story samples and you are likely to find a message worth your time. Two good examples of inspirational stories are “The Egg Seller” and “Herschel and the Wedding” from my CD World Full of Stories. “Service with a Smile” on my Parking in Manhattan CD offers the listener a great hidden lesson. Long after they are told, inspirational stories stay in the memory. I am even inspired by the inspirational stories I tell!

We live in a complex, fast moving world. We all need a bit of “inner” direction to guide us as we cruise down the highway of life. Inspirational stories can help us in our travels. Think of them as your own personal GPS! My recordings contain a wealth of inspirational stories. Listen for yourself!

Everyone loves to laugh. Laughter enlivens the spirit. And as long as we are laughing at the foibles of others (and not ourselves) we find those situations funny. This is priceless humor. Storyteller

What makes priceless humor? There is a simple answer to this question. Priceless humor revolves about common everyday experiences. The lost keys. The comic situation. The laughable consequences generally follow in quick succession. Click.

You will find lots of priceless humor in urban folktales. My CD Parking in Manhattan illustrates many humorous circumstances. These hilarious comedies involve characters everybody can relate to and empathasize with. Priceless humor arises out of priceless situations. More info.

World stories also capitalize on priceless humor. The retelling of such stories never ceases to bring gales of laughter to listeners. Check out “Rock Soup” or “Herschel in the Woods” from my CD Fables in Four Minutes. My CD World Full of Stories has many examples a listener can enjoy. There are many similar examples of priceless humor from virtually every country on the planet. You will find yourself remembering these stories for a long time.

Virtually every storytelling genre contains examples of priceless humor. Why? Another simple answer. Laughter makes learning easier. A story with priceless humor often comes with a lesson attached. Priceless humor is… priceless!