Featured Tellers
BILL
HARLEY Grammy Award Winner Bill Harley’s stories are filled with the details of
daily life, and everything he does has a refreshing dose of fantasy
mixed with a healthy breath of reality. His album “Blah, Blah, Blah . .
. Stories About Clams, Swamp Monsters,
Pirates
and Dogs” won the 2006 Grammy for best spoken word album for children.
Winner of numerous other national awards including Parent's Choice, ALA
(American Library Association), NAPPA (The National Parenting
Publications Award) and AFIM (Association for Independent Music), as
well as two previous Grammy Nominations, Bill produces recordings for
kids and adults that are filled with joyous music and masterful stories.
Bill can be
heard on your car radio as a regular commentator for National Public
Radio's "All Things Considered". His commentaries are filled with his
trademark humor and wisdom on topics ranging from T-ball game strategy
to first jobs to dead groundhogs. As Bill says "Anything is material to
a desperate man." He has appeared numerous times at the prestigious
National Storytelling Festival, and at dozens of other regional
festivals from California to Florida. You'll find his stories and
off-beat observations in numerous anthologies and magazines.
A prolific writer, his books include:
"Sitting Down To Eat," which was selected as an ABA Pick of the list;
"Nothing Happened," Bill's first picture book, and "Sarah's Story,"
a
Storytelling World Award Winner.
Bill tours nationally as a solo artist
as well as with his band, the "Troublemakers," or with his
pianist/co-conspirator, Keith Munslow. Armed with his guitar, songs,
stories and slightly off center mind, Bill is the kind of performer you
just have to see in person!
www.billharley.com
ONAWUMI
JEAN MOSS Onawumi Jean Moss of Amherst, Massachusetts is a
storyteller,
narrator, keynote speaker and author. Her timeless stories and a
cappella songs of Africa include tales of wonder, liberation,
praise, trickery, and spirituality. Her stories encourage pride of
heritage, appreciation of cultural differences and recognition of kinship.
Onawumi has told wondrous tales at the National
Storytelling Festival stage (2001), Exchange Place (1995) and National
Storytelling Association's Swappin’ Ground (1992). She has also swapped
stories and been a featured teller at the National Association of Black
Storytellers Conference. She is a 2005 recipient of the Zora Neale
Hurston Storytelling Award (November 2005), the highest award given by
the National Association of Black Storytellers (NABS) and she holds
lifetime memberships in the National Storytellers Network (NSN) and the
National Association of Black Storytellers (NABS). She is also a member
of the League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling (LANES).
Onawumi keeps
very busy with other storytelling-related activities. She is the founder
and director of the Keepers of the Word Storytelling Festival, an annual
event in Amherst since 1993 - host to nearly sixty celebrated tellers of
African, Asian, European, Hispanic, Latin and Native American heritage.
She co-wrote and narrated the PBS Special Kwanzaa in 1998. Her book,
Precious and the Boo Hag (2005), written with Patricia C. McKissack
and illustrator Kysten Booker, was praised in the School Library
Journal as “an enchanting tale that is a pinch scary but a peck of
fun.” Booklist noted it had “the grand feel of a folktale.” Precious
and the Boo Hag was selected by the New York Public Library as one
of its top 100 “must- read” books, an honor given to the best
achievements in children's publishing.
www.onawumi.com
LEENY
DEL SEAMONDS 2002 National
Storyteller of the Year®, Leeny Del Seamonds is known for
animated, interactive performances for all ages.
This internationally acclaimed master performer of
Hispanic/Latino original and World stories spiced with exquisite mime, a
cornucopia of characters, and a love of people, encourages listeners to
feel positive about themselves and to rejoice in human and cultural
diversity.
Leeny has been a headliner
at the National Storytelling Festival and Teller-in-Residence at the
International Storytelling Center, both in Jonesborough, TN, as well as
a headliner at many other festivals including "Gimistory," The Cayman
Islands International Storytelling Festival, BWI; Mesa Storytelling
Festival in Arizona; Mariposa Storytelling Festival in California;
Multi-Cultural Storytelling Festival in Oregon; Three Apples
Storytelling Festival in Massachusetts; and many more. In September
2006, Leeny was a featured delegate to China as part of the Nu Wa
Storytelling and Cultural Exchange tour.
Leeny stars in the national
television and DVD series “Ribert
& Robert's WonderWorld,”
a multi award-winning children's program.
In the series, Leeny writes and performs her own
segments as Leeny the Story Performer. 52 episodes currently air
on over 110 PBS stations throughout the country and worldwide. Her
highly acclaimed recording,
"¡Ay Caramba! ¡Ay Ay
Ay! Cuentos y Canciónes (Latino Stories & Songs),"
takes listeners on a journey through Leeny's rich Latino heritage
and won a
2003 Parents' Choice
Silver Award. Her musical CD,
"CelloTales:
The Melding of Music, Myth & Memories,"
created and performed with cellist Gideon Freudmann, won a
2004 Parents' Choice Gold Award and
a
2005 Storytelling
World Winner Award.
A dedicated Teaching Artist,
Leeny has 30 years of stage, film and directing experience. She is a DOE
Professional Development Provider for New Jersey and Massachusetts.
www.leenydelseamonds.com
New England Voices
Eleven diverse storytellers, selected based on their body
of work, will perform throughout the Festival. Here’s your opportunity
to experience accomplished tellers from throughout New England.
David Arfa
Maggid (Mah-Geed; storyteller) David Arfa is dedicated to
re-discovering and celebrating Judaism’s storytelling heritage. David’s
CD, The Birth of Love: Tales for the Days of Awe is filled with
stories first performed at High Holy Day services. David shares
stories and presents his workshop Re-Storying Jewish Tradition
throughout New England.
www.filbert.com/pvfs/arfa
Jean Armstrong
Jean Armstrong might tell you a fun, funny, interactive, physical
story or a quiet heartfelt one. On the Maine Arts Commission and
New England States Touring Rosters, her telling has been described as,
“exquisite-a rare thing...a masterpiece!” Jean offers shows,
workshops, and residencies for children and adults of all ages and has
presented at the National Storytelling Conference and throughout the
Americas. www.jeanarmstrong.com
Mark Binder
Mark Binder is an award-winning storyteller with five CDs, including his
latest, Dead at Knotty Oak, and the author of four books. He's a
Trinity Rep Conservatory Graduate and has taught "Telling Lies" at the
Rhode Island School of Design. He ran for Congress in 2004.
Honest. www.markbinder.com
Simon Brooks
Born in Stroud, in the U.K., Simon came to the USA in 1994. He now lives
in New Hampshire with his wife and children. Simon performs with
energy and wit, captivating his audience with unique voices to animate
characters, and with expressive body language which truly brings the
stories to life.
www.diamondscree.com
Eshu Bumpus
Eshu Bumpus captivates his audience by telling a variety of
African, African-American and World folktales leavened with music, humor
and mystery. Eshu is a renowned storyteller, an accomplished jazz
vocalist and a master at physical characterization. He has performed on
the Exchange Place stage at the National Festival and once did 36 sold
out shows in 13 days at the Smithsonian.
www.eshu.folktales.net
Angela Klingler
Enter the realm of the imagination with storyteller Angela
Klingler and she will enchant all gathered with her animated retellings
of world folktales, fables and fairytales. "Alternately wise and funny,
silly and poignant," she has garnered national recognition with her
school, library and festival performances and NAPPA award winning audio
Faire Tales.
members.aol.com/akfairtale
Merrill Kohlhofer
Merrill Kohlhofer has been a dishwasher, preacher, Graduate Teaching
Assistant, Licensed Nursing Assistant, Emergency Medical Technician and
Historical Interpreter. These experiences fill his
performances. Merrill’s rich voice, stage presence, gifts for
characterization and language have brought our past and present to life
for more than forty-five years.
www.merrillstories.com
Mary Jo Maichack
Mary Jo Maichack has been a full-time professional storyteller, singer
and songwriter for 18 years. Her shows are a lively and funny mix
of participatory folktales and tunes strummed and fiddled, sometimes
with props, puppets or costumes—donned by audience kids. Winner of
a NAPPA Gold Award, she puts the accent on fun.
www.maryjomaichack.com
Stu
Mendelson
Specializing in folktales of peace, love, justice and the environment,
Storyteller Stu Mendelson has spent the past 12 years using his tale
spinning talents to bring alive multi-cultural folktales to the sheer
delight of audiences both young and old. Stu has trained at Emerson’s
International School of Storytelling, England, and earned a Masters Degree
in Creative Arts in Learning/Elementary Education from Lesley College. He
is a Massachusetts Certified teacher with years of elementary classroom
experience. He has taught courses in creative drama and storytelling, and
created the position of the creative arts specialist at the Somerville
Charter School. Stu has appeared at festivals, concerts and special events
through out the Northeast region and in England.
John Porcino
It's been 25 years since John first put up a “Storyteller/Musician”
shingle. Thousands of performances and workshops later, from
California to the New York Island, John is still learning, still
sharing, still in love with the laughter and insight a good story can
bring. www.johnporcino.com
Diane Postoian
Half teacher, half kid and all performer, storyteller Diane Postoian
gives voice to nature, animals and humans with passion, depth and humor.
When she was the director of Rhode Island’s Looking Glass Theatre she
received nationwide grants for her work with young audiences. In 2006,
Diane received an Honorary Degree in Fine Arts.
www.dianepostoian.com
Selected Tellers
Karen Glass
Karen Glass describes herself this way, “I was born about one thousand
years ago. I have lived many lives; teacher, wizard, wife, mother,
grandmother, gardener, librarian and quilter. I weave these lives
together now in my storytelling manifestation. The stories I tell
are all true, though the facts may have been altered because of memory
lapses.”
At
Three Apples, Karen will tell the tale, Knot:
Knot lives under an Adirondack bridge at the edge of a remote
pond where he finds magic in his friendship with a little girl.
www.karenglasslive.com
Peggy Hagen
Peggy Hagen enjoys telling folk and fairy tales, and has recorded an album
of original stories and adaptations of traditional tales entitled
Kaleidoscope: Old Stories with a New Twist. It is her hope
that listeners will rediscover the age-old wisdom of these stories when
they see them in a new light.
At Three Apples, Peggy will tell the tale,
Frau Gothel. In the Grimm version of "Rapunzel,"
the witch didn't do anything magical. "Frau Gothel" is an original
adaptation of the story from that perspective.
peggyhagen@frontiernet.net
Bill Hinderer
Bill is a father, husband, professional cook, veteran, and storyteller who
was raised in a family full of tales, mostly of family members’
misadventures that were told and retold until no one could remember
exactly who had what part in any of the stories. His own stories take
the listener from the coast of Maine to the battlefields of Vietnam and
back. His stories are filled with joy and sorrow, laughter and tears,
with a few surprises along the way.
At Three Apples, Bill will tell the
tale, Jerusalem 6.
In the middle of the Mekong Delta a young lieutenant receives a radio
message to rendezvous with someone whose radio code name is Jerusalem 6. What follows is not in the John Wayne tradition of war stories. wrhinderer@yahoo.com
Anna Rice
After an Ohio childhood, Anna went on to flip burgers, hunt
submarines, and then get a degree in Mathematics and Statistics.
Although software is now her primary profession in Massachusetts, she
enjoys sharing her personal stories and getting people to laugh, gasp,
and sometimes learn something new.
At
Three Apples, Anna will tell the tale of
Zeus the Fetch Crazy
Dog. Zeus was a dog with a singular obsession. No deterrent
was strong enough to stop him and no challenge was too great. Find out
how far one dog can go. arice@uptodate.com
Ellen Robertson
Ellen Robertson, environmentalist and keen observer, tells true
stories about multi-, four-, and two-footed critters, as well as
personal experiences on her own two feet. She told her first open
microphone story at Club Passim fifteen years ago. Since then she’s told
at Brother Blue’s, Sharing the Fire swaps, and recently, monthly at
Storytelling for Grownups.
At Three Apples, Ellen will take you
“Behind the Scenes at the New England Aquarium!” See through her
eyes what the research, maintenance, and displays-in-waiting areas look
like, and hear how a marauding mollusk caused mayhem one dark night.
evr115@yahoo.com
Elsa Zuniga
Originally from Texas, Elsa transplanted herself to Massachusetts and
grew some new roots. She collects stories the way most people
collect lint -- in strange and unexpected places, often without even
realizing it. Although an engineer by training, she's more likely
to pull a story out of her tool belt than a hammer.
Elsa will tell the tale, Quiltmaker's Gift. A greedy, demanding king tries to bully the gentle village
quiltmaker and ends up with something quite unexpected. Based on
Jeff Brumbeau's book of the same name, this is a story about generosity,
mentoring, and living your life in accordance to your values - even when
it means standing up to a king.
www.prolisten.com
Library Preview
Tellers
In addition
to some storytellers listed above, these
Three Apples Storytelling alumni will
appear as part of the Library Tour.
Magdalen
Cantwell is a teacher, musician
and storyteller. She entertains young and old with stories, songs and
lore from her native Ireland.
Jane Gossard
People of all ages enjoy the voice of
her drum as Jane shares "Drumcalling," a
powerful story of love and
self-discovery that describes how the
African djembe drum became part of her
life. Children especially enjoy playing
her many drums and instruments. Teller
of inspirational personal, Native
American, and African tales, Jane has
performed at Three Apples Storytelling
Festival, Andover Bookstore, schools and
churches. Workshops developed with Susan
Lenoe help school children find and
express their personal stories.
Nicolette
Heavey
Nicolette Nordin Heavey, The StoryWeaver, lived a “storied” childhood
traveling around Europe and the Middle East. Accents and gestures from this
past texture her stories and delight her young audiences. Nicolette is the
approved storyteller for Bright Horizons childcare centers and was a featured
storyteller at the 2003 Boston Globe Children’s Book Fair.
Doria
Hughes
Doria delights in telling and reading stories to children and their families.
She particularly enjoys sharing folktales, myths and legends from a vast array
of world narrative traditions (Ashanti, Japanese, Celtic, Native North American,
Jewish, Scandinavian and many more), and is known for her animal sound effects.
Doria lives in Cambridge, MA.
www.doriastories.com
Jim LaChapelle
Jim LaChapelle sparks the imagination with a myriad of spoken
word, movement, and character voices as he shares folklore from around the
world. Jim has been telling stories for over a dozen years to young and old
alike. He specializes in folk and fairy tales from around the world, from
East Asia, to the Philippines, Africa, and back to North America. Jim tells
tales appropriate for age 2 (The Name of the Tree) up through to adulthood
(The Heartless Giant) and will tailor his program to the needs of his audience.
Jim is a teacher and lives in Wilmington, MA.
www.jimthestoryteller.com
Susan Lenoe
is a storyteller and actress. She portrays women in history including
Harriet Beecher Stowe, Anne Bradstreet and Sarah Grimke. She is the host
of a rather riotous children’s story hour at the Andover Bookstore and
also leads a monthly story swap at the bookstore.
Lani
Peterson
As both a storyteller and psychologist, Lani shares stories that guide
listeners to see their world from new perspectives. Whether leading with traditional
tales or her rich treasury of personal stories, Lani takes audiences on journeys
of self-exploration that encourage personal reflection, integrity and the
inspiration to fulfill one’s potential. Lani’s CD, “Stories from Within,”
won a 2004 honor from Storytelling World Magazine for her original story “Broken
Glass.” She lives in Andover, MA.
www.leadershipstories.com
Tim
Seston
Tim Seston is new to the storytelling community. As a former high-school
teacher, he learned to tell stories to enhance the learning experience of
his students. He writes original stories and songs to perform for children
of all ages. To entertain his audience, he uses a combination of clever
rhymes, music and good old fashioned storytelling excitement. But what
makes the performance unique is Tim’s ability to take the material “From Page
to Play.” Tim performs at Birthday Parties for children age 2-10 years old.
He even writes a new story for each boy or girl. Tim has a great time performing
for town events, at libraries, local businesses or for community play groups.
Tim provides regular music, writing and/or storytelling classes for toddlers,
pre-schoolers and school-aged children. He lives in Concord, MA.
www.frompagetoplay.com
