AUBURN — The Auburn Public Library has announced that renowned Master Storyteller Odds Bodkin will be at the library on Monday and Tuesday, June 24 and 25, to help kick off the 2019 Summer Library Program, “A Universe of Stories.”
The Children’s Summer Reading Program will begin Monday with Master Storyteller Odds Bodkin’s presentation of “Rip Roarin’ Paul Bunyan Tales.” Introduced with six-string guitar, Odds brings forth Sourdough Sam, the inimitable chronicler of Paul Bunyan’s astonishing feats. Sam tells the stories, leaving Odds behind somewhere.
Not only do characters speak, but vocal sound effects for roaring wind, crashing trees, mooing oxen, bull whips, giant bumblebees and other crazy things fly past, adding imagery to Bodkin’s high-energy telling.
The program is for children and their families and will take place from 6 to 7 p.m.
The Teen Summer Library Program kick-off will feature “Hercules in Hell: A Greek Myth” at 1 p.m. Tuesday. The compelling, rugged tale explores the myth of Hercules, the ancient Greek hero, from his early murders and madness through his 12 Labors to his bizarre death.
Bodkin accompanies the tale with a full score on 12-string guitar and tells it using voices for Hercules, Hades, Persephone and a host of other gods and mortals. Ultimately a tale about learning empathy and self-control, it also includes a solid exploration of Greek mythology for young people.
The program is for teens and adults, but is not recommended for listeners under age 11.
Since 1982, Bodkin has combined dramatic voices, vocal effects, narrative and live music to create imaginative experiences for audiences. During those decades he has created hundreds of tales that range from a four-hour version of “The Odyssey” to children’s musicals. Using 12-string guitars, Celtic harp and folk instruments without electronic effects, he transforms his voice into heroes, giants, villains and animals while playing live music to help create vivid, cinematic soundscapes. He also creates realistic effects with his voice — water droplets, wind, galloping hoofs, crashing waves — to add imagery to his tales.
A published children’s author and award-winning recording artist, he has toured Great Britain, performed twice at The White House, been called “a consummate storyteller” by The New York Times for his Off-Broadway shows at Lincoln Center and been a featured teller at the National Storytelling Festival. His recordings and books have won Parents’ Choice, Indie, Golden Headset, Storytelling World, Pick of the Lists, Editors’ Choice and Dove awards.
For details on this and other upcoming children’s and teen programs this summer, visit the Auburn Public Library calendar at www.auburnpubliclibrary.org (click on “Events” at the top of the page) or call the APL at 207-333-6640.
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