Guests on "Conversations With Storytellers"

Episode One - Laura Simms
Laura Simms has a lifetime of experience and study in the restorative joy of engagement, and the healing power of storytelling.   She is a myth teller, a poet of spoken and written word, a master teacher and meditation instructor, and a humanitarian developing projects, for youth and adults, using narrative as compassionate action, worldwide.  Her groundbreaking performances conjure the wisdom of myth, fairy tale and folklore combined with a revelation of the mythic in our everyday lives.   Her coaching and teaching are legendary. There are few storytellers today who bring her depth of experience to the joyful realization and benefits of engaged storytelling.

This interview was recorded over Skype.

 

Episode Two - Elizabeth Ellis, Part One
As a storyteller, Elizabeth Ellis doesn't mince words. Filled with hilarious and poignant honesty, her stories deliver down-home wisdom, southern style. Hers is a voice that finds the heart and the funny bone, riveting audiences of every age wherever she goes.
Elizabeth is a recipient of both the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Network. She is a frequent favorite at the National Storytelling Festival and at the Teller-In-Residence Program of the International Storytelling Center. More than half a million children have been mesmerized by her stories during her thirty-five year career as a teller. Adults fall under her spell as well. Her keynotes filled with story have energized and inspired people from public defenders to those who work in child abuse prevention.

This interview was conducted over an afternoon at the 2016 National Storytelling Network Conference.

Episode Three - Elizabeth Eliis, Part Two
Conclusion of this wonderful time chatting with Elizabeth.

 

Episode Four - Donna Washington
Donna Washington is an internationally known, multiple award winning storyteller, spoken word recording artist, and author. A highly animated performer, she has been entertaining, educating, and inspiring audiences with her vocal pyrotechnics, elastic face, and deep characterizations that bring folklore, literary tales, and personal narratives to life for over thirty years. Donna has been called a “Walking Disney Movie”, and told she was "better than television".

 

Episode Five - Jay O'Callahan
Jay O'Callahan is a prominent American storyteller for people of all ages. He has performed at numerous national and international storytelling festivals, in theaters worldwide, and on the radio. He performs almost exclusively material of his own authorship. I personally liken him to a modern-day Hans Christian Anderson.

This recording was generously made at his home in Marshfield, Massachusetts in the autumn of 2018