Fairview Heights Public Library, July 28, 2004
Article in Fairview Heights Suburban Journal
Fairview Heights Public Library's series
ends with puppet show
Tiffany Garner
Of the Suburban Journals
Fairview Heights Public Library finished its Summer Live
Performance series on Wednesday with a storyteller and puppet show.
Marilyn Kinsella, a
Fairview Heights native, said she was delighted to be part of the library's
performance series and enjoys working with children. The library's staff also
was delighted with the performances it had this series.
"The performances were really great this year," said Pam Winslow, assistant to
youth services. "We were very pleased and the children really enjoyed themselves
this summer."
Jean Hardes, of Fairview Heights, brought her two grandchildren, Tylan and
Tarian Reebes, to the library because she thought that the program would be
interesting.
"It was fantastic and the children really enjoyed it, as did I," she said.
Kerrie Cruikshank, of Swansea, and her children, third grader Cole and
kindergartner Chase, have enjoyed the live performances all summer and will miss
them.
"We've been part of the reading program this entire summer," Cruikshank said.
"It's been wonderful."
Kinsella
read the book "Purple, Green and Yellow" and performed an original puppet
show of the Piasa Bird.
Six-year old Jessica Stern and her 8-year old sister Amanda, both of Fairview
Heights, really liked the puppet show.
"The drawing was really neat with all the stuff on it," Jessica said referring
to a drawing of the Piasa bird.
Kinsella said she had a realization in 1981 that led her to storytelling.
"It was like a bolt of lightning when I first told a story," she said. "I just
knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life."
Kinsella, who was a
teacher before becoming a storyteller, spent 17 years working at the
Edwardsville Public Library with children.
"I love everything about storytelling," she said. "I love children's literature,
books and being creative."
She wrote a book called "Fair Views from Old Fairview,"
which she describes as
universal stories about people growing up in small towns in the 50s.
"There is this creative spark I get when I write and tell stories and when it
hits me it makes me feel good," she said.
Kinsella,
who wanted to be an actress growing up, now spends her life performing for
children.
"People think that storytelling is about memorizing words but that isn't the
case at all," she said. "What it's really about is memorizing images and if you
know the image then you can't really get lost because you can always work around
that image."
Kinsella said that the
time she needs to prepare for a story varies anywhere from a couple of weeks to
a couple of months.
The puppet show is a new addition to her storytelling and she received her
puppet stage as a Christmas present.
"It's all about finding something that you love to do," she said. "And I love
this."
Patchwork
