Directory of members
Ginger Mullen
Calgary, AB
Home/Résidence : 403-695-7761
Email/Courriel : ginger.mullen@shaw.ca
My passion for folklore began when I first met Rapunzel and was drawn to her beautiful song of longing. This first appreciation for the bittersweet kindled my lifelong love of world folktales and my career as a storyteller.
Since 1992, I have immersed myself in the oral tradition - through performance, academia, group facilitation and festival planning- cultivating a unique approach to storytelling. Working as a library programmer and a freelance artist in schools, festivals and museums, I honed a broad repertoire of folktales for all ages, but especially for families, preschoolers and elementary-aged children. I was selected to tour Ontario during Canadian Children’s Book Week in 2002. My work over five years as a leader in the Parent-Child Mother Goose Program™ developed my expertise at using oral stories and rhymes with babies, toddlers and their caregivers. In 2003, I also earned a Master of Arts degree in Children’s Literature from UBC, focusing on folklore. I have served on the boards of The Vancouver Society of Storytelling and the Storytellers of Canada /Conteurs du Canada, and I currently participate in T.A.L.E.S.(The Alberta League Encouraging Storytelling).
My diverse experiences and repertoire allow me to create a rich program of world folk and fairy tales especially tailored for any audience. I lead workshops for beginning and intermediate storytellers, with a speciality in teaching storytelling to those working with young children. I also deliver lectures for college and university classes on various aspects of the oral tradition. I have an M.A. in Children's Literature (folktales) and teach at Mount Royal University, I blends together performance and academia and am vailable for workshops, lectures and performances.
Publications/Recordings:
“Snowgirl and the Chinook.” Tales on the Wind [CD]. Calgary: The Alberta League Encouraging Storytelling, 2009.
“The Mouse Bride,” “Stone Soup,” and “Ruth’s Red Jacket.” What’ll I Do with the Baby-o? Nursery Rhymes, Songs, and Stories for Babies. Vancouver: Black Sheep Press, 2007.
The Transformations of “Tam Lin”: An Analysis of Folktale Picture Books [Thesis]. Vancouver: UBC, 2003.
“Making Sense of the Senseless: Interpretations of ‘Bluebeard’.” Sixth Annual UCCB Storytelling Symposium, 2002.
“The Twa’ Sisters.” How Music Came to the World & Other Stories [CD]. Vancouver: Vancouver Society of Storytelling and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2000.