M. Jennie Frost

Readings

I tell stories appropriate to the age level of the students.
Kindergarten to Grade 3: folktales, nursery tales, poems and songs.

Grades 4 to 6: folktales, Greek and Roman myth and history, poetry.

Grades 7 to 12: folktales, Greek and Roman myth and history, literary stories, sometimes my own stories or poetry.

Adults: folktales, Greek and Roman myth and history, literary stories, my own poetry and stories.

Halloween: I have a large repertoire of ghost and horror stories, from the safely shivery to the truly horrific. I’ve told
horror stories for teens and adults at Fort Edmonton’s Halloween Spooktacular every year since 1995.

My book, The Courtship of Hippodameia is the story of a Greek princess courted through a deadly chariot-racing contest. It is appropriate for Grade 6 to adults, and when I use it, I tell chunks from it, rather than reading it.

My poetry is largely personal, and is suitable for Grades 7 to adults; I read it.

I give talks on the development of the English language, particularly the input from Latin and Greek. These can focus more narrowly on vocabulary development in English from Latin and Greek roots. I always talk to my host about what they want me to do, and as much as possible choose my stories to suit them. My folktales are drawn from all round the world—Europe, China, Tuva in Central Asia, India, Japan, etc. I have participated in epic weekends and can tell stories from the epics we’ve retold: Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey; Ovid’s Metamorphoses; the Mahabharata; and the Tibetan epic Gesar of Ling.

Special Equipment:

Hand-held or hands-free microphone for larger groups. Maps (which I bring) for some of my Greek presentations.

Book Sales:

Copies of books can be brought to be sold and autographed.

Workshops

1. Learn to Tell a Story: how to choose, learn, and remember a story to tell.
2. Deepening Your Storytelling (works for storytelling or writing): work on setting and characters to make both more vivid and real; work on sensory detail and creating concrete images.
3. Writing Poetry
4. Writing the Greek Alphabet: learning the sounds and writing the letters of the Greek alphabet; stories about some of the people whose names we discuss; discussion of English words derived from Greek. If I am given a list of participants’ names ahead of time, I bring cards with their names written in Greek letters.
5. Presentations with student participation (discussion, as opposed to writing/storytelling practice) on English vocabulary built from Latin and Greek roots.

Special Equipment:

A chalkboard or flipchart pad to write on. For writing workshops, the students should be able to write or draw comfortably; sometimes large paper and felts or crayons so participants may draw.

Book Sales:

Copies of books can be brought to be sold and autographed.

Biography

Since 1996, Jennie has been telling stories in concerts, festivals, conferences, libraries, and schools to audiences of all ages. An avid reader since she was a child, she loves sharing stories with anyone who will listen. Storytelling has taken Jennie to 7 Canadian provinces. Jennie used to be a Latin teacher, having studied Classics (Greek and Roman languages and history) at university. Jennie is the Past National Coordinator of Storytellers of Canada – Conteurs du Canada and a past president and presently the Treasurer of TALES Edmonton (The Alberta League Encouraging Storytelling). She has published a book and a 2-CD audio set of her Greek stories, as well a number of prizewinning short stories and poems in literary magazines and anthologies. Jennie was born in Edmonton. 2007 was the 100th anniversary of both sides of her family having settled in Edmonton. She has 3 children.

OTHER PRESENTATIONS:
Keynote addresses on oral storytelling — it’s importance, the state of the art in Canada. Professional development sessions on storytelling — how to learn and tell stories, how to get children involved in storytelling, using storytelling in teaching and literacy work.