Visit : Colonial Williamsburg Storytelling Festival

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Spinning Stories, Spanning Time Storytelling Festival

September 19-21, 2008

Discover the excitement of well-told stories that come from the roots of our history or from the heart of our present. We invite you to be a part of “Spinning Stories–Spanning Time: A Weekend of Stories Old and New,” as some of the world’s best storytellers gather in Williamsburg and span the centuries from the 18th to the 21st.

 

 

 

Featured storytellers

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  Milbre Burch

  An internationally known storyteller, award-winning recording artist, published poet and writer, and respected teacher of her craft, Milbre Burch is a storyteller in every sense of the word. She is known for the versatility of her repertoire: from family-oriented folktales to sophisticated fantasy and fairy tales for teens to one-woman shows aimed at adults.

  She has appeared at the National Storytelling Festival seven times since 1984 and received the Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Network in 1999. She has been featured at storytelling, spoken-word, and theater festivals across the nation and in 12 European cities. Burch has released 13 audio-recordings that have earned multiple awards, such as a Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence, the Storytelling World Award, and Parents’ Choice Gold Award. Her latest CD, Making the Heart Whole Again: Stories for a Wounded World, received a 2007 Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album for Children.

  Clips from the CD Making the Heart Whole Again: Stories for a Wounded World (MP3 format):

  • Listen to Clip 1
  • Listen to Clip 2
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  Donald Davis

  Born in a southern Appalachian mountain world rich in stories, Davis says, “I didn’t learn stories, I just absorbed them.” He recounts tales learned from a family of traditional storytellers who have lived on the same western North Carolina land since 1781. Davis grew up hearing 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. Through his tender and often hilarious recollections of childhood, Davis captures the minds and hearts of his audiences while simultaneously evoking thoughts and feelings from their own memories.

  Davis has performed at storytelling festivals and concerts throughout the United States and the world and served as chairperson of the board of directors for the National Storytelling Association, as master teacher of workshops and storytelling courses, and as guest host of American Public Radio’s Good Evening. He has appeared on CNN and ABC News Nightline. He is a prolific author and a Storytelling Circle of Excellence Award recipient.

  Clips from the CD "Grandma’s Lap Stories" (MP3 format):

  • Listen to Clip 1
  • Listen to Clip 2
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  Susan Klein

  A native of Martha’s Vineyard, Susan Klein is noted for a variety of presentations involving story. Her substantial repertoire includes selections from the world body of folklore and myth, literary stories, rites of passage, and love stories for adults of all ages. Her autobiographical material encompasses growing up on Martha’s Vineyard in the 1950s, waitressing and teaching school in the 1970s, and her work as an itinerant storyteller in Alaskan Yup’ik Eskimo villages in the 1980s. Her highly acclaimed storytelling and memoir writing workshops are held annually on Martha’s Vineyard, around the nation, and in Europe.

  Klein’s audiotapes and CDs have won awards including the Publisher’s Weekly Listen Up Award, NAPPA, Storytelling World Gold, and Parents’ Guide Award. Her recent commissioned story, “FLOOD, A Confluence of River and Rain,” has been hailed a masterpiece that has a “searing effect on the soul.” She has been a featured performer at more than 80 storytelling festivals including the National Storytelling Festival. In 2001, she received a Circle of Excellence Award presented by the National Storytelling Network.

  Clips from the CD Through a Ruby Window: A Martha's Vineyard Childhood (MP3 format):

  • Listen to Clip 1
  • Listen to Clip 2
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  Syd Lieberman

  An acclaimed international storyteller, Sid Lieberman boasts a varied repertoire. Some of his stories deal with his personal experience growing up in Chicago and raising a family. Others feature original historical pieces or his signature versions of literary classics, particularly those of Edgar Allan Poe. Lieberman is also one of the country’s leading tellers of Jewish stories.

  Lieberman, an award-winning teacher and author, has appeared at major storytelling festivals across the country, including seven featured appearances at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. He has also participated in the Glistening Waters Festival in New Zealand and appeared on American Public Radio’s Good Evening as a guest storyteller and host. His work has garnered awards from ALA, Parent’s Choice, and Storytelling World, and he received the Circle of Excellence Award presented by the National Storytelling Network.

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  Waddie Mitchell

  Twenty-five years as a working cowboy on some of the most desolate spreads in Nevada will give a man time to think. Such is the case for Waddie Mitchell. “All the time I was growing up, we had these old cowboys around. When you live in close proximity with the same folks month after month, one of your duties is to entertain each other, and I suppose that’s where the whole tradition of cowboy poetry started.” In 1984, he helped organize the internationally recognized Elko Cowboy Poetry Gathering and gave his first public performance. Since then he has been off and running performing internationally, where his common-sense approach to life and the art of cowboy poetry has delighted and inspired audiences. Mitchell’s television appearances on The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, The History Channel, and PBS; featured articles in national publications like People, Life, New York Times, USA Today, and National Geographic; and critically acclaimed recordings for Warner Brothers and Western Jubilee Recording Company have earned him the title of America’s Best-Known Cowboy Poet.

  Clips from the CD That No Quit Attitude (MP3 format):

  • Listen to Clip 1
  • Listen to Clip 2
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  Bobby Norfolk

  Delighting audiences of all ages since 1975, Bobby Norfolk is a definite crowd-pleaser. He promotes cultural diversity, self-esteem, and character education through his performances. His popularity stems from stories rich in creativity, lively sound effects, high energy, and three-dimensional characters. He combines comedy and drama to magically weave principles that teach valuable lessons into each tale. From keynote speaker to TV host, recording artist to park ranger and stand-up comedian, his unique life is reflected in his trademarked animated stories. He has traveled both nationally and internationally including storytelling visits to the U.K., Austria, Ireland, West Africa, and Canada. Norfolk’s impressive resume includes three Emmy Awards as host for the Midwest television series Gator Tales, an Emmy-nominated cable series, Children’s Theater at Bobby’s House, and eight award-winning CDs. He has served on the board of directors for the National Storytelling Network and is coauthor of the book The Moral of the Story: Folktales for Character Development.

  Clips from the CD Norfolk Tales (MP3 format):

  • Listen to Clip 1
  • Listen to Clip 2
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  Gayle Ross

  A descendant of John Ross, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation during the Trail of Tears, Gayle Ross describes herself as an enrolled member of the Cherokee nation and describes her family as a long line of mixed blood Cherokee people. While Ross was growing up in Texas, her grandmother lived with their family and told Cherokee stories and sang songs handed down from one generation to the next. It is from this Native American heritage that Ross’s stories emerge. Although not from Appalachia, she tells traditional tales that the Cherokee took with them when they were forced to move west from the southeastern mountains that had been their home for hundreds of years. An international performer, Ross has appeared at the “Millennium on the Mall,” the Kennedy Center, and the first International Storytelling Festival in Copenhagen. She is also a sought-after speaker for the five award-winning children’s books she has authored and is a recipient of the Storytelling Circle of Excellence Award.

  Clips from the CD Live at the National Storytelling Festival (MP3 format):

  • Listen to Clip 1
  • Listen to Clip 2
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  Valerie Tutson

  Having appeared in festivals in Africa, Europe, and North America, Valerie Tutson has a reputation for raising people’s sensitivities. She has the capacity to touch hearts, minds, and spirits of all ages. Through songs, stories, movement, and details of her adventures, she takes her audiences on a vivid journey. She graduated from Brown University with a master’s in theater arts and a degree in a self-designed major, storytelling as a communication art. Tutson draws her stories from around the world with an emphasis on African traditions. Her repertoire includes myths, folk tales, historical pieces, stories, and songs she learned in her travels to South Africa and from experiences in West Africa as well as stories from African American history. In addition to delighting listeners with her storytelling, Tutson teaches workshops and classes to students of all ages and hosts Cultural Tapestry, an award-winning show celebrating the diverse cultures around us. She serves on the boards of directors of the National Association of Black Storytellers, Rhode Island Black Storytellers, and the FUNDA Festival: A Celebration of Black Storytelling.

  

• Regional Storytellers

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  Rich Knoblich

  Set during visits with his family up at the old homestead on the mountains, Rich Knoblich's stories relate the shenanigans of believable rustic characters in modern times. Many incorporate members of his family and friends he has made over the years. They are often based on reality but loaded with plenty of embellishment. It is his way of honoring their ability to put up with his mischief. Knoblich, author of Talking ’bout the Relatives, holds eight ribbons from the West Virginia Liar’s Contest and served as a judge in 2008. His creative writings have been published in national and regional magazines. He has performed at every West Virginia Storytelling Festival and has entertained audiences throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

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  Diane Macklin

  Diane Macklin says she left the formal classroom “in order to teach. The most traditional way to do that is through storytelling. And not just as entertainment but as an art form that reaches everybody at some level.” Arts training in dance and theater influences Macklin’s performance style. She coproduced a storytelling series at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and received the Solo Theatrical Performer Fellowship from the Maryland State Arts Council. Her workshop and performance credits include Discovery Theatre, Smithsonian African Art Museum, NPR, National Storytelling Network, Washington Storytellers Theatre, and Three Apples Storytelling Festival.

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  Ellouise Schoettler

  Ellouise Schoettler calls herself an “old-time southern storyteller” like those she grew up listening to in her native North Carolina. She blends memory, personal experience, folklore, and myth in stories that reveal moments in the lives of ordinary people. A teller for adult and family audiences, she has participated in festivals in Pennsylvania and California and performed at mid-Atlantic venues from Maryland to South Carolina. Since 2003, Schoettler has been storyteller-in-residence for the Audubon Naturalist Society of Chevy Chase, Maryland, telling environmental and nature stories in the schools in the Washington Metro Area. In 2007, she received a Creative Projects Award from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Maryland, for a new Spoken Word work.

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  Kim Weitkamp

  Best known for her original Pitscreek stories, Kim Weitkamp charms audiences with her warm storytelling style that moves back and forth between stand-up comedy and heartfelt story weaving. She combines humor, original childhood stories, and just a touch of fertilizer to create a whopper of a tale. Weitkamp’s impressive performance list includes the historic Lyric Theater in Virginia, the Northeast Storytelling Festival, the Storytelling Festival of the Carolinas, and the Smoky Mountains Festival. She holds residencies at Barnes & Noble, the Montgomery County Museum, and the Lewis Miller Art Center. She currently serves as president of the Virginia Storytelling Alliance and is the Virginia State Representative for the National Youth Storytelling Showcase.

  

• Colonial Williamsburg storytellers

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  Shel Browder

  A journeyman blacksmith in Colonial Williamsburg’s Anderson’s Blacksmith Shop, Shel Browder was born and raised in Wallace, N.C. He grew up listening to tales of farmers, loggers and millworkers told around the coal stove in his family’s hardware store, family stories shared on the front porch of his grandmother’s house and his father’s stories told at the kitchen table. A member of the local storytelling group, Weavers of the Word, he has participated in Telebration and First Night. In Colonial Williamsburg’s evening programs, he primarily tells Scottish stories.

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  Art Kivel Johnson

  Art Johnson is a veteran African American interpreter with Colonial Williamsburg. A well-known interpreter in Williamsburg, he is interested in historical construction of heroes and has presented sessions dramatizing history. Johnson’s performance of “The Jackal and the Dog,” a tale about the choice between freedom and slavery, is featured on the Foundation’s Web site.

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  Sharon S. Rogers

  Sharon Rogers believes that storytelling begins not with the teller but with a willing listener and delights children of all ages with her "critter tales." In addition to a theatrical career that began 20 years ago, she is a member of the National Storytelling Network and has participated in workshops with renowned storytellers such as Donald Davis, Carmen Deedy, Bill Harley, Bil Lepp, Willie Clafin, Motoko and Kim Weitkamp. She is currently a storyteller for Colonial Williamsburg’s evening programs.

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  Tracey Ellis Turner

  A native of Gloucester, Va., Tracey Turner is making her third appearance at the Storytelling Festival. She has toured as a soprano soloist and a featured dancer, and has participated as an actress in numerous international Playwrights Retreats. A director, choreographer and makeup artist for several children’s play, Turner teaches in the Williamsburg-James City County public school system and interprets in Colonial Williamsburg’s evening programs. She is a member of the Virginia Blackstorytelling Association.