OUR PREMIERE ISSUE!
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EDITORIAL
INTRODUCING INKLING Welcome to the first edition of our monthly literary magazine, Inkling! This magazine is designed for lovers of literature, both readers and writers alike. In addition to providing a creative space to feature the works of our author friends and creative writing students, this publication will also provide a closer look at everything we do at The Storyteller’s Cottage. Whether you’d like to enjoy detailed coverage of our exciting literary events, learn more about the creative activities we offer, find inspiration for something amazing to read, or get behind-the-scenes insight from the cool authors we work with, Inkling is your monthly source for everything literary! We hope that you enjoy this first issue, and please don’t hesitate to contact us with comments and suggestions. Happy summer!
-Alanna
alanna@storytellerscottage.com
CONTENTS AUTHOR INSIGHT
AT STORYTELLER'S
AN INTERVIEW WITH CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR Karlin Gray
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS: A live action mystery .....20
What is it like to write a popular children's book? ..............8 CONVERSATIONS WITH A SCREENWRITER: Pamela Goulardt Professional screenwriter & Storyteller's Cottage instructor Pamela Goulart offers a behind-the-scenes look at the screenwriting industry......................14
STORYTELLER'S FEATURES
JAZZ SUPPER CLUB: Breezy & Sophisticated!.............38
CLASSIC SUMMER STORYTIMES..10 WRITING WORKSHOPS .........28 FULL SUMMER SCHEDULE ......44
FAVORITE THINGS FROM NOVELS TO THE SCREEN
AN EXCERPT FROM A FAVORITE AUTHOR: "A Tin Full of Gold" by Leigh C. Allen .........30
Do you always read the book before watching the movie? We know adaptations are special, and we have compiled our favorites for you. ................38
POETRY: Polly Brody .......34
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS .......46
POETRY: David Mello .......36 Submission Guidelines .....29
STORYTELLER'S STAFF ........48
"ALL THE READING SHE HAD DONE HAD GIVEN HER A VIEW OF LIFE THEY HAD NEVER SEEN." -Roald Dahl, Matilda
Beautiful things happen at the Storyteller's Cottage. Follow our adventures on Instagram at @storytellerscottage
Karlin Gray We had the immense pleasure of welcoming Karlin to The Storyteller's Cottage to read from two of her delightful children's books last month. Here Karlin tells Alanna about her writing process:
What inspired you to write about the moth and/or Nadia? I was inspired to write NADIA: THE GIRL WHO COULDN’T SIT STILL after I read that Nadia Comaneci was enrolled in gymnastics because she was driving her parents nuts with all her energy (like climbing the Christmas tree and bringing it down). I loved the idea that someone who is known for “perfection” was really a rambunctious kid. It’s a nice reminder that no one is perfect but everyone has perfect moments. As for AN EXTRAORDINARY ORDINARY MOTH, that was inspired by my son. When he was a toddler, he declared that the moth was his “favorite” insect. I thought, what if that moth was having a bad day and then overheard my son? How would that little creature feel being someone’s “favorite” instead of being shooed away?
Did your children have input into the stories? I always read my stories to my son. He usually has some good suggestions and will tell me when something doesn’t make sense to him.
What reactions from readers have warmed your heart? Letters and pictures from readers are the best! These are my favorites (pictured right).
What was the most surprising thing you've learned about the publishing industry? In my pre-mom life, I worked for book publishers like HarperCollins and W.W. Norton but not in the children’s division. As a children’s writer, I was pleased to learn that the kidlit community is a generous and supportive group. Most authors are very approachable and willing to share their tips and experiences.
What was your favorite book as a child? I was an only child so I loved books like Little Women and The Chronicles of Narnia—stories with lots of siblings!
Do you have plans to write any more books?
Letters toKarlin...
Always! My picture book on Serena Williams will be published next year by PageStreet Kids. SERENA: THE LITTLEST SISTER celebrates the power of sisterhood and shows readers why you should never underestimate the littlest one in the game.
SUMMER STORYTIMES
Bringing childhood stories to life! Every weekday this summer, from 10:00 – 11:00am, Storyteller’s Cottage presents a free read-aloud storytime featuring a different classic children’s author each week. Perfect for preschool children, these events take place in our charming Jules Verne Steampunk Library and are followed by a free Teddy Bear Tea Party outside in our new Secret Garden! Authors will include Dr. Seuss, Beatrix Potter, Shel Silverstein, A.A. Milne, Ezra Jack Keats, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Laura Numeroff, Rosemary Wells and Peggy Parrish.
"We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand." C. S. Lewis
CONVERSATIONS WITH A SCREENWRITER It can be the best moment and worst moment when an avid reader hears that one of their favorite books is being adapted for the screen. It’s exciting to imagine being able to visually see a beloved book, but what if the adaptation falls short, or even leaves major parts out? That’s where screenwriting comes into the picture. Screenwriters wield a great deal of power, carefully shaping a fragile written creation into an exciting visual one. Do YOU want to try your hand at adapting a story for the screen? A great screenwriting class is essential. At the Storyteller’s Cottage, we offer an introductory class taught by experienced screen writer, Pamela Perry Goulart, who has adapted multiple stories for the screen.Sign up today if you've been thinking of adapting a novel, comic book or even a video game for the screen. PAMELA recently spoke with our editor, Alanna Hammond, about her profession.
Q: What made you want to write screenplays? A: I began working in the theatre at fifteen, ushering people to their seats, cleaning dressing rooms, changing props between scenes. Six nights a week I got to see a live performance. My favorite was My Fair Lady, adapted from Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw. I read all of George Bernard Shaw’s plays. His work inspired me. By nature, I am a visual thinker. Earning a Masters in Photography taught me to create stories without words, which lead to a reverence for Buster Keaton, and a Masters in Screenwriting.
Q: What is your favorite novel that you have adapted into a screenplay? A: I make an effort to adapt stories I admire, with a message worthy of sharing with a global audience. Most novels are not meant to be films, they must be completely re-structured. My favorite adaptation right now is by Steve Liskow, a writer I met at a Storyteller’s Cottage Open House, currently teaching Creating First Drafts and Writing Short Stories, at the Cottage. Steve and I collaborated on adapting his book The Whammer Jammers, about a women’s Roller Derby team in Connecticut. It is a gritty, down to earth human story. It shines a light on women’s struggles, triumphs, and empowerment, time-relevant topics. It is filled with dilemma’s, mystery, betrayal, intrigue, and heartbreak, all the ingredients for great entertainment! I liked that Whammer Jammer’s was a Connecticut story, filled with diverse characters. I plan to move forward with the screenplay, adapting it into a sixty-minute Teleplay. The dream is to film and produce in Connecticut. The adapted title is Trash & Byrne, two dedicated Hartford detectives who become involved protecting the women, and their challenges for survival.
"There are no shortcuts to writing screenplays that capture an audience. You can’t settle for very good, it must be the best."
Q: What is your favorite book to screen adaptation that you have seen? A: Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, and The Godfather, by Mario Puzo. It won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. It also won Best Film, and Best Actor for Marlon Brando.
Q: Any advice for people interested in adapting screenplays? A: Original and adapted screenplays are business ventures. Producer’s invest with the expectation of a profit. Adaptations are popular because they already have a fan base, increasing the chance of a profit.
Screenplays are blueprints for making films. Films reach the global market, employing thousands of people in the process.
Scripts and adaptations follow a paradigm for success. It includes: a high concept that can be described in one sentence, a marketable title reflecting the genre, a hook with a twist that engages the audience within the first ten minutes, great roles for bankable actors, a clear conflict, and a transformational journey.
There are no shortcuts to writing screenplays that capture an audience. You can’t settle for very good, it must be the best. If you take the time to elevate the story, you will reap the rewards.
Pamela specializes in sci-fi fantasy and historical fiction, as well as adaptations of novels. Her screenplay adaptation of the ancient Indian Navagraha Purana, Legends of Destiny, was a finalist in the 2017 New Hope Film Festival. She wrote for the BlockStarz Television satirical Black-O-Scope, and the animated series Harriet and Roxanne, on Netflix. Pamela is currently script-adapting the novel She Is Expensive, and is an active participant in the screenwriting community, interviewing filmmakers for MizHollywood.com
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, adaptation directed by Baz Luhrmann (2013) This adaptation is relatively faithful to the original novel by F Scott Fitzgerald and beautifully shows the 1920’s in all its glory. Baz Luhrmann, who directed this film, manages to place the film in the 1920’s but still retain a modern feel using a mixture of 1920’s jazz music and modern rap and pop music. Another essential element that makes this adaptation so special is its emphasis on the gorgeous visual elements of the novel. For example, Fitzgerald concentrated a strong emphasis on the difference between West Egg and East Egg in the novel. Luhrmann plays up the difference between new money versus old money by juxtoposing Nick Carraway’s small cottage and the craziness of the 1920’s parties on West Egg against Daisy and Tom’s sprawling lawns and mansion, which are less flashy and more sophisticated. This adaptation also features every one of readers' favorite famous quotes, so fans of the novel will not be disappointed. 2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, adaptation directed by Joe Wright (2005) This adaptation made our list because of its sparkling charm and magnetic charisma. Joe Wright did a wonderful job casting this film, which includes Keira Knightley as the heroine Lizzie Bennet. The film perfectly captures the essence of this classic romance novel, as well as its sharp wit. Joe Wright combines just the right mix of humor and seriousness, and we adore the gorgeous music as well.
We've compiled four of our favorite novels that have been adapted for the screen. This was very difficult for bookworms like ourselves, but we managed to do it!
From Novels
To The Screen 3. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling, adaptations directed by multiple directors including Chris Columbus and David Yates The Harry Potter series is not only an iconic set of books but a blockbuster set of movies as well. Each film has its own tone and each enraptures and entrances viewers. Fans of the books were thrilled to finally be able to see their beloved Harry, Hermione and Ron come to life. Even though each film may not have contained every plot point that J.K. Rowling wrote, the stunning rendition of her fantastical world more than makes up for any missing details. 4. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, Netflix adaptation directed by multiple directors This series is the only tv show to make this list of adaptations, but for good reason. The series is produced by Netflix, which made the decision to devote two episodes to each book. This strategy allows for each book to shine and get the screen time that it deserves. Each episode is faithfully filled with a myriad little jokes and many delightful moments of humor.
Photos by Andres Dario Moral www.amoralphoto.com
Murder
on the Orient Express
A NIGHT OF ADVENTURE
All Aboard! On Saturday June 2nd, the Storyteller’s Cottage hosted an exciting Murder on the Orient Express Gala. Guests became immersed in a murder mystery, beginning days before with an email containing “Orient Express travel documents”. These documents described the backstory of the mystery, under the guise of instructions about what to wear, what to do and what to expect. The drama this evening surrounded a certain Lady Forsythia Pendleton, who was rumored to have been murdered at a dinner party in her home the night before the gala. All of the people present at the murder just so happened to be on the Orient Express train leaving that night. Guests were given the chance to speak to all the suspects, who were located throughout the “train” in different compartments, to try to figure out who killed Lady Pendleton. The list of suspects included a range of different characters including Fiona English, the actress, the Duchess of Hopmeadow and her loyal ladies maid, Miss Katherine Abbot, Gwen Hawthorne, the governess, Robert Chadwick, the playboy, Judge Van Doren, the public official and more!
Each room had a suspect or two in it and each room in the house was designated as a space from the train. For example, the Jules Verne Library was the first class car, the Jane Austen Salon was passport control, the English Kitchen was the dining car and the Alice in Wonderland Tea Room was the luggage hall etc. Guests were able to enjoy cocktails from Two Pour Guys and hors d’oeuvres from Pastel’s Catering throughout the night. The hors d’oeuvres were all themed based on different stops on the Orient Express. For example, Ispanakli Yogurt Spinach dip with veggies (for Istanbul, Turkey), Bulgarian meatballs with tomato sauce (for Sofia, Bulgaria), Cevapcici Croatian sausage with Serbian “ajvar” red pepper sauce (for Belgrade, Croatia), Pancetta-studded shrimp with rosemary (for Trieste, Northern Italy), Bacon wrapped artichoke hearts (for Venice, Italy), Fresh mozzarella with pear tomato, fresh basil and balsamic glaze (for Milan, Italy), Phyllo with brie & fig preserves (for Paris, France), and Boursin spread with crusty bread (for Calais, France). About halfway through the night, another murder occurred! Fiona English dramatically died at the top of the stairs from a possible poisoning. Guests then had to figure out who murdered Lady Pendleton AND Ms. Fiona English. Suspects mingled among the guests, who were able to ask a few more questions before submitting their guess as to the identity of the murderer. At that point in the evening, it was time for the big reveal. Each suspect accused each other until the real culprit, which was the Judge, was revealed. He had killed Lady Pendleton (who turned out to be his wife) because he wanted to marry his mistress. Fiona was revealed to be Lady Pendleton’s sister and was murdered because she was close to exposing him. Overall, the night was full of surprises and lots of fun.
The dedicated team at the Storyteller’s Cottage is already hard at work on the next murder mystery party, The Murder At The Ivory Tower, scheduled to take place on July 28th.
The Storyteller’s Cottage hosts a wide variety of literarythemed events in addition to vintage nights out, including author nights, creative writing classes for adults and children, live storytelling events, immersive mystery room games, children’s clubs, family events, story times, and much more. Many more exciting parties will be happening during the summer and will include a Grease and the Outsiders party, Hogwarts House Party for adults, a Steampunk Gala and a Dirty Dancing Summer Bash! A full event calendar can be found at www.StorytellersCottage.com/ calendar.
The chauffeur turned out to be...a secret detective!
Writing Workshops At The Storyteller's Cottage, we believe in creating magic through words. The talented writers in this edition are professionals that we are glad to call friends. In each issue going forward, we will collect writing submissions from our writing instructors and students to showcase in these pages. We offer dozens of different creative writing classes for all ages, plus supportive writing groups for authors with works underway. Whether you're working on a mini memoir, a charming short story, a comedic screenplay, or an epic fantasy adventure, join us to bring your own literature to life! COMING UP THIS SUMMER FOR ADULTS: - Adapting Novels for the Screen
- Creating a First Draft
- Critique Workshop
- Painting Writing
-Historical Fiction
- Poetry Mentor Workshop
- Honing Your Voice
- Revising Sentences, Scenes & Stories
- Fantasy World Building
- Revision Basics
- Nature Poetry
- Rusty Writers
- Short Story Basics
- Saturday 101: New Writers
- Intro Into Screenwriting
- Serious Writers: Getting Published - TV Writing - Writing About Animals - Writing Craft Book Club - Web Streaming Writing Workshop - Writing Memoirs & Novels
Writing Submissions In service to our mission to share the work of local authors with the surrounding community, we publish short fiction and poetry of up to 800 words. Our favorite works embody the Storyteller’s sense of wonder and whimsy, and we are smitten with wildly creative pieces. Preference is given to authors who have visited us, and students of our writing workshops. Please email submissions to Alanna@StorytellersCottage.com, using these parameters:
• Times New Roman, 12point font
• Doublespaced for prose, singlespaced for poetry
• Name and page number in top righthand corner
AN EXCERPT FROM:
:A
Tin Full of Gold by L. C. Allen
I excavated myself from the depths of my La-Z-Boy, my favorite hideaway on blustery winter nights in Granite Cove. The Glenlivit single matt scotch in the cabinet under the TV called out to me – might be more appropriate than a beer with the cool Canadian air sweeping across New England tonight. Too damned early for weather this cold. Seemed like the summer folk had just left. Certainly too damned early to be giving up beer for scotch, but Granite Cove was like that. Sticking out into the Atlantic off the north coast of Massachusetts, you never knew what the weather would throw at you. Wasn’t much for TV (preferred reading instead), but I did like my CSI programs – a pile of technology and action crammed into forty minutes of air time. If only real life policing had been like that, but it never was, never would be. Plenty of time for both TV and books since the Granite Cove town fathers threw me out from my Chief of Police position of twenty years. Early retirement they’d called it to cover their butts and mollify their embarrassment. I hadn’t been ready to retire but they’d built a case and were prodded along by my then Head of Detectives, Vivian Owens. I’d hired her out of Boston where she had been an investigator with the Boston PD. Smart, ambitious, and as it turned out, a little ruthless.
I’d set my own noose, so to speak. She’d waggled her pretty little butt for those old codgers on the board of selectmen and they put her in as chief and tossed me on the scrap heap. Now hold on there you old fart, that’s an unfair assessment. Truth be told, I’d made a mess of things. Got obsessed with the death of one of my officers and good friend Mitch Barlow. Mitch died when his classic GTO missed the causeway over the inlet to the bay down in Southport and flipped upside down in the water. They ruled his death an accident. I never believed it. Mitch was too good a driver and too fond of that car to be reckless. I got caught up, overly focused on proving the point and let the rest of my duties slide. The crash was in Southport, not even in my jurisdiction. Sticking my nose into the investigation caused a lot of bad blood between the two towns, particularly with Joe Bartolucci, the Southport chief. The towns relied too heavily on each other for mutual emergency aid to have any animosity flowing along the border. Bitter pill. Had to admit, if it was me on the board of selectmen at the time, I’d have fired my own butt. The scanner on the table next to my chair squawked to life, filing my small den with repetitive cat-like hisses then a click. Someone keyed a mike on and off but didn’t say anything. Damned kids hacked into everything these days. Police bands were supposed to be protected and off limits. I turned back to check the little black box. Everything seemed set properly. The receiver flipped to the Southport police band and a garbled transmission came through. They never came in well unless the weather sat right and it sure wasn’t right tonight. The scanner flashed back to the Granite Cove frequency. The itch for a cold brew reasserted itself. This radio crap – not my problem any more. I’d reached the doorway to the kitchen when a wavering voice broke the silence. ‘Oh God, help me! Please somebody help!” A retching sound rattled out.
Frozen in place, hands on the door jamb, tiny little spiders ran up my spine. No ID, no codes. What the hell? The voice had a familiar ring, but was so strained I couldn’t quite place it. Pffst… the scanner locked in again. “This is Granite Cove police dispatch. Who’s on this frequency? Identify yourself.” No doubt about that voice. That was night dispatcher Stella Burns, a nononsense woman who worked the graveyard shift. She took no guff. As sweet and beautiful as she was tough, Stella became the den mother for everyone on the force, especially me. “Say again, caller on Granite Cove police frequency. Identify yourself immediately.” “Stell, it’s me, Carl. Help me please! There’s so much …” A gurgling sound cut off the words. Carl Jenkins, only a few years on the force, spilled his dinner over the air. A good kid, and a good cop, Carl was losing it. Of course, policing in Granite Cove prepared you for nothing worse than a few fender benders, a parking violation or two, and the occasional bar fight. What could Carl be looking at? We did have some pretty gory accidents from time to time, tourists driving too fast on our twisting, unfamiliar roads. Paramedics caught the worst of those. But Carl had always been stable, even at the worst accidents. The kid must’ve stumbled on to something pretty bad. I muted the TV and focused on the little black box with its winking LED lights. I’d catch my CSI cohorts on a rerun. The drama playing out over the scanner was about my town and Carl, still one of my men. Selectmen be damned.
The Storyteller's Cottage is proud to present local authors who have a passion for reading and writing. If you're interested in sharing your work with us, please see our submission guidelines on our website. All writing pieces can be sent to alanna@storytellerscottage.com We look forward to working with you!
Poems by Polly Brody Last Season The tulip poplar bears its bounty of salmon and lemon timely in its season, after four-pointed leaves have opened their green palms to May. Exotic and surprising it always seems, to see the tall tree come to flower, not an ornamental shrub cultivated and cosseted in my garden. And how spendthrift it is, the rich petals cast down to litter in pastel profusion my patio stones a scant week after blooming. The tulip poplar does not know this is its last season. Men are scheduled to mount its great mast, crampons and ropes securing them. Chain saws will chew, limb after limb, from top to base severing the laddered arms from trunk. Each will topple with sighing foliage to the final grounded thump. The nude, stout torso will be sectioned, length by length sky-reaching tree made pygmy, brought down to stump. The tulip poplar blooms as ever now; it does not know this is its last season.
Prophecy Upon this shore fog lifts its opaque hem over granite island knees. Under a tremolo of gulls, I stalk a dark form, facing sea: squatted on stretched webs, tail frayed, wings hanging, feathers plastered tight to bones— an oiled cormorant. Cormorant unmoved even after its gray lid opens without the head turning and its green eye takes me in… And I see what it will be: flop of plumage loosely stitching skin, body losing heft, excavated by crabs, finally a cast of bones— vertebrae unstrung, breast keel attached by muscle shreds to wings outflung in the attitude of a living bird drying itself. The skull will bleach, its walls translucent,
Poems by David Mello Tell Me Where the Flowers Are There are no flowers here today nor any buds at all. Abondoned without care. The garden sleeps through winter months of cold and snowy days. The colors are all gone. No one comes along. Quiet solitude prevails, awaiting life to come. The days of early spirng will melt the snow away. Then all will come to life. Buds will bloom again. I cannot see the colors now, the old man says to me. His eyes do not work so well but he expects to see pretty colors in the garden where he likes to be. His mind is truly sound and his memory is clear. He asks one thing of me in the days of bright sunshine, Please take me to the garden walk and tell me where the flowers are.
Dance with Me Behold the days of youthful love; when flowers were in bloom. Our summertime had just begun. It was the month of June. I met a girl, a lovely lass with eyes of emerald green. Her hair was red, a fiery red. Such hair I'd never seen. She turned her head and smiled at me. I buckled at the knee. I looked at her adn then I said, Will you dance with me?
We stepped out on the dance floor. I held her hand in mine. For a moment I stood breathless. To me she was divine. We waltzed around in circles doing twirls and fancy spins. My heart was beating faster. Then I began to grin. Her freckles face was beaming. She indeed enjoyed the dance. The balance of this evening, will be left to fate and chance.
JAZZ SUPPER
CLUB
An inside look at the recent breezy & sophisticated Jazz Supper Club, one of many Vintage Nights Out
Several dozen music aficionados savored both live jazz and delicious meals at the recent Jazz Supper Club on May 19th, featuring the talented Green Jazz Band. Our Steampunk Library and Jane Austen Salon were transformed into a cozy candlelit café complete with individual bistro tables decked with peonies and hydrangeas in silver julep cups. Guests nibbled on elegant Chicken Marsala and Butternut Risotto as they murmured amongst themselves about the smooth and buoyant musical creations wafting through the rooms, intertwining with the delicious aromas of the supper provided by Fitzerald’s Foods. The china-plated meal was complemented by a gourmet salad and decadent brownies. The Green Jazz Band features vocalist Sally Terrell, a classical pianist with a velvety alto who moonlights as a college writing professor. Her partner, John Sarlo provided a sturdy bass line, complementing perfectly music professor Kevin O’Neal’s jazz guitar.
The Green Jazz Band plays “fresh interpretations of jazz standards, including classics from the Great American Songbook, bossa nova, and jazzed up blues and pop”. They’ve performed all over the Hartford area, at the Wadsworth Atheneum of Art Jazz series, Earthstock Connecticut, the Collinsville HOT Festival, the Gershon Fox Ballroom, the Society Room, and the Vitrano Jazz Series. The setlist was filled with fantastic songs, including "S'Wonderful" and "Our Love is Here to Stay" by Goerge and Ira Gershwin.
"I always incorporate Gershwin numbers because this songwriting team is one of the most important in the history of American jazz music," said Sally, "because my earliest and primary memories of my Dad involve his playing of "Rhapsody in Blue" on the baby grand in our living room."
Our guests stayed long after their china coffee cups were drained, proof of the captivating talent of the Green Jazz Band! The Storyteller’s Cottage hosts monthly Vintage Nights Out featuring an array of charming literary themes. If you read to be immersed in another world, you’ll love visiting the Cottage and immersing yourself in another place and time. The success of our “smoky” jazz supper (named for the vintage atmosphere, not any actual smoke!) prompted us to plan a Dapper Singles event in July and a Jules Verne Steampunk Costume Party in August. Look for a “Grease” Meets “The Outsiders” Sock Hop and a Dirty Dancing Summertime Bash as well!
While the fans of jazz standards floated away on the soaring musical riffs, a number of their children were ensconced upstairs in our hidden castle room at a rollicking Hogwarts House Party. Led by our own Jen Cook, the party included pizza, Butterbeer, chocolate frogs, Harry Potter themed games, great costumes, and more.
Spend a creative and fantastical summer at The Storyteller's Cottage! Preschool Programs -Classic Storytimes -Secret Garden Teddy Bear Tea Parties -Playgroups
Elementary Pograms -Imagination Academy -Little Storyteller's Craft Club -Teatime Tuesdays -Fairytales in the Forest -American Girl Club -Gaming & More
Middle Grade Programs -Inkheart Adventures: Creative Writing -Princess Academy: Girl Power Club - Storyteller's Studio -Immersive Fantasy Activities -Debate Club & more!
Summer Programs Sign up today! Teen Programs -Quill & Sword: creative writing -Legendary Skald: modern storytelling -Dungeons & Dragons -LARPing -Fantasy board games & more!
Adult Programs -New writing workshops -Book clubs -Crafting
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Book Recommendations Everything we have been loving, brought to you for early summer Please enjoy this short list of books we personally love reading during the hot, lazy days of summer. 1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte BrontĂŤ 2. The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan 3. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware 4. The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes by Wade Albert White 5. Woman at 1,000 Degrees by Hallgrimur Helgason
Brookie Cookie, The Storyteller's Cottage Book Fairy
Tea of the Month: Raspberry Mint Iced Tea
"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees,just as things grow in fast movies,I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer." --F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
INKLING STAFF: Lisa Natcharian - Editor in Chief Alanna Hammond - Managing Editor Heather Murray - Art Director
STORYTELLER'S COTTAGE STAFF: Lisa Natcharian - Owner Lana Bennett - Communications Director Alanna Hammond - PR Director & Game Master Heather Murray - Creative Director Svenja Volpe - Director of Visitor Experience Jen Cook - Guardian Casey Croft - Summer Guardian Juan Aguilar - Game Master Josh Jaggon - Game Master Seamus Keane - Game Master Tyler Lawrence - Game Master Dave Murray - Game Master Emily Scott - Game Master
Step inside your favorite mystery novel, and become the characters you love to read about!
https://www.storytellerscottage.com/ mystery-room-about-us
A fun and exciting group game for all ages! The Dame Disappears A famous British mystery author has vanished, leaving behind a cryptic letter. Search her 1930'sera bedroom to determine what happened to her, and why!
The Legend of the Fairy Queen You've come to spend the summer at your grandparents' farmhouse, but a quick search of your room reveals that someone has been there before you, and they seem to be in great danger!
The Detective's Dinner Party You are a famous detective, and an eccentric millionnaire has invited you and several of your crime-solving friends to an unusual dinner party at his Steampunk mansion. He plans to amuse himself by laying out the details of an "unsolvable crime," and challenging you all to solve it. But is that truly the purpose of this elegant dinner party?