Youth Storytelling

Reviewed by Mary Kelleher

This site is mainly the work of one person, Kevin Cordi. It is divided into two parts. One section is devoted to the work of the youth storytelling troupe Cordi began at the high school he teaches at, Voices of Illusion Storytelling Troupe. This section offers actual stories presented by his group as well as inspirational quotes from his students. Unfortunately this section has not been updated since 1999. There are some links for students as well as teachers. The student links lead to chatrooms for writing continuous online stories. The teacher links lead you to the other half of this site, Voices Across America Youth Storytelling.

Voices Across America theoretically sponsors the site but Kevin Cordi is the founder of Voices Across America. The opening page gives the scope of the site and its goals which are to foster storytelling among youth and to continue the tradition of storytelling. There are basically two main parts to this section of the site. One gives information about the National Youth Storytelling Olympics sponsored by East Tennessee State University every April. It is in this section that Cordi’s contact information is given for he is the most recent coordinator for the Olympics. This section gives good information on contest rules, guidelines and state representatives. It also has some very helpful storytelling hints, although these are somewhat imbedded deep into the site.

The other section concerns starting a storytelling club through Voices Across America. Again Cordi is the contact. The form is not online; you print it out and mail it. Once your club is registered you receive a handbook and further information. This is not as convenient as an online form, but since there is very little ability to verify the information Cordi gives about himself and the organization, you feel safer than giving out personal information online.

It is difficult to judge the accuracy and authority of this site since it is the creation of one man. However, since there are no advertisements and since no charge is required for the contests or the club establishment, There does not appear to be any bias in the site. The contest and club organization are non-sectarian and non-political. Cordi does have a page that lists his credentials both as an educator and as a storyteller but it is somewhat confusing. There are no dates on the pages. The page is somewhat dated as the current information is for the 2002 contest that was held in April. The page loads easily and is attractive. All links are working at the present time.

Reviewed by Michelle Quigley

Youth Story Telling Website This is a great site that gives details on the importance of storytelling for youth. It outlines how to start a youth storytelling club, how to tell a story, and lots more. The details are specific and to the point. The site is easy to navigate and visually interesting. There is a great storytelling links page which enables the viewer access to a lot of different sites and information. The only page I noticed that didn’t work was the message board and chat page. In all this is a great site and definitely one I would recommend to librarians or teachers wanting to use storytelling in their school.

Reviewed by Anne Goodner

Kevin Cordi, with the help of M.R. Lovan and the Web Spinning Committee of Voices of Illusions have developed a web site that incorporates storytelling with teaching, writing, and the art of performance. As quoted on the homepage they are "unlocking the puzzle of learning with story." This site offers several links to poetry, short stories, audio recordings, articles, awards, and not to mention special sections featuring a "Story of the Month" and "What Storytelling Means to Us." This is deemed a very reliable site and has received such awards as the American Storytellers Frontier Award, Web Site Excellence Award, and the WSN Web Award. This site was very accessible and easy to use. One can look through various examples of current poetry and short stories, and even read inspirational stories that are written by younger creative writers. Both serious and light hearted poetry/short stories are presented, so viewers are exposed equally to different styles of writing. The layout of the web site’s design has a magical look, decorated in the colors of purple and black, with accents of fire breathing dragons, wizards, moons, stars, etc. This web site gives young writers a chance to express themselves through written words, and can share in the experiences of others through storytelling.