LOUISIANA LAGNIAPPE cassette
$10.95 each includes shipping and handling
The French cultures of south Louisiana gave us the word "lagniappe,"
which means "a little something extra special that is unexpected."
Because of its rich cultural heritage, Louisiana abounds in
"lagniappe," (pronounced "lon - yop"). These
stories from a few of Louisiana's cultures are filled with images
Rose Anne has encountered all of her life.
SIDE 1 (38 minutes)
THE SONG IN THE MIST (Creole) The
bayous really do have fine swirling mists that descend in the
evening and drift away in the morning. It's easy to imagine
a mysterious song luring listeners to its source.
MOON'S CLOUD BLANKET (Houma Native)
I remember Dad taking us for rides in the back of his old jeep,
bumping along through the woods, gathering "cloud blanket"
to camouflage his duck-hunting blind!
A GROSSE AFFAIRE (French) With
eight children, we, too, usually had someone with something
to celebrate! One morning I saw in our oak trees what inspired
Monsieur Durand to create his three-mile long spectacle.
SIDE
TWO (34 minutes)
THE TAR BABY (African) First
told in Louisiana and first recorded by Alcee' Fortier, this
well-loved story was popularized by Joel Chandler Harris in
stories I was told as a child.
FIVE COUILLON BROTHERS (Cajun)
Cajun humor frequently pokes fun at its own folks! These five
brothers certainly qualify as "couillon" (pronounced
"coo-yongh") meaning "silly or stupid"
THE MYRTLES (Montage of Legends)
Stories of ghost and apparaitions line the halls of "America's
Most Haunted House,"an antebellum plantation in
St. Francisville, La. where crepe myrtle trees line the front
lawn.
Copyright 1999 Storydust Productions
Photo courtesy of Cynthia S. Poret
CD:
Once Upon a Shoe
ONCE UPON A SHOE compact disk
$15.95 each includes shipping and handling
"There once was a woman
Who lived in a shoe.
And had so many story friends
She knew not what to do.
She gave a big party
And made them all guests.
Then she planted a beanstalk
And hoped for the best!"
Come to the party in the mind of storyteller Rose Anne St. Romain!
Meet the singing frogs, a stubborn pig, and "the biggest,
baddest, meanest, hairiest, scariest, bad-breathest big bad
wolf in every story in the world!" Rose Anne playfully
leads you into the world of each story with seamless shifts
between narration and character dramatizations. This live recording
features folktales with lots of audience participation to engage
listeners ages 4 - 94!!! Join the story party and see how Rose
Anne St. Romain is reaching minds one story at a time.
1. WELCOME TO THE "SHOE"
(2:13)
Sometimes Rose Anne's head feels like the shoe inhabited by
the nursery rhyme woman who had "so many children she knew
not what to do." But it's not children crowding her "shoe"
-- it's story seeds waiting to sprout and wind their vines into
the minds of listeners. These stories are rooted in the oral
tradition and Rose Anne is grateful to all the listeners who
helped harvest them along with her!
2. SINGING DOWN THE RAIN (12:19)
This story is based on the thread of an African tale told to
Rose Anne by someone after they heard Pleasant de Spain tell
it in 1982. Join the frogs and the locusts in singing down the
rain!
3. THE OLD WOMAN AND HER PET (11:04)
This well-known cumulative tale can be a game for story tellers
and listeners. Perhaps all cumulative stories and songs are
meant to be games. Want to play? Better pay attention . . .
4. MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO (6:47)
This old story is most fun when the listeners play the parts
of the monkeys. But perhaps, the real message is for adults
-- children are like monkeys -- they do what they see adults
do.
5. THE TIGER'S TEST (21:26)
The situation of this story was inspired by Harold Courlander's
"The Tiger's Minister of State" found in The Tiger's
Whisker. The tiger's motivations are Rose Anne's own invention
as is the hyena (her mother always told her that she laughs
like a hyena.) Can we listen long enough to others for them
to find their own truths?
6. THE GUNNIWOLF (13:58)
Rose Anne's favorite printed version of this cautionary folktale
is the one by Wilhemina Harper. It's another classic example
of a story that's much more fun when brought back to oral roots.
It's "Mind your Moma" message goes out to all good
parents and their children.
7. GOOD NEWS GOODBYE (1:50)
Rose Anne encourages listeners to look for more stories in the
pages of books as she urges them to pass along the tales in
this collection.
Copyright 2001 Storydust Productions
Artwork by Robert Bridges, adapted by Bridget O'Connor
For further information or
to order:
Rose Anne St. Romain
e-mail to storyteller@storydust.com
URL: http://www.storydust.com
Recordings
sold through: http://www.storydust.com/recordings.html
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