The Art of Storytelling

Bil Lepp on bringing in humor and our common humanity

“I don’t think there is anything wrong with just being funny … for that time we are one people working on one goal.” —Bil Lepp, storyteller

Preview: Emerging Form Episode 138 with Bil Lepp

When Bil Lepp’s on stage at a storytelling festival, you can hear the laughter from far away. In this episode, we talk with one of America’s most popular storytellers about what makes a good ending (and why you might want to start your crafting there), why laughter can be a performer’s best friend, how humor allows us to introduce contentious subjects, the “Lego” approach to telling interrelated stories, and developing trust with an audience.

Bil Lepp is an award-winning storyteller, author, and recording artist. He’s the host of the History Channel’s Man Vs History series, the occasional host of NPR’s internationally syndicated Mountain Stage. Though a five time champion of the WV Liars’s Contest, Lepp’s stories often contain morsels of truth that present universal themes in clever and witty ways. Bil’s books and audio collections have won the PEN Steven Kroll Award for Children’s Book Writing, Parents’ Choice Gold Awards and awards from the National Parenting Publications Association. He’s also the recipient of the Vandalia Award, West Virginia’s highest folk honor. The Charleston Gazette calls him a “cross between Dr. Seuss and film noir.”

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What We’re Reading and Listening to:

Rosemerry:

• If I could everyone I know a book this year, I would give them Love Is for All of Us: Poems of Tenderness and Belonging from the LGBTQ+ Community and Beyond, edited by James Crews (ep 123 and ep 34) and his husband Brad Peacock. I would give it to every person I know who feels alienated. I would give it to everyone I know who feels threatened by people who love differently than they do. I would give it to those who are devoted to love and those who are terrified of it. I love the poems in this book—accessible, generous, open-throated, tender, fierce.

• And the other book that I think should be essential reading is Poetry Is Not a Luxury: Poems for All Seasons. Edited by the amazing, anonymous Instagram account by the same name, the book is inspiring, comforting, delightful, contemporary, necessary. Some of my most favorite poets of this past century are in here, as well as new poets who I am thrilled to read and fall in love with.

Christie:

• Did you know that jumping spiders have distinct personalities? Also, they’re small and adorable. My friend Betsy Mason writes all about it in her first post for Last Word On Nothing. Go for the photos, stay for the beautiful writing.

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When She Is Being Herself

I listen as she spins
gold out of words,
infusing the room
with grail and goddess,
with Celtic greens
and Grecian blues,
until the whole room
is glowing and golden, lit
by her love for the world.
Stories are, perhaps,
one of the simplest
proofs that miracles exist.
Look how before
there was only a room.
Now everything
and everyone in it
is shining, changed,
drenched in grace.

—Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

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A Note About Paid Subscriptions:

First, we want to thank ALL our subscribers! We are so grateful you join us in this conversation about what it is to engage with yourself, the world and others in a creative way. And a BIG thank you to our paid subscribers. You make this podcast possible. Starting this month, only our paid subscribers will receive our bonus episodes as a thank you for their financial support.

This week, we talk with Bil about how to respond on stage to an audience’s laughter, what to do if you find yourself with an audience of middle schoolers, how to handle show that doesn’t go so well, and how he got started in storytelling. If you are not yet a paid subscriber, you can go now to our website, EmergingForm.substack.com, or by clicking the button below. Thank you!

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Two Questions:

(share your answers with us here on Substack or in our FB group)

1. How do you know when to end your writing project?

2. How does humor feature in your creative practice?

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