Storyteller Was ‘Terminally Shy’ at Start, but Now Reigns in Residence

Katy Rydell believes in the healing power of telling a good story. “It’s an incredible experience,” she said, “to have a chance to speak and to know people will listen.”

Describing herself as “almost terminally shy,” Rydell said that in the 10 years since she became a professional storyteller, she has found strength in the art form.

“In the course of normal social discourse, people interrupt, they ask questions, they talk at you,” she said. “If you’re shy, it’s hard to be assertive.”

But with storytelling, “It’s real nice to have your 10 minutes that you don’t have to fight for.”

Rydell’s most satisfying accomplishments these days come from sharing the secrets of her art with others. As the Long Beach Public Library’s storyteller in residence, Rydell runs storytelling workshops for children and adults. On Oct. 15, she hosted “Voices and Faces,” where locals gathered to tell the stories of their lives in Long Beach.

She also has written a children’s book, “Wind Says Good Night,” to be published in the spring. In 1991, she was one of six storytellers statewide invited to perform at the prestigious Sierra Storytelling Festival in Nevada City.

As editor of a newsletter detailing the events and news of storytelling in the West, Rydell has seen the art form grow tremendously in the last few years, she said. In Southern California, the number of storytelling groups has grown from one to a dozen, she said, with hundreds of people of varying skills telling tales.

Rydell is not sure why storytelling has become so popular. “There are a lot of theories,” she said. “Maybe it has something to do with the folk music revival. Or maybe people are bored with TV. Or maybe people are looking for an art form that allows them to connect with each other. I’m not really good at theories. I just enjoy telling stories.”

When Rydell first started going to storytellers’ meetings in Santa Monica, she was too frightened to speak. “I didn’t talk to anybody and never told a story for six months.” Still, she said, she kept going back.

Since she came from a family of artists, she said, “being creative was always an important part of my life.” So one night at the meeting, she told a story.

“It was fun, people laughed, they listened, they applauded. It felt real good. So I did it again and again and again.”

Mostly Rydell tells traditional folk tales, although she has written a few stories herself. Telling stories is a lot more difficult than people imagine, she said. “If it’s done well, it looks effortless so everybody thinks they can do it and they hop up to tell a story about their favorite dog. It’s a lot harder than that. It’s hard work to shape a story.”

Even so, Rydell can give a storytelling lesson in less than 10 seconds: “Hear a lot of stories and tell a lot of stories.”

Although Rydell doubts she will ever get rich telling stories--”I couldn’t do this if I didn’t have a husband with a real job,” she said, laughing--she is committed to it. With the help of several grants, she initiated the library’s Storyteller in Residence Program last year. The money is about to run out, but Rydell hopes to find more funding to keep the work going.

“There is an incredible hunger for (storytelling),” she said. “Long Beach is a hotbed of traditional storytelling” because of its large immigrant population. And discovering all those stories keeps her going, she said. “It’s neat to see somebody wake up to the value of storytelling in their own culture.”

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Herb Tyrnauer, professor of design at Cal State Long Beach, won the education award from the Industrial Designers Society of America. Tyrnauer was one of seven educators nationwide to receive the award, which honors designers who have made significant contributions to education.

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The Long Beach Public Corporation for the Arts recently announced its 1993 Distinguished Arts Award recipients. The awards honor Long Beach-based visual and performing artists and arts administrators. Sue Ann Robinson received the distinguished visual artist award. Actress Lucy Daggett won the performing artist award. Long Beach Opera Executive Director Michael Milenski won as distinguished arts administrator. Cal State Long Beach Art Museum educators Charles and Elizabeth Brooks shared the outstanding arts educator award. Sylvia Hartman, longtime Long Beach arts activist, received the outstanding volunteer award.

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Three El Rancho High School graduates were inducted recently into the El Rancho Unified School District’s Hall of Fame. They are: U.S. Marshal’s Service Chief Charles Almanza, class of 1970; English Prof. Ruben David Quintero, class of 1967; and pathologist Theresa Loya, class of 1961. The three received honors from their former Pico Rivera high school for achievement in their professions.

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Six area residents have won the Greater Long Beach Area Senior of the Year award. They are: Fran Carrier, Belle Wells and Jesse Wynn, all of Long Beach, Catherine Blevens of Lakewood, Jackie Jackson of Bellflower and Frieda Tomich of Paramount.