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Further reading This talk was written for the Joan Bodger Memorial Lecture, which I was honored to give in April, 2006, as part of the Toronto Festival of Storytelling. It has been published in Appleseed Quarterly, the journal of Storytellers of Canada/Conteurs du Canada and the Storytellers School of Toronto. For reprint rights, please contact The Tellery. All quotes are copyright to their authors and publishers. Please do not reproduce the essay or any of the material quoted within it without permission of Dan Yashinsky or the original authors.

Have a listen ... In 2006 I was the Toronto Public Library’s storyteller-in-residence. In that role I visited communities all over Toronto, led workshops for seniors, youth, immigrant groups, and generally had a great time. I also recorded some stories for the library’s dial-a-story program. One day, I met a friend of my son. They were on the same swim team, and this young man was blind. When he heard my voice, he said, “I know you.” I asked him how this was possible, since we’d never met before. “Because I’ve heard all of your stories over the telephone.” He proceeded to retell them to me, and I was amazed to hear that he’d made them even better! Here are four of the stories from the dial-a-story program. You’re welcome to listen to them, or, if you’re inspired, retell them yourselves. They are: 1) The Dreamer of Baghdad; 2) The True Legend of How Gogama, Ontario, Got Its Name; 3) The Red Shirt of Courage; 4) Ivan and The Czar’s Dreams. For more information about Toronto Public Library’s dial-a-story program, please visit: www.torontopubliclibrary.ca.