The Women’s Storytelling Festival is only in its second year and counts as a fairly small event on the national storytelling scene. But that doesn’t mean the tellers we are bringing you aren’t big names. Several of our tellers, including all four of last year’s featured tellers who we’ve already introduced you to, have been on the biggest stages in the storytelling world. Here are some more names for our own list of women of excellence.
Carol Birch has been featured on over 100 festival stages, included nine appearances at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. She also received the Circle of Excellence award from the National Storytelling Network (NSN). American storytelling doesn’t really have bigger honors than those. But she’s also written books and made numerous media appearances.
Lyn Ford was the first storyteller in the state of Ohio to be nominated for a Governor’s Award for the Arts. That’s in addition to appearing at the National Storytelling Festival, Hawaii’s Talk Story Festival, and the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in Utah. She’s written several books, alone and with Sherry Norfolk. She’s also an NSN Circle of Excellence and a member of the National Association of Black Storytellers Circle of Elders.
Jennifer Munro is another NSN Circle of Excellence member. She’s performed at both the National Storytelling Festival and the Timpanogos Festival. She’s also received Storytelling World awards for three CDs and a book of short stories.
Ingrid Nixon has not only performed in the National Storytelling Festival, but she’s performed in lots of unlikely places – like an island in Antarctica. Her three recordings have won gold seals from Storytelling World Magazine. And she’s been a teller-in-residence at the International Storytelling Center. She’s won numerous liar’s contests, including those at the Stone Soup Storytelling Festival and the Northwest Folklife Festival She’s coming to us all the way from Alaska – and that’s no lie.
Laura Packer is one of the most recent additions to the roster of NSN Circle of Excellence members. She’s been a teller at the National Storytelling Festival Exchange Place and numerous other festivals, including the Texas Storytelling Festival and Three Apples Storytelling Festival. She’s also won the Brother Blue and Ruth Hill Award for Storytelling Excellence, Service, and Leadership from the League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling.
Ellouise Schoettler performed at the National Storytelling Festival Exchange Place, as well as the Stone Soup Storytelling Festival in South Carolina and the George West Storytelling Festival in Texas. She won an NSN Oracle Award for Leadership and Service. She’s also had three one woman shows in the Capital Fringe Festival and produces a storytelling show on cable television.
Kim Weitkamp had been scheduled to be a featured teller at last year’s Women’s Storytelling Festival, but had to withdraw due to the pandemic. We’re delighted to have her join us virtually this year. She’s performed at numerous festivals, including the National Storytelling Festival and the Timpanogos Festival. She’s been a teller-in-residence at the International Storytelling Center. You can hear her regularly on NPR and on Sirius radio, as well as on her nine recordings, seven of which have won Storytelling World awards.
