Twenty-six of America’s best-loved storytellers will be Tellers in Residence at the International Storytelling Center in 2009 — one per week for 26 weeks from May 5 – October 31.

Daily performance times and prices
Evening Concert Schedule
Children's Concerts Schedule

2009 Performances

May 5 - May 9    Syd Lieberman
Illinois
Syd Lieberman tells poignant and hilarious personal stories, identifies with Sean Connery, and navigates the mad world of Edgar Allan Poe as easily as he wanders the foolish streets of Chelm. He also writes and performs original historical pieces. Lieberman is well known for his commissioned pieces for NASA, the Smithsonian Institution, Johnstown, Pennsylvania and Historic Philadelphia. His work has garnered awards from ALA, Parent's Choice and Storytelling World. Lieberman has performed for the Brookings Institute and the United States Holocaust Museum, and has taught storytelling at the Kennedy Center and Disney World. He is a recipient of the Storytelling Circle of Excellence award. "When he got up to speak, he magically transformed time and space ..." ~Chicago Tribune
www.sydlieberman.com

May 12 - May 16    Beth Horner
Illinois
Noted for her vivacious stage presence, contagious enthusiasm and "a wit so sharp you can shave with it," Beth Horner balances raucous humor with heart-opening truth. Horner crafts tales from her own zany love life, the quietly courageous pages of her great-great grandfather's Civil War diary, childhood farmyard escapades, eerie folktales from her native Missouri, hilarious take-offs on romance novels, letters home from a young female American soldier stationed in Iraq, and the occasional kazoo tour-de-force! A Storytelling Circle of Excellence award recipient, Horner has performed in venues across the U.S. including for National Geographic. "Horner's timing and delivery are so moving and funny that her performance is akin to great stand-up comedy." ~Bulletin Storytelling Review
www.BethHorner.com

May 19 - May 23    Jackson Gillman
Massachusetts
For thirty years Jackson Gillman has performed throughout the country, presenting a broad repertoire of stories that sparkle with energy, wit and whimsy. His quick-change characterizations, physical comedy, and treasure trove of voices have earned him the description of a "stand-up chameleon." Gillman's performances are seasoned with song, dance, mime, and sign language, and infused with an underlying foundation of hope and spirit. Gillman has served as the Kipling-in-Residence at the author's Vermont home for the past nine years. "Gillman is a masterly storyteller… Everything about him - his body, his voice, his choice of movements - has a breathtaking economy that lets the simplicity of the story speak for itself. " ~Christian Science Monitor
www.jacksongillman.com

May 26 - May 30    Madafo Lloyd Wilson
Florida
Storytelling has always been an active part of Madafo's life, starting with the bedtime stories he heard from his mother. For more than twenty-five years, he has presented his work throughout the world as a storyteller and musician. He is a master musician who combines both contemporary and traditional African percussion instruments to accentuate his stories. Madafo performs in the tradition of the "Griot" – the African storyteller, musician, poet, teacher, and one responsible for keeping the history, traditions, principles, and values alive and vibrant. He performs for schools, libraries, and festivals in a variety of settings - from concert halls to under shade trees.
www.madafo.com

June 2 - June 6    Alton Chung
Washington
Alton Chung grew up with the stories, superstitions, and magic of the Hawaiian Islands. Combined with his Japanese and Korean roots, this gave him a unique perspective for his telling of cultural tales and personal stories. His repertoire includes traditional Asian folktales, ancient Hawaiian legends, ghost stories, personal stories, and true stories of the Japanese-Americans during WWII. Chung has appeared at the Bay Area and Talk Story Storytelling Festivals, the Congress of Asian Storytellers in Singapore, and was awarded the first J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Award by the National Storytelling Network. "Alton Chung performs tales as delicate as Japanese tempura, as spicy as Korean kim ch'i and as exotic as Hawaiian poi." ~Ashland Daily Tidings
www.altonchung.com

June 9 - June 13    Michael Parent
Maine
From New England to New Zealand, Michael Parent has been telling stories and singing songs since 1977. A native Mainer of French-Canadian descent, he tells folk and original stories and sings a variety of songs, traditional and otherwise, in English and French. Featured at many events, including the International Storytelling Colloquium in Paris, the Glistening Waters Festival in New Zealand, and the Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival in Ireland, Parent is a recipient of the Storytelling Circle of Excellence award. "The storyteller, in the fullness of his craft, has struck, and the spell is on, as surely as it was when Homer conjured up a fleet of ships on a wine-dark sea bound for the walls of Troy." ~Time Magazine
www.michaelparent.com

June 16 - June 20    Corinne Stavish
Michigan
Freelance teller Corinne Stavish has been featured at venues across the country and presented workshops nationwide as well as in Canada and Israel. Stavish is a college professor in Humanities at Lawrence Technological University, Michigan, where she was voted Professor of the Year in 1999. She has been a guest editor of Storytelling Magazine, produced several recordings, including the award winning Hussies, Harlots, Heroines: Shady Ladies of the Bible, was a contributor to Chicken Soup for the Jewish Soul, and has been nominated twice for a Michigan Governor's Award for the Arts. "An experience not to be missed...Stavish grabs your attention in the first minute and doesn't let you go until each of her spellbinding tales reaches its satisfactory conclusion." ~Detroit Metro Parent

June 23 - June 27    Won-Ldy Paye
Connecticut
Won-Ldy Paye is from the northeastern rice farming region of Liberia. He is a member of the Tlo Ker Mehn, the class of professional entertainers who are keepers of the oral tradition. Growing up in the rice field, Paye was trained by his grandmother to remember and retell the stories of the Dan people. Paye came to the U.S. in 1983 and is now known as a renowned Liberian artist and performer, an award-winning children's book author, and an unofficial ambassador for the Liberian culture. He has appeared across the U.S. and abroad, with performances that include his native dance and instruments. "Won-Ldy combines his grandmother's griot training with his father's drumming to engage audiences in what he calls simply play." ~Margaret Read MacDonald, author and storyteller
www.wonldypaye.com

July Performances

June 30 - July 4    Kevin Kling
Minnesota
Kevin Kling, best known for his popular commentaries on NPR's All Things Considered and his storytelling stage show, delivers hilarious, often tender stories. With stories born of the Midwest, he has performed all over the U.S. and abroad in Europe and Australia. His 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. Kling has been awarded numerous grants and fellowships including from the National Endowment for the Arts. "Kling's stories fall somewhere between David Lynch's perversity and Garrison Keillor's home-spun humor..." ~Denver Post
www.kevinkling.com

July 7 - July 11    Andy Offutt Irwin
Georgia
With a silly putty voice, hilarious heart-filled stories, and arguably the greatest whistle in the world, Andy Offutt Irwin is equal parts mischievous schoolboy and the Marx Brothers, peppered with a touch of the Southern balladeer. When not performing across the U.S., he serves as the storyteller for Evening Star, a live radio show for Georgia Public Broadcasting. Irwin has five recordings, among which his CD, Christmas at Southern White Old Lady Hospital, is the winner of the Best Storytelling Album of 2006 from Just Plain Folks Awards. "A fiendishly clever union of Tom Lehrer's topicality…cut with Bobby McFerrin-style mouth music…good, quirky fun." ~The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
www.andyirwin.com

July 14 - July 18    Tejumola Ologboni
Wisconsin
Storyteller, folklorist, and accomplished percussionist, Tejumola Ologboni (Teju) enhances his stories with gesture, movement, and music made on traditional African instruments. His high-energy, fast paced and witty performances – drawn from African traditions and African American history and folklore – always hint at wry humor, revolutionary teachings and lessons in love. Teju is the recipient of the prestigious Zora Neale Hurston Award for contributing to the perpetuation and preservation of African American Folklore. "…truly one of our cultural treasures who deserves to be recognized and honored..." ~National Association of Black Storytellers

July 21 - July 25    Kim Weitkamp
Virginia
Storyteller, humorist and musician, Kim Weitkamp has shared her stories and songs at theaters and festivals throughout the U.S. Known for her skills in laying down a whopper, Weitkamp combines humor, original childhood stories and just a touch of fertilizer to create her tales. Most noted for her original Pitscreek story series, she has three audio collections to her credit. Weitkamp is the founder of the Wrinkles Project, a national campaign to raise awareness of the treasure we have in the stories of our "seasoned" citizens. "With complete fluidity she took us from heartwarming childhood stories into the outrageous world of the impossible. It was a hilarious take off and a wild ride." ~The News Messenger
www.justkissthefrog.com

July 28 - August 1    Tim Tingle
Texas
Award-winning author and storyteller, Tim Tingle is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Tingle brings the lore of his native Choctaw Nation to life in lively Rabbit trickster tales and compelling historical stories. He plays the native flute, and often accompanies himself with an assortment of rattles and drums, adding a haunting musical dimension to a concert. Tingle has appeared at major storytelling and folklore festivals throughout America, and has completed eleven storytelling tours of Germany for the U.S. Department of Defense. An avid collector of tribal stories, Tingle founded the Choctaw Storytelling Festival in 2004. "You have your finger on the pulse of what it is to be Choctaw." ~Board member, Choctaw Code-Talkers Association
www.choctawstoryteller.com

August Performances

August 4 - August 8    Sherry Norfolk
Georgia
A professional teller since 1981, Sherry Norfolk has performed at festivals, libraries, schools and universities across the U.S. and abroad, including in Anchorage, the Bahamas and Singapore. With an electric stage presence, Norfolk's stories are both engaging and educational. She leads residencies and workshops internationally, and is on the roster of seven state arts councils. Norfolk has co-authored several books, including the forthcoming Literacy Development in the Storytelling Classroom. She currently serves as Chair of the National Storytelling Network Board of Directors. "And…that VOICE! Perhaps there lives in her chords a pantheon of both gods and goddesses! Her use of tones, timbres, and rhythms in her telling breathes life into her rich repertoire of folktales from around the world." ~Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo, storyteller
www.sherrynorfolk.com

August 11 - August 15    Elizabeth Ellis
Texas
Elizabeth Ellis grew up in the Appalachian Mountains in a family filled with stories. As a child, most of her best friends were imaginary; in some ways, that's still true. Living now in Texas, Ellis travels constantly, sharing personal stories, folktales and stories of heroic women. Both witty and wise, her stories are often about seeing the extraordinary in our every day experience. Designated an American Masterpiece Touring Artist by the NEA, Ellis is also a nurturing teacher of tellers at all levels. Ellis is a Storytelling Circle of Excellence award recipient. "Filled with hilarious and poignant honesty, her personal stories deliver down-home wisdom, southern style." ~The Azalea Storytelling Festival
www.elizabethellis.com

August 18 - August 22    Rafe Martin
New York
Rafe Martin's work as an author and storyteller has received multiple national awards including Parent's Choice Gold, Ala Notable, Anne Izard Storyteller's Choice, Ala Best of the Best and Storytelling World awards. He has presented his work throughout the U.S. and abroad, and his books and performances have been cited in Time, Newsweek, USA Today and U.S. News and World Report. Martin's novel, Birdwing, was a Washington Post and Tribune Media selection as a Best Book for Young Adults. He is the recipient of the 2008 Empire State Award for the significant contribution made by the body of his work. "...an amazing performer and storyteller." ~Arthur A. Levine, editor and publisher of Harry Potter
www.rafemartin.com

August 25 - August 29    Lynn Moroney
Oklahoma
A fulltime free lance writer and storyteller since 1989, Lynn Moroney is a daughter of the Oklahoma prairie. She boasts both her Native American ancestry (as a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation) and her pioneer and "Okie" stock. Moroney became a star gazer as a child, and although she tells folk tales and myths from all cultures, her repertoire is most abundant with world sky tales, particularly the sky myths and stories of indigenous peoples. She has taken her performances and workshops nationwide, including at the Smithsonian Institution and the St. Louis, WinterTales and Mariposa Storytelling Festivals.
www.lynnmoroney.com

September Performances

September 1 - September 5    Willy Claflin
California
Performing as a full-time teller since the early 1980's, Willy Claflin brings a wealth of stories and puppet monologues to his repertoire of traditional and original songs. His work encompasses traditional stories from many cultures; ballads of the British Isles and Appalachia; counterculture misadventures in the Maine woods; and award-winning comic tales from Willy and his sidekicks like the puppet Maynard Moose, or Gorf, the master flyswatter percussionist. Claflin has authored multiple award-winning recordings and has performed across the globe, including at the International Storytelling Festival in Ireland. "Willy Claflin is a master storyteller." ~American Library Association
www.willyclaflin.com

September 8 - September 12    Chic Street Man
Washington
Chic Street Man is an outstanding singer-songwriter who uses his guitar and voice to create music that transcends barriers of culture and attitude. With acoustic bluesy ballads, funky rhythms and jazzy upbeat originals, his songs and stories are filled with audience participation and incorporate a variety of musical forms, all of which have roots that can be traced back to the ancient African tradition of storytelling. A musical ambassador for peace and human rights, Street Man was a featured performer for the United Nations in New York and Geneva. He starred in and composed the music for the off-Broadway hit show, Spunk, and produced the one-man hit show for the Smithsonian: A Black History of the Blues. He has seven albums to his credit. "With a voice like an angel's…Chic Street Man could sing stock-market reports and still enthrall." ~Billboard Magazine
www.chicstreetman.com

September 15 - September 19    Leeny Del Seamonds
Massachusetts
With a face and voice that launched a thousand characters, Leeny Del Seamonds is an internationally acclaimed performer, coach, and multi award-winning recording artist. Her animated and uplifting tales and tunes reflect her love of people and desire to embrace life to its fullest. From a prized television show to a village in Gengcun, China to the Comix Club in NYC to the Cayman Islands International Storytelling Festival, Del Seamonds encourages listeners to rejoice in human and cultural diversity and invites them to share in her Cuban-American sense of humor and joy of performing. "Internationally acclaimed Leeny Del Seamonds is a natural entertainer whose multicultural stories and songs reflect her love of people." ~The Boston Globe
www.leenydelseamonds.com

September 22 - September 26    Susan O'Halloran
Illinois
Susan O'Halloran is a performing artist, keynote speaker, writer and television personality who explores the complex issues of race, politics and social justice through the art of storytelling. As an author of numerous books and a producer of video and film presentations, including Tribes and Bridges at the Steppenwolf Theatre, O'Halloran has earned a reputation of addressing difficult issues in an entertaining and thought-provoking way. Whether telling personal stories or original fables, O'Halloran engages her audience with empathy for human suffering and a passionate, wiry wit. "...a master of the Irish art of telling stories that are funny and heart-wrenching at the same time." ~The Chicago Reader
www.susanohalloran.com

September 28 - October 1    Donald Davis
North Carolina
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. Featured at festivals throughout the U.S. and world, Davis is also known as a prolific author, producer of books and tapes, and as a guest host for NPR's Good Evening. Davis is a Storytelling Circle of Excellence award recipient. "I could have listened all morning to Donald Davis...his stories often left listeners limp with laughter at the same time they struggled with a lump in the throat." ~New York Times
www.ddavisstoryteller.com

October Performances

October 6 - October 10    The Storycrafters
New York
Jeri Burns and Barry Marshall are The Storycrafters. Their natural, energetic style has been featured in major festivals, schools and libraries across the U.S. and abroad, including the Gimistory Festival in the Cayman Islands and the International Storytelling Festival in Northern Ireland. With awards from Parents Choice, the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio and Storytelling World, they specialize in original retellings and modern renditions of world folklore, integrating music and song, poignancy and pizzazz. "Their performances are humorous, political, moralistic, and just plain fun…The audience erupted at the end of their set." ~The Journal News
www.storycrafters.com

October 13 - October 17    Patrick Ball
California
Patrick Ball is one of the premier Celtic harp players in the world and a captivating storyteller in the Irish tradition. His concerts and acclaimed solo musical theater pieces blend the music, history, humor and legends of the Celtic world to create "a richly theatrical and hauntingly beautiful performance" (St. Petersburg Times). He has recorded twelve albums, won national awards in both music and spoken word categories, and has performed in concert halls, repertory theaters and major festivals throughout the U.S., Ireland and the United Kingdom. Ball is the recipient of the Storytelling Circle of Excellence award. "Patrick Ball casts a haunting spell…a graceful evocation of the past, filled with lyricism and charm." ~Washington Post
www.patrickball.com

October 20 - October 24    Antonio Rocha
Maine
Antonio Rocha, a native of Brazil, began his career in the performing arts in 1985. Three years later he received a grant to come to the U.S. to perform and deepen his mime skills with Master Tony Montanaro. Since then he has earned a Summa Cum Laude degree in theater and studied with Master Marcel Marceau. Rocha's unique solo shows of stories and mime have been performed from Singapore to Hawaii, including ten countries on five continents. "What a performance! He used his eyes, his hands, his whole body to make you 'feel' the story was really happening right there. His talent is unsurpassed." ~Director, Cave Run Storytelling Festival
www.storyinmotion.com

October 27 - October 31    Michael Reno Harrell
North Carolina
Michael Reno Harrell hails from the Southern Appalachians, where storytelling is a long standing tradition. An award-winning songwriter and storyteller, he is the consummate entertainer, performing his original songs and stories described as "Appalachian grit and wit." Always seasoned with a good dose of humor, his stories tell of first bicycles, forced piano lessons, flea market forays, and fireworks mishaps. Harrell has shared his work across America and throughout Europe. "Michael Reno Harrell is a classic storyteller with a voice that's part Marty Robbins, part John Prine." ~The Charlotte Observer
www.michaelreno.com