Willy Claflin
Storytelling Live!, the International Storytelling Center's teller-in-residence series, continues its season with a stellar line-up in June. The program features 26 of America's best-loved storytellers, one each week May through October. Each teller appears in matinee performances Tuesday through Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall.
Willy Claflin of California starts off the month with performances from May 31-June 4. A musician and storyteller since the early 1980s, he tells original and traditional stories and is the speaking-mouth-person for Maynard Moose, the only quadruped on the storytelling circuit. He also sings traditional ballads from the British Isles and Appalachia, blues and his own original tunes. Claflin has authored multiple award-winning recordings and has performed across the globe, including at the International Storytelling Festival in Ireland. He is an NSN ORACLE Circle of Excellence award recipient. He offers a special children's concert, Saturday, June 4 at 10:30 a.m.
Award-winning storytelling and educator Anne Rutherford of Oregon appears June 7-11. Her funny and touching performances delight audiences with Pacific Northwest folklore and tales of personal adventure. Her singing and mandolin playing add to the fun, along with vivid vocal and physical characterizations such as her original Wild West alter ego, the adventurous Clementine Ryder. Rutherford also hosts Storytelling and Memory Loss: A Workshop for Caregivers Thursday, June 9 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Attendees learn basic storytelling techniques that have been designed to help caregivers unlock interaction across the memory loss spectrum.
June 14-18 brings Olga Loya from California as Storytelling Live's resident storyteller. Nationally known Latina storyteller, performance artist, teacher, keynote speaker and award-winning author, Loya tells stories inspired by legend and current headlines, reality and dreams, ancient myths and personal experience. Her repertoire, which includes healing stories and tales of extraordinary women, demonstrates how diversity embraces the richness of cultures in the commonality and individuality of lives. An NSN ORACLE Circle of Excellence award recipient, Loya has performed across the U.S. and Mexico. Loya offers a special children's concert, Saturday, June 18, at 10:30 a.m.
Storytelling Live! welcomes Rev. Robert Jones from Michigan, June 21-25. Both an inspirational storyteller and an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, he celebrates the history, humor and power of American Roots music. His repertoire blends timeless stories with original and traditional songs, helping him to earn the Blues Foundation's prestigious "Keeping the Blues Alive Educator of the Year" award. Rev. Jones gives a special evening performance of Lead Belly, An American Legend, Thursday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Rounding out the month of June, June 28 - July 2, is Corrine Stavish of Michigan. Stavish specializes in personal narratives and biblical interpretative tales that are warm and witty, powerful and poignant and enhanced by a varied performing style. She serves on the Board of Directors of the International Storytelling Center; has been a keynote speaker at the National Storytelling Conference; was a Detroit Jewish Woman Artist of the Year; has four award-winning CDs; and contributed to "Chicken Soup for the Jewish Soul" and "The Storyteller's Companion to the Bible." Stavish is a professor in humanities at Lawrence Technological University.
For more information about Storytelling Live! or to purchase tickets call 800-952-8392 ext. 222 or 423-913-1276.
