Workshops, ghost stories, stories of the stars, moon and sky, Western tales, Appalachian stories...it is going to be an exciting summer of storytelling. Check my Performance Schedule tab to see where I will be telling stories this summer.

The photos are from past summer programs and festivals--such good memories they bring! The one at left is at Sistersville Library, 2011.

The Three Rivers Storytelling Festival in Pittsburgh is one of the best venues for storytellers. Storytellers Kate Danaher, Tim Tingle and I performed together at the festival in 2010 and the memory of the last evening concert with them still brings cold chills.

Singing at ballad at the Sharing the Fire Conference in March this year, where I presented a workshop on Introduction to Appalachian Ballads. Ballads are stories told in song form and many of the ones we sing here in the mountains have their roots in the British Isles. I added ballads to my repertoire around 2001 and have continued to learn more; there is a rich store of material in these old songs.


There are so many other pictures and the reminder of the many people I met along the way reinforces why storytelling is an important part of our lives: it connects us to each other emotionally and spiritually through the spoken word. It is a powerful art form and one that has deep roots in our Appalachian culture.