A weekend workshop on Cape Clear - Sold Out!

Joel will be featured performer along with a host of local tellers, where the theme is Truth and Lies.   What's more, he'll do the whole set without a single  reference to our so-called President. (And, if you believe that, you really don't know the difference between truth and lies, so you'll definitely want to come. Afterwards he'll be signing books and CDs, including How I Learned to Love Liver - and other tales too tall to tell, on which every single word is completely true.  He'll also have copies of his award-winning book Dreidels on the Brain - just in time for Hanukkah, which starts on the 12th. Here's the info - Truth and Lies at Los Altos Library

The Wu Wei Tea Temple in Fairfax, Marin County, is a delightful venue for hearing and telling stories.  They have featured storytellers on the first Tuesday of the month, and Joel will be there in December sharing tales of Lights & Laughter.  The crowd is warm and welcoming, the tea and treats are a delight, and admission is free, with a hat passed at the end for donations. He'll be sharing tales appropriate for the season, of finding light in the darkness, with books and CDs available afterwards, just in time for Hanukkah, Kwanza or Christmas.

What better way to get into the Kchaanukkah spirit?  Joel will be spinning Hanukkah tales including his own wild rendition of the story of Chaanukah. Great for kids ages 5 and up, and adults as well, in the beautifully refurbished north branch of the library. Joel will also be sharing a little about his new award-winning Chanukkaahh novel, Dreidels on the Brain (Dial, 2016), in which he challenges God to a game of Dreidel - and uses all 73 spellings of Qchanukkah. All are welcome, Jews and non-Jews alike, whether you're a Hanooka expert, or don't know your gimel from your shin.    

  Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco Joel will be sharing Jewish folktales and a Hanukkah story in the gallery as part of the "Artist as Maggid" exhibit starting in the upstairs gallery at 11:45 until 12:15.  But come earlier at 11:00 for the performances in Goldman Hall, where Joel will begin the storytelling, and there will be other stories and dance as well.  In fact, come for the whole day - it should be fun.  Two adults come free to the museum on family day - when accompanied by a child.  See their web site for more info.   http://Joel ben Izzy Telling Stories at CJM Family Day

        Joel will be a special guest, telling his own wild version of the Kchanukkah story.  You'll also hear songs by the Negunim Chorus, music by the Adama Band, as well as candle lighting and other treats and surprises. Doors open at 1, with the event starting at 2, so plan to arrive early for refreshments and schmoozing.   For tickets, here's the link to The Freight and Salvage.

  Finding and Telling Our Healing Stories Rancho la Puerta is one of the most beautiful places in the world - and a perfect place for finding and sharing stories. Joel's storytelling is one of many inspiring and healing offerings throughout the week at the ranch, from yoga to meditation to hiking to dance to lectures, all with fantastic, healthy food.  It varies each week, so check out their web site to get a full sense of what Rancho la Puerta offers, their rates and so on. As for storytelling, Joel will kick off the week with an evening presentation on "Stories of Wisdom, Stories of Healing."   The class portion of Joel's teaching runs 45 minutes over the course of four days, gathered around a beautiful stone fireplace in the Oaktree Pavilion.   While our stories naturally spill over into other activities, the week at Rancho la Puerta shouldn't be seen as a storytelling intensive, but as a wonderful healing experience, in which stories play a part.     The focus of those workshops will be to find and tell those stories that lie hidden in the distant corners or our memories and imaginations,  treasures amidst the detritus of life. When we discover these stories, they can bring back wisdom we gained long ago, but have somehow forgotten. And when we share these stories, they can bring about a healing of the spirit, which is something we all need.

"Harvesting the Stories of Our Lives" - a Stagebridge Workshop

  Come hear Joel spin tales of the fools of Chelm at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto!  In case you don't know Chelm, it's that tiny village in the Jewish imagination, located on the road from Warsaw to Chotzenplotz, where people are so foolish they believe they are wise.  Joel's stories will be accompanied by musicians from the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, playing klezmer-inspired tunes.  It's a great way to spend lunch laughing - and who doesn't need a good laugh, especially these days?