"Oak of Culleen: The Legend of the Bile Rath ~ by Judy Cullen

The "Bile Rath" (or "Bile Ratha") is the legendary Tree of Life, or Sacred tree in Celtic Mythology.  From a more practical point of view, the large forests of Ancient Ireland were often victims of warfare, burned to the ground as a part of seiges.  Often , the one or two trees remaining after such a conflagration were considered sacred from that time forward.

This is an original short story, written by me in honor of World Storytelling Day 2012, whose theme was "Trees." It has the lore of the Bale Rath, interwoven with bit of my own family history, and themes of death and rebirth that have been much on my mind these days.

(c) Copyright 2012, Judith Cullen

CLICK HERE to listen!  (Unedited Track - Minimal Processing)

Interested in other short stories I have written?  Click Here and enjoy a few of them.

"Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen

There is something about reading classic authors like Jane Austen.  It lets you savor the language like so many delicious courses in a fine meal.  Austen's characters are so rich, and her stories so strong.  I also like that her ladies are never cardboard ladies in distress.

There have been some excellent screen (large and small) adaotations of Austen, though Emma Thompson's screenplay of this book for the 1995 film remains one of my favorites.

A Selection from Chapter 16.

CLICK HERE to listen! (Unedited Track - Minimal Processing)

"OR State Highway 20" a Short Story by Judy Cullen

Yaquina Head, Newport OR

A little musing piece of mine about a drive to the Oregon Coast and the nature of vacations, of "letting go" and simply being.  A little trademark personal humor as well.

(c) Copyright 2011, Judith Cullen

CLICK HERE to listen! (Unedited Track - Minimal Processing)

"The Reluctant Dragon" (excerpt) by Kenneth Grahame

Illustration by Maxfield Parrish

The Reluctant Dragon is an 1898 children's story by Kenneth Grahame (originally published as a chapter in his book Dream Days).  The story takes place in the Berkshire Downs in Oxfordshire (where the author lived and where, according to legend, St George did fight a dragon). It is Grahame's most famous short story.

Click here to listen to a selection!

"A Bundle of Sticks" based on the Fable by Aesop

Illustration c1920

Aesop's Fables or the Aesopica are a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and story-teller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE. The fables remain a popular choice for moral education of children today. Many of the stories, such as The Fox and the Grapes (from which the idiom "sour grapes" derives), The Tortoise and the Hare, The North Wind and the Sun, The Boy Who Cried Wolf and The Ant and the Grasshopper are well-known throughout the world. (from Wikipedia)

Click here to listen!

Storytelling in the Virtual World? What does that look like?

Part III of Anne Usru's "Breadcrumbs" 1.16.12

It is difficult to describe what a virtual presentation of literature or traditional storytelling looks like.  It really involves seeing it to understand how the virtual world can be a tool for presenting and promoting reading and literature.  It is already used as a resource by people with disabilities, and educational institutions to overcome boundaries of physical space and distance.

Here are some YouTube videos produced by a gentleman in Holland of live story/literary presentations.  They do not include audio of the events, so they are an incomplete example.  Hopefully they are a starting point in answering the questions posed in the post title:

• Caledonia Skytower reads Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol at the Evolution Kingdom, December 2010.
• The Seanchai Library celebrates Chinese New Year 2011.
• Bard on the Virtual Beach: a virtual festival of the works of William Shakespeare (produced by me).  The event presented over four hours of readings from Shakespeare involving eighteen different perfomers from three continents, and was attended by over 100 residents of Second Life.

The Conclusion of Anne Ursu's "Breadcrumbs" 1.23.12

Second Life viewers are free to download.  System requirements are available at the download page.  There are also Third Party Viewers available that are not the direct property of Linden Labs, and are also free to download.

If you are interested is stepping into the virtual world to evaluate its potential yourself, I would be happy to assist you.  I am hoping to add live video (with audio) of a presentation of works in the public domain very soon.

About Me and Stories

Since 2008 I have been presenting literature and stories live in voice on the internet in the metaverse of Second Life.  I have presented a wide range of stories from Aesop, Shakespeare, Yeats, Grahame, and more contemporary authors like E.B. White, Kate DiCamillo and Gail Carson Levine.

Information on some of my presentations in the virtual world can be found at the Blog site for the Seanchai Library, a part of the non-profit Community Virtual Library in Second Life that promotes stories and literature through live voice readings. I present and perform as "Caledonia Skytower."