Join us for the Main Event: The 2011 Storytelling Spectacular!

The flagship event of the Kansas City Storytelling Celebration, the Storytelling Spectacular, will launch at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Kansas City Missouri Public Library Plaza Branch in the Truman Forum. Gene Tagaban, Loretta Washington, Leeny Del Seamonds and Dan Keding have a fabulous line-up of tales ready for the whole family!

This event is FREE and perfect for anyone over 10 (younger children are welcome, but some content/language may be inappropriate or too complex).

Featured Storyteller: Loretta Washington

Loretta is a professional storyteller who performs for all age groups throughout Missouri and Illinois. She performs for schools, libraries, festivals, private groups and organizations. With her alluring stories, captivating voices and movements, she brings her stories to life.

Loretta is also one of our regional tellers, and has been a Storytelling Celebration participant for many years.

Featured Storyteller: Dan Keding

Dan Keding, storyteller of international acclaim, is well known for his telling of traditional world folktales, personal narratives of his boyhood in Chicago, ghost stories and dark tales, and superbly crafted original pieces.

As a child he learned the traditional stories that his grandmother brought to this country from Croatia. A well-respected ballad singer, he accompanies himself on guitar, banjo and spoons.

This combination of dynamic storytelling and powerful ballad singing has made him a festival and concert favorite throughout the US, Great Britain and Ireland, endearing him to audiences of all ages.

For more information, visit his website!

Featured Storyteller: Leeny Del Seamonds

Leeny Del Seamonds, Master Story Performer, is a multi award-winning international performer of Latino, original and World tales that are uplifting and demonstrate the passion, resiliency and triumphs of the human spirit. 

A dedicated Teaching Artist, Leeny encourages listeners to feel positive about themselves and to rejoice in human and cultural diversity, inviting them to share in her Latin/Cuban-American sense of humor and love of performing.

Leeny will be telling at our Annual Storytelling Spectacular, Ghosts in the Night Sky and will also be presenting our Media Specialists Workshop.

Featured Storyteller: Gene Tagaban

Gene Tagaban is a Native American performing artist, storyteller, trainer, counselor and healer. His heritage is Cherokee, Tlingit and Filipino. Raised in Alaska, Gene's Nattive American name is Gaay Yaaw, loosely translates as Salmon Home Coming. He is of the Wooshkeetaan Eagle Thunderbird clan of Juneau, Alaska. 

Many of his stories tell of his journey to become Raven Dancer, drawing deeply from the stories his grandmother told him as a child. Gene believes that learning and laughter go hand in hand, and his stories educate and entertain all ages.

For more information, visit Gene's website.

12th Annual Kansas City Storytelling Schedule

MCC-Maple Woods proudly presents the schedule of public events for the 12th Annual Kansas City Storytelling Celebration!

Blue = Family/Child-Appropriate

Purple = Caution for children under 10

Dark Purple = Adult Only 

Tuesday, Nov. 1

Story Slam: We ALL Have a Story to Tell About Family

7-9 p.m.

MCC-Maple Woods Student Center

FREE

*Participants MUST be over 18 to participate

*We welcome everyone, but some stories/language may not be appropriate for young children.

Wednesday, Nov. 2

Kansas City Missouri Public Library (children)

Southeast Branch

10-11 a.m.

FREE

Tellers: LaRita Wright & Geneva Greenfield

Kansas City Missouri Public Library (preschoolers)

Trails West Branch

11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

FREE

Tellers: Jim Stigall & Priscilla Howe

Kansas City Missouri Public Library (preschoolers)

Westport Branch

10-11 a.m.

FREE

Tellers: Becky Everly & Carole Shelton

Media Specialists Workshop

Park Hill School District

12-4 p.m.

Cost: $12 (includes lunch)

Please RSVP by calling 816.604.3170

Host: Leeny Del Seamonds

Thursday, Nov. 3

Kansas City Missouri Public Library (elementary age)

Central Branch

10:30-11:30 a.m.

FREE

Teller: Gene Tagaban

Kansas City Missouri Public Library (all ages)

Plaza Branch

1-2 p.m.

FREE

Teller: Gene Tagaban

Kansas City Missouri Public Library (preschoolers)

Waldo Branch

10-11 a.m.

FREE

Tellers: Jo Ho & Barbara Kellogg

Mid-Continent Public Library (all ages)

Grandview Branch

7-8 p.m.

FREE

Tellers: Sue Godsey & Daniel Jones

Regional Storytelling Concert

Presented by: River and Prairie Storyweavers

MCC-Maple Woods Student Center

7-9 p.m.

Cost: $3

Tellers: Brother John Anderson, Rosie Best-Cutrer, Diana Cox, Sue Hinkel, Priscilla Howe, Deb Swanegan

Friday, Nov. 4

Kansas City Kansas Public Library (preschoolers)

Schlagle Branch

10-11 a.m.

1-2 p.m.

FREE

Tellers: Priscilla Howe & Jamie Mayo

Kansas City Missouri Public Library (preschoolers)

Northeast Branch

10:30-11:30 a.m.

FREE

Tellers: Marcia Ollinger & Carole Shelton

Kansas City Missouri Public Library (all ages)

Plaza Branch

7-8 p.m.

FREE

Tellers: Mike Micham & Nancee Walker-Micham

Ghost Stories Concert

KCMOPL - Plaza Branch (Truman Forum)

7-9 p.m.

FREE

Tellers: Leeny Del Seamonds, Gene Tagaban, Dan Keding, Loretta Washington

Saturday, Nov. 5

MCC-Maple Woods Family Concert

Campus Center Arbor Room

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

FREE

Teller: Gene Tagaban

Youth Storytelling Workshop

KCMOPL - Plaza Branch

1-2:30 p.m.

FREE

Host: Leeny Del Seamonds

Adult Storytelling Workshop

KCMOPL - Plaza Branch (Truman Forum)

1-2:30 p.m.

FREE

Host: Dan Keding

Youth Storytelling Concert

KCMOPL - Plaza Branch (Truman Forum)

3:30-4:30 p.m.

FREE

Tellers: Youth Volunteers

Storytelling Spectacular

KCMOPL - Plaza Branch (Truman Forum)

7-9 p.m.

FREE

Tellers: Leeny Del Seamonds, Gene Tagaban, Dan Keding, Loretta Washington

*Please note this program is appropriate for ages 10 and up.

We're back!

The Kansas City Storytelling Celebration, hosted by MCC-Maple Woods, is back for a 12th year of lively stories, anecdotes, myths, legends and lessons. This year’s celebration will take place Nov. 1-5, 2011 at more than 100 sites across the Kansas City Metro area.

Storytellers from throughout the region and nationwide will bring their tales of mischief, merrymaking and morals to all ages and ethnicities. The major goal of the Storytelling Celebration has been to reach out to and connect people from all walks of life through words. A diverse line-up of national storytellers, including Leeny Del Seamonds, Dan Keding, Gene Tagaban and Loretta Washington, will make this an exciting celebration!

Check back this month for storyteller bios, official schedule and more storytelling updates!

Welcome to the Main Event: the 2010 Storytelling Spectacular!

2010 Storytelling Spectacular

Where: KCMO Public Library – Plaza Branch, Truman Forum

When: Nov. 6, 2010

Time: 7-9 p.m.

Cost: FREE

Featuring: Bobby Norfolk, Olga Loya, Elizabeth Ellis, Thom and Sarah Howard

What better way to end a fantastic festival of silly, scary, fun, diverse and entertaining stories than the Storytelling Spectacular? The flagship event of the celebration, the Spectacular features tales from our four national tellers, Bobby Norfolk, Olga Loya, Elizabeth Ellis, Thom Howard and Sarah Howard.

The animated, quirky character style of Bobby Norfolk; the wise-but-wacky tales of Olga Loya; the folk tales of Texas, the Appalachian foothills and strong, heroic women of Elizabeth Ellis; and the sweet, silly musical stylings of “those crazy people,” Thom and Sarah Howard will all be on display for the whole family.

There is something for everyone to enjoy – mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, kids (10 and up, please) and every member of the family will enjoy an evening of special, social entertainment.

View photos from last year's Storytelling Spectacular here at our Facebook page! You should friend us while you're there :)

Featured Storyteller Spotlight(s): Thom & Sarah Howard

The unique duo of Thom and Sarah Howard, a guitar player and a children’s librarian, has been bringing their original children’s songs, fingerplay and participation stories to young audiences throughout the Midwest for several years.

Sarah Howard has been the children’s librarian at the Columbia Public Library for more than 17 years and is a founder of the Mid-Missouri Organization of Storytelling (MOST). She plays mandolin and autoharp and regularly presents workshops on storytelling and programming to librarians, teacher and parenting organizations.

Thom Howard has been performing on guitar for more than 20 years as a solo artist and in ensembles of all kinds and sizes. He plays ragtime, fingerstyle, classical, Spanish and Latin American music. Thom teaches stringed instruments classes at Central Methodist University and released his solo album “Sometimes a Guitar is Just a Guitar” in 2002.

Featured Storyteller Spotlight: Elizabeth Ellis

Elizabeth Ellis has been telling tales of heroic women, the Appalachian foothills and the great expanse of Texas, along with her personal stories, for more than 25 years.

Her storytelling journey has taken her from her bustling hometown of Dallas, Texas, as far away as New Zealand and many places in between.

Ellis was selected as a Listener’s Choice at the 30^th Annual National Storytelling Festival in 2002 and has been a storyteller-in-residence at the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tenn. She was also the first recipient of the John Henry Faulk Award, presented annually by the Tejas Storytelling Association to the person who has contributed the most toward the art of storytelling in the Southwest, and the Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Association.

Featured Storyteller Spotlight: Olga Loya

Influenced by the lively but often true tales of her father and grandmother, Olga Loya embraces the rich storytelling tradition that was very much a part of her childhood growing up in East Los Angeles. Her family and person stories often explore the complexity of growing up and living as a bicultural person – Mexican and American – in the United States of today and yesterday.

Loya uses stories as a way of examining themes like healing, racism, and multiculturalism. She incorporates a variety of performance styles, including improvisation, movement and dance, song, and instruments. In addition to storytelling before all types of audiences, Loya also performs one-woman theater pieces and has written a book, “Momentos Mágicos (Magic Moments),” which won the Aesop Accolade in 1998, the International Reading Association Award for young adults and an America’s Commendation for young adults.

Regional Storyteller Spotlight: John "Brother John" Anderson

Known to audiences around the Kansas City area as Brother John, cultural historian and motivational storyteller John Anderson educates and entertains through his stories. Audiences are treated to energetic, interactive tales, full of zany characters and dynamic vocal impersonations.

Regional Storyteller Spotlight: Deb Swanegan

Combining her African American, Cherokee, Scots-Irish and Hebrew heritages and churning out diverse, unique and entertaining tales since 1996, Deb Swanegan is an annual participant in the Kansas City Storytelling Celebration and was a featured storyteller at last year's festival.

In addition to being a storytellers, Deb is also an art educator, lecturer, workshop facilitator, master teacher, seminar leader, writer, actor and a past Missouri Commissioner for Community Service.

Check out these pictures of Deb from last year's Ghost in the Night Sky event and the Storytelling Spectacular: