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scop (noun): Old English – bard, minstrel, storyteller

Springtime Stories @ Riley’s

Shaggy compressed for blogThe Anglo-Saxon storytellers marked the ages of their characters in winters.

Consider, in Beowulf the hero is said to have lived fifty winters, not fifty years.  Why? Because anyone can survive a summer, but if you live through a winter, it’s time to celebrate. And that’s exactly what our band of 21st-century scops did Tuesday, April 28, when Story Night made its monthly return to Riley’s Pour House.

Having survived the winter, we celebrated with stories.

Bob P Compressed for blogMarking his Story Night return after too many months away was Sean “Shaggy” Sears (above left), a talented performer whose previous story about munchkin wrangling was one of the standout stories of our 2014 season.

We were delighted to have Sean return this time with a story about a dog and a rolling suitcase. We’ll call it “Shaggy’s Dog Story,” and I hope to have the audio posted soon as part of our ongoing series of podcasts.

Karen Rok Compressed for blogAlso making their returns were Bob Podurgiel (above right), who shared a story about a pair of amorous wrens; and Karyn Rok (left) who told a tale about a kidnapped dog. Great stuff!

Making his storytelling debut was Jimmy Zamerski (below right), a talented musician who often plays piano at Riley’s. He has backed me up during my performances on a number of occasions, and it was great having him join the scops at this month’s Story Night. His tale involved a revelation regarding an intersection between math and music. You can learn more about Jimmy’s discovery of “The Eternal Melody” by checking out his video below.

Jimmy Z Compressed for blogApril also marked the anniversary of my first storytelling performance at Riley’s. It was a year ago this month that I stopped by the pub on a rainy evening to find out what Story Night was all about. Jim Riley was the host back then, and I guess he liked my story because a week later he called and asked if I’d be interested in taking over.

In honor of that anniversary, I told my debut story again. It’s titled “The Haunted Attic,” and you can hear it by clicking the podcast player below.

Podcastlogo (1)Clearly, the art of storytelling springs eternal at Riley’s, and you can help make sure it continues.

If you live in or are planning a visit to the Pittsburgh area, please consider joining us for one of our upcoming sessions (stories take the stage on the last Tuesday of every month). You can also help by sharing links to this blog, the media below, and our growing roster of free podcasts (most of them recorded live at Story Night). You can find a directory of those podcasts here.

Remember, the first rule of Story Night is you do talk about story night. Keep talking . . . and scop on!


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