Storytellers/Contributors
Spoken Stories works with some of the finest storytellers, and other creative writers, to help uplift humanity with inspiring stories. For bookings contact us through Contact Us page, with the name of the storyteller in the subject line. You can also contact the storyteller directly through their personal e-mail address. Click on their name to get their e-mail and see their stories on SpokenStories.org! Check back with us frequently as we seek to add more professional storytellers.
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Djeliba Baba the Storyteller has presented in literally thousands of venues on three different continents. He is a practitioner of the ancient West African Bardic craft of Jaliyaa and has been recognized by the California State Assembly for his work with troubled teens. Baba is also a recipient of the Distinguished Arts Award, Artist of the Year for the City of Long Beach California and has received commendations for his artistry from both the US Senate and US Congress. Baba the Storyteller is currently working as a Master Teaching Artists touring schools, museums and universities in Northern/Southern California.
Personal Website: http://babathestoryteller.com/
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S. Neile, MFA, Ph.D., directs the South Florida Storytelling Project at Florida Atlantic University, where she is faculty in storytelling studies for the School of Communication & Multimedia Studies and School of the Arts. Dr. Neile has performed and lectured throughout the country and abroad, including as a Fulbright Senior Specialist at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She is the Chair of the National Storytelling Network and a co-founding editor of the international academic journal Storytelling, Self-Society. Dr. Neile has been featured in Cosmopolitan magazine and hosts a weekly segment on the popular Miami-area public radio program Folk & Acoustic Music.
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Maureen Barry retired from teaching after thirty-three years. She retired onto her sailboat and launched her career as a storyteller/children’s author. Her stories apply to all ages and range from ghost haunting tales to silly adventures with children of all ages. She says “storytelling is ageless and intergenerational. Between storytelling and traveling, my life is a story.”
Personal Website: http://www.maureenbarry.com/
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Lennie Major has been telling traditional and original stories throughout the Twin Cities for over 20 years, mostly from the Jewish tradition. He performed in a two-person show at the Guthrie Theater in September, 2008 with Peninnah Schram. He has also been a featured storyteller at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Northstar Storytellers’ Network Minneapolis Tellebration, Metro State University’s Cultural Diversity Through Storytelling Conference, Northlands Storytelling Network, Patrick’s Cabaret, Two Chairs Telling at the Jungle Theater, and numerous schools, synagogues, churches, cultural events, community organizations and private gatherings. His repertoire includes Jewish biblical, spiritual, supernatural, folk, and humorous tales. He is a contributing author in “Chosen Tales,” an anthology of stories by contemporary Jewish storytellers edited by Peninnah Schram. He also gives workshops on the Jewish oral tradition and the world of Jewish Demons in particular.
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Bruce Walker draws from his life experiences as an entrepreneur, minister and father: His stories heal the heart and mend the soul. He comes from a large southern family that gives him plenty of ammunition, er, material from which to draw. Bruce will make you laugh, cry and think with the stories he tells from the southland. Join him as he takes you down the side roads seldom travelled in the Appalachian Foothills of North Alabama. When not traveling, telling stories, he is living in Huntsville, Al. As Bruce says, “If my momma knew I was telling stories, she’d whup me!!”
Personal Website: http://brucestoryteller.com/
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Denise Valentine’s storytelling performance illustrates the power of story to transcend differences between people, inspire hope, and transform negativity. She tells stories that emphasize the dignity and power of the human spirit, and the interrelatedness of life. . Denise has a special interest in African and African American History. She shares original stories, folktales, poems, and music to cultivate an awareness of how past events shape the present, and inspire a vision for the future. In 2003, she performed with Spoke-N-Weal as part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, in a production called “Faultlines,” and made a guest appearance on a WYBE- TV35 “Philly Live” segment about urban legends. In 2004, she participated in a storytelling delegation to South Africa.
Personal Website: http://www.denisevalentine.com/
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Roger Jenkins is a Singaporean (really!) who has told professionally since 1998. He is a popular performer/storytelling trainer in schools, libraries and at community events – thanks to his spontaneous, comedic, and often participatory, style of telling. He has performed at Festivals and international schools in Beijing, Shanghai, Saigon, Jakarta, Manila, Perth, Hong Kong, Bahrain and on the fringe of the Edinburgh Festival, and is an annual performer in the Singapore International Storytelling Festival. He is the Founder-Director of *Hi! Theatre, Singapore’s Theatre of the Deaf.
Personal Website: http://www.rogerjenkins.com.sg/
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Annette Knowler retired from tertiary teaching career, and continued to tell and write stories. She now has a small tourism venture as a storyteller guiding folk around the Whitestone precinct of Oamaru – New Zealand – and telling the stories that are related to the time and the buildings.
Personal Website: http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~annettek/
Toni Simmons, author and storyteller, graduated from Fisk University, where she majored in speech and drama. After receiving a Master’s degree in Library Science, she began working as a children’s librarian combing her knowledge of children’s literature and creative drama in storytelling sessions. She continued this activity while working for public libraries in Miami, Des Moines, and Minneapolis.
Lorna MacDonald Czarnota is an award winning author, storyteller, and educator. She has delighted audiences in schools, libraries, festivals and conferences throughout the United States, Canada, and Ireland with traditional and original stories for over twenty years. Her work features historical presentations including the American Civil War, the Middle Ages, The Dust Bowl, and Colonial America. Lorna specializes storytelling to reach at-risk youth, therapeutic narrative, Celtic folklore, and the use of music and song to enhance story.
Lani Peterson, psychologist, is known for her personal tales of wit and wisdom. She is an award winning storyteller and coach, and has been telling stories, leading workshops and speaking at festivals, schools, universities, organizations, museums, hospitals, prisons, community centers, and libraries for more than ten years. Lani’s work takes participants on journeys of self-exploration that encourage personal reflection, integrity and the inspiration to fulfill one’s potential. When she is not telling, teaching, counseling or coaching, Lani stays busy with her husband and four children in Andover, Massachusetts.
Personal Website: http://www.lanipeterson.com/
Dale Gilbert Jarvis is a researcher, writer, and storyteller living and working inSt. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Dale regularly teaches workshops for beginning storytellers, and has taught workshops across Canada on storytelling for historic sites, museum, and park interpreters. Dale is the founder of the St. John’s Storytelling Circle and one of the coordinators of the annual St. John’s Storytelling Festival. He has been featured at local and international festivals in Cape Breton, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, St. Mary’s, Regina and Whitehorse, and has told tales in Wisconsin, Beijing and Oslo!
Rosemarie Somaiah is Partner with Asian Storytelling Network, Singapore’s first professional storytelling company. She has taught, led workshops and told stories in local and international schools, museums, libraries and theatres, over the radio, on the MRT, the Singapore Flyer and on TV. She has also performed and presented work in England, Scotland, Hong Kong, Hungary, China and India. She is a published author with several books to her name including ‘Indian Children’s Favourite Stories.’
M. J. Farah, M.Ed., is a financial aid counselor, and an instructor at Bunker Community College in Boston, MA. As a result of the civil war in his native country of Somalia, his family had moved to the United States. In his spare time, he is a community organizer, independent analyst, lecturer, writer, and aspiring entrepreneur.
Megan Hicks delights children, inner children, imaginary friends and grownups with her unique take on the storyteller’s art. As a seasoned veteran with a strong regional base in the Mid-Atlantic and happy clients on three continents, she performs for schools, libraries, festivals, retirement communities, hospices, and professional organizations. In 2000, she won the title National Storyteller of the year.
Jeannette Gardner was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is a Medical Secretary by profession. She started playing guitar, and writing songs in her 20′s. One of her stories, “Miracle By Chance” is published in two books. One is “Chicken Soup for the Soul” – True Love book, which has been released Dec. 29/09. The other book is “The Mystery of Fate: Common Coincidence or Divine Intervention?”, released March, 2010.
David Willows, Ph.D., is a writer, blogger and storyteller on issues relating to education, philosophy and modern family life. With a background in theology, philosophy and education, David is today respected as an expert in communications and brand development in the field of international education. He currently lives in Brussels with his wife. Together, they have six children, living both in Belgium and the UK. He just published a book, FRAGMENTS – a collection of stories and reflections on modern family life.3) Website Address(website is not required)
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Thank you for helping us in uplifting humanity with stories!
