Listening Takes Practice- Favorite Storytelling Podcasts
If you want to get more out of your storytelling festival experience, whether as a festival attendee or as a performer, practice listening.
Our Story in Pictures
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:
Black Converse Shoes
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. . .
Papa Syd
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. . .
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You
We have so many things to be grateful for (no downpour during Laughin’ Night, to name just one) and a great many thanks to hand around. Here are just a few (mixed in with a few picture thanks left for us by a few of you).
Meet the Teller: Geraldine Buckley

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…
Meet the Teller: Kim & Reggie Harris

One word comes to mind when I think about Kim and Reggie Harris: joyful. These two have a special zest for life, stories, and music that enlightens, encourages, and enlivens in a way that is quite simply contagious—I mean, honestly, just take a look at those smiles. Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, Kim and Reggie were exposed to just about every type of music possible. From jazz, rock, gospel, pop, and classical…
Meet the Teller: Josh Goforth

Every year a few of us from Timpanogos Storytelling travel to Tennessee for the National Storytelling Festival. We do this for two reasons: first, we like to do a little scouting for new tellers; second, it’s nice to listen to stories during a storytelling festival—something that not all of us get to do during our Festival. While at the festival, we make a special point of attending Exchange Place (an event for new tellers who have been invited . . .
Meet the Teller: Laura Pershin Raynor

I first heard Laura Pershin Raynor at Laughin’ Night during the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in 2000. She told a short story, and I remember thinking, “That was great! I wish I would have gone to hear more from her.” Then in 2009, my husband and I got the honor of participating in the “What’s Your Story” project on Ocracoke Island with Donald Davis. I heard that Laura and her husband Kenny were going to be a part of it, too . . .
Meet the Teller: Barbara McBride-Smith

It is my distinct privilege to introduce one of the storytellers coming to this year’s Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. It is probably politically incorrect for a member of the Festival’s organizing committee to admit to having favorite tellers, but there you have it, I do. Barbara McBride-Smith is definitely one of my favorites. Since this is her fifth time telling at our Festival, she is also a favorite for many other . . .
Meet the Teller: Syd Lieberman
I had arrived at my destination. It was a strange neighborhood, someone else’s home. I parked on the street, turned off the car and sat, listening…listening, smiling, crying, and laughing. My drive may have ended but The Old Man and Other Stories, a cassette tape of recorded stories by Syd Lieberman, hadn’t. I had no choice. Physically I was in my parked car, but mentally I was soaring in a world of hope, surprise, and second chances I didn’t . . .
Evenings at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival
With so many evening events throughout the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, we thought you’d enjoy learning about what will be happening at this year’s Festival—especially for those of you who are new to the Festival . . .
Talking History at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival
One reason we love story, whether telling or listening, is that story can send us into the past where we learn about where we came from and about how we arrived where we are today. And if we’re smart, we will let that knowledge guide us to where we want to be tomorrow. This year’s Timpanogos Storytelling Festival features three storytellers who will take us back to the annuls of history, teach us a little about how far . . .
Meet the Teller: Bil Lepp
Bil Lepp is an amazing storyteller and an even better liar. I have listened to his stories for years, and every single time, he hooks me right from the very beginning. He gets on stage wearing blue jeans, a tucked-in t-shirt, and a ball cap. He’s an average all-American guy that looks like your brother or your next-door neighbor. He puts his hands in his pockets and just starts telling you about something that happened when he was young . . .
Meet the Teller: Andy Offutt Irwin
It was a lovely October day in Jonesborough, Tennessee, several years ago when my Timpanogos Storytelling friends and I attended the National Storytelling Festival. We wandered into a tent where Andy Offutt Irwin was making his debut on the national storytelling scene. There he stood—a tallish, youngish, lanky fellow with straw-colored hair spinning stories about the crazy antics of his elderly, southern Aunt Marguerite . . .
Meet the Teller: Liz Weir
Liz Weir is not only a storyteller, or seanchaí (pronounced shan-uh-kee, which is Irish for storyteller/historian) , but she also runs a hostel in Northern Ireland called Ballyeamon. I was lucky enough this summer to visit her hostel located on the Antrim coast near some of Ireland’s most stunning landmarks. Liz met me and my family with a warm smile, helped us get settled into her cozy . . .