Arrrrr you ready for pirates?
September 19, 2023ARRR!! Avast! Scurvy! … ummm, bilge?
There is a scene in Disney’s 2003 blockbuster “The Curse of the Black Pearl '' in which an experienced pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, and a total novice, William Turner, commandeer a British warship. As they charge up to the British sailors, young William gets caught up in the moment and shouts, “Avast!” – at which everyone bursts into laughter. Clearly, in this cinematic universe, that is not how pirates talk. And perhaps you too have tried to talk like a pirate, only to stumble after a few words on the realization that you don’t actually know many “pirate words.” Apparently, real pirates didn’t either! As much fun as it is to celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19th), the whole concept is based on, shall we say, revisionist history. Real pirates most likely just talked like everybody else. How boring!
Fortunately, the pirate genre in literature (and film) has never bothered much with historical accuracy, and far be it from us to break with tradition. And with that in mind: let's talk about our new pirate story!
Pirate Problems is our very first pirate story, written and narrated by Ryan Aoto. It centers on the short-tempered Captain Cross. Stranded on a deserted island with a broken boat and an incompetent crew, Captain Cross has sought solitude. He knows knows that blowing up at his crew could lead to mutiny. Yet, before long it becomes clear that without his guidance, they will never fix their ship and get off the island. Although irreverent and fun on a superficial level, the story addresses some serious topics: Teamwork. Sense of Duty. Selfishness. And of course Anger, and how to deal with it (or how not to).
Listen and share, Dial-A-Story mateys! Yo Ho Ho!
Literary Links & LibraryCall News
August 3, 2023This month, to help you escape the August doldrums, we're bringing you a fun literary link roundup, as well as a bit of exciting news and some story ideas. Enjoy!
Discover Stories from Afghanistan with Arezo Mayaar
July 14, 2023
This week, we’d like to introduce you to Arezo Mayaar, LibraryCall’s Dari and Pashto language contributor. Arezo, whose name means "wish" in Dari (Afghan Persian/Farsi), wrote and narrated our first 12 audio stories in Dari, one of Afghanistan's two national languages.
Sharing Summer Stories
June 17, 2023Browse our list of recommended Summer Reading titles and learn about LibraryCall's web streaming option for sharing your stories.
Introducing our new Dari story collection!
May 18, 2023We are excited to announce that we have recently added a new Dari story collection to the Storytime Commons.
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Meet: Ana and Waslene
March 31, 2023Introducing... two new stories to inspire the families in your community and open doors to new cultures and experiences!
10 spring story picks
March 20, 2023Happy first day of spring!
Whether the blossom buds are popping open in your community or you're covered in snow and thinking about the promise of warmer weather, we thought it would be a good day to share some spring-inspired story picks with you.
Two stories: one inspiring, one peculiar
February 28, 2023On this last day of Black History Month, we highlight the remarkable story of Inventor Garrett Morgan: Champion of Safety by Lauren Kratz Prushko. We also share an odd little gem we came across when combing through the public domain.
Take your dial-a-story to new heights with Mae Jemison
February 15, 2023As we move into the third week of February, we continue to highlight important Black Americans and their stories. This week we’re featuring the story of renowned scientist and astronaut Mae Jemison who became the first African American woman to travel to space in 1992.
Author Spotlight: Anita Gail Jones
February 10, 2023Sharing exciting news from Anita Gail Jones-- author, storytelling, and LibraryCall contributor!
Sharing Black stories this month and all year long
February 3, 2023Happy February! It’s Black History Month, which gives us another good reason to highlight the recordings in our catalog that celebrate influential African Americans and their stories.
In this article, we also share an invitation to a free virtual summit hosted by The Galecia Group.