"The best way to get in touch with the immense notion of a living universe is through story. In this way
we come to see that the universe story is, in fact, our story."
Thomas Berry
Mary Ellen Hill~Storyteller
My Specialty
My Specialty as a Professional Storyteller is
We Are The Stars That Sing: The Story of The Universe
This evocative and engaging storytelling performance weaves
together a scientific explanation and a mythic interpretation of the
13.7 billion year old evolution of the Universe. It is an educational and magical blending of
cosmology and indigenous creation stories that tells how all life, including you,
is made of star stuff. This approach engages the left and right brain as well as
captivates the deeply embedded memory of humans gathered together to hear their creation story.
Read on to hear more...........OR,
Click Here for the 4 versions of My Specialty, "We Are The Stars That Sing..."
Click Here to learn about the Algonquian poem that inspired me to call my specialty "We
Are The Stars That Sing..."
Since 1987 I have been inspired by Brian Swimme, Thomas Berry
and Miriam MacGillis.
When I heard Brian say,
"We are the fireball becoming aware... we need to remember how to listen, ... we must awaken the
deep dream of the Universe",
this engaged my whole being so intensely, I wanted to know more!
The words of Thomas echoed in my mind,
"We need to know the sacred creation story of the emergent Universe, for if we dont
know this story we don't know ourselves."
I was so inspired and amazed when I experienced " The Cosmic Spiral Walk", created by Miriam.
These experiences ignited my desire to articulate the story in my own unique way. While I was at a storytelling swap
I realized that the ancient art of the oral tradition would be a perfect mode of expression. I have been telling creation myths and folktales
since 1990. In 1995, my love affair with and study of cosmology and storytelling evolved into my performance specialty, "We Are The Stars That Sing:
The Story of The Universe".
I have performed "We Are The
Stars That Sing..." at a variety of events
and each telling is unique, created especially for the particular theme and
audience.
At the Morrison Planetarium the story was enhanced by stunning visuals.
At the Lawrence Hall of Science I geared it towards 5-8 year olds and used a more hands-on
approach.
At St. Matthew's Church retreat I focused on the origin of the Easter Lily.
While telling at birthday parties I weave the life story of the birthday person into the cosmological story.
At the EarthSpirit Rising Conference I did an eight minute version and wore my cosmic costume
for a dramatic sparkly visual effect.
At a Sunday morning talk for Unity Church, Kim Farmer, M.Ed. and I collaborated in combining the story with spiritual teachings.