Yesterday was a storytelling day: telling tales to students at a community college. The emphasis was on Appalachian culture and the stories and ballads told within that culture, their history and the outlook for the future.

Many students in this class had never heard a storyteller before. The ballads was also new to most of those in the audience, although there were some who remembered their grandparents singing to them, and others had stories passed down in their families.

What is it about our Appalachian culture that makes our stories unique? I believe it is our sense of place, our connection to where we are from. Our mountains and waters are how we define ourselves; we know our roots and hold on to them even if life moves us to a different geographic area. The mountains themselves provide the backdrop and underpinning to our tales and quite often provide the material too. When we speak of nature, we do so with familiarity. We watch the rivers for flooding and icing, the mountains for slips and slides, for the greening of spring, the richness of gardens and the changes of fall. We know wildlife and its ways; we watch weather and predict it based on what nature shows us.

Another defining facet of mountain life is its people. Independent, or at least preferring independence in how we live our  lives is predominant. We prefer to make our own choices and aren't too happy with government interference. Providing for ourselves through gardens, cutting firewood for heat, and finding income from a variety of sources (what my husband calls "jake-legging around") is part of life for a large percentage of people.

We are spiritual people. Not religious only although religion is a basic of life for most.  By spiritual I refer to the acceptance of a divine presence that abides in our world, and the belief that we can readily communicate with that divine through prayer, thought and action. Sometimes this spills over into superstition, a conviction that doing or saying certain things at certain times might impact future events, health or relationships.

Our sense of place, independence, and spiritualism underlie the stories we tell: hunting stories and Jack tales usually have the hero triumphing through prowess or "smarts." Ghost stories tap into the connection with nature and spirituality and belief in the ability to feel or see what others may not. The old mountain ballads,sometimes called love songs by older generations, tell stories in musical form, sometimes telling historical tales or stories based in long-ago legends from the British Isles.

The class listened intently. I could see by the eyes watching me that there were stories behind the intentness of their gazes. I only wish there had been time to listen to them. After class several stopped me to tell me a quick story or to reiterate how much they enjoyed the session.

But I am sure that no one enjoyed it as much as I did. There is no match for the joy of telling a story and seeing the story come alive in the eyes of the listeneres.

I am often asked just what a storyteller does.  It is a good question, and the answer is not as easy as you might think.

Storytellers tell stories to people of all ages, not just children. Stories might be old tales or newly written, folktales, funny stories, family stories or historic pieces. All are carefully practiced and planned to meet the needs of each audience for which we perform. Sometimes it is a small group, sometimes there are several thousand in the audience. I have been part of many festivals: at WVU for Mountaineer Week, in Alabama for the Athens Storytelling Festival, in Ohio for a small theatre event, at the West Virginia Book Festival. Prickett’s Fort State Park Foundation, the Appalachian String Band Festival at Clifftop, the Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, the Inland Waterways Festival and many others. Variety is the spice of a storyteller’s life.

I perform frequently at schools for classroom programs, heritage festivals and fundraisers. Libraries are a frequent venue, especially during the summer for summer reading programs. Sometimes I offer a combination storytelling-and-craft program for libraries, usually including puppets and participation activities. I assisted with writing a grant and taught puppet workshops at the Ripley Library so that a teen puppetry troupe could be developed. At Migration Celebration near Beckley I have done crafts and stories for many years for Three Rivers Avian Center’s annual fundraiser. This year I am a presenter for the Sharing the Fire Storytelling Conference in Albany, New York and the OOPS Conference in Ohio.

Probably half of my schedule is events for adults or family audiences. Elderhostels, conference keynotes or entertainment and annual meetings are frequently on my calendar. I perform occasionally at state parks and last year told ghost stories for Tygart Lake Foundation’s first Haunted Trail. Last year’s schedule also included two programs special needs young adults and a ballad-singing workshop for the Ohio Order for the Preservation of Storytelling.

Like most storytellers, I write. I present programs for book groups, and last year was a presenter at the Bridgeport Library’s literary festival. I give writing workshops at libraries, for both children and adults, and teenagers were the target audience for a writing workshop in Princeton, WV. I plan and organize the Oral Traditions tent for the West Virginia State Folk Festival in Glenville, combining poets, writers and storyteller  performances.

No storyteller is an island. I am a member of the West Virginia Storytelling Guild, and we sponsor events too. We staffed a tent and performed at the Vandalia Festival, presented at the Mountain State Storytelling Institute at Fairmont State University, and gave workshops and concerts for the West Virginia Book Festival. The guild has published a CD and a book by guild members. An Ohio storyteller and I plan a series of events called Stories at the River’s Edge, sponsored by a grant from the Ohio River Border Initiative and contributions from participating organizations.

Storytelling does not mean just “getting up and telling stories.” Although it may look easy, much planning, research, practice and organizing precede each event. That work is done in the evenings after work; I often practice in my car during my two-hour daily commute to my full-time job. My library of folklore and folktales, ballad CDs and writing books grows every year, and my puppet and prop collection threatens to take over my home office.  I write contracts, produce a brochure and other literature, and maintain contact with a wide circle of storytelling friends and potential clients. I listen constantly; to be a good storyteller, one really must be a good listener.

What I haven’t mentioned is the joy of telling, the fun, the amazing people I meet, the interesting out-of-the-way places I visit, and the vast store of photos and memories from my fifteen years in this art. I continue to develop new stories, storing snippets of conversations, new songs and bits of folklore in that disorganized filing cabinet I call my mind. I hope to meet you if I visit your town, and I hope you will have a story to tell me.

2012 has started with a busy schedule of storytelling ahead. I hope to see you somewhere along the way as I present workshops at the Sharing the Fire Conference in Albany, New York and at the OOPS Storytelling Conference in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Or perhaps our paths will cross at the August Heritage Series Old-Time Week, where I will be teaching a weeklong workshop on Appalachian storytelling, or at the West Virginia Vandalia Festival, the West Virginia State Folk Festival or the WV Book Festival or the West Virginia Writers Conference. Maybe you will be in the audience at a school performance or at a library summer program.

The year is full of possibilities for meeting new friends and hearing new stories. Here is a story for today:

The Drop of Honey

 (adapted from the Thousand and One Arabian Nights)

2012 Schedule

January 20: Open Door Open Mic. 7:00-9:00pm at the Ripley Library, Ripley, WV. MC for local open mic event. Join us!


February 11: Arts of Kanawha Valley Fundraiser, Charleston, WV. Reading some of my poetry, 8:35pm.

February 17: Open Door Open Mic.  7:00-9:00pm at the Ripley Library, Ripley, WV. MC for local open mic event. Join us! Call 304-372-5343 for information.


February 29: North Elementary School, Morgantown. School Event.


March 2-4: WV Storytelling Guild Storytellers Retreat, Wells Inn, Sistersville, WV. Call 304-372-5861 for information.


March 3: Celtic Stories and Songs. Gaslight Theater, Sistersville, WV. 7:00pm, open to the public.


March 16-18: Sharing the Fire Northeast Storytelling Conference, Albany NY: Showcase presentation on Appalachian ballads.

April 18: Storytelling in the Village and taping with Ellouise Schoettler, Silver Springs, MD. Details TBA.

May 4-6: OOPS Storytelling Conference, Mount Vernon, OH: workshop presentation, Short Stories Anyone Can Tell.

May 12: Migration Celebration Festival with Three Rivers Avian Center, Beaver, WV. See www.tracwv.org for details.


May 25-27: Vandalia Festival, Charleston WV: Storytelling Guild tent activities. See www.


June 4: Appalachian Conference, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD. Details TBA.

June 8-10: WV Writers Conference, Cedar Lakes, Ripley, WV. Networking and learning! See www.wvwriters.org for conference details.

 June 15-17: WV State Folk Festival, Glenville, WV. Coordinating the Oral Traditions tent and more.

June 19: Vienna Public Library Storytelling for Summer Reading. 10:30am and 1:00pm. Call 304-295-7771 for details.

June 27: Louis Bennett Public Library, Weston, WV: Summer Reading Program presentation

June 28-July1: National Storytelling Conference, Cincinnati, OH--just attending and seeing friends!

August 5-11: August Heritage Old-Time Week, Elkins, WV: Teaching Appalachian Storytelling. Pending.

September 14-15: Meigs Sternwheel Fest, Pomeroy, OH. Storytelling for the festival.


September 14-16: Mothman Festival, Point Pleasant, WV.


September 15: Chickens in the Road Annual Retreat, Camp Sheppard, Gandeeville, WV. Storytelling for the attendees of the CITR's second homesteading skills retreat. See details at www.chickensintheroad.com 

October 13-14: West Virginia Book Festival. Coordinating the storytelling programming for the festival.

October 20: Ghost Stories Concert, Sistersville, WV, at the Gaslight Theater.

November 3: Harvest Literary Festival, Jackson County Library, Ripley, WV. Details TBA.

2011 Schedule:

January 22: Picture Book Writing Workshop, Taylor Books, Charleston, WV. As a student :); maybe I'll do something with all the ones I've written.

March 4-6: WV Storytelling Guild Retreat, Sistersville, WV

March 18-20: VASA Gathering, Harrisonburg, VA. Teaching my workshop Sung Tale to Told Tale. See http://www.vastory.org/ for details.

April 9: Teaching a writing workshop in Princeton, WV. Details TBA

April 28: Presentation for retired teachers, Cedar Lakes. Private event.

May 14: Migration Celebration. Storytelling and crafts, Little Beaver State Park, Beckley, WV

May 28: Vandalia, WV State Capitol grounds. Onstage performance and working at the WV Storytelling Guild tent.

June 10-12: West Virginia Writers Conference, Cedar Lakes Conference Center, Ripley, WV. Details TBA

June 11: Princeton, WV Street Fair! Storytelling on the street. Time TBA

June 14: Jackson County Library, Ripley, WV-Around the World With Granny Sue 10am. Call 304-372-5343 for details.

June 15: Jackson County Library, Ravenswood, WV-Around the World With Granny Sue, 1pm. Call 304-273-5343 for details.
June 16: Moundsville-Marshall Library- Around the World With Granny Sue, Moundsville, WV Summer Reading Kickoff, 11:00am.

June 16: Benwood-McMechen Public Library- Around the World With Granny Sue, Benwood, WV, 1:00pm

June 18: West Virginia Folk State Folk Festival, Glenville, WV. Oral Traditions Tent. See http://www.wvfolkfestival.org/ for more information.

June 27: Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling, WV: Storytelling in the Park. 7:00pm

June 28: Paden City Public Library- Around the World with Granny Sue, 11:00am

July 7: Meigs County Public Library, Pomeroy, OH- Around the World With Granny Sue; time TBA

July 7: Athens County Public Library, Athens, OH-Around the World With Granny Sue, time TBA

July 11: Sistersville Public Library- Around the World with Granny Sue. 12 noon.

July 11: Pleasants County Public Library, St. Mary's, WV- Around the World With Granny Sue, time TBA

July 13: Gilmer County Public Library, Glenville, WV-Around the World With Granny Sue

July 15: Jackson County Public Library, Ripley: Asian Adventure, 10am

July 15: Jackson County Public Library, Ravenswood: asian Adventure, 1pm

July 16: Tygart Lake State Park, storytelling in the park. 7:00pm. Call 304-265-6149 for information.

July 18: Cameron Public Library, Cameron, WV-Around the World With Granny Sue, 1:00pm

July 18: Mannington Public Library, Mannington, WV: Around the World With Granny Sue, 7pm

July 20: School Librarians Conference, Barbour County, WV: Storytelling in Schools

July 21: Morgan County Public Library, Berkeley springs, WV: Asian Adventure, 10am

July 25: Princeton Public Library, Princeton, WV: Around the World with Granny Sue. Time TBA.

July 29: Gaslight Theatre, Sistersville.

October 22: Ghost Stories in the Park. Tygart Lake State Park, 6:00pm. Call 304-265-6149 for details.

November 19: Tellabration! Middleport, OH




2010 Schedule:

January 27: Sistersville Library, Sistersville, WV. 12 noon. All about ghost stories! for adult book group.

May 15-16: Family reunion at Lost River State Park. How many Connellys will be there this year?

May 28: New Manchester, WV: storytelling for school "rewards" program. Private event.

May 29-30: Vandalia! I'll be storytelling and judging the Liar's Contest at West Virginia's cultural heritage festival that features old-time music and dance contests, storytelling, arts and crafts and much more. On the Capitol Grounds in Charleston, WV. Public event.

June 5: Romney, WV: Sheriff's Kids Kamp; ghost stories for a private event.

June 11: Ripley, WV: WV Writers Conference. Storytelling as part of an evening chautauqua with other writers and artists. This is going to be fun! Evening performance.

June 18-19: Glenville, WV: West Virginia State Folk Festival. Oral Traditions Tent will present writers, storytellers and poets. Public event.

June 23: Marlinton, WV: Allegheny Echoes Workshops Creative Writing Master. Presenting an afternoon writing workshop and evening performance of my writing. Evening is a public event.

June 26: Charleston, WV: Clay Center's Walker Theatre. Second presentation of the chautauqua performance from the WV Writer's Conference as part of FestivALL. Public event.

July 2: Ripley (10:00am) and Ravenswood (1:oopm), WV: Library Summer Reading presentations as part of the Stories at the River's Edge Series. Public events. Call 304-372-5343 for information.

July 19: Sistersville (noon) and St. Mary's (2:00pm), WV: Library Summer Reading presentations as part of the Stories at the River's Edge Series. Public events.

July 22: West Union (10:00 am) and Center Point (1:00pm): Lubrary Summer Reading program storytelling and craft programs. Public events.

July 25-29: Elkins, WV: Augusta Heritage Center Irish Week: learning about Irish ballad-singing and more. Can't wait for this!

August 6-7: Pittsburgh, PA: Three Rivers Storytelling Festival. I've been invited back as a featured teller for the 2010 festival. Public event.

October 2: Ripley, WV: Library ghost stories program for older kids, 7pm. Call 304-372-5343 for infomation. Public event.

October 4: Elderhostel storytelling, Cedar Lakes conference Center, Ripley, WV. Private event.

October 13-14: West Virginia Storytelling Festival, Jackson's Mill, Weston, WV. Event open to participating schools only.

October 16-17: Charleston, WV: WV Book Festival! Used book sale, storytelling, friends, authors--what's not to like? Public event. Call 304-343-4646 for details.

October 22: Tygart Lake State Park, Grafton, WV. Haunted Hayrides and Ghost Stories. Call 304-265-6148 for more information.

October 23: Ripley, WV: Haunting in the Hills-West Virginia Ghost Stories at the Alpine Theatre with three WV storytellers. 7:00pm. Public event.

October 28: Ghost Stories for children at Ravenswood (WV)Library. Call 304-273-5343 for more information. Public event.

October 30: Ripley (WV) Library, ghost stories and announcement of writing contest winners. 11:00 am Call 304-372-5343 for information. Public event.

November 6: Morgantown, WV: Tellabration! at the Gluck Theatre in te MountainLair. WV storytellers doing what they do best, telling great stories. 5-6:30 pm. Public event.

November 12-14: Kentucky Storytelling Conference, presenting my ballads workshop. Go to http://www.ksa.org/ for information.

November 18: Salem Elementary School, Salem, WV. All-day school event.

November 20: Tellabration! Tamarack Arts Center, Beckley, WV. 2pm. Free admission. Public event.

November 30: Poetry Reading, Princeton Public Library, Princeton, WV. 6:00pm. Public event.

December 11: Ripley, WV: Stories for the Season. Ripley Library. Details TBA.

December 16: Stories for the Season, Ripley, WV: Private event.


2009 Storytelling Events:

January 21: Columbus Speakeasy, SOCOTellers, 6-9pm. Featured teller.

February 28: Gallipolis, OH, storytelling at the Ariel theatre.

March 11-April 8: Puppet troupe training for Jackson County Library, Ripley, WV

April 3-5: Mountain State Storytelling Institute, Fairmont State University, Fairmont, WV; workshops on blogging for storytellers

April 29: Book discussion group at Sistersville Library, Sistersville, WV 11:00 am

May 1-3: OOPS Storytelling Conference, Ohio: ballad workshop

May 9: Migration Celebration. Storytelling and crafts for children. Little Beaver State Park, Beaver, WV.

May 23: Vandalia Festival Storytelling Tent and Performance, Charleston, WV.

May 28: North Elementary Schoool, Elkins. Evening performance for Appalachian heritage program.

June 12-14: WV Writers Conference

June 19: Summer Reading Kickoff for Jackson County (WV) libraries Ripley and Ravenswood.

June 20: West Virginia State Folk Festival, Glenville, WV. Oral Traditions Tent organizer and presenter.

June 24: WV Ghost stories, Wood County (WV) Public Library, Parkersburg, WV

July 6: Summer Reading Program storytelling at Sistersville Library, Sistersville, WV

July 11: Tygart Lake State Park. Storytelling in the park.

July 22: Puppet-making workshop at Wood County Public Library, Parkersburg, WV

July 23: Puppet-making workshops and storytelling at Doddridge County (WV) Library and Center Point Library.

August 1st: Clifftop Appalachian String Band Festival, Clifftop, WV

August 5th: Summer FUNdamentals Camp for WV Rehabilitation Services.

August 12: Camp Believe Special Needs Camp

August 24: Elderhostel, Cedar Lakes Conference Center

August 26: Book Group presentation, New Martinsville Library

September 19: Appalachian Festival, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, Md. 1:30pm to 3:00pm. Featured performer: Jean Ritchie. Telling with Ellouise Schoettler and Katie Ross.

October 3-4: National Storytelling Festival, Jonesborough, TN to watch Bob McWhorter receive his award and work in the NSN tent.

October 6: Fairview Public Library, Fairview WV; storytime for toddlers and school event afternoon.

October 8: Hawk’s Nest State Park, presentation for tour group

October 10-11: WV Book Festival, Charleston, WV http://www.wvbookfestival.org/
Storytelling concert at 12 noon featuring ghost stories.

October 17: Hundred Library, Hundred, WV: Ghost Stories by the Campfire.

October 20-21: WV Storytelling Festival

October 24: Tygart Lake State Park, Grafton, WV: Scary Stories after Dark.

October 30: Athens (Alabama) Storytelling Festival Ghost Stories Concert featured teller. http://www.athensstorytellingfestival.com/

November 14: Tellabration! WVU Mountaineer Week, Morgantown, WV.

November 19-20: storytelling at Salem and Wilsonburg elementary schools for Appalachian Heritage studies

November 21: Tellabration! Middleport, Ohio

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2008 Performance History

January 16: SOCO Speakeasy, Columbus OH

February 27: Long Drain Elementary School, Hundred WV. (I'm the reward for good attendance)

March 21: Heritage Day, Scott Teays Elementary, Winfield, WV (private event)

April 4-6: Storytelling Institute, Fairmont State University, Fairmont, WV. Presenting a session on Appalachian Ballads.

April 18: Baldwin Elementary, Manassas, VA. School program

April 19: Shepherdstown Library, Shepherdstown, WV 10:30am.

April 21: The Country Day School, Kearneysville, WV. School program.

April 22: Greenbrier Elementary, Lewisburg, WV. School program.

April 26: Appalachian Wordsmiths Writing Workshop, Ripley, WV: presenting a workshop on writing poetry

May 4: History in Review, Rowlesburg, WV. Public program.

May 10: Migration Celebration, Little Beaver State Park, Beckley, WV

May 16-17: My Family Reunion at Lost River State Park--fun!

May 19: Elderhostel, Cedar Lakes Conference Center, Ripley, WV

June 9-10: Storytelling for 4-H Camps in Hampshire, Pocahontas, and Pendleton counties in WV

June 13-15: WV Writers Conference, Ripley, WV. Just attending, not performing.

June 19-21: WV Folk Festival, Glenville, WV, emceeing and performing at the Oral Traditions tent and the singing tent.

June 22-27: Allegheny Echoes Workshops, Marlinton, WV

June 28: Tygart Lake State Park, Grafton, WV

June 30: Paden City and Middlebourne (WV) Library programs for Summer Reading

July 15: Sistersville Public Library, Sistersville, WV for summer reading program

July 23: Stories at the River's Edge. Featured teller for this year's festival. 10am at Middleport, OH and 1:30pm at Mason, WV. Call me for more information.

August 5: Summer Fun Camp. WV Rehabilitation Services, Camp Virgil Tate, WV. Private event.

August 7-10: National Storytelling Conference, Gatlinburg, TN--just attending, not presenting!

August 26: Elderhostel storytelling performance at Cedar Lakes, Ripley, WV

September 4-6: Southern Ohio Storytelling Festival, Chillicothe, OH, as a featured teller

September 13: Marion County Library, VA: Sherwood Anderson writing contest speaker; private event.

October 6: West Virginia University at Parkersburg Heritage Day storytelling presentation, Parkersburg, WV.

October 11-12: WV Book Festival, storytelling concert for children and panel discussion on storytelling for children.

October 11: Ghost Stories At the Alpine Theatre, Ripley, WV. Storytelling and music --what a great combination. 8pm. Tickets $5 children, students and seniors, $10 adults.

October 13: Elderhostel, Cedar Lakes conference Center, Ripley, WV. Storytelling for Elderhostel guests.

October 17: Storytelling at Slanesville and Augusta Elementary schools, Hampshire County, WV.

October 18: Capon Bridge Founders Day Celebration, Capon Bridge, WV. 11:00am--storytelling and finger puppet craft for children. Open to the public.

October 27: Ripley Public Library, Ripley WV.. Ghost stories for public program, 6pm.

October 27: Elderhostel, Cedar Lakes Conference Center, Ripley, WV. Storytelling for Elderhostel guests.

November 15: WVU Family Fun Day in Morgantown, WV.

November 15: Tellabration! in Morgantown, WV. 7pm, Mountainlair, WVU.

November 21-23: Tygart Lake State Park, attending a writing workshop with Colleen Anderson.

December 5: Storytelling for private school, Kearneysville, WV

January 21: Columbus Speakeasy, SOCOTellers, 6-9pm. Featured teller!

Some of Granny Sue's Past Performances 2007-2008:
September 8: Ripley, WV: Family Storytelling with Adele Browne at the Alpine Theatre
October 3-4: Weston, WV: West Virginia State Storytelling Festival, Jackson's Mill Conference Center
October 12: Charleston, WV: WV Reading Association Conference performance
October 13: WV Poetry Society Conference speaker
October 13-14: Charleston, WV: WV Book Festival
October 21: private event in Martinsburg, WV
November 3: Mountaineer Week Family Fun Day, Morgantown, WV
November 17: Fauquier County Public Library, John Barton Payne Building, 10:30am (rescheduled July program)
November 17: Bealeton Library, Bealeton, VA
March 21: Scott Teays Elementary School , private event
April 4-6: WV Storytelling Institute, Fairmont State College, Fairmont WV
May 10: Migration Celebration at Little Beaver State Park, Beckley, WV. All day event