Judith Heineman and I met years ago at Sharing the Fire, the North Eastern Storytelling Conference and bonded over dark chocolate. It was at a time when I always had some and some other person let her know! Judith began her career as a poet and actor, and has gone deep with her work as a storyteller. She's worked with musicians and museums! We talk about research, books, kids, energy, and the jitters amongst other topics.

Conversations With Storytellers

Judith Heineman

Lorna and I have bumped into one another at a few conferences and festivals, but I heard her play her harp and tell stories at Sharing the Fire, here in the North East. She blew me away. Awardwinner, author, musician, and storyteller, Lorna is one of our gems. Join me to hear about how families need to be held together and how healing can work. And how you can begin learning a musical instrument at 40 and never look back after dropping the flutaphone at elementary school! Lorna's website: http://storyhavenstudio.com/index.html  There is some background noise I could not remove, but it settles down.

Lorna Czarnota

Eth-Noh-Tec was founded in 1982 by Artistic Co-Directors Nancy Wang and Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo, longstanding San Francisco artists who have contributed greatly to the Asian American performing arts movement. They are not only business parteners, but also a wonderful couple! They have many awards under their belts and are incredibly smart and insightful. We talk about many things in this episode, including being invisable as an Asian-American. They discuss their process and who some of their favourite tellers are! http://www.ethnohtec.org/

Eth-Noh-Tec

African-American story twister, and storyteller, Linda Gorham is this month’s guest with Simon Brooks on Conversations with storytellers. I cannot wait for you to hear the conversation I had with Linda Gorham. There's mention of a little black book!We talk about a city girl and how she made herself a teller of tales. Taking folk tales and fracturing them, or twisting them as she calls it, is Linda’s favourite type of telling. Her collection of stories, and words - made up and otherwise, is inspiring to hear about. Life of a young girl moving around the world and how she has now settled. Please enjoy the conversation with Linda Gorham. LindaGorham.com

Linda Gorham

Janice Del Negro is a bit of a hero in the world of storytelling. She teaches is at Dominican University, where she is a professor, subjects such as storytelling, children's and young adult literature and foundations of library and informations services. I have been following Janice for a while, and love her work and over COVID-19 time have got to know her better. We first met years ago, but we rarely saw each other. Why folks tales? "True love and money is what everyone wants." Another quote about folk and fairy tales from Janice: "People yearn for justice." In this episode Janice goes into her process and shares the making of a couple of stories and a line she started with, a line she came up with for the story - the last line of the tale: "Seven brides you have sent to the bottom of sea, and now you will be bride groom to them all." I hope you get as much from this as I did!   https://storytelling.org/delnegro   https://www.DiamondScree.com  

Janice Del Negro part two

Janice Del Negro is a professor in the School of Information Studies at Dominican University, where she teaches storytelling, children's and young adult literature, and foundations of library and information science. She is a storyteller, author, educator, and coach. She is incredibly respected in our community and has met and worked with many of our great storytellers. She challenges us to do better, and is a huge supporter of storytelling. This was another one of those incredibly rich and lengthy conversations, so this is part one of two! https://storytelling.org/delnegro/

Janice Del Negro

Clare Murphy hales from Ireland and is not my typical elder. She is not an elder, but carries the wisdom of one. She began a story club at college, and within four years was traveling internationally as a professional storyteller. Her work has depth to it that only those who were raised in the land where the stories took can find. She brings a strong feminist leaning to her stories, and a great deal of inclusion and compassion. Clare's website:  http://claremurphy.org/

Clare Murphy

This interview was the last I did on my laptop. Seems it is not geared to save and store large files from Streaming platforms. This hour long interview is all my computer saved of the three hours we spoke. No idea what happened to the rest of it. Just vanished. It was recorded in one shot, and we had no idea of the time until I belatedly looked at my watch. Connie is an amazing woman, and one whom I have go to know a little more and a little more, adn we are now friends! I am thrilled to bring this sadly truncated interview to you. Connie Regan-Blake has been telling stories for a very long time. She and her cousin Barbara Freeman started at about the same time as Elizabeth Ellis and Gayle Ross. She is a teller of folk and fairy tales, and sprinkles in some personal narrative. Much of what she has done, is now in the Library of Congress. She’s played with musicians, hitch-hiked Europe and creates her own art. We pick up where I asked Connie about the duo storytellers The Folktellers made up of Connie and her cousin Barbara.

Connie Regan-Blake

I had only briefly met Megan Wells in 2016 at the NSN Conference in 2016. She was telling a personal story in a room filled with people also sharing personal tales. Hers was stand out, in that it was rich, multilayered, and deep. It was a powerful experience ot see her tell that story. The power of it lingers with me still. I then worked with Megan this summer of 2020 when she perfomed on the Hans Christian Andersen Storytelling Festival and on StoryStoryPodcast. I knew, despite not being an elder, she should be on this show. A Greater Chicago native, she tells folk tales, myths and tells literary tales. She is an incrediby gifted teller. Please welcome Megan Wells. MeganWells.com 

Megan Wells

Lynette and I met years ago, before we both turned grey, at the Northlands Confabulation. I really enjoyed her company, we got on well, and she told the best spooky stories I have ever heard. Not just were the stories great tales, but her telling could be classed as if not THE best telling of spooky stories, then one of the top three in the USA. Lynette is quiet and unassuming, but a force to be reckoned with. She has written a ton of books, and recorded a number of CDs. And she’s a Laughter Yoga Teacher! We spend quite a bit of time chatting before and after the interview which was done over StreamYard. There are a small number of places where the audio gets fidgety, so don’t think it’s you - it was me. Don’t they all say that? And you don’t miss anything, so don’t worry. Please enjoy this fun conversation with Lynette Ford.   Lyn's website is: https://storytellerlynford.com/

Lynette Ford

I have only met Liz once or twice, and mostly in passing, but she is a very impressive woman. We hold some similar thoughts about accents in stories, although I think she is way more ‘strict!’ Her storytelling is captivating in the way someone who is a natural teller of tales can be. Relaxed, confident, just letting the story speak for itself. In this time of, well, 2020, it was recorded socially distanced, with Liz at Ballyeamon, and me in New London, NH recorded over StreamYard. There was a bit of echo, so if you think you hear the Irish equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster, it’s just me echoing slightly! Sorry about that. Tea and biscuits, a little Irish history, and what really matters in telling a story. https://www.lizweir.org/ https://www.ballyeamonbarn.com/

Liz Weir

 Megan Hicks, and her husband Jack have become good friends over the years. I met them at my first 'proper' festival years ago and both of them calmed my nerves before hitting the stage. Megan tells stories with and without origami, she tells folk and fairy tales with depth and authenticity, as well as historical tales. Her personal stories are also great. Megan talks about her family growing up on the edge of the dust bowl, her time in Australia, to personal tales and her passion with groundhogs! Join us, for this 1 hour 13 minutes episode of "Conversations with Storytellers." 

Megan Hicks

 Ever wish you'd met Ruth Tongue and have her tell you a story? Or traveler Betsy White? My guest today was blessed with this and many other experiences. He has been a fire eater and fisherman as well being the amazing storyteller he is today. Both Taffy Thomas and his wife and partner Chrisy are wonderful, wonderful people. You'll hear both my son's voice and Chrisy's during the interview.   It is said that when you tell a story, all the storytellers who have passed who've told that tale stand behind you. Taffy Thomas, gladly, was sitting next to me when I had this conversation and I hope he won't be standing behind me for a good number of years. If I were starting out and didn't have a family, I would drop everything and become his assistant to archive his material, film and record Taffy, spending as much time as I could with Taffy and Chrisy as I could.   This has to be not just one of my favourite conversations, but one of my favourite experiences I have had. My son, Aidan and I were visiting family and our first stop was to pop in with Taffy. Although I thought after the first cup of tea Aidan would excuse himself and explore the Lake District where Taffy lives in England, he stayed for the whole time. We spent pretty much two days with Taffy and Chrisy and this is part of what was recorded.  

Taffy Thomas

 How are? Still listening? Thanks for being here, I know there are a lot of other things you could be doing. This conversation with Bobby Norfolk is a delight. Recorded over Zoom in Coronavirus Time, this light and calming time was great reprieve. I do not know Bobby well. He was incredibly gracious about spending this time with me, sharing how he became such a remarkable storyteller after being a child who stuttered. This is a man who worked in night clubs and met some wonderful people. I have to say I am very jealous of his experience with Roberta Flack! He is quiet, unassuming, generous jet explodes on stage! He commands attention and in such a genuine way, he is free and funny. Bobby tells us his influences (have a look at some of the comics he mentions, they are great to study for pace, timing and presence), his process and how he finds his stories. Have a look at one Bobby's first influences, Jimmy Dean, the ballad singer: https://youtu.be/KnnHprUGKF0 Enjoy this enlightening and delightful conversation. Bobby's website: https://www.bobbynorfolk.com/ Sherry's website: http://www.sherrynorfolk.com/ Peace, Simon 

Bobby Norfolk

 This is the final and third part of the conversation with Len Cabral and Bill Harley. Bill had to leave, which left just Len and me. So this is just the two of us wrapping up what was, I felt a deep, and very interesting time spent with these two great people, and storytellers. To find out more about these two gents, their websites are: BillHarley.com and LenCabral.com I hope you had as much fun listening as I did participating. Be well, be happy and share your favourite stories.  

Len Cabral and Bill Harley part 3

Conversations with storytellers. Wisdom, folk and fairy tales from our elders. A meeting with professional storytellers.

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Conversations With Storytellers

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