Donna Washington is a professional author, storyteller, and multicultural folklorist who has been sharing stories for more than thirty years. She describes herself as “an extremely animated storyteller who uses vocal pyrotechnics (lots of sound effects and voices), has an elastic face, and employs enthusiastic gesture. I’ve been called a Walking Disney Movie and told I was better than television.”
Donna’s path to storytelling was serendipitous. “I was in my third year at Northwestern University when I was cast in a play where I had to pretend I was a storyteller. There was a class on storytelling that went with the play. I made the transition at that point, but I was the only one who didn’t know. I have been a professional storyteller since I graduated from university. It is the only job I have ever had as a grown-up person.”
When I asked Donna what she loves about storytelling, she replied, “storytelling is a powerful tool. It can make huge changes in society for good or ill. I love how storytelling can move us and change us. It can bring us together united in common purpose. Story is about our emotions, desires, and hopes. It can also be about the things we fear or hate. It is the oldest art form. When we sing, we are telling a story. When we draw, we are telling a story. When we make music, we are telling a story. I love the fact that story is at the heart of everything we do. This is why it is powerful. This is why it moves us.”
Donna told me a moving experience she had that encapsulates the power of sharing stories. She performed at an elementary school, where she did four shows over the span of the day. As she was leaving, one of the teachers pulled her aside to tell her about one particular student. This girl, who was struggling with her reading, had seen Donna’s performance early in the day. The teacher said, “she is in third grade, and she reads in a dull monotone voice. When she came to me after hearing the storytelling, she read a sentence about a dog, stopped, looked at the sentence and looked up at me. She said, ‘I didn’t do that right.’ She reread it with expression. Then she nodded. ‘That’s how it should sound.’ She read through the story, and for the first time, she went back and emphasized words and feelings, and used the text to tell her how she was supposed to sound. In one hour you have done more to help her understand reading that anyone has ever been able to do since she started school!” Donna said it was all she could do to keep from crying herself.
I asked Donna why she wanted to be a part of the Women’s Storytelling Festival. She answered, “I was interested in participating when I first heard about it, but when I found out who else had been invited, I was excited. The group of women who will be telling at this gathering is exceptional. I am honored to be amongst them. At every other festival I’ve ever been to, I have either been part of or saw in the program a set called – Strong Women. The coolest thing about this festival? Every single set could have that moniker. Who wouldn’t love that?”
You can check out examples of Donna’s storytelling here.
Donna will be taking the stage with 17 other female storytellers at the Women’s Storytelling Festival in the City of Fairfax, March 13 and 14, 2020. Details here.
