Brian Poulton, The Storyman from England

It's in my front yard in two weeks' time, so let's hope that the weather gods are kind.

Friends and family — This Saturday, November 27, the AZ gallery will open the “Tiny Art Expo” in which I am showing twenty pieces. 360 works by local artists and makers will be on sale. The idea of this exhibit is to support local artists and small businesses while providing gifts for the holiday season. The gallery is open 10:00 - 4:00, and I plan to be there from 1:00 - 2:00. I’d love to see you there. No pressure and no hard sell! The gallery is located in Lowertown Saint Paul. https://www.theazgallery.org/backstory

Calling all bicycle lovers, art lovers, and just plain fun lovers! This is an invitation to the opening reception of the Bike Art Show. As many of you know, I have spent the last eighteen months slowly transitioning from being the Story Man to becoming the Art Man. I’m hoping this will be the first of many exhibition openings to come. It does promise to be a fun event complete with live music, beer, and bikes.

Last Friday, I did my last storytelling performance. I have been feeling a little blue ever since and in need of some kind of closure — hence, this post. I have never been good at dividing my creative energies, and as my art work (or art play, as it truly is) has become more and more consuming, something has to go. Cheerio, Story Man! The picture posted here seems strangely fitting for this moment and very much part of the concept I am now playing with: finding the abstract in the reality of nature.

Oh the fun we have all had with my "Oh the Places We'll Explore" program this summer. The final show is coming up August 1st at Inver Glen Library. Sadly it will not feature Super-Musical-Explorer-Man (pictured here), but a new surprise guest and a lot of monkey business!

It's been two months since my last library storytelling event - way too long! But the wait is over. A "Flying Fun"show and a "Super science" program in March at Dakota County Libraries. See thestorymanfromengland.com for details.

A really big thanks to Thalia as Ms. Monkey, Mahmoud as Poet-Tree, and the 98 fun folks in our audience at Farmington library this morning. It was our first full-cast Trees, Trees, Trees! show of this summer and it was lot of fun. There is more to come at South Valley Park - July 10th, Wescott Library - July 17th, and Robert Trail Library - August 2nd.

I'm getting ready for a run of summer shows at Dakota County Libraries. This year we are going to blast off to infinity and beyond by launching a rockets and aliens show. It's going to be out of this world!! (Please excuse the the puns, I couldn't resist)

I just looked at my calendar and found it has been ten weeks since I last did any storytelling! It has been a fantastic ten weeks of travel in fabulous places but now I can't wait to get back in the storytelling saddle - Yea Hah!!

Bitter sweet - The last robot show of the summer at Mall of America this morning. Thanks to everyone who helped the shows go with a robotic "BEEP". A special thank you to Cole from the Breck School Robotics Team for tireless robot wrangling! Now I feel it's time for a nap and then start work on September's shows. Bye bye cute robots!

All the preparation and travel was worth it, especially when my days are made all the brighter by the laughter of children. Now I'm looking forward to more robot fun in the libraries this week.

Lions and tigers and robots - Oh my! The pictures sum up my mental preparations for all the library shows I'm doing in the next two weeks. Hectic, but a whole heap of fun!