storylaura

SENDING: I always send my swaps; if I'm going to be late I will let you know. If you don't receive anything within two weeks of the send date please contact me!

RATING: I rate swaps within a day or two of receiving them, so if you're worried that I've not gotten your package please get in touch. I will rate a 5 if the package meets swap requirements and arrives in anything remotely resembling a timely fashion. I won't rate a 1 without contacting you first.

HEARTS AND STARS: I give hearts if thoughtful extras are included or if it seems like someone really went to the trouble of customizing a swap to my profile. I give stars to coordinators who check in with participants and those who provide really clear swap instructions.

So who am I? Good question.

I am a storyteller, writer, dreamer, listener. I write. I tell stories. Not usually for kids. Odd magical realism, stories that take you by surprise. I'm not quite a performance artist but not a typical storyteller either.

I am a professional storyteller who tells mostly original stories mostly to grownups. My degree is in folklore and mythology - I'm not a big Disney fan but love the old Grimm stories, world myth, etc.

I identify as Jewish and pagan, observing holy days from both; I consider myself spiritual rather than religious, finding the sacred in the outside world as well as in human kindness. My worldview has some Buddhist leanings as well, so I guess I'm something of a spiritual magpie.

I believe that dreams are important, that magic is possible but not always what we expect, and that the world is a big place with limitless possibility. I believe that most people will be kind if you give them the chance. I believe that compassion and tolerance are of vital importance in all interactions, and that my kindness can propagate throughout the world.

Music: I listen to a lot of world music, lounge remixes, classical and singer/songwriter kinds of stuff. I love Bruce Cockburn, Tom Waits, Laura Love, Beatles, old school punk from time to time, smart rock (eg Warren Zevon, who else writes about the Spanish American War?), etc.

Film: thoughtful films. old horror movies, but not really bloody modern movies. good comedies, not dumb ones. old B movies. Cult films. Some films I love include: Casablanca, Trust, Bubba Ho-Tep, Stranger than Fiction, Bliss (australian film from the 80s), Tideland etc etc.

Television: I don't watch much tv. When I do it tends to be stuff like Six Feet Under, Sopranos, House, The Daily Show, Dr. Who, Torchwood, cooking shows, Dexter.

Books, blessed books

I read a great deal of fiction, ranging from heavy stuff to mysteries to some sci-fi/fantasy to a very few romance authors. What matters to me is the writing. If something is well written, well thought through and has some grace to the language then I am likely to enjoy it. Excessively self-aware stuff can be fun, but gets annoying after awhile, and poorly edited material irks me. A few of my favorite authors include Jeanette Winterson, Robertson Davies, Neil Gaiman and Sherman Alexie. I also love 20th century poetry, intelligent, playful science writing; myths and folktales and accompanying analysis; cookbooks; some magazines (I currently love Body and Soul, Utne Reader, Harpers, Atlantic).

Joseph Cornell-y boxes, shrines, collage, origami, found objects, altered stuff, writing, mixed cds, spoken word, ATCs, other paper crafts, etc etc. Quirky art.

I love outsider/visionary art and other things that really represent the artist's passion and vision. Primitive art, cave art, all thrill me.

I like rich, vibrant colors; complex designs; playful art.

I like the eclectic, whimsical, eccentric and unexpected. I find good art, or things created with great passion, to be inspirational.

I like cross-cultural stuff, and especially the fringier things. Botanicas, roadside shrines, suggestions of the other, the arcane, mysterious, whimsical and eccentric all fascinate me.

I love thunderstorms and rivers, good conversations and odd overheard moments. I like realistic insects and sea creatures. I am not frightened by them, but find them beautiful.

I enjoy botanical, anatomical and zoological illustrations. Freak shows, carnivals, the things around the corner all draw me.

I am repeatedly made hopeful by the limitless possibility of the human heart and imagination.

I went kite flying the other day and was reminded of how important it is to be joyful and tell dirty jokes with people you love.

I don't tend to wear pastels. I'm not really fond of cutesy, though sometimes it amuses me, especially if it has a sense of irony to it.

I don't care for very sweetly scented incense, candles or body products and am allergic to lavender. I don't wear nail polish or makeup nor do I want lip gloss.

My ears are pierced but I don't react well to cheap earrings (my earlobes swell) - surgical stainless and silver plate are fine as well as inexpensive!

I am a sensualist.

I like natural scents (sandalwood, musk, freesia, fresh mown grass, jasmine, the ocean, raw silk, rain, the ocean, baking bread, real musk, etc).

I love good bath products. Please note I have skin sensitivity to lavender.

Food, I love food. Dark or milk chocolate, good caramel (especially fleur de sel caramel), good tea, truly fresh fruit, good tomatoes, world cuisine, etc. I love to cook and can spend a long time happily playing in the kitchen. The shared sensual experience of eating and cooking is a wonderful thing.

The feel of silk, velvet, good cotton, the wind in my hair, experiences like these help remind me that the secret of life is to live it.

Wants * Old books (I keep buying antique books to alter and end up reading them instead). * Old diaries and paper ephemera. * Useful items, kitchen goods, etc. * Odd things I can glue to other things (metal bits, shells, found objects, sparkly things, etc). * Pressed leaves, pebbles, feathers, etc. * Interesting printed fabric. Ikat dyed fabric. etc. * Interesting rubber stamps (not holiday themed nor cutesy) * Good tea * Writing prompts * Old snapshots * Odd objects (shrines, anthropologica, etc) * Unusual spices * Real Day of the Dead objects.

Offers * Paper ephemera (old book pages etc) * ATC or collage stuff * Odd little knick-knacks * Beads * Buttons * Storytelling tapes and CDs * Writing prompts * Old postage stamps * Unusual spices

Reading this over I sound like some kind of humorless twit. I'd like to think I'm not.

Monty Python, Stephen Colbert, biting political satire in general, puns, Family Guy in spite of myself, third grade jokes (what did the fish say when he swam into a wall?), stupid hats, rhinestone glasses, snarky comments, etc etc.