Welcome to the Story Store: CDs, DVDs, Classes
On this page, you will find descriptions of the CDs, DVDs, and classes that we currently offer.
To place an order, please visit our new Order Form.
Stories for Young People and their Parents
Stories that Sing the Joys, Ironies, and Possibilities of Our Adult Lives
STORIES BASED IN AMERICAN HISTORY
CD ($15)
THE HOME FRONT is a double CD of stories about the women who enabled the American war effort between 1941-1945. ROSIE THE RIVETER, commissioned by NPR’s The Spider Wed for their series, Hand Me Down Heroes, tells the story of three Rosies, each addressing a different issue that women faced when they come to work in the industries created by WW II. From Her Arms to His a stunning slice of American life from the middle of the war years. Initially commissioned by the US Department of the Interior to create a piece about the women who manufactured the M1 rifles in preparation for D-Day at the Springfield Armory, Judith has fashioned a tale that explores the very real lives of those supporting fighting troops. The story punctuates, with rich, human emotion, a chapter out of our national history. (A wonderful piece to bind a cross-generational audience)
Ages 12 and up
“It is both a tribute to a previous generation and a walk down memory lane. It is also a tour de force for Judith Black.” The Montgomery County Sentinel
“Through this tale, one can experience a time and place that history books seldom visit.” Storytelling Magazine
Double CD ( $20)
A study guide for middle and high school students is available for an additional $5
From Her Arms to His Video Production (J&J Productions and the Ct. Valley Historic Society)
Ages 10 and up
Winner: Cable Ace & Springfield Endowment Awards
Nominated: Emmy Award
Video Tape (1 hour $20)
Meet Lucy Stone
Meet the public and private Lucy Stone (1818-1893) and enter her world as she yearns for an education deemed unacceptable for girls, obstinately rejects the idea of marriage and over comes every obstacle to become the ‘shining star’ of the antislavery and woman’s rights movements. She will make you privy to her crisis when wooed and pursued by Henry Blackwell, and live through her angst of choosing between two life long commitments when the 15 Amendment causes a split in the ranks of the woman’s movement.
Ages 11 and up
“People are still talking about your performance and will for a long time. Lucy Stone is inspirational and she will be a role model for generations to come.” Sarah Thompson The Bostonian Society
“This is the best program we have ever produced” Colleen E Janz Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum CD ($15)
WAR: Collierville TN 1863
This is the story of 17-year-old Hannah Jean Conrad and her family as they struggle with the realities of living under the Yankee occupation during this horrific rupture in the fabric of American life. From her passionate support of the Confederate cause to watching her brother and best friend march off on what everyone supposed would be a 30 day adventure, this story explores the differences of opinions within just one family, certainties that have been denied us in history books, and the resilience of the human spirit to learn and love and grow.
Ages 11 and up
Judith Black, a national storyteller, is known for her stunning ability to bring history to life when she creates a piece of historical fiction…I am mesmerized from the first notes of her opening song. When Black closes her story the room erupts into sustained applause in appreciation for this vivid trip to the past.” DC METRO THEATER ARTS
DVD ($15)“
STORIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR PARENTS
Glad to be Who I Am celebrates and empowers young listeners through both traditional and original tales. From a female version of Jack and the Beanstalk, known as Molly Whoppie, to a jazzy Three Billy Goats Gruff, and a heartfelt tale from the big brothers vantage point about his Dumb Baby, these tales speak to the heart and experience of young children.
Ages 4 – 10
(A Gold Medal Winner ’89) “Stories heavily laced with ‘hip’…she puts forward straight wonder.” Parents Choice Magazine – A Gold Medal Winner
CD ($15)
OOPS MA!: Songs and Stories of Family Life is a hilarious set of seven stories, with songs, by Victor Cockburn, reflecting the trials and tribulations of a family’s daily rituals. From those little footsteps approaching your bed before the sun has risen to the endless debates about how many bedtime books to read, these stories pull their issues from our daily lives, and their resolutions from the best that our imaginations and humor can conjure.
Ages 4 and up
“Were you taking notes at our house?” Local Psychologist “I love the tape and recommend it highly” The Family Network News
CD ($15)
Blooming: Stories for Girls to Grow On! is a joyous compilation of five folk, original, and historic tales created to inspire all the bloomin’ possibilities in a growing girl. From the childhood of Woman’s Rights advocate Lucy Stone, to the court of an ancient mandarin, these tales offer models of how to walk towards the many aspirations that young women hold in their hearts.
Ages 7 -14 years
National Honor Tape – Storytelling World 2001 Seal of Excellence Award – Parents Guide to Children’s Media “Highly recommended, especially for adolescent girls.” – Booklist Special Distinction National Youth Storytelling Pegasus Award
CD ($15)
STORIES THAT SING THE JOYS, IRONIES, AND POSSIBILITIES OF OUR ADULT LIVES
ESAU MY SON The Hysterical Story of One Parent and Educators Learning Curve. “Darling, honey, boychik! Our people, we become doctors, lawyers, CPAs. We don’t join the Marine Corps.” This is story about raising the child you did not expect to be yours. ESAU MY SON is a funny, touching, and poignantly honest story about one parents learning curve.
Ages 12 and up
CD ($15)
Banned in the Western Suburbs. Stories about adult passions, choices and relationships are for the big people. These are tales about the projections, insecurities, fantasies, and realities that well up when one is attempting to attract and negotiate relationships with the opposite sex. Included in this collections is The Window Washers, as performed at the National Storytelling Festival’s Midnight Cabaret. You’ll laugh till you weep.
Ages 16 and up
“For a wicked good time…” The Boston Globe One of the years Ten Best small theater productions…” The Boston Phoenix
Double CD Set ($20.00)
Adult Children of …Parents is a comedic saga about the coming of middle age, and dysfunctional (is there any other kind)families. Can one woman raise her child, make peace with her parents, and grow in a way that is not a warped extension of her own childhood? The issues of this tale touch all of us who are trying to grow out of where we came from and into who we could be.
Ages 14 and up
“…not only painful and poignant, but gut-wrenchingly hilarious.” The Boston Globe National Honor Tape – Storytelling World Magazine
90 minute CD ($15)
That Fading Scent: A Seditious Comedy About Women and Aging Women
Yearning for some comedic empowerment as you barrel towards the far end of your ‘genital functions?’ Men, trying to figure out how to support your beloved through these years? This is the show for you. Filmed live during a run at The Griffen Theater in Salem MA you can now take this remarkable show into your living room
Ages 18 and up
“This is the thinking woman’s version of Menopause: The Musical,……. Black is a warm and dynamic storyteller, exposing the legacy of bias against older women with a wry sense of humor. In fact, she shows how life after 50 can be wonderful. …….Smart and undeniably funny, That Fading Scent… is a great example of the power of storytelling.” The Orlando Sentinel
$15 (DVD)
Retiring the Champ: Coaching Life’s Last Big Bout
End of life care can be a great black hole or the beginning of new understandings and relationships within a family. When Michael, who always referred to his mother as “the little Pitt Bull,” discovers he is the only one available to guide her through the maze of Alzheimer’s and into death, he feels the same thrill you and I might at the prospect of going for a root canal. You are hereby invited to take this journey; the physical one from downsizing and dealing with the medical and elder care establishment, the social one involving the delicate weave of family relationships and the spiritual one that takes this son from angry boy to soulful adult.
“Judith Black is like a repertory company of one….She wittily conveys the trials and tribulations of one of life’s trickiest passages, negotiating our parents’ sometimes long and winding ending.” Mobsy Strange Kennedy, The Improper Bostonian
“Like most of Black’s stories, it’s funny and touching, filled with colorful characters, accents and songs. And it’s thought provoking.” The Boston Globe
“Black’s one woman show, Retiring the Champ, is about redemption…also like all of Black’s tales, filled with laughter.” The North Shore Sunday
2 CD Set ($20)
STORIES THAT SHARE JEWISH CULTURE AND TRADITIONS
LOOKING FOR G-d’s DOORBELL is a tragicomedy about the American bar mitzvah experience. When your child asks for the hundredth time “Why are we doing this,” a parent is obliged to find an authentic answer. This is the story of that journey.
Ages 11 – adult
…a wonderful evocation of the struggle to keep one’s children rooted in Judaism. Judith’s story reaches the depths where we all are one.” Linda Weltner- Boston Globe Columnist
CD ($15)
Waiting for Elijah
This collection of traditional, literary, midrashic and original stories will introduce and deepen your understanding of Jewish holidays and traditions. From young Sarah’s anticipation of Aunt Tillie’s Fatal Pinch, to Miriam’s account of the Exodus, these stories bring you into the contemporary experience and ancient wisdom that is Judaism.
Ages 6 – adult
“Stirs us into warm holiday anticipation” Lilith Magazine
CD ($15)
Note: “Adult Children of…Parents” and “Retiring The Champ: Coaching Life’s Last Big Bout” also contain a good portion of Jewish content. (See above)
OTHER STUFF
Telling Stories To Children: A Four Day Class in Marblehead MA at the end of June $395
4-Day Course ($395)
Deposit Only for 4-Day Course ($75)
More Information: www.tellingstoriestochildren.com
Making Stories from life: A Three day Class in Marblehead MA the first weekend in February $350
3 Day Classes ($350)
Deposit Only for 3 Day Classes ($75)
More Information: https://storiesalive.com/making-stories-from-your-life/