Storytelling | Kraemer Family Library
Source: https://kfl.uccs.edu/storytelling
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:13
Storytelling | Kraemer Family Library
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Storytelling
Storytelling
Through storytelling workshops and contests, digital and physical exhibitions of stories, story gathering and story making, the Kraemer Family Storytelling Professorship initiative weaves together the narrative of UCCS Mountain Lions. Storytelling, or talk-story, celebrates the knowledge-creating elements of orality and oral history, integral to Indigenous epistemology, and thus a crucial element in decolonizing the academic library. Decolonizing the academic library includes decentering the written word and universalizing knowledge, and recentering orality, the spoken word, the telling and retelling of stories, and the importance of local knowledge—a reimagining and re-Indigenizing of a knowledge production center.
View Digital Exhibits
Rime of the Ancient Mariner: A Storytelling Performance and Analysis
Hi, I’m Dr. Ileheva Tua’one, and I am a professor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) in the Women’s and Ethnic Studies Department. I also hold a special position as the inaugural Kraemer Family Library Storytelling Professor.
I study 18th-century texts about Oceania and other spaces of the world not normally covered by 18th-century scholarship. I came across this text while studying that period. I’m also a professor of Indigenous Studies, and because of this, I really focus on indigeneity in the 18th century and indigeneity in general.
Because of this, I really value orality and oral history—the kinds of histories that are passed down through spoken word from person to person. To honor my ancestors, the master storysmiths who memorized epic poetry and legends that could last for days when recited, I decided to begin memorizing long epic poetry myself.
The first epic poem I ever memorized was
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, written in 1798. I chose this poem because of its rhyme scheme and the way its rhythm makes memorization easier. Coleridge’s use of alliteration and repeated sounds made the poem especially accessible.
Follow the link to watch Dr. Ileheva Tua'one recite the Rime of the Ancient Mariner and listen to their analysis of the epic poem.
Watch Rime of the Ancient Mariner Performance
In the News
Press stories highlighting the Library's storytelling initiatives, events, and awards.
The Scribe, October 21, 2024
The Purr Storytelling Hour celebrates the stories of the UCCS community
UCCS Communique, January 16, 2024
Kraemer Family Library receives 2024 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity Award
Coalition for Networked Information, February 22, 2023
Decolonization of Academic Research Libraries through Storytelling
UCCS Communique, February 21, 2023
Kraemer Family Library holds “Build-a-Binding” contest
Lost in the Stacks, November 4, 2022
Episode 538: Re-Indigenizing through Storytelling
Library Journal, October 12, 2022
UCCS Kraemer Family Library Inaugurates First Storytelling Professorship
Featured Events
The Purr Storytelling Hour
An annual storytelling contest hosted by the Kraemer Family Library and open to the community.
Story Swap
In collaboration with the
bARTer Collective
and
Visual & Performing Arts
, the Kraemer Family Library hosts an annual story swap event: Participants receive a piece of original artwork in exchange for their story. Using typewriters, the story-collectors capture a sense of our community one story at a time.
Six-Word Scary Stories
An annual event where the Kraemer Family Library invites UCCS community members to craft a chilling six-word story for spooky season. The six-word scary stories are displayed on the digital signage system in the Library.
Resources
Digital Exhibits
Storytelling Collections in Preservica
Top
Student Services
Faculty & Staff Services
Alumni Services
Community Services
Skip to main content
Storytelling
Storytelling
Through storytelling workshops and contests, digital and physical exhibitions of stories, story gathering and story making, the Kraemer Family Storytelling Professorship initiative weaves together the narrative of UCCS Mountain Lions. Storytelling, or talk-story, celebrates the knowledge-creating elements of orality and oral history, integral to Indigenous epistemology, and thus a crucial element in decolonizing the academic library. Decolonizing the academic library includes decentering the written word and universalizing knowledge, and recentering orality, the spoken word, the telling and retelling of stories, and the importance of local knowledge—a reimagining and re-Indigenizing of a knowledge production center.
View Digital Exhibits
Rime of the Ancient Mariner: A Storytelling Performance and Analysis
Hi, I’m Dr. Ileheva Tua’one, and I am a professor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) in the Women’s and Ethnic Studies Department. I also hold a special position as the inaugural Kraemer Family Library Storytelling Professor.
I study 18th-century texts about Oceania and other spaces of the world not normally covered by 18th-century scholarship. I came across this text while studying that period. I’m also a professor of Indigenous Studies, and because of this, I really focus on indigeneity in the 18th century and indigeneity in general.
Because of this, I really value orality and oral history—the kinds of histories that are passed down through spoken word from person to person. To honor my ancestors, the master storysmiths who memorized epic poetry and legends that could last for days when recited, I decided to begin memorizing long epic poetry myself.
The first epic poem I ever memorized was
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, written in 1798. I chose this poem because of its rhyme scheme and the way its rhythm makes memorization easier. Coleridge’s use of alliteration and repeated sounds made the poem especially accessible.
Follow the link to watch Dr. Ileheva Tua'one recite the Rime of the Ancient Mariner and listen to their analysis of the epic poem.
Watch Rime of the Ancient Mariner Performance
In the News
Press stories highlighting the Library's storytelling initiatives, events, and awards.
The Scribe, October 21, 2024
The Purr Storytelling Hour celebrates the stories of the UCCS community
UCCS Communique, January 16, 2024
Kraemer Family Library receives 2024 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity Award
Coalition for Networked Information, February 22, 2023
Decolonization of Academic Research Libraries through Storytelling
UCCS Communique, February 21, 2023
Kraemer Family Library holds “Build-a-Binding” contest
Lost in the Stacks, November 4, 2022
Episode 538: Re-Indigenizing through Storytelling
Library Journal, October 12, 2022
UCCS Kraemer Family Library Inaugurates First Storytelling Professorship
Featured Events
The Purr Storytelling Hour
An annual storytelling contest hosted by the Kraemer Family Library and open to the community.
Story Swap
In collaboration with the
bARTer Collective
and
Visual & Performing Arts
, the Kraemer Family Library hosts an annual story swap event: Participants receive a piece of original artwork in exchange for their story. Using typewriters, the story-collectors capture a sense of our community one story at a time.
Six-Word Scary Stories
An annual event where the Kraemer Family Library invites UCCS community members to craft a chilling six-word story for spooky season. The six-word scary stories are displayed on the digital signage system in the Library.
Resources
Digital Exhibits
Storytelling Collections in Preservica
Top
Student Services
Faculty & Staff Services
Alumni Services
Community Services