Hi,
My name is Anna Brooking and I am a senior here at DSU. I suppose you could consider me an unconventional student- I came back to college at 24. It feels amazing to be rounding out the final stretch. I have just recently applied to graduate school to continue my education and receive a masters degree as a Physician Assistant. I love people, I love to learn, I am fascinated with the moon- during a full moon I could sit and stare for hours. Dogs are my favorite animal, I love my family more than anything in this world, my younger sister is my angel here on earth. I married the perfect man for me 3 years ago, and we're not afraid of being lazy on the weekends. I am really excited about this course, Professor Jeffreys seems like a pretty good guy.
 I love stories, and I love story telling. Some of my fondest memories are of my father telling us kids stories from his culture. Stories of Fijian princesses and magical sharks. My favorite comes from India,   (Im half Eastern Indian), of Lord Hanuman assisting the future king Rama save his wife, Sita, from an evil abductor. I think what made my dads stories so good, was that he was so animated while telling them. The way he described what was occurring in the story played out like a movie in my mind. I believe a good story is one that paints a clear picture in the listeners mind. Relevance of the story to the listener also contributes to a good story. I felt so connected to the stories of Hanuman, because my dad made me feel like a little Indian princess. Furthermore, when a storyteller has a good cadence, or rhythm while telling the story, it's much easier to follow along. We are being told stories everyday, more than I think we even realize. Listening to a song, dreaming, day dreaming, tv, etc. A good story is one that has a beginning, middle, and end. A good story teller is one who stays on track while telling a story. Its annoying when someone is all over the place while trying to convey a story. I also think a little enthusiasm by the story teller while telling a story helps the listener feel more engaged, It makes you feel like the story is actually worth listening to.  Some of my favorite types of stories are like the ones mentioned before. I love stories from my childhood. I can't wait to have children so I can pass those along to them. I truthfully love all types of stories. I love romance, horror, happy, - but not so much sad, inspiring, funny, and informative stories. I love dreaming, and day dreaming, and I especially love when my sister tells me stories about her polynesian friends getting in fights with their siblings. Those are always so funny.
I am intrigued by Jonathan Gottschal. Reading his blog and his preface sent me to the realization that story telling is part of being human. I always thought stories were associated with fiction, but the world as we know it is a story. Its someones story. So many of our ideals, traditions, motivations, have been ingrained in us by stories. Its incredible. The reviews associated with Gottschals blog just reiterated what I have written. The Atlantic Review said, "A new book explains why humans like to spin yarns—and why we’re so likely to stretch the truth when we do." I am curious to find the reasoning behind this. I am aware that doing interdisciplinary research on a topic as broad as story telling is going to be taxing, but I also personally believe it will be quite interesting. I am excited to get my book in the mail and start reading!