I like to believe that somewhere out there, someone reads what I write. (To quote one of my favorite plays, In a world where carpenters get resurrections, anything’s possible)  If so, they’ve seen alterations in the name of this place, patiently reading while I tried to find the phrase captures the idea and atmosphere I’m trying to create here.  The search hasn’t been easy.

Initial Title: A good start but not yet there.

I started out with “The Stories that Follow You Home” a phrase I love because I believe some stories do just that.  While trends change and popular poems, books and plays appear and vanish like popular music recordings, some stories put down roots in your soul and imagination. They stick with you, like a good friend, and when you re-read them, you find gifts you didn’t see before. I love those rewarding tales and the people who feel the same way. I love people fascinated by the structure and function, and power of story. But, what are those people called?  Is there a term for a lover of stories?

We all know what lovers of books are called: bibliophiles.  It comes from two old Greek words, biblion (meaning books) and philos meaning loving.  But the stories that follow you home come from more places than books.  Some of my followers came from plays and quite of few came from poems. Some come from oral tradition, news reports or the earth itself. So I searched and searched through lists of “philes” for a one-word term meaning “lover of story”.  And I found exactly nothing.

Better and Worse: I’ve got the Atmosphere right but this isn’t about me, it’s about the people who love STORIES!

This amazes me.  How can there recognized terms for the love of poetry (Metrophilia), plays (Theatrophilia), even myths (Mythophelia), without a name for the underlying element that pulls them altogether?  The idea is ridiculous. Finally, I did what everyone does when proper terms don’t exist: I invented a one that does.

According to Google and Wikipedia, the ancient Greek word for story is Istoria (ἱστορία) and it means “learning through research”, which is exactly what we do when we read.  So, someone who loves the function and power of “Story” would be an Istoriaphile, right?  And since I want this to be a comfortable place where lovers of story are free to relax and talk, I’ve turned it into the coziest spot in my library.  

Now, that’s more like it!

So, here we are, after almost two years, in the Istoriaphile’s corner.  If you’ve been reading awhile, thanks for your patience.  And if you’ve just found it,Welcome Home.