Three Apples Storytelling Festival

2008 Festival Storytellers

Featured Tellers

ODDS BODKIN's character-voice and music-filled storytelling style has been mesmerizing listeners, young and old, for twenty-four years.  His most recent recording, The Harper and The King:  The Story of Young David won the Parent’s Choice Gold Award and the Storytelling World Award.   His all-original music on 12 string guitars, Celtic harp, grand piano and other instruments makes his collection of stories resemble pieces of musical theater as much as storytelling.  His seventeen award-winning audio recordings range from original dino-musicals for young children through an eclectic collection of international folktales, fairytales, and comic tall tales.  His renowned epic telling The Odyssey and The Rage of Hercules have earned him a national reputation.  www.oddsbodkin.com

"Master Storyteller Odds Bodkin is the talk of the town with his remarkable one-man Art of the Tale.”  – TIMEOUT New York

THE HEALING FORCE With booming drums and rattling gourds......with song and story......with talking drums and wasamba......this family weaves tales from Africa with traditional music and dance.  Husband and wife team, Joseph and Gail Anderson, joined with daughter, Sonji, and son, Karim, to form The Healing Force in 1990.  Featured at the National Storytelling Festival and the Bay Area Storytelling Festival, The Healing Force turns any performance into a celebration of African culture and spirit, where audience participation is a standard.
www.thehealingforceonline.com

“Feel the rhythm!  Embrace the spirit!  The Healing Force is a rousing celebration of life.”  - The High Point Enterprise

CHRISTIE KEEGAN  Christie’s personal stories weave together the wonders of childhood, questions of adolescence and stark realities of adulthood.  No matter the topic of the tale, audiences often claim the rhythm of her stories echoes their own experience.  In addition to being entertaining, her hope is that this common bond increases our tolerance and understanding of ourselves and each other.  With the same intent, she tells folk tales, myths and tall tales from many cultures - hoping the audience will hear what is common to us all as well as what makes each of us unique.  Christie loves seeing the audience nodding and nudging each other, laughing and wiping their eyes.  Then I can say “There, I’ve told a good story”.

"Christie opens up her heart so you can see into your own” - School Teacher, Saratoga Springs, NY

TIM VAN EGMOND is a multi-talented storyteller, singer and musician who transports people to the wellspring of wisdom, humor, inspiration and renewal found in the traditions of multicultural tales and folk music.  His engaging warmth and dynamic performance will by turns tickle your ribs, make your spine tingle, and warm your heart in an uplifting experience of enjoyment and enchantment.

An accomplished hammered dulcimer player and dance caller, Tim has been selected by the Massachusetts Cultural Council for Residency Programs in schools and its Touring Program.  www.timvanegmond.com

"Tim is a triple treat.  He can sing, he can play a variety of wonderful instruments, and he can tell whopping good tales!"   - Jane Yolen, renowned author and storyteller

New England Voices

Four 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 and beyond.

Michael Anderson is a First Amendment lawyer. He thinks: there's no such thing as free speech if you don't use it.  After he takes off his tie, he talks to audiences in ways they don't allow in federal court. He has performed in venues from San Francisco to London.

Lorraine Hartin-Gelardi  eclectic mix of folktales, literary tales, myths and tall tales enables her to tell stories to all manner of audiences.  Some stories make you laugh, others make you sigh and some cause you to gasp with wonder.  Lorraine Hartin-Gelardi reaches into her bag of stories and pulls out a selection of wonder and fun-filled tales that will delight and amuse listeners of all ages.  On Friday evening, Lorraine shares Kate Culhane a chilling tale of a woman, a man and a hand that reaches out from the grave.  www.lorrainetells.com

Dr. Michael Lockett taught in Normal, Illinois for 21 years.  All of his students from school came to think of him as the Normal Storyteller.  A teller of traditional tales, Lockett specializes in audience participation stories.  "I have more fun when audiences join in with the telling," says Lockett. www.mikelockett.com

Tony Toledo Come share a story on the Swapping Ground.  Host/Emcee Tony Toledo will laugh at the funny parts, cry at the sad parts and listen all the way through.  You can share a folk tale, or tell about the day your pants ripped.  You can paint a word picture of your first dog or your last car.  You can stretch the truth or shrink a lie.  Stories are the threads that connect us.  Stories are a mirror for our shared humanity.  Aw heck he’ll admit it – stories are just fun!  When you’ve told your tale, Tony will give you a coin that’ll give you good luck for the next year - a sort of metal thank you for sharing.   www.tonytoledo.com

Bedford Tellers

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 and has the special role of coach to the Bedford tellers. www.leadershipstories.com

Doris Smith As an elementary school librarian, storyteller and visual artist, Bedford’s Doris Smith combines her special talents to develop local storytellers, to host the Spooky Stories and to tell the tale of the The Witch of the Shawsheen.  Doris recruited and coached the four Bedford tellers at this year’s festival.

Don Corey has been involved with Bedford town government since his arrival in 1965, including service as a Selectman and on the Planning Board.  As a member of the Historical Society, he has given talks on Bedford’s rich history to residents ranging from elementary school students to Society meetings to the Council on Aging and retirees at Carleton-Willard Village.  Don is currently a member of the Historic Preservation Commission and a director of the Bedford Historical Society.  www.bedfordhistoricalsociety.org

Neil Couveé grew up in Bedford and is the co-owner of Chip-In Farm, Bedford's only farm stand.  His quiet humor will delight you as he shares his stories about Bedford, farming in the suburbs and his egg adventures.  www.chip-infarm.com

John Dodge Bedford's Historian and life-long resident, John Dodge knows the stories of Bedford inside and out.  He is a people person and likes to share the town's stories.  Not only is he a historian, but also a renowned and talented artist.  www.dodgeart.com

Lee Yates Alethea "Lee" Yates entered a historical event when the high-tech bubble burst in 2001 and took her job with it.  Still reeling, she stumbled into a rewarding new career in the field of local history. She credits Toastmasters with her ability to talk to an audience and simultaneously enjoy it.
www.bedfordhistoricalsociety.org

Selected Tellers

Magdalen Cantwell is a teacher, musician and storyteller.  She entertains young and old with stories, songs and lore from her native Ireland.

Libby Franck has presented myths and folktales as well as stories of strong intrepid women at venues throughout New England and beyond.  Her “ladies” include pirates, convicts, stagecoach robbers, a Colonial Cinderella and Dorothy Parker.  She hosts The OutSpoken Word open mike series in Metro West and researches and tells local history stories for the Framingham Historical Society. 

At the Festival, Libby will share “Comore and Tryphyna – A Breton Legend”  Libby found this story while searching for a Celtic Bluebeard.  At her first telling, it was surrounded by a ballad sung in the haunting, mysterious Breton language.  It does not end “happily ever after” but with “three saints and a werewolf” – a typical Brittany ending. www.libbyfranck.com

Lauretta Phillips Since 1996, Lauretta has been the creator, producer and host of “The Talking Stick,” a radio program that promotes the oral traditions of storytelling at Colby-Sawyer College WSCS 90.9FM.  Lauretta is a founding member of the Central New Hampshire Storytelling Guild, a member of the Southern New Hampshire Storytelling Guild, a member of LANES, National Storytelling Network, and Co-founder and Chairperson of The Granite State Story Swap. Lauretta conducted a workshop at the National Storytelling Conference in 2008 and will perform at the National Storytelling Festival in Oct, 2008.  Lauretta has released two CDs: with Cora Ciampi, “Sisters Too – Down the Path at Gramma’s” and “My Gal Sal – Gets a Juk-A-Tuzy and Other Such Stories.” Lauretta lives in Andover, NH.  

At the Festival, Lauretta will re-tell “Uncle Ned Kunkle.”  Uncle Ned lived on the tip top of Mount Baldy in a two room cabin with 14 other Kunkles. He was the laziest man known.   None of the Kunkles fell far from that tree.  The best thing they liked to eat was possum.  Then Uncle Ned died and changed everything. www.lphillipstales.com

Joanne Piazzi began her professional life as a seamstress, then became a teacher, then a storyteller.  She is now a full-time reading teacher in a middle school, where the ability to whip up a costume and tell a good story really come in handy.  She’s a little like Paula Poundstone and a lot like Mary Poppins – practical and resourceful, but with a sense of humor.  She currently serves on the LANES board as its vice president. 

At the Festival Joanne will tell “The Lingering Scent of Rosewater”, an original story set in the American west in the early 1900’s.  It tells of a store owner who succumbs to ambition and greed and gets his come-uppance in the form of madness and some very sharp thorns.  www.cdbaby.com/cd/piazzijoanne

Preview Tellers

In addition to some storytellers listed above, these Three Apples Storytelling alumni will appear as part of the Preview Tour.

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

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.
www.nicoletteheavey.com

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