Andy Offutt Irwin really likes to tell his fictional stories involving his 85-year-old, widowed, aunt, Marguerite VanCamp, a newly minted physician. He talks with humor and candor about aging and growth, even amongst the aged. Since he is from Georgia, he also likes telling stories about the area and the people, addressing the issues that […]
Sheila Arnold took a leap of faith “with a trampoline in place” when she decided to try storytelling as a career. She was a single mom with a young son when her parents offered her financial support and a safety net if she wanted to give it a serious go. They took care of her […]
Robert Jones, also known and ordained the Reverend Robert Jones, was invited to be a storyteller at the 2020 Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, It turned out to be a virtual festival only but he still found it to be a highlight experience as the storytelling community accepted him without reservation. (The […]
Donald Davis—who has become an icon of storytelling at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival and who is a master at taking listeners to the North Carolina mountains to laugh at stories about spilled syrup, broken bones, “doobies,” and pink lotion rubbed all over the baby—says he grew up listening to and loving stories. “I did not […]
For Susan O’Halloran, inclusion has been her passion since she was a teenager and met Dr. Martin Luther King’s people in Chicago. “I’ve been telling stories “professionally” since the 1970s.” O’Halloran says, “I did what we would now call Performance Art. “In the 1950s and 60s, I grew up in a storytelling family — not […]
Bill Harley likes how spoken words and music go together, creating a kind of magical connection. They always have, Harley says. So he blends words and music in his storytelling to educate and to create community. “At times, I feel like I’m a conduit for something larger than me,” Harley says. “I started telling stories […]
Storyteller Alton Chung believes in connecting with others. When he tells a story, he is 100 percent present—not worrying about dinner or laundry or bills. “It is my belief that in our current society, we don’t get much of that kind of focused attention,” he explains. “We are too busy checking our phones or thinking […]
The key to making any lesson go from interesting to memorable is a story. A carefully chosen, well-timed story can help a student understand and remember the lesson, and – more importantly- understand how to apply the lesson to their lives. Researchers have found that a human brain can retain more information if it is given in story form then if it is given through a list. . .
We love our sponsors! Timpanogos Storytelling simply would not survive without them. Today, we would like to congratulate our superstar sponsor, Kaleidoscope Pictures. They were awarded a Regional Emmy for their program, The Song That Changed My Life: Howard Jones. Kaleidoscope first connected with Timpanogos Storytelling in 2011 when they filmed What’s Your Story? A Donald Davis Workshop. Along the way, they fell in love with storytelling. . .
It was such a wonderful year for the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival and so it is no wonder that we are having a hard time officially saying goodbye. But, alas, all things must come to an end—and besides we have some fun things coming up in the next couple of months. As we make our final goodbye, we offer this look back in pictures at the 24th annual Timpanogos Storytelling Festival:
It is Saturday, 6 pm at the Orem Public library and I have just picked up the last of the entry forms for our new “Hauntings” storytelling competition. The library is now closed and I head back to my car so excited for the contest next weekend I can hardly stand it. I tuck the entry forms under my arm. As I approach my car I notice it is partially engulfed in a red gelatinous mass. . .
A few days ago, I returned to Colorado with my family from another extraordinary experience at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. Twenty-four years of excellence is no small feat. Everyone who ever has been or is currently involved in the festival or mid-winter conference can be very proud. I am a storyteller and teacher among many other things. Most of my life, my telling of personal anecdotes was limited to the dinner table or my classroom, usually to make a point. . .
The Donald Davis Retreat is just around the corner, next week to be exact. Have you bought your ticket yet? Yes, I’m talking to you, the one who has a secret desire to go to an inspiring five-day retreat to learn from a master storyteller. . .
There is an old saying that goes something like “Never judge a person until you have walked a mile in their shoes.” Wise words, indeed. Why is that true? Is there a story behind where those shoes have been? Does knowing that story make a difference? Perhaps more importantly, where will those shoes go next? On a lighter note, you can learn a lot about a person by the shoes they wear. . .
If you would have been sitting in the River Trail tent at Thursday night’s “Look Who’s Talking,” you would have seen two small children riveted to the stage. These children were Syd Lieberman’s grandchildren and this was the first time they had seen their grandfather perform on stage. . .
Geraldine Buckley is new to us at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, so we thought we would reach out to the storytelling community to get a little more information about her. Many thanks to national storyteller Kim Weitkamp for providing the following introduction: Geraldine has left her mark all over the world! From England to Holland to South Africa and…
