What We Do
Partnership with eta Creative Arts Foundation
Storytelling Nights at eta – "Always Different, Always Good!"
Imagine an evening enjoying cabaret-style storytelling presentations featuring histories, folktales, African drumming, lyrical poetry, and tales of life and love. Imagine laughing, crying and reminiscing in an intimate and cozy theatre setting.
Every month for three years, ASE members collaborated with eta Creative Arts Foundation, Inc. to take listeners on amazing storytelling journeys of the heart. We shared memories of times long past, we laughed at the joys and troubles of life, and we connected with our audiences as we opened up our hearts through story.
Eta Creative Arts Association Inc. is an African American performing and visual arts institution based on Chicago’s Southside. ASE’s partnership with eta began in 2005. Each performance begins with a short open mic session for the public. Then our featured storytellers and/or youth tellers share their magic.
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Tellabration
Storytelling for everyone! Everywhere! Together! That’s the concept of the international event called Tellabration. Every year, during the third weekend in November, storyteller guilds and storytelling enthusiasts throughout the world donate their time and stories for Tellabration. ASE has participated in this event since 2004. The event features family friendly stories and are free to all. In addition to ASE storytellers, we feature our youth performers and members of community youth groups.
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ASE Youth Group
We are proud to have a vibrant and committed youth storytelling group. ASE members meet with our youth group on the third Saturday of each month at the Martin Luther King Branch Library on 35th Street and King Drive in Chicago. Their meetings are fun and developmental. Our youth are learning how to brainstorm, outline, develop, and present stories in a fun and educational environment. They are also learning important public speaking skills. Our youth tellers have performed for a variety of venues: eta Creative Arts Foundation’s Youth Storytelling Night, ASE’s Tellabration event, ASE’s Annual Concert, and the Martin Luther King Branch Library.
As we tell our stories and sing our songs, we strengthen the trunk of our family and our community trees. We are committed to strengthening the young limbs of our storytelling tree and we welcome additional youth members to help carry on the tradition of sharing stories. Preparing young storytellers will help ensure our family trees become thick and lush.
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ASE & Homeless Shelters
Since 2007, ASE has partnered with the Chicago Public Schools’ Homeless Education Department. Our goal was to lift the spirits of the children and to encourage a love of reading. ASE storytellers visited several shelters throughout Chicago to share interactive stories and songs with young children, children in after-school programs, and families. We brought musical instruments for all to share and we even had a parade! It was fun to watch the children’s eyes widen and smiler brighten as they participated in our stories.