Come on in! sit right Down! get your fill!

Come on in!
Sit right down!
Get your fill!
Denton Civic Center * Denton, Texas
Gene Helmick-Richardson,
recipient of the
2015 John Henry Faulk Award
Elizabeth Ellis,
recipient of the 2015 Marvin
Brown Service Award
P.O. BOX 2806
DENTON, TX 76202
OFFICE: 940-380-9320
FAX: 940-380-9329
TEJASSTORYTELLING.COM
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/TSAFESTIVAL
TWITTER.COM/@TEJASTALES
[email protected]
Kay Tobola, Festival Managing Director
Kay’s awareness of the power of story has evolved during
a 26 year career as a classroom teacher overlapped
with an 18 year career with the Astromaterials Research
and Exploration Science (ARES) Division at NASA Johnson
Space Center. She recognizes that story is a tool that
illuminates how people, ideas, and things are connected,
and that storytelling can affect change. A NASA Mars
Public Engagement team project with the International
Storytelling Center introduced Kay to performance
storytelling and festivals. She sees them as the “gateway drug” to using story
to evoke changes in people, communities, and institutions. Kay sees the Texas
Storytelling Festival as an essential way to get more Texans connected to story.
Jay Stailey, Festival Artistic Director
Jay Stailey started telling stories on the stage under the
tent at the Texas Storytelling Festival in 1989. Since that
time he has told stories around the nation, including
as an exchange place teller and teller-in residence in
Jonesborough, Tennessee, and here and there around
the world (from the Sneem Festival in County Kerry Ireland
to Ethiopia.) He also has served in a leadership role for
the Houston Storytellers Guild and on the board of the
National Storytelling Association. Jay is currently teaching
a storytelling class at the University of Houston Downtown and will offer a course
on the power of personal narrative at the new Hines Center for Spirituality and
Prayer this coming Spring. He has taken on the role of Texas Storytelling Festival
Artistic Director for 2016 and 2017. Jay has promised to return in 2018 to facilitate
the Sunday morning labyrinth walk.
Thanks to our concert producers. Under the direction of Artistic Director Jay
Stailey, twelve volunteers have skillfully designed their concerts, drawn on their
experience and networks to recruit tellers and emcees, and now offer them to
you, the story listeners of the Texas Storytelling Festival.
Shelly Tucker, Elizabeth Ellis, Mary Grace Ketner, Richard Nash, Sue Kuentz,
MaryAnn Blue, Donna Ingham, Judy Allton, Paula Schlegel, Fran Stallings,
Tom McDermott, Peggy Helmick-Richardson
Thanks to our workshop and master class facilitators
and Elizabeth Ellis who recruited them.
Jerry Young, Genie Hammel, Councilman Dalton Gregory, Reba Ott,
Gayle Ross, Besty Mosier, Donna Ingham, Libby Tipton, Janet Latham
31st Annual Texas Storytelling Festival
Meet our Featured Storytellers
Reverend Robert Jones
The right Reverend Robert Jones,
blues teller and singer from Detroit,
Michigan, is a nationally known
storyteller. Robert’s stories combine
elements of music and humor, along
with emotion, fact and fiction to
convey the truths found in our shared
culture. Sometimes he tells personal
and family stories, and at other times
he tells stories drawn from the lives
and legends of blues and gospel
performers that he grew up listening
to and learning about. Many of his tales center around struggles
of race and faith. We are looking forward to him “sweetening the
pot” during his visit with us. revrobertjones.com
Minton Sparks
Minton Sparks fuses music, poetry and
her intoxicating gift for storytelling to
paint word pictures of the rural South
that put you square in the middle
of the people and the places she
knows like the back of her hand.
During her recent first foray into Texas,
Minton cooked up tales for a full
house at the Mucky Duck in Houston,
accompanied by guitarist John
Jackson. Musician Marshall Chapman
proclaims, “I have seen Minton
Sparks. And if she’s not the ghost child of Flannery O’Connor and
Hank Williams, then cotton doesn’t grow in a cotton field.” Minton
is excited to make her first appearance at the Texas Storytelling
Festival. mintonsparks.com
Antonio Sacre
Antonio Sacre, born in Boston to a
Cuban father and Irish-American
mother, brings his own “special
sauce” to our community’s recipe
for storytelling stew. Antonio is one
of America’s preeminent bilingual
storytellers. Based in Los Angeles, he
shares his stories, books and talents
with school children throughout
Southern California and beyond. He
has appeared at the National Book
Festival at the Library of Congress,
the National Storytelling Festival, and
numerous museums, libraries and festivals throughout the country
and the world. His first of four books, The Barking Mouse, reinforces
his belief in the richness of our multi-lingual culture. Antonio
teaches children and adults about the power of story (in any
language) and works as the storyteller-in-residence at the UCLA
Lab School. He is presenting the Sunday Master Class at this year’s
festival. antoniosacre.com
Eldrena Douma
We are thrilled to welcome back the
rich voice of Texas storyteller Eldrena
Douma to our 31st Annual Texas
Storytelling Festival. Storytelling and
Pueblo singing were a way of life in
Eldrena’s childhood. During everyday
activities family and friends shared
pueblo stories, songs, and family
history. Reflecting back, Eldrena
realizes that listening to story allowed
her to strengthen and stimulate the
use of her imagination and creativity.
Now living in Canyon, Texas, Eldrena
is on the Texas Touring Roster for the Texas Commission on the Arts
and received the 2014 John Henry Faulk Award. As a professional
storyteller and educator, Eldrena offers captivating stories of
American Indian folklore, music, and history, including a savory
selection of family and personal tales. nastoryteller.blogspot.com
Sign up for Story Swap
at Texas Storytelling Festival in Denton!
Tell your story among friends at
noontime, Friday & Saturday
March 11 and 12.
Sign up for a 5 minute story or a 10
minute story. Opens Friday morning
near registration table.
Treasures & Stories: Silent Auction
Annual Fundraiser
Come and support our storytelling mission
for Tejas Storytelling Association!
Hours for Bidding:
Thursday: 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Friday: 9:00 am to 10:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm
It closes during performances and dinner breaks.
Final bids are taken after Talespinner Dinner ends on Saturday night.
Payment is after close of auction before last program on Saturday.
Cash, check, and credit card
You can take your item(s) at that time.
SHOP the STORY STORE
Resources for Storytellers and Story Listeners
CDs and DVDs
Books, Props, and Puppets
Shirts, Bags, and Souvenirs
Story Store Hours:
Thursday: 6:00 pm to 9:45 pm
Friday and Saturday: 8:30 am to 10:30 pm
Sunday: 11:00 am to 1:30 pm
*Story Store is open 30 minutes before and after concerts. It closes
during performances and dinner breaks. (Hours may change due
to availability of volunteers.)
Thank you for shopping with us!
Your Story Store purchases support TSA’s mission to foster and share
an appreciation of storytelling as a non-profit organization. You
can continue to support Tejas Storytelling ALL YEAR when shopping
online via smile.amazon.com (Save the link in your browser!)
Amazon donates .5 percent of all purchases to your
designated non-profit organization.
How you support the Texas Storytelling
Festival and Tejas Storytelling Association
Attending the festival. Performance storytelling is the introduction to the power
of story. Workshops share skills and knowledge to inspire us all to use story.
Booking your hotel stay at Spring Hill Suites, Denton. They provide some of
the rooms for our tellers based on the number of rooms booked by festival
attendees.
Joining us at the Talespinner Dinner. It is a fundraiser and a time to build
community. Meet and reconnect with fellow story lovers.
Contributing to the Silent Auction. Offer a treasure with a story for bidding.
Bidding in the Silent Auction. Get those bids up, challenge others to bid, and
open up the checkbook. This is a 100% contribution to the association and you
take home a treasure.
Shopping at the Story Store. When you make purchases, you support the Tejas
Storytelling Association and its member authors who consign their materials into
the Story Store.
Partaking at the Festival Concession Stand. Besides the convenience of coffee,
tea, sodas, and snacks just steps away from the stage, this does make a little
extra for the association.
Maintaining a membership with the Tejas Storytelling Association.
Thank you.
Schedule
All concerts take place on the Main Stage in
Denton Civic Center Rotunda unless otherwise noted.
Indicates American Sign Language interpreters. Upon request
interpreters are available for any concert, event, workshop, or class.
Thursday March 10
Bubbling Cauldron of Terrifying Tales:
Ghost Tales
7:00 - 9:15 pm
Concert
Producer/Emcee: Shelly Tucker
Steve McCluer [email protected]
Paula Schlegel [email protected]
Catherine Whiteman [email protected]
Kimber Fountain [email protected]
Charles Porterfield [email protected]
Loren Niemi [email protected]
Donna Ingham [email protected]
Friday March 11
Setting the Table for a Festival Feast
Producer: Jay Stailey | Emcee: Larry Thompson
Minton Sparks
Rev. Robert Jones Sr.
Eldrena Douma
Original Recipe: Flavorful Folk Tales
Producer/Emcee: Elizabeth Ellis
Amy Bruton-Bluemel (Chickasaw Nation)
[email protected]
Blanca Reyna (Mexico) [email protected]
Fran Stallings (Japan) [email protected]
Shiny Wu (Taiwan) [email protected]
Jyoti Subramanian (India) [email protected]
Research Stew: The Spice That Makes
the Difference
Presenters: Jaye McLaughlin, Fred Peters
Facilitator: Jerry Young
<Yellow Rose Room
9:00 - 10:30 am
Concert
10:45 am 12:15 pm
Concert
10:45 am 12:15 pm
WORKSHOP A
Friday Story Swaps and Lunch
Producer/Facilitator: Judy Allton
Breaking Bread with Old Friends:
John Henry Faulk
12:15 - 1:15 pm
EVENT
1:15 - 2:00 pm
CONCERT
Producer: Mary Grace Ketner | Emcee: Eldrena Douma
Gene Helmick-Richardson [email protected] MaryAnn Blue [email protected]
Elizabeth Ellis [email protected]
Is the Ghost Story Dead?
Presenter: Loren Niemi | Facilitator: Genie Hammel
<Yellow Rose Room
Before the Blues:
Featuring Rev. Robert Jones Sr.
Producer: Jay Stailey | Emcee: Mary Grace Ketner
Rev. Robert Jones Sr.
<Rotunda
Sweet Retreat: Afternoon Snack
<Rotunda
TSA Membership Meeting
<Rotunda
New to the Menu: Rising Stars
Producer/Emcee: Richard Nash
Shayne Larango (Dallas Storytelling Guild)
Deb Ann Allison (Tarrant Area Guild of Storytellers)
Charlie Whipple (San Antonio Storytelling Association)
Susan Whipple (San Antonio Storytelling Association)
Tom Yeager (Houston Storytelling Guild)
Natasha La Gitana (Central Texas Storytelling Guild)
Stone Soup…and Salad Meal
1:15 - 2:45 pm
WORKSHOP B
2:15 - 3:15 pm
CONCERT
3:30 - 4:00 pm
EVENT
4:00 - 4:45 pm
EVENT
5:00 - 6:00 pm
CONCERT
6:00 - 7:30 pm
DINNER
Appetizer: Music Featuring John Jackson 7:00 - 7:30 pm
pre-concert
Friday Night Menu Special:
Featured Tellers and Awards
7:30 - 10:00 pm
concert
Producer: Jay Stailey | Emcee: Tim Couch
First Course
Antonio Sacre
Minton Sparks
Marvin Brown Volunteer Award Ceremony
Special Service Award Ceremony
Intermission
Second Course
Eldrena Douma
Rev. Robert Jones Sr.
World Music Dance Party: Stirring It Up
10:15 - 10:30 pm
Facilitator: Kim Lehman
Stir it up with a quarter hour of wild, wonderful dance music
from around the world.
concert
Stone Soup… and Salad
Eat, relax, visit, and share Friday evening from 6 to 7:30 pm!
We will find out what has become of the stone and the
community offerings from the morning concert.
With help from Sweetwater Grill & Tavern, the rest of the Stone
Soup story will be revealed! Expect two soup choices: Roasted
Root Vegetable or Wild Rice and Chicken and mixed salad
greens with ranch or lemon thyme dressings.
Sliced baguettes, tea, and dessert.
Tickets may be purchased at the Registration Table for $15
through Friday morning, 10 AM.
This was originally Friday Nite Lite Dinner.
Saturday, March 12
Cooking up Family Stories:
Family Concert
Producer: Sue Kuentz/MaryAnn Blue
Emcee: MaryAnn Blue
Antonio Sacre
Ann Marie Newman [email protected]
Jiaan Powers [email protected]
Judy Allton [email protected]
David Titus [email protected]
Lucas Miller [email protected]
Songs of Praise and Protest
Presenter: Rev. Robert Jones Sr.
Facilitator: Councilman Dalton Gregory
<Women’s Building
History, Mystery, Monsters & Myth: Stories
and Science of the Earth’s Movements
9:00 - 10:30 am
concert
9:00 - 10:30 am
WORKSHOP C
9:00 - 10:30 am
WORKSHOP D
Presenter: Linda King Pruit
Facilitator: Betsy Mosier
<Yellow Rose Room
Tricks and Treats: Kids’ Day Activities
Big Kids (10 and Up)
Facilitator: David Titus
<Yellow Rose Room
Younger Set (9 and Younger)
Facilitators: Lucas Miller, Ann Marie Newman
<Emily Fowler Public Library Meeting Room
Bittersweet Taste of the Truth
(Overcooked): The Texas Liar’s Contest
Producer/Emcee: Donna Ingham
Maryann Clarke [email protected]
Fred Peters [email protected]
Skip Skipworth [email protected]
Ben Wilson [email protected]
Shiny Wu [email protected]
10:40 am 12:00 pm
EVENT
10:40 am 12:00 pm
EVENT
10:45 am 12:15 pm
EVENT
Kids’ Day at the Festival
Turn off the tablet and unplug the TV.
Saturday, March 12, at the Denton Civic Center
Admission to all Kids’ Day Activities is free for children and an accompanying
adult. Lunch will be provided free for the children.
Adults may wish to order a box lunch.
TRICKS AND TREATS: KIDS’ DAY ACTIVITIES
10:40 am - 12:00 pm | Children, 10 and above
Grab a string and join David Titus, with assistance from Vivian Rutherford
and Janet Latham in the Yellow Rose Room/Civic Center for more stories
attached to strings.
10:40 am - 12:00 pm| Children, 9 and Younger
Join Ann Marie Newman and Zoologist/Singer/Storyteller Lucas Miller for
stories, songs, and interactive activities at the Emily Fowler Public Library
Meeting Room.
MORE TRICKS AND TREATS: LUNCH AND STORY SWAPS
12:00 - 1:00 pm
Everyone meets all the tellers in the Emily Fowler Public Library meeting room
for pizza and the Kids/Parents Story Swap.
Burn Through Your Story: Part 1
Presenter: Minton Sparks
Facilitator: Gayle Ross
<Women’s Building
Cooking up Some Family Stories
Presenter: Antonio Sacre
Facilitator: Reba Ott
<Bluebonnet Room
More Tricks and Treats:
Kids’ Lunch and Story Swaps
<Emily Fowler Public Library Meeting Room
Saturday Story Swaps and Lunch
Producer/Facilitator: Judy Allton
Affiliate Guild Meeting
<Yellow Rose Room
10:45 am12:15 pm
WORKSHOP E
10:45 am 12:15 pm
WORKSHOP F
12:00 - 1:00 pm
EVENT
12:15 - 1:30 pm
EVENT
12:15 - 1:30 pm
EVENT
Food for Thought: Voices in the Kitchen
Producer/Emcee: Paula Schlegel
Linda King Pruitt [email protected]
Nancy Self [email protected]
Chester Weems [email protected]
Rebecca Narrowe [email protected]
Carolyn Baum [email protected]
Tim Couch [email protected]
Burn Through Your Story: Part 2
Presenter: Minton Sparks
Facilitator: Gayle Ross
<Women’s Building
A Conversation with Eldrena Douma
Interviewer/Facilitator: Donna Ingham
<Bluebonnet Room
Fringe Fest
Producer/Emcee: Fran Stallings
Nancy Lenhart Matthews [email protected]
Cora Newcomb [email protected]
Tony Hardman [email protected]
Gary Whitaker [email protected]
<Women’s Building
Just Enough to Sign a Story
Presenter: Nancy Simpson
Facilitator: Libby Tipton
<Yellow Rose Room
Chewing the Fat With Tom McDermott
& Friends
Is it story? Is it stew? Is it crazy enough for you?
<Bluebonnet Room
Talespinner Dinner
1:30 - 3:00 pm
CONCERT
1:30 - 3:00 pm
WORKSHOP G
1:30 - 3:00 pm
WORKSHOP H
3:15 - 4:45 pm
CONCERT
3:15 - 4:45 pm
WORKSHOP I
3:30 - 4:30 pm
EVENT
5:00 - 7:00 pm
DINNER
Appetizer: Music Featuring
John Jackson
7:00 - 7:30 pm
PRE-CONCERT
Saturday Night Menu Special:
Featured Tellers and Awards
7:30 - 10:00 pm
Producer Jay Stailey
Emcee: MaryAnn Blue
First Course
Rev. Robert Jones Sr.
Eldrena Douma
John Henry Faulk Award Ceremony
Intermission
Second Course
Antonio Sacre
Minton Sparks
CONCERT
Talespinner Dinner
Annual Fundraiser for the Tejas Storytelling Association
Saturday, 5:00 to 7:00 pm
Talespinner Dinner is an opportunity to renew old friendships,
make new ones, share the excitement of two days of story
sharing, and relax before the Saturday evening concert.
El Guapos is once again preparing dinner, featuring Pollo Guapo,
a marinated chicken breast with a choice of specialty sauces, Spanish
rice, and Veracruz Veggies. Vegetarian and vegan options offered.
Beer, wine, tea, and soft drinks are included.
Don’t forget to make your last minute bids
on the Silent Auction items during the dinner hour.
Tickets are $25 per person and should be purchased by
noon on Friday at the Registration Table.
Spring Hill Suites
Thanks to Spring Hill Suites, especially Joe Lopez, Director of Sales, and
Karla Massey, Sales Coordinator, for the professional and friendly support
they have given to the 2016 Texas Storytelling Festival. And, thanks to our
attendees who booked rooms at the Spring Hill Suites. Through a generous
arrangement with Spring Hill Suites, your stay helped defray costs for our
featured tellers.
Sunday, March 13
Labyrinth Walk
8:00 - 9:00 am
Facilitator: Clay Thurmond
EVENT
<Rotunda
Selecting and Mixing the Perfect
Storytelling Ingredients
8:00 - 11:00 am
MASTER CLASS
Presenter: “Chef” Antonio Sacre
Facilitator: Janet Latham
<Women’s Building
A Communion of Tales: Sacred Stories
9:30 - 11:00 am
Producer/Emcee: Peggy Helmick-Richardson
Mary Grace Ketner [email protected]
Gale McCray [email protected]
Michael Anderson [email protected]
Betsy Mosier [email protected]
Philip Drexler [email protected]
The Just Dessert: Closing Concert
Producer: Jay Stailey
Emcee: Paula Schlegel
Minton Sparks
Eldrena Douma
Rev. Robert Jones Sr.
Antonio Sacre
CONCERT
11:30 am 1:00 pm
CONCERT
Master Class with Antonio Sacre
Selecting and Mixing the Perfect Storytelling Ingredients
Facilitator: Janet Latham
8:00 - 11:00 am
<Women’s Building How (and How Not) to Make a Living as a Storyteller:
In his 25 years of telling and performing story, Antonio Sacre has tried it all.
Whether schools, libraries, theaters, fringe festivals, storytelling festivals, book
publishing, audio or video recordings, he has walked the
walk, talked the talk, and done the work of a professional
storyteller. In this Masters Class he walks participants down
the path and brainstorms the good, the bad, and the
ugly aspects that he has experienced in this beautiful
relationship with story. Learn from his successes, learn from
his challenges, and learn from this opportunity to look
closely at the thing we love to do - storytelling!
Want to participate? This workshop is
$50. Sign-up at the Registration Desk.
WORKSHOPS
Workshop A
Friday, 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Research Stew: the Spice That Makes the Difference
<Yellow Rose Room
Presented by Jaye McLaughlin [email protected]
and Fred E. Peters
[email protected]
Facilitator: Jerry Young
Inspired by Bud and Me, the Abernathy Boys’ true story
of courage and adventure, Jaye and Fred followed the
route of their second ride traveling to Washington DC and
New York City. Come learn tips on crafting a successful
NSN Research Grant, receive suggestions on locating the
best information, and hear about the serendipitous finds
that became great resources.
Jaye McLaughlin and Fred Peters are active members of TSA and NSN and, in 2014,
appeared in Fringe performances for both organizations. Jaye is a retired librarian,
specializing in the Children’s Area and Fred is a long time 4H workshop presenter.
Workshop B
Friday, 1:15 - 2:45 pm
Is the Ghost Story Dead?
<Yellow Rose Room
Presented by Loren Niemi [email protected]
Facilitator: Genie Hammel
In a mass culture of blood, guts and gore, is there even
a need for us to tell ghost stories? This workshop explores
reanimating the shadowy core of traditional tales as
well as creating new approaches to fright. Learn the
how and why of balancing really creepy content with
audience pleasing wit and disarming charm in a well
told story.
Loren Niemi is an innovative storyteller, poet, and Fringe Festival performer as
well as the author of The New Book of Plots and co-author with Elizabeth Ellis of
the critically acclaimed Inviting the Wolf In: Thinking About Difficult Stories.
Workshop C
Saturday, 9:00 - 10:30 am
Songs of Praise and Protest
<Women’s Building
Presented by Reverend Robert Jones
Facilitator: Councilman Dalton Gregory
Since it often bypasses the brain and goes straight to
the heart, music has the power to bring about change.
This session showcases the work of such giants as Woody
Guthrie, Lead Belly, and Pete Seeger along with lesser
known singers and original material to paint a portrait of
how songs effected societal change in American History. Rev. Jones is a featured teller at the Texas Storytelling Festival this year. Saturday, 9:00 - 10:30 am
Workshop D
History, Mystery, Monsters & Myth: Stories and Science
of the Earth’s Movements
<Yellow Rose Room
Presented by Linda Pruitt [email protected]
Facilitator: Betsy Mosier
Juxtaposing earthquake myths and the scientific
explanations of plate tectonics, this session highlights the
key points of a five week STEAM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) residency. Participants
will use the art of storytelling to adapt earthquake myths
from around the world, create and perform their own
earthquake tales, and stir the pot of students’ imaginations.
Linda King Pruitt has been a resident artist with Fullerton’s All the Arts for All the
Kids since 1996, and is a resident artist with the Muckenthaler Cultural Center’s
STEAM Outreach Programs. She is a member of South Coast Storytellers Guild, The
National Storytelling Network, Youth, Educators and Storytellers Alliance (YES).
Saturday, 10:45 am 12:15 pm & 1:30 - 3:00 pm
Workshop E
Continues in Workshop G
Burn Through Your Story: A Writing/Performance Workshop
Intensive with Minton Sparks (2 sessions)
<Women’s Building
Facilitator: Gayle Ross
This intensive offers an opportunity to better discover who
you are through exploring and listening deeply to your
own story. Using writing and performance, we will focus
on the questions “Where are you from?” and “How
does that inform the definition of who you are?” Minton
will then guide you through using your stories to create
various poems, pictures and performances.
Minton is a featured teller at the Texas Storytelling Festival
this year. Workshop F
Saturday, 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Cooking Up Some Family Stories
<bluebonnet Room
Presented by Antonio Sacre
Facilitator: Reba Ott
Everyone has a story to tell! Join storyteller Antonio Sacre
as he teaches families the ingredients for cooking up
great family stories. Learn how to find stories waiting to
be told and the magic of creating and sharing your very
own stories. Explore the characters that populate your
tales and settings where your stories bloom. This workshop
is suitable for children 6-12 and their families. Antonio is a featured teller at the Texas Storytelling Festival this year. Workshop H
Saturday, 1:30 - 3:00 pm
A Conversation with Eldrena Douma
<bluebonnet Room
Interviewer/Facilitator: Donna Ingham
Telling a story may come easy to some. But how do we
develop those stories, go beyond the doors of our own
home, and move to the public stage? During this time
of conversation, Eldrena will share a few ideas on the
fundamentals she learned on her journey to becoming
a professional storyteller and how her journey changed
along the way.
Eldrena is a featured teller at the Texas Storytelling
Festival this year. Workshop I
Just Enough to Sign a Story
Saturday, 3:15 - 4:45 pm
<Yellow Rose Room
Presented by Nancy Simpson [email protected]
Facilitator: Libby Tipton
What makes a suitable story in which to include Sign
Language? How much Sign Language is appropriate?
Participants will reflect on the culture of the language
and then learn several stories and songs incorporating
ASL. How to locate helpful resources, fingerspelling,
unique characteristics of a manual language, and tips
for signing effectively will be shared. Nancy Simpson is a retired teacher of both deaf and
hearing children, and shares tales in churches, schools, and libraries. She
regularly tells Stories in Sign and Japanese Stories at Lake Travis Community
Library in Austin as well as in elementary schools. New to the Menu:
Rising Stars
Rev. Deb Ann Allison
Friday, March 11
5:00 - 6:00 pm
[email protected] Tarrant Area Guild of Storytellers
Rising star Rev. Deb is a 3 year member of the Tarrant
Area Guild of Storytellers and Tejas Storytelling
Association. Prior to her return to Texas in 2011, she
spent 18 years in the rugged and majestic mountains
of North Idaho near the Canadian border. It was there
that she honed her skills as an award-winning public
speaker and emcee. As an artist and supporter of fine
arts, she became an active member of the Pend Orielle
Arts Council, Board member for Arts Alliance and Area
Governor of North Idaho for Toastmaster’s International. During this time she
attended the Northwest School of Religious and Philosophical Study graduating
from the divinity school as an ordained minister and hospice chaplain.
Since returning to the southwest, Rev. Deb has been exploring the avenues
of inspiration found in the world of storytelling, most recently participating as a
teller for her guild’s 2015 “Telebration” event. Her Storytime Tales open the door
of imagination for listeners of all age groups.
She enjoys the use of musical instruments while telling, especially from her collection of drums and flutes. Sharing stories of First Nations peoples, including
her own lineage of Tsalagi (Cherokee) or animal stories of the Inland Northwest
are some of her favorites. Tales from her childhood growing up in Texas and
from her travels of 22 states provide a variety of stories for the young and the
not so young listener. She welcomes you to come along for the ride, be it cross
country or a journey in time.
Natasha La Gitana
[email protected]
Central Texas Storytelling Guild
Natasha La Gitana juggles many creative pursuits! She
has been an enthusiastic member of the Central Texas
Storytelling Guild in Austin since the early 1980s.
While continuously researching multicultural folklore,
she has created several puppet shows, using both hand
and shadow puppets. Through her involvement with
Renaissance festivals, art and music shows, she is also
a jewelry craftsperson. She designs and sells woven silk
and metallic thread earrings and pendants (“Mandala
Jewels”). Natasha holds a B.A. in cultural anthropology from Temple University
(Phila., PA.), an M. Ed. from Texas State University (San Marcos, TX.) and Texas
teaching certificates in both elementary and art education. She continues to
teach for Austin ISD, primarily in the dual language programs. Above all, she
enjoys facilitating workshops in puppet design and story development for both
children and adults.
Shayne Larango
[email protected]
Dallas Storytelling Guild
Shayne Larango grew up telling stories around the kitchen
table with family and friends. She has collected family
stories through the years like her grandfather’s cousin’s
tale about traveling across the Texas plains in a covered
wagon and the story about her great-grandmother
talking with the red birds. In 2015, Shayne decided to
take the stage and tell stories to a wider audience. She
was invited to tell with the Dallas Storytelling Guild at the
Annual Ghost Stories at the Bath House Cultural Center
and Candlelight at Dallas Heritage Village. Shayne holds
a B.A. in Organizational Communication, an M.A. in Aesthetic Studies - Art,
Literature, and the History of Ideas, and is an Academic Consultant helping
students tell their personal stories through college applications and essays.
Suzan and Charlie Whipple
[email protected]
San Antonio Storytellers Association
Susan Whipple isn’t from Texas, but she got here as quick
as she could. She was born and raised in the Northeast
and experienced culture shock when she finally arrived.
But after being in Texas ‘nigh onto’ 45 years, it has
become home, and she doesn’t even mind when people
call her “damnyankee”.
Susan has spent most of her life in the nursery business
(plants) together with her husband, Charlie. And even
though they have recently retired, she still loves to
‘play in the dirt’- it’s very hard to ignore the chlorophyll
that is in her blood! Her stories are personal and family
reminiscences.
Charlie Whipple has deep roots in the West. His greatgrandfather guided wagon trains. His grandfather
homesteaded in the Dakota Territory. His dad grew up in
the Cherokee Strip in Oklahoma. Charlie graduated from the University of Texas
in Austin and was a Navy deck officer on the U.S.S. Anderson during the Korean
War. Afterwards, he was a builder, farm and ranch broker, and more recently,
with his wife, Susan, owned a plant nursery in Kendall Country near the town of
Boerne. Charlie’s stories reflect rural life and nature.
Tom Yeager
[email protected]
Houston Storytelling Guild
Steeped in stoicism from start via his South Texas cotton
farm childhood, Tom Yeager eventually degenerated
into an urban bohemian raconteur-in-training, word
mechanic, and aspirant to the quality arts of a sober
society: yodeling, tap dancing, and storytelling. He
confesses his personal narratives with poetic potholes
yielding surprising turns and conclusions.
When not practicing his arts, Tom, an early leader in the
national house concert movement and the impresario
behind Houston’s Songbird Sanctuary has, since 1976, hosted over 100 sell-out
concerts for the nation’s finest folk musicians (from traditional Appalachian
banjoists to contemporary finger-style balladeers) in his century-old Montrose
mansion-ette near downtown Houston. Occasionally a teller is slipped on to the
stage and that foolishness informs his fables.
Bittersweet Taste of
the Truth (Overcooked):
The Texas Liar’s Contest
Sat, March 12
10:45 am – 12:15 pm Civic Center
Join us as some of the best liars in the state gather for a verbal slap
down. This is an amateur competition.
The rules: Eight to ten minute time limit, family-friendly material,
points for originality and presentation, members of the State
Legislature are barred from entering, and our judges cannot be
bought or bribed.
Meet Our Liars
Maryann Clarke
[email protected]
Maryann has been a story listener and storyteller for almost
20 years. She has recently found out how much fun it can
be to lie, especially when she can get away with saying
almost anything and making people laugh. Lying might
just be her new, favorite hobby. “It’s all about fun,” is her
approach to storytelling and to life.
Skip Skipworth [email protected]
I came to Dallas in 1980. Married 14 years, I met my
wonderful wife, Cheryl in Toastmasters International. I’ve
won over 50 TI contests. I’ve won the Houston Liars Contest
on several occasions, most recently in 2015. I’ve been a
member of Dallas and North Forty Storytelling Guilds.
Shiny Wu
[email protected]
Shiny was born in Taiwan. After graduating from the University, she
worked for a Taiwanese TV company hosting the TV program “Good
Afternoon Taiwan” for two years. In 1997 Shiny came to the United
States to pursue her American Dream. Last year Shiny presented two
storytelling workshops, one in China and one in Taiwan. Fred Peters
[email protected]
Fred was raised in a wrecking yard. He started telling stories
around campfires with scouts and 4-H about 50 years ago. Varied
life experiences including a tour guide in Alaska, a celebrant for
weddings and funerals, and training to be a minister, auctioneer
and hypnotist has given Fred much storytelling material. He is now
working on some writing projects.
Ben Wilson [email protected]
Ben is currently a seventh grader in San Antonio and is a two
time National Torchbearer featured at the National Youth
Storytelling Showcase. At age ten, he decided to take on the
big kids and entered his first adult liars’ competition, winning the
2013 title “The Biggest Liar in Texas”. Ben loves storytelling and
can’t wait to lie to you all!
Fringe Concert
Sat, March 12
3:15 - 4:45 pm
Women’s Building
Tony Hardman presents:
Reflections on Coffeyville: Emmett Dalton Tells His Story
Emmett Dalton was the only survivor of the Dalton Brothers’
infamous raid on Coffeyville, Kansas, where they tried to rob two
banks at the same time. He was convicted of murder and armed
robbery, but pardoned after serving fourteen years in prison. After
a successful career in writing and real estate, he looks back on his
days as an outlaw.
Tony is the Library Director at Oklahoma Panhandle State University
in Goodwell, Oklahoma. He is a former President of Territory Tellers.
[email protected]
Nancy Lenhart Matthews presents:
Job Hazard
This is a true story about the hazards that face a lineperson
working for the phone company. Anything could happen and
will happen on any given day.
Nancy loves to tell her story about her life as a Lady Lineperson
with the phone company. Her many experiences have
entertained audiences from teens to seniors. [email protected]
Gary Whitaker presents:
The Civil War Veteran
This storytelling program is based on the book Company
AYTCH written by Sam Watkins who served in the 1st
Tennessee Infantry Regiment for the South the entire
war. Gary brings Sam’s words to life in this powerful first
person storytelling performance. Gary captures the horror
and devastation as described by Sam in this powerful
recounting of battles and lives lost. Gary has been storytelling since 1997. He performs a
variety of programs that vary from historical, ghost, medieval, personal to tall tales. [email protected]
Cora Newcomb presents:
The Day Sheriff McTeer Shot Dr. Buzzard, Root Doctor of
the Lowcountry
The people of the Sea Islands of South Carolina sit, hidden
behind the protective shield of blue tinted window
frames. They remember the tales by ancestors of the
spirits and haints and the things that go bump in the
night. They are under the influence of voodoo, known
as “Root.” J.E. McTeer, High Sheriff of the Lowcountry,
challenges Dr. Buzzard.
Cora performs with powerful vocal quality and stage
presence, original material delivered in a highly polished and yet down home
manner with engaging storytelling technique. [email protected]
Thank you to our ASL interpreters!
Joel Hill
[email protected]
Kate Lauder
[email protected]
Libby Tipton
[email protected]
AN INVITATION TO BE AN ACTIVE PART OF
TEXAS STORYTELLING FESTIVAL 2017!
The Texas Storytelling Festival
relies on the time and efforts of
volunteers, behind the scenes as
well as out front, and on stage.
You are invited to be a part of
this vital volunteer force that is
needed for a successful 32nd
annual Texas Storytelling Festival.
There are many ways your
talents are needed to lend a
hand, share the load, and help make it all go smoothly as you add
to your enjoyment with new friends and fun memories.
Volunteers are needed for concessions, silent auction, story store,
registration, hospitality, and set-up and breakdown of facilities.
Experienced guidance and direction will be provided. Whether
two hours or twenty, first day, last day or anywhere in between,
you can contribute to the success of your festival.
Join the team! Select your area(s) of interest and let Kay Tobola,
Festival Managing Director, [email protected] know that
you want to be a volunteer in 2017.
Special Thanks to Special People!
Special thanks to these individuals who have contributed to the
success of Texas Storytelling Festival through leadership, generosity of
their time and talents, random acts of kindness, or all of the above.
2016 Committee Leaders
Marketing and Publicity: Beverly Benbow, Kim Lehman, Mel Davenport,
Shayne Larango, Raine Teller
Registration: Mel Davenport, Larry Thompson, Beverly Benbow
Workshops: Sally Bates Goodroe, Jeannine Pasini Beekman, Elizabeth Ellis
Concessions and Nominations/Awards: Mary Margaret Campbell
Volunteer Coordinator: Leslie Buie
Silent Auction: Sara Easter, Judy Berry
Kids’ Day Activities: Sue Kuentz, MaryAnn Blue
Green Room and Hospitality: Betsy Mosier
Festival Set Up and Tear Down: Reagin Hults
Story Store: Jaye McLaughlin, Janet Bickel-Burton, Genie Hammel,
Sharon Manning
Helping Hands
Sound: Joyful Noise Audio
Stage Manager/ Photographer: Paul Porter
Sign Language Interpreters: Joel Hill, Kate Lauder, Libby Tipton
Story Tree: Janet Latham
Wayward Soldier: Darci Tucker
Stone Soup “and Salad” Dinner: Ryann Reid, Sweetwater Grill and Tavern
Talespinner Dinner: Mike Zampino, El Guapo’s Restaurant
Box Lunches: Jason’s Deli, Denton
Featured Tellers’ Ambassadors
Rebecca Narrowe: Antonio Sacre
Nancy Simpson: Eldrena Douma
Jessica Garcia: Minton Sparks
James Ford: Rev. Robert Jones, Sr.
All Year – Keeping the Fires Alive
TSA Administrative Director/Community Liaison: Beverly Benbow
TSA Grants Wizard: Valerie Kimble
TSA Hot Funds Grant: Elizabeth Ellis
TSA President: Larry Thompson
TSA President Emeritus and Affiliate Guilds Coordinator: Richard Nash
TSA Secretary: Marian Fleishmann
TSA Denton Special Programs: Reagin Hults
TSA Finance: Granville Ott, Britt Krhovjak, Beverly Benbow
TSA Board Members at Large: Sue Kuentz, Mel Davenport, Reba Ott,
Consuelo Samarripa
TSA Newletter: Raine Teller, Kim Lehman, Karen Wolschied, Beverly Benbow
Tellers in the Schools Program Coordinator: Betsy Mosier
North Texas Giving Day Coordinator: Janet Latham
Civic Center Barter Tellers:
Betsy Mosier, Jiaan Powers, Dan and Julia Gibson, Ann Marie Newman, Tim
Couch, Elizabeth Ellis, Jaye McLaughlin, DeCee Cornish
Angels of All Sorts:
Councilman Dalton Gregory, Waynetta Ausmus, Gene Helmick-Richardson, Sid
Curless, Tabatha Thompson, Paul Jacquot, Gage Lynn-Hart
Mail Room Crew
Beverly Benbow, Elizabeth Ellis, Shayne Larango, Jaye McLaughlin, Betsy Mosier,
Janet Latham, Paul Porter
Graphic Design for Program
Jen Schultes/ TiNG TiNG DESiGN
Denton Supporters
Denton Woman’s Club: Martha Len Nelson, Susan Wright
Special thanks to Janie McLeod, Community Events Coordinator, City of Denton,
and Kathy Schaeffer, Civic Center Manager, for their continuing support.
Special thanks to Randee Klingele from the City of Denton, Treasury Department
for her continuing support and guidance.
Special Thanks to Elizabeth Ellis. She is the corporate knowledge and loving
heart of the festival, and its most tireless worker.
When asked how to best support the arts, people in the know first answer
with, “show up”. That certainly applies to storytelling and the Texas Storytelling
Festival. And once you make the commitment to show up, there are other ways
that you may be supporting the festival and the Tejas Storytelling Association.
Thank you to those of you who have contributed in the past, and welcome to
those of you who are joining the party in 2016!
Tejas Storytelling Conference
Texas Summer
Storytelling Conference
June
17–19, 2016 | Waco Texas
Speaker: Charles Temple, Ph.D., Professor and
Chair of Education, Hobart and William Smith
Colleges, Geneva, NY. He is also a director of
Critical Thinking International, Inc. He has done
a workshop at the Texas Storytelling Festival
on using storytelling in conflict transformation/
resolution. His message and methods are
incredible. They have been adopted by
UNESCO. For more information on Charles
Temple, go to zoominfo.com/p/CharlesTemple/112889199
Location: SpringHill Suites Marriott, Waco, TX. 254-732-7979.
Rates are $109.00 until May 17. Breakfast included. Free parking and Internet access. Restaurant on site. Meal Event: Saturday night BBQ dinner on the patio.
More information, registration, and Workshop/Fringe forms:
tejasstorytelling.com/conference
Call for Workshop Proposals - Deadline: March 19, 2016
Workshops at the conference are 90 minutes in length and cover a wide range
of topics that help our participants grow as storytellers and listeners.
Email submissions to [email protected] or mail to:
Tejas Storytelling Association, PO Box 2806, Denton, TX 76202
Call for Fringe Submissions - Deadline: April 1, 2016
The Texas Summer Storytelling Conference is sponsored in part by:
Denton Civic Center
Denton, Texas
Tejas Storytelling Association
wants to thank the sponsors
whose support made the
31st Annual Texas Storytelling Festival
possible!
The Festival is funded in part by the City of Denton.