•February 10, 20201•
Cheri Burcham
Extension Educator, U of I Extension

I think winter is officially here! I actually enjoy the snow and watching the birds at my feeders. I feel that this is usually the time to slow down a little, reflect and regroup, and especially this year more than ever. I found a great article by Extension Program Coordinator Wendy Ferguson on the Extension blog “Naturalist News” about storytelling and some recommended reads in the areas of nature, environment and stewardship. I thought this would be a good time to share it with all of you. Wendy writes:
Welcome to winter. During this cold and snowy time, many American Indian cultures use the time for traditional storytelling. Storytelling serves two main purposes, entertainment and education. And the really good stories do both. Hearing a story or reading a book is like receiving a gift from the storyteller or author.  In Native American cultures, a gift of tobacco is offered to the storyteller before the story begins as a sign of respect. The storyteller will often take the tobacco outside and place it on the earth as an offering to the spirits of the story. So in these months dedicated to storytelling here are a few authors worth reading, no tobacco needed.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.