I first met Megan Hicks when she led a workshop on parody at a National Storytelling Conference more years ago than either of us would want to admit to. As I laughed through her telling us about Cinderella’s encounter with her fairy groundhog, I knew she was a storyteller to be reckoned with.
When I discovered her other artistic talents in the resource room and bought an origami pin she’d made, I realized her creativity was a real force to be reckoned with. She’s gone on to present programs that combine her storytelling and origami in China, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as being featured at events ranging from slam competitions in Philadelphia to the National Storytelling Festival.
Over the years, I’ve been privileged to see the range of Megan’s talents at work. She was born in the Texas oilfields during the Baby Boom to two survivors of the Great Depression — a fighter pilot and a war bride. She graduated from high school during the Nixon Era, which included the Watts riots, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Vietnam War. While she never had first-hand experience with any of these epochs and events, they all colored her life then and the storyteller she would become. You may also hear about her encounters with Disneyland, old records, a ghost in an unlikely location, and, of course, groundhogs.
She is looking forward to performing at the Women’s Storytelling Festival. “It’s exciting to be part of the first festival to highlight female storytellers and give us a platform.” What can you expect from her performance at the festival? You’re in for storytelling that is brutally self-honest, audacious, irreverent, and sure to make you laugh.
Watch one of Megan’s storytelling performances here.
Megan discovered storytelling when she was sent to a storytelling event as part of her job in a school library in Oklahoma. She fell in love with the simplicity and vulnerability of a performance art with just her voice and body to work with. Her style is based on her natural ability to disappear into whatever story she’s telling, so her style never feels forced. She told me she is, for the most part, unaware of what her face and hands are doing in performance.
She was one of the founders of the Fairy Tale Lobby, dedicated to traditional stories, though not always told in traditional ways. She also runs a series of house concerts in Rose Valley, outside Philadelphia, and (with the help of her husband, Jack) managed to continue them even when a tree fell on the house! Megan is one of the featured tellers you can see and hear at Old Town Hall on March 14th. And, if you love her performance as much as I think you will, be sure to check out her award-winning audio recordings.
Megan Hicks is a Featured Storyteller at the Women’s Storytelling Festival, being held March 13 and 14, 2020, in Fairfax, Virginia. For schedule, tickets, or more information, please visit bettersaidthandone.com/womens-festival.
