Welcome back to all story lovers!

I am happy to announce that we are growing steadily. Check out the YouTube video clips  entitled Forest Storytelling under PROJECTS. That was  a spontaneous happening with no pre-written script, nor did the participants have any idea what visiting Newlands Forest would entail. You will hear  the loud rustle of the leaves of the trees surrounding us aside from some birds chirping;it actually sounds as if it is water from a nearby river!

Do read up on our second writing challenge and you may submit up to two pieces of creating writing. We would like your writing to take on a story structure, even if it is a poem or lyrics or essay. What do I mean by this? Well, a basic story structure involves a beginning, a middle and an ending, which pulls the everything together in a sort of conclusion. An ending can even be a final sentence summing up the whole point of the piece of writing.

Do write to us about any nature-related thoughts, issues and so on. We would LOVE to have your input! Send all submissions  to ecostorybean@gmail.com or comment on our site under ‘Comments.’ Until next time. GET WRITING!

Frances

Sir Ken Robinson writes:

“One of the most urgent issues facing humanity is fixing our broken relationship with the earth, on which all life depends. To do that,  we have to think, feel, and act differently.”

Hello again,

Welcome back!

Given the positive response to our first writing competition, we announce our second! In fact, the idea is to run writing challenges every 6-8 weeks. Learners have expressed their excitement about the opportunity to express themselves on such related topics. What has been particularly heartening is the feedback from participants regarding the last competition. Individual learners have expressed gratitude at the opportunity to write and enter a competition – thanks goes to the recent birth of the Green Bean Story Project. It is early days. Aside from the enthusiastic response from learners, opportunities for us to grow are gradually expanding. Clearly, I feel confident enough, on behalf of this Project, to  report this. Watch this space please. In the meantime, we offer the second story-related writing competition. Go to our Project page to read the vital instructions of how to successfully participate. We are so looking forward to your entries. GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL

Oct 6

We are thrilled to announce the WINNERS of our 1st story competition.

The Gold Award (1st Prize) goes to Vida Owusa for her powerful and relevant piece entitled, The Debacle of Debris.

The Silver Award (Second Prize) goes to Vanessa Atim for her highly evocative piece entitled, The Final Love Story.

WELL DONE to everyone for your quality entries. I truly found it DIFFICULT to decide on the 1st and 2nd winners! PLEASE ENTER THE NEXT COMPETITION!

Some of our fine winners.

Greetings to you all on this blustery Spring day. I am thrilled to announce that I am about to award prizes for out FIRST writing competition. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all the stories and poems and have truly been impressed with the variety of original ideas.

I must say, there seems to be a greater knowledge of environmental issues than when I was 16. I was involved in a recycling initiative at my high school in Swaziland, and it seemed then that I stood alone from my contemporaries. There I was, a representative from the school for the country’s prime green project called Yonge Nawe, meaning nature conservation. I believe there is a growing consciousness and sense of responsibility amongst our youth, especially today’s educated youth, which was far from the norm when I was an adolescent.

So look out for the prize entries and winners early next week!

Hello everybody,

I am excited to be writing this first post simply because it means, we are officially up and running! This is a time when oral storytelling is being reclaimed worldwide and used to enhance learning and remind us of the power of our imaginations – something that seems to have been dormant for a while – if you get what I mean. (Back to that later.) So we here at the GBSP want to do just this, enhance learning, and help individuals realise the power of their imagination and potential to make changes for the better.