Did you know that there was a Mind-Alert Award presented by The American Society on Aging (ASA) and the MetLife Foundation?

According to Aging Today, the program “recognizes replicable research-based programs, products or tools that promote cognitive fitness in later life in three categories: educational programs that enhance mental fitness for older adults in the general population, programs designed for cognitively impaired elders and lifelong learning programs with an implicit element of mental fitness.”

One winner was TimeSlips, “a creative storytelling method that helps people with dementia reaffirm their humanity and connect with staff, family and friends.” TimeSlips encourages people to cultivate their imaginations and it has been found to improve verbal skills.  The stories that emerge ”are rich in humor and poetic images, and provide a window into the experience of living with dementia.”

Lifehacker lists the Top Ten Tricks and Tools to Exercise and Better Your Brain and number five is Tell Yourself Stories.

First of all, it makes things easier to remember because it puts what you want to remember in a more compelling framework. It gives you a chance to focus on important details and associate emotion with what you’re trying to remember. Even if you’re not telling yourself a story to help retain the information, you’ll still improve your memory just by telling stories in general.

About.com even has a long list of tips for telling stories To Strengthen Relationships and Exercise Your Brain (see details at their website):

The Opening Gala of the first ever Tucson Fringe Theater Festival will be held tonight at 8:00 at Old Town Artisans, 201 N. Court.  The line-up includes many familiar faces from Tucson’s thriving performance artist community, Heather Woodrich, Paco Velez, Denise Uyehara, Natalie Nguyen, Serena Tang, Sarah K. Smith, Jodi Netzer, Laura Milkins, Michele Ceballos Michot, Sean Madrid, Jamie J, Luc Goodhart and Megan Amber Cox, plus Parasol Project, Puppets Amoungus and DJ Carl Hanni spinning fresh tunes.

And what, may you ask, is Fringe?  According to their website:

Fringe doesn’t curate.  Fringe is different.  Fringe loves new work.  Fringe restores the artist’s creative influence.  Fringe doesn’t charge you an arm and a leg.  Fringe doesn’t tell you to eat your vegetables.  Fringe gives all the money back to the artist.  Fringe is a laboratory for ideas.  Fringe is the future of performance.  Fringe is community.  Fringe is awesome.

Shows will continue for the rest of the weekend at 3 different venues: Beowulf Alley Theatre, 11 S. 6th Ave, The Screening Room, 127 Congress and Urban Tribe Collective, 657 W. St. Mary’s Rd, Unity C-12.  Shows include the comedy, A Passion For Christ, Lesley Abrams’ Where There’s Smoke, the rock opera, Halloween in America, Kevin J. Thornton’s I Love You (We’re F*#ked) , the spoken and danced BLOWHOLE and Maythinee Washington’s White Girl. Check the Venues page of their website for times and places.

Thanks to Parasol Project for producing the event. It’s about time we’re catching up; Phoenix has been producing phx:fringe since 2008. You can find out more about the history and ideals of Fringe at the US Association of Fringe Festivals.

Have you taken a look at the 64 page guide to the 2-day Tucson Festival of Books that came in the Arizona Daily Star last Sunday? It’s unbelievable how much is going on!  I’m in awe of the organizers of this 3-year old free event. If you don’t have one yet you can get an electronic version here.

With 450 authors, panelists and performers; 240 exhibitors, and hundreds of activities for kids they certainly are living up to their theme for the year “where Words & Imagination come to life.

Since this is all about books and reading, the oral tradition is not especially represented except in the kids area. There you can find a variety of presentations at the Diamond Children’s Story Telling Stage that range from “African Stories, Rhythem and Folklore for the Young at Heart” by Auntie Pooh to “Cowboy Songs and Stories” with Tony Norris. And look for the teens of Voices, Inc.

Local storytellers are well represented by Tucson Tellers of Tales at “Story Fun for Everyone”.

Or you can listen to authors reading aloud on the Story Blanket. This link will take you to the schedule of events of children’s authors and illustrators.

If you have a book story to tell, you can find the Odyssey Story Cart at the Tucsoncitizen.com booth in the Arizona Daily Star Pavilion on Sunday from 10 to 1. We’ll be there with our camera, recording your stories.  Stop by and say hi.