​Lynette (Lyn) Ford shares the gifts and heritage of the spoken word from her Affrilachian family. Lyn’s national and international festival programs and workshops encourage folks to speak personal truths and hopeful possibilities through folktales and original stories. Lyn’s work has taken her to Ireland, Australia, and around the Zoomiverse.

An award-winning writer and anthologist and a Thurber House mentor to young authors, Lyn’s latest book (with friend and fellow teller Sherry Norfolk) is Supporting Diversity and Inclusion with Story. Lyn’s poetry is included in the upcoming publications: I Thought I Heard a Cardinal Sing: Ohio’s Appalachian Voices, published in March 2022, and the journal Tomorrow and Tomorrow, the spring 2022 “Birth” issue.

Lyn is a recipient of two National Storytelling Network’s Oracle Awards, and a member of the National Association of Black Storytellers Circle of Elders and the National Writing Project’s Writers Council. She’s a mama, grandma, great-grandma, and joyful partner-in-laughter with her husband, Bruce. Yes, Lyn is a certified laughter teacher, too.

Lyn believes in the power of storytelling to break down barriers, build bridges and inspire community.