Tom Hunter & The Song Growing Co. August Newsletter

[Tom Hunter - The Song Growing Co.]

August newsletter…

Greetings to you all from August that funny month that little by little turns summer toward fall. It’s been dry where we are and there’s a problem growing in that. But it’s also been beautiful, good growing weather when you can watch the runners sent out by the squash actually run and the tomatoes plants get heavier. Even with the garden in late this year, we still ate some sweet broccoli last night and squash and lettuce. Tomatoes and peas are coming, and there’s nothing like the smells of the herb garden after it’s been watered. Here’s hoping summer has been productive and good for you…..

To chew on (in addition to the broccoli…): The National Storytelling Network conference in early July here in Bellingham was fantastic, and I’ll probably chew on it all year! The power of folk tales and contemporary stories told well, the commitment of people who see themselves as caretakers of a craft essential to our humanity – powerful stuff! The conference prompted me to pick up again The Healing Power of Stories (Taylor) wherein I found this: "We are unhappy because we are trying to live by a broken story. As attractive as it is in many respects, the American success story simply doesn’t tell us the truth. It lies both in suggesting that everyone who works hard enough will have these things and in suggesting that once you have them you will finally be happy. It is a testimony to the human appetite for illusion that this story persists in the face of countless counter-stories from disappointed individuals who have followed these paths and found no contentment."… What’s real? How do we tell the honest stories? Many kids are being left behind (and many teachers). "Patriotism" does not mean agreeing and going along. Summer has not been productive and good for some people I know. Honest stories deepen our humanity, and make hope mean something.

Recent event: Wonderful afternoon and evening with our friends, the Oddsons – just sitting around, talking, looking for shade, walking in the woods. laughing at llamas, good food. Time to linger, with no agenda, and a handwritten thank-you letter afterwards, in a homemade envelope with impromptu drawings throughout… There’s something about slowing time down, with friends, that energizes and wants more of it, much more…

Upcoming events: (Much Aug. time for finishing the chicken house, building fences, painting the house, and a likely trip to MI and a cottage in the family for 100 years)
8/2-8/7 – Good Stuff for Kids, workshops with Bev Bos in Roseville
…and that’s it for Aug. musical "work!"
Invitations and information requests for conferences, keynotes, seminars, assemblies, and concerts are coming in pretty regularly these days as people figure out dates and budgets for the 2004-05 school year. Remember, I want my travel to focus more on bigger conferences and repeat events, so please do get requests in as soon as possible so I can plan travel well and have more time for "local" things, i.e. Vancouver to Olympia. Sept. dates set: opening staff day for the Cypress School District in the LA area, Head Start training, all day event at Bellingham Technical College, and some packed days in Chico and the SF Bay Area (9/23-26).

Hype: No big offers this month, just the usual high quality, fantastic, can’t miss, get-‘em-for-your-family-and-friends-for-birthdays-and-celebrations-and-normal-days-when-you-can’t-think-of-anything-else-to-do collection of CD’s you can read about on the web site. (Click here to see what's available.) We’re gearing up for fall which means talk of new projects, how to market what’s here, and vast crews of people with hand-held computers doing inventory (honest story: son Aeden and I counting by hand)….. We’d love to hear from you – about this newsletter, memories of songs in your life, orders for CD’s, random thoughts and jokes… All the best to you for a wonderful August! 



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THE SONG GROWING CO.
1225 E. Sunset Dr., #518
Bellingham, WA  98226
(360) 738-0340
fax: (360) 734-0295
songgrow at tomhunter.com 
www.tomhunter.com 
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