Spider Speculations: A Physics and Biophysics of Storytelling

by Jo Carson

“I’ve spent about 15 years plus some working with people’s stories in a series of communities in this country. I write plays from oral histories for those communities. Just finished my 30th. I’m watching people’s lives and communities literally change, sometimes drastically, for the work. Spider Speculations is the beginning of trying to understand the hows and whys of all the changes.”—Author Jo Carson Jo Carson lays bare her personal investigation into her own creative process after a spider bite on her back begins a series of life-altering events. Spider Speculations applies cutting edge mind-body science, quantum physics and ancient shamanistic techniques to describe how stories work in our bodies and our lives, and what happens when real stories are used in a public way. Carson, whose ability to capture the spoken word hallmarks her community-based work, sets down this story in her own distinctive voice, interspersing the journey with examples of her performance work. This truly original American book will speak to anyone thinking about art and community or engaging with people’s stories. Jo Carson is a writer and performer living in John City, Tennessee. She has published award-winning plays, short stories, children’s books, essays, poems and other work. Her play Whispering to Horses and solo show If God Came Down… premiered at Seven Stages in Atlanta. She currently performs Liars, Thieves, and Other Sinners on the Bench , made up of selected stories from her oral history plays, which will be published by TCG in 2007.

Genres: Writing, Physics

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2006

About the author

Jo Carson was a playwright, poet, fiction writer, performer, author of children's books, and NPR commentator.

Her books highlight voice and narrative, such as the popular collection of first-person persona poems Stories I Ain't Told Nobody Yet. She devoted many years to developing community theater and storytelling projects.

Reviews

[Robert Yokoyama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spider Speculations provides excellent guidelines about to collect personal stories from people, and the attitude that I should have in going about it. The attitude that I have in collecting is one of optimism and gratitude. I learned that my intention could affect the outcome of the story collecting process.

I have been tasked to collect stories from the foster care population in Hawaii for a community based play that will be performed in 2017.

Jo Carson touches upon the idea of finding memes in a personal story. A meme is anything with that has a cultural significance to a person.

I have lived with cerebral palsy all my life, and I have been tasked to interview a young man with cerebral palsy for my upcoming play by a theater company called Playbuilders Theater Company of Honolulu. Cerebral palsy is a congenital neurological condition that affects my balance, coordination and general movement. I can extrapolate from Jo Carson that living and having the same disability has another person is a meme, because it is something we both have to deal with daily.

The ability to reframe a story is something I also learned in this book. To reframe a story is to give a story a different perspective. Reframing is important when a story is painful. I will probably have to reframe the story that I will be told to give it some hopeful value.

Jo Carson discusses the idea of agency. How agency relates to theater is insightful information. I have never heard this term used before, and I believe that it will be helpful to me in collecting stories. Giving agency to a character on the stage can be something as simple as expressing a personal opinion making a life altering decision. Giving agency simply means giving that person the freedom to act on their own behalf.

I am motivated to collect stories and to try to craft them into a play because of this book. I have no established expectations about the story gathering and story telling process, but I think that having an attitude of gratitude is a great starting point. Having an attitude of gratitude will probably make it easier for people to share their personal stories with me.

[Josephine Ensign · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although it veers off into wu-wu land on many occasions, I liked Carson's stories and insights into the power of community storytelling.

[Erik Akre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carson's idea is that anything is possible, and that all thoughts (especially stories and art) create an actuality in some other (accessible) dimension or universe. All possibilities exist, and we can tap into them (and do tap into them) when we make art.

Stories and art are a way of literally experiencing events that did not physically happen to the "me". Art is an exchange of energy between the artist and the universe, and it creates--taps into--something tangibly real. This book is an enormous source of inspiration for artists, actors, writers, and storytellers. Carson makes a good case, and as with many such speculations, it cannot really be refuted. Either you buy it or you don't; either it inspires you or it doesn't; yet there is undeniability and conviction there that can't be ignored.

I value Spider Speculations for its glorification of human creativity, and its insistence on claiming power and agency in one's life. The importance of finding and making art more local, and tied to localities, resonate with me as well. Authentic and honest expression come from a connection to place. "Too many shamans are throwing away their tools. Making art truly local is a way to recover some of these tools."

The bibliography of this book alone is worth picking it up. The list of resources for creative thinking and alternative views of reality filled many pages of my reading journal.

The inspiration for this book came from the curious effects of a spider bite the author received. It's a nice twist on a work so full of mysterious and inspiring ideas.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book, by a playwright who adapts oral histories to community plays, who also talks about her journey to becoming a Reiki healer. Sometimes a bit wacky, sometimes deeply insightful -- sometimes both at once -- the many stories she uses to illustrate her points are fascinating almost without fail. (If mind-body stuff, alternative healing, and/or storytelling interests you anyway, then it's probably worth reading this just for her stories.)

If it's about any one thing, it's about re-framing. She re-frames oral histories to draw meaning and revelation out of painful and even tragic stories to help communities learn and heal, and she sees this as a primary purpose of stories. She also is intent (outside of her theater work) on re-framing worldviews and perspectives on science and our bodies and existence. She would, I think, consider all true healing to come from learning to think differently about whatever has done the damage.

And that's as much a taste of her writing as I can give in 2 paragraphs.

[Aili · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first third of this book was awesome, but then it got kind of boring and repetitive. It turns out, reading about someone's awesome spiritual adventure isn't nearly as cool as reading about her playwriting process, at least in this case. I'd love to see one of her plays, though! The excerpts from them were my favorite parts.

[Siobhan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This sits on my shelf, and I'm thinking that my dislike of the book 6 years ago could've been unwarranted, but I'm not yet reconciled with the idea of picking it up again for another run around the block.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great explaination of the use of metaphor to develop story. Loved it!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

a thoughtful and inviting opening to many larger conversations and journeys. ultimately, i think, about healing.