With great gusto, a child's grandmother performs deep knee bends, consumes a breakfast of "huevos estrellados," and practices vocal exercises before going to work as a storyteller.

"In twelfth century, Persia, clever and dreamy Shaherazade stumbles on the Malik's beloved wife entwined with a lover in a sun-dappled courtyard. When Shaherazade recounts her first tale, the story of this infidelity, to the Malik, she sets the Seljuk Empire on fire. Enraged at his wife's betrayal, the once-gentle Malik beheads her. But when that killing does not quench his anger, the Malik begins to marry and behead a new bride each night. Furious...

Publisher's description: This two-volume collection of folktales represents some of the finest examples of American oral tradition. Drawn from the largest archive of American folk culture, The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the first-of-its-kind set includes magic tales, legends, jokes, tall tales, and personal narratives -- over 200 in all, many of which have never been previously transcribed or published. Eminent folklorist...

Long ago in Germany, a storyteller's story and an apprentice clockwork-maker's nightmare meet in a menacing, lifelike figure created by the strange Dr. Kalmenius.

Akane takes on the world of rakugo to avenge her father! Shinta Arakawa wants nothing more than to pass his shin'uchi exam--the test that would make him a top-rank headliner and master storyteller in the traditional Japanese art of rakugo. Akane Osaki, his daughter and biggest fan, spies on him while he practices and learns his routines for herself. When rakugo master Issho Arakawa expels everyone after the exam with no explanation, a fire is lit...

"A novel of man's relationship with nature, power, and the vitality of storytelling, from beloved Thai author Saneh Sangsuk. The lovable, yarnspinning monk Luang Paw Tien, now in his nineties, is the last person in his village to bear witness to the power and plenitude of the jungle before agrarian and then capitalist life took over his community. Nightly, he entertains the children of his village with tales from his younger years: his long pilgrimage...

"Granny Fuzz tells the tale of the mysterious hero Iron Purl and how her knitting superpower saved everyone from the mischief caused by her nemesis, Bandit Bob"--

A secret club of storytellers tell tales about hidden possibilities. These exceptional beings gather inside the imagination of a traveler, where they've been trying to speak to him for his entire life. Sparks fly as the traveler learns to listen to them, for when his dreamworld and reality touch, the solid world of things reveals to him an upper sphere of existence forged in wonder and awe. From A.T. French comes a mesmerizing debut collection of...

Historical reenactments from A-list talent as told by inebriated storytellers. Based on the award-winning and wildly popular web series, this follows the drunken and often incoherent narration of historical moments. Viewers explore rich culture and history on a tour of cities across America, with a twist of lime.