Offers illuminating analogies and concrete examples in a ten step "layered" approach to the writing process and story creation.

Inspiring autobiography by an Emmy Award winning story performer.

Imagine a universe constructed in layers: At the top is Heaven—where the gods live. Beneath is the Earth, where people dwell. And beneath the Earth lies a magical realm of witches, vampires, ghosts, and immortal foxes capable of assuming human form. This is the universe of Chinese folktale. The nine tales in The Chinese Storytellers Book show what happens when the worlds of Earth and the supernatural collide. The cast of characters, both humble and fantastic, includes: A young man willing to spend a night in a haunted mansion to prove that the spirit world does not exist Fox faeries wearying of their immortality and craving the uncertainty of human experiences A bored husband looking for excitement—but finding mortal danger instead Michael David Kwan first heard these tales told by street–corner storytellers during his childhood in China. He retells them through his own unique literary vision—through the lens of his own personality, experience, and imagination.

An “immensely readable” journey through modern Chinese history told through the experiences of the author’s extended family (Christian Science Monitor). When journalist Scott Tong moved to Shanghai, his assignment was to start the first full-time China bureau for “Marketplace,” the daily business and economics program on public radio stations across the US. But for Tong the move became much more: an opportunity to reconnect with members of his extended family who’d remained there after his parents fled the communists six decades prior. Uncovering their stories gave him a new way to understand modern China’s defining moments and its long, interrupted quest to go global. A Village with My Name offers a unique perspective on China’s transitions through the eyes of regular people who witnessed such epochal events as the toppling of the Qing monarchy, Japan’s occupation during WWII, exile of political prisoners to forced labor camps, mass death and famine during the Great Leap Forward, market reforms under Deng Xiaoping, and the dawn of the One Child Policy. Tong focuses on five members of his family, who each offer a specific window on a changing country: a rare American-educated girl born in the closing days of the Qing Dynasty, a pioneer exchange student, a toddler abandoned in wartime who later rides the wave of China’s global export boom, a young professional climbing the ladder at a multinational company, and an orphan (the author’s daughter) adopted in the middle of a baby-selling scandal fueled by foreign money. Through their stories, Tong shows us China anew, visiting former prison labor camps on the Tibetan plateau and rural outposts along the Yangtze, exploring the Shanghai of the 1930s, and touring factories across the mainland—providing a compelling and deeply personal take on how China became what it is today. “Vivid and readable . . . The book’s focus on ordinary people makes it refreshingly accessible.” —Financial Times “Tong tells his story with humor, a little snark, [and] lots of love . . . Highly recommended, especially for those interested in Chinese history and family journeys.” —Library Journal (starred review)

In the little town of Bethlehem, many years ago, a young boy lived with his mother. They lived in stables throughout the village, finding work with the innkeepers. Although they were poor and had to work hard to survive, the boy's mother had a strong faith in God. But the boy was afraid the coming Messiah she always spoke of would be unable to find them since they traveled from stable to stable. When the boy was just six years old, his mother became sick and passed away. The boy was very sad, and from that day on, he did not speak a word. For the next two years, he wandered the streets of Bethlehem, struggling to carry on. No one knew his name, so he became known simply as the Stable Boy. One evening, the Stable Boy overheard people talking about the Messiah his mother used to tell him about. He fell asleep dreaming of the King coming for him. Would the Messiah really come for The Stable Boy?

Chinese storytelling has survived through more than a millennium into our own time, while similar oral arts have fallen into oblivion in the West. Under the main heading of 'The Eternal Storyteller', in August 1996 the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies hosted an International Workshop on Oral Literature in Modern China. To this meeting, the first of its kind in Europe, five special guests were invited - master tellers from Yangzhou: Wang Xizotang, Li Xintang, Fei Zhengliang, Dai Buzhang and Hui Zhaolong. The volume derived from this meeting includes an introductory article written by John Miles Foley entitled 'A Comparative View on Oral Traditions'. Thereafter, a wide range of topics relating to Chinese oral literature is covered under the headings: 'Historical Lines', 'A Spectrium of Genres', 'Studies of Yangzhou and Suzhou Story- telling' and 'Performances of Yangzhou Storytelling'. However, the present volume does more than include papers derived from the meeting. It is also lavishly illustrated in word and picture from performances by the guest-storytellers. In so doing, the world of Chinese story telling is not just described and analysed - it is also brought to life.