Today we’d like to introduce you to David Thompson
Hi David, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I began being a storyteller some 50ish years ago when I was teaching high school in a small county school system in Georgia (the state, not the country). Though storytelling was not a source of income, it became my passion. After studying/completing my first master’s degree at the University of London (UK) I realized that language in all of its aspects became my passion. I discovered that the use of storytelling is one of the greatest ways to promote cultural understanding, social change, personal connections, and so many other areas. So I left teaching an lived on a gay male commune (now defunct) in North Carolina where I honed my skills, so to speak.
Moving to Austin, TX in 1983 introduced me to a myriad of great stories since Texas is such a large state with so many different cultural contributions, from Anglo to Hispanic to Asian to Middle Eastern as examples. It was in Austin that I assisted in the founding and continuation of the Central Texas Storytelling Guild which has brought joy and understanding not only to schools, but also hospitals, hospices, retirement communities, faith communities, and so many more areas.
After joining via Facebook the Worldstorytelling Cafe Community, I have made so many international friends that I was one of 6 storytellers invited to represent the U.S. at the Second Marrakech International Storytelling Festival in Marrakech, Morocco. It was here that I was able to do my best to break up the stereotypical U.S. image, particularly that of Texas and the Hollywood cowboy image. This was such a grand and rewarding experience.
After returning to the U.S., I began using storytelling in my role as an End of Life Doula particularly with the dying homeless. This was, and still is, a great “calling”, if you will. Additionally, since moving from Austin, TX to a much smaller town (Elgin, TX) I have the honour of bringing the spoken word back to an area that has so many stories/tales/legends to share. As the storyteller in residence for the Bastrop County Historical Association, I’ve been able to bring a true vision of the cowboy/rancher image by including stories of Hispanic, Jewish, African-American, Native American, and Women Ranchers to an otherwise white male dominated image.
Though my true passion is in resurrecting and sharing the truly ancient epics/sagas/histories, the source material I have encountered has provided me with an incredible repertoire for my telling. This is where I am today, telling to an audience that is seemingly “starving” for the original social media, Storytelling. And remember, the shortest distance between 2 people is a story.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been an adventure and one that I have traveled with smooth steps, some stumbles, some detours, and some fallbacks.
The main challenge that I’ve encountered is the attitude that storytelling is for children. Not true, children have storytellers, adults need them. Additionally, since the U.S. does not have a governmental support system for the arts, per se, the ability to maintain a comfortable lifestyle is rather difficult. When I’ve been told “Well, consider your telling as exposure” I counter with “Can you bank exposure? Can you pay bills/expenses with exposure?” So in the long run, the challenge is financial.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a professional storyteller, I have taken it upon myself to share as many stories, legends, tales, myths, epics, sagas, and the like with as many people as I can. I’m known for my passion for the truly ancient stores such as: the Babylonian Creation Epic, the Enuma Elish; the Ulaid Cycle of Ireland which recounts the exploits of Cuchulainn the Hound of Ulster and his encounters with the great warrior queen Maeve of Connaught; the meeting of Solomon and Sheba from the Ethiopian National Epic, the Kebra Nagast; tales of the hero Rustam from the Shahnameh: the Persian Book of Kings; and so many more.
I’m most proud of representing the U.S, at the Second International Marrakech Storytelling Festival in Marrakech, Morocco. This has provided a worldwide following via Zoom concerts ranging from the U.K. to South Africa to Greece to Australia. Additionally, it has led to being featured on upcoming podcasts AND the opportunity to be heard on the BBC Radio broadcasts.
I think, no believe, that what sets me apart is my tenacity in NOT allowing myself to specialize, if you will, in only one genre of storytelling, i.e., telling only personal stories, telling only to children, etc.
What are your plans for the future?
Good questions. My plans for the future are so many; however, as of the present, my plan(s) are to bring the spoken word via storytelling, poetry, theater to those areas of Texas wrongfully conceived of as provincial, rude (in the original meaning of this word), or uncultured.
I have so many plans still in the “sticky-note” phase. Probably the biggest ones are to offer storytelling courses locally via coffee houses, the local campus of Austin Community College, churches, civic organizations – whoever is interested.
And for any big changes – not really since everyday is yet another adventure.
Contact Info:
- Other: belstories@yahoo,com
