Adam Booth (photo by Katelyn Stoneberger)
The National Storytelling Festival is a virtual festival this year. The online festival is held Oct. 1-2 and features more than 20 hours of storytelling over the weekend, with continued viewing access for up to 14 days after the final show.
“We know this is an important decision, not just to our organization, but to so many we value, including our town, its merchants, our national and global audience, festival volunteers, artists and vendors. The safety and well-being of all have been the anchor for this decision-making process during which we’ve considered many factors. We’ve given extensive study of the available information and received consultation from national and regional health authorities. We do not believe we can hold an in-person festival without placing our patrons, storytellers, staff and volunteers at an unacceptable level of risk,” says Kiran Sirah, president International Storytelling Center, in a statement.
While the festival will be virtual, it still features well-known storytellers and workshops.
Adam Booth’s storytelling blends traditional folklore, music and an awareness of contemporary Appalachia. His original cinematic style, both humorous and touching, is influenced by generations of diverse storytellers from West Virginia.He is a member of the Recording Academy and his stories and recordings have been honored with twoParents’ ChoiceSilver Honors, fourStorytelling WorldAwards and Honors, National Storytelling Network’s J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Grant and four West Virginia Liars’ Contest wins.
Geraldine Buckley is known for personal stories that make people laugh and think. She has an eclectic background filled with adventures. For example, she was a country and western DJ in a hospital radio station in London, England: had a very popular restaurant review column called “The Galloping Glutton” in a glossy English language magazine on the South Coast of Spain; raised up one of the first poetry performance slam teams in South Africa; and although she was born and brought up in England and went to a convent boarding school, she became the Protestant Chaplain in the largest men’s prison in Maryland. She has recorded three CDs, all of which received Storytelling World gold awards.
Donald Davis was born in a Southern Appalachian mountain world rich in stories, surrounded by a family of traditional storytellers who told him gentle fairy tales, simple and silly Jack tales, scary mountain lore, ancient Welsh and Scottish folktales, and most importantly, nourishing, true-to-life stories of his own neighbors and kin. He is a recipient of the NSN ORACLE Circle of Excellence and Lifetime Achievement awards.
Parallel careers — as an author, a teacher, and a Broadway and film and television actor — mark Guy Davis as a Renaissance man, yet the blues remain his first and greatest love. Growing up in a family of artists (his parents were Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis), he fell under the spell of Blind Willie McTell and Fats Waller at an early age. Guy’s one-man play,“The Adventures of Fishy Waters: In Bed With the Blues,”premiered off-Broadway in the ‘90s and has since been released as a double CD. He went on to star off-Broadway as the legendary Robert Johnson in“Robert Johnson: Trick The Devil,” winning the Blues Foundation’s Keeping the Blues Alive award. Tying all his work together is his love of a good story, and a willingness to speak out when there’s a point to be made.
Designated an American Masterpiece Touring Artist by the NEA, Elizabeth Ellis grew up in the Appalachian Mountains hearing stories from her grandfather, a mountain minister. The “Divine Miss E” is a versatile and riveting teller of Appalachian and Texas tales and stories of heroic American women, though her personal stories are arguably her best. An award-winning author, she is a recipient of the John Henry Faulk award from the Tejas Storytelling Association, and the NSN Oracle Circle of Excellence and Lifetime Achievement awards
Dolores Hydock is an actress and storyteller from Birmingham, Alabama. Her vivacious style fills the stage with wit, energy and a swirl of characters that bring to life an array of personal stories, medieval adventures, oral histories and literary classics. Her Christmas story special has been aired on NPR-affiliate WBHM in Birmingham. Three of her original one-woman story-plays have been performed at regional theatres and festivals. She’s held a wide variety of jobs, all material for her stories.
Kevin Kling, best known for his popular commentaries on National Public Radio’sAll Things Consideredand his storytelling stage shows likeTales from the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log,delivers hilarious, often tender stories.Kling’s autobiographical tales are as enchanting as they are true to life: hopping freight trains, getting hit by lightning, performing his banned play in Czechoslovakia, growing up in Minnesota and eating things before knowing what they are.
Bil Lepp’s family-friendly tall tales and stories have earned the appreciation of listeners of all ages and from all walks of life. Though he is a five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars Contest, his stories often contain morsels of truth, which present universal themes in clever and witty ways. His children’s books and audio collections have won numerous awards including the PEN/Steven Kroll Award, Parents’ Choice awards, and a NAPPA (National Parenting Product Award).
Karen “Queen Nur” Abdul-Malik is a nationally renowned storyteller, teaching artist and folklorist. She has performed in venues from the Opening of the Smithsonian NAAMCH to Equity Theater on Broadway to National Black Storytelling Festival. She has presented for the U.S. Embassy in Cameroon and at PANAFEST in Ghana. She has recorded two CDs, of which“Sweet Potato Pie and Such”won an IParenting Media Golden Award.
Born in Boston to a Cuban father and Irish-American mother, Antonio Sacre is an internationally touring storyteller, author and solo performance artist. His storytelling recordings have won numerous awards, including theParent’s ChoiceGold and Silver awards. Sacre has four well-known children’s books to his credit and is a recipient of the NSN Oracle Circle of Excellence Award. His adult solo shows have toured many fringe festivals, including the New York City International Fringe Theater Festival, where he won two Best-in-Fringe Festival awards.
Dovie Thomason (Lakota/Kiowa Apache) is a beloved First Nations storyteller. In her original stories, she weaves historical facts, personal experiences, humor and vivid imagery to promote understanding and respect.Her ability to craft tales that enchant audiences and carry lessons about human nature and indigenous cultures have garnered her international acclaim. She is an NSN Oracle Circle of Excellence award recipient.
Kim Weitkamp is an award-winning storyteller, humorist, singer and songwriter who shares her original stories and songs at theaters and festivals throughout the U.S. She weaves precious memories and delightful details into panoramic pictures that take the listener on a personal journey. Weitkamp has eight audio collections and her material is played regularly on NPR affiliate stations and on SiriusXM Radio.
There is no one-word description for award-winning singer, songwriter, comedian, author and storyteller Don White. He has brought audiences to laughter and tears for 30 years, released nine CDs, three live DVDs and a book, “Memoirs of a C Student.”White has opened for Arlo Guthrie and shared a bill with Janis Ian and Lyle Lovett. White has been the ultimate observer, infusing his work with his experiences as a husband, a father, a seeker and a joker.
There are three pre-festival workshops, which require separate tickets.
The Mind is Listening is held Sept. 29 from 12-2 p.m. and led by Tom Lee. Engagement is the foundation of all learning. Children connect completely and instantly with stories, empathizing with every character and problem and listening with their whole minds. This workshop explores the nature of engagement and the ways it can be catalyzed through story. Appropriate for teachers and administrators of students of all ages.
Lee is a nationally known storyteller and roster artist with Arts for Learning Connecticut, Higher Order Thinking Schools, and the New York State Council for the Arts.He has told stories in grades K-12 for 30 years.
Anne Rutherford leads “Memory Loss: A Workshop for Caregivers” Sept. 29 from 3-5 p.m. Memory loss comes in many shapes and forms. Like music, stories are a tool that unlock interaction across that spectrum, including advanced Alzheimer’s and dementia. In this workshop, you’ll learn basic storytelling techniques that have been specially designed to help family members, health care professionals, chaplains, volunteers and other caregivers.
Rutherford is an award-winning storyteller whose practice includes more than 20 years performing regularly for people with moderate to severe memory loss, and those who care for them, in a variety of formal and informal settings.
Susan O’Halloran leads “Walking on Eggshells: Moving Towards Courageous Conversations Together” Sept. 30 from 1-4 p.m. What do you say if someone displays offensivebehaviorto you or someone else? How do you speak up without putting someone else down or causing division and hard feelings? Conversely, do you ever feel that you’re walking on eggshells, unsure of what is culturally appropriate?Are you afraid of being “called out” for doing something you didn’t know was insensitive?
There is a way to turn conflict into harmony and never fear speaking up or making a mistake again. O’Halloran will show you more productive ways to give constructive feedback and to react if someone tells you that you’ve misspoken. Her easy-to-follow, four-step process builds productive, respectful relationships that are fostered on trust.
O’Halloran has appeared on PBS and ABC Nightline and has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Chicago Tribune. For the past 40 years,she has taught Diversity-Equity-Inclusion seminars and webinars around the country and internationally for corporations and nonprofits.
Tickets to the virtual festival are $75 for the weekend. The Tom Lee and Anne Rutherford workshops are $75 each. Sue O’Halloran’s workshop is $100.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.storytellingcenter.net.
