Fools and Wise Men

Syd Lieberman brings his talents to the James Hess Folklore and Storytelling Festival in East Brunswick.

By: John Saccenti

SYD LIEBERMAN

   Syd Lieberman captures moments. Small ones. The kind that can make up a week, or a day, or an hour, or even just a few minutes.
   These moments may be small, but to Mr. Lieberman, these fragments of experience are what make up some of the most memorable moments in life, and they are what he shares with audiences around the world as an acclaimed storyteller and author.
   "We capture our moments in many ways. In photographs, when we show our photographs, we always tell the story behind the photo," says Mr. Lieberman from his Evanston, Ill., home. "That’s what I’m trying to do. Storytelling is a scrapbook of moments from my life and my kids’ lives that I’ve captured."
   Mr. Lieberman has been a professional storyteller for 22 years. He has appeared at major storytelling festivals across the country, including appearances at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn., and as a guest storyteller and host on American Public Radio’s Good Evening.
   He’ll bring his talents to the East Brunswick Public Library as part of the 12th Annual James Hess Folklore and Storytelling Festival Nov. 20 and 21.
   Mr. Lieberman has received international acclaim as well as high-profile assignments. In 2002, he was featured in The Call of Story, a PBS storytelling special. He has worked extensively with the Smithsonian Institute and in 1991 was featured in its "Word of Mouth" program for educators. He returned to be part of a performance series, The Renaissance in Storytelling: America’s Master Storytellers Come to the Smithsonian. In 1993, he was commissioned by the Smithsonian to write a story about the fighter pilots of World War I for the National Air and Space Museum. The audiotape, The Intrepid Birdmen, won awards from The American Library Association and Parents’ Choice.
   "What I’m about is kind of a celebration of life," says Mr. Lieberman, "and that doesn’t mean, all, ‘Hey, hey, it’s terrific.’ It means a celebration of all of its aspects, from laughter and joy and success to tears and failure. That’s what I try to do."
   Mr. Lieberman started writing and telling stories about his children, Zach and Sira, when they were 9 and 11 — now 27 and 29 respectively — and he’s been telling them in public ever since, something he said has been a blessing. In fact, stories about growing up in Chicago, or pivotal moments in his children’s lives, make up much of Mr. Lieberman’s work.
   "What I’m trying to do in these stories, if they work, (is to) touch universals," he says. "It doesn’t matter that I’m talking about my 11-year-old daughter. If I’m right, I’m talking about everyone’s 11-year-old daughter."
   Mr. Lieberman’s storytelling experience began before he assumed the title of storyteller. Sharing anecdotes to his students as a high school English teacher in Chicago, a role he held for 30 years, helped him perfect the art of capturing moments and relating them in a way that was entertaining, as well as educational.
   "Teenagers are in the identity business," he says. "They don’t know the adults around them. People don’t really talk to them. I found those kids were thirsty to see who you were. They always enjoyed it, and I always enjoyed doing it."
   The leap from a small audience of students to a large public audience didn’t take long. It was 1982, he was 38 at the time, and going through what he called a mid-life crisis. After attending a storytelling class in Wisconsin, he promptly went home to his local library and told the librarian, a friend, that he was a storyteller and that he would like to perform.
   Soon after, he found himself in front of a group of 100 people, 90 of whom were friends. He was so nervous that he forgot the story he was going to tell. Fortunately, his wife, Adrienne, a professional writer and editor, was on hand with a signboard that had the story written out.
   Now, he’s telling stories around the world.
   Mr. Lieberman draws from his audiences, and while his pieces don’t change whole cloth, an audience’s response will sometimes affect the way he tells the story that day, and in the future. In fact, he says the audience is half the storytelling process.
   "The story lives between you, between my words and what I’m doing and their imaginations. We’re doing it together," Mr. Lieberman says. "I think, if you’re a good storyteller, you can feel that out there, you need to let people laugh when it’s time to laugh, and give it to them, if there are tears, to really feel that too."
   He says his performances are written, edited and rewritten before hand, but audiences won’t know that.
   "It sounds like I’m talking to you, which is what I’m doing," Mr. Lieberman says. "But the pieces are very crafted. You don’t see the seams. You don’t see the writing. This is an art form that everybody knows. At the end of the day, people come home and say, ‘Guess what happened to me,’ and you’re telling stories."
   Mr. Lieberman’s East Brunswick performances will include an adult performance and a family performance. During both, he said listeners could expect to hear stories about his life, about his children, and about his time growing up in Chicago — the kind of moments, he said, that are filled with gold.
   "It’s generally funny. It will be fun," he says. "I will guarantee laughter, but also teaching. There will be some tears in the hours."
   For the family program, Mr. Lieberman will switch gears a bit, and take children around the world by sharing folktales. Character voices and participation will be emphasized.
   "(The folktales) work because the kids, as kids, recognize the truth in them," he says. "The truth can be serious, it can be funny. They’re just ringing a bell."
The 12th Annual James Hess Folklore and Storytelling Festival will take place at the East Brunswick Public Library, 2 Jean Walling Civic Center, East Brunswick, Nov. 20-21. The adult program, "Eavesdropping on Life," will take place Nov. 20, 8 p.m. Admission costs $15 and includes a dessert buffet. The family program, "Tricksters, Fools, and Wise Men: Folk Tales from Around the World," will take place Nov. 21, 2 p.m. Tickets cost $3, or $7 per family. Tickets are available until sold out. To order, call the library at (732) 390-6789 or (732) 390-6783. On the Web: www.ebpl.org