Media Specialist and Storytellers Workshop with Deb Swanegan
October 14 at 12:00 p.m.
NKC School District
2000 NE 46th Street, Kansas City, MO 64116
Cost: $12 (lunch included)

Weaving a Storytelling Tapestry

The positive power of storytelling can weave a tapestry of understanding and celebrating humanity’s similarities and differences. Deb will guide participants through sample multicultural stories, and demonstrate how these stories can be used to foster appreciation of ourselves and the cultural heritages of others with whom we share the world. The storyteller will share techniques and methods to assist in the development of storytelling skills and stimulate the overall powers of creativity.

The participants will learn how to convert stories into artful creations, make a simple fabric storytelling doll and simple celebrate all the joys of a good story. Families and communities are as unique and different as they are similar, and exploring these differences and similarities, be they economic, ethnic, religious or age-related, is part of the enduring intrigue of storytelling as an art.

Kick-off Reception-Opening Performances & Mirth
October 14 at 6:30 p.m.

MCC-Maple Woods, Student Center Main Area 2601 NE Barry Rd. Kansas City, MO 64156

Please RSVP for the reception by October 9, 2009 @ (816) 437-3007
Featuring: Peter Cook, Beth Horner, Deb Swanegan, and Tim Tingle

Regional Storytelling Concert
October 15 at 7:00 p.m.
MCC-Maple Woods, Student Center, 132A & B
2601 NE Barry Rd. Kansas City, MO 64156
Cost: $3
Featuring: Regional tellers to be announced

Storytellers from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois come together to share their unique talents, from their own little piece of personal history to the world at large. Tales of love, life and loss and everything in between have their own place in the repertoires of these diverse and gifted performers.

Ghost Stories
October 16 at 7:00 p.m. Kansas City Missouri Public Library – Plaza Location, Truman Forum
4801 Main St. Kansas City, MO 64112
Featuring: Peter Cook, Beth Horner Deb Swanegan and Tim Tingle

Join our featured tellers for a night of howlings and hauntings in an intimate, spooky atmosphere – everyone is in for an evening of spine-tingling chills at this adults-only event.

Sign Language Interpreter Workshop with Peter Cook
October 17 at 9:00 a.m. MCC-Maple Woods, Student Center, 132A & 132B
2601 NE Barry Rd. Kansas City, MO 64156
Cost: $25

ASL Discourse: Expander
Should you say “Hey, what’s up?” or “Hello, how do you do?” Such questions are part of a discourse between two people, their interaction based on formal or familiar situations. Nationally-known Deaf storyteller Peter Cook will explore the nature of ASL discourse in this workshop designed for advanced storytellers.

The workshop will cover comparisons between formal and informal conversation, contextual differences in both situation and par-lingual elements of discourse. Participants will create their own discourse from personal experiences and learn to relate it to all types of audiences.

American Folktales &Folk Songs with Beth Horner
October 17 at 10:00 a.m.
MCC-Maple Woods, Amphitheater (Campus Center Arbor Room in case of rain)
2601 NE Barry Rd. Kansas City, MO 64156

American Folktales and Folksongs
Storyteller Beth Horner will regale listeners with stories mined from the rich American folk traditions, tales kept alive by retelling person to person and generation to generation, transforming with each teller into a new creature.

As the stories of America’s immigrants and inhabitants settled into the great melting pot, traditional stories began to reflect a new land, culture and way of life. Enjoy the humorous adventures, eerie delights and wily tricksters that make up the unique American folk tradition.

Hands-On Storytelling Workshop for Kids with Deb Swanegan
October 17, at 1:00 p.m. Kansas City Missouri Public Library – Plaza Location
4801 Main St. Kansas City, MO 64112

Storytelling 101
With a little imagination, everything a child does becomes a story worthy of even the most discriminating audiences – when is the last time a child didn’t make you smile with a retelling of playtime shenanigans?

Children are natural performers, and this fun workshop will have them doubling as story authors and actors as well. Participants will learn from Master storyteller Debra Swanegan basic pantomime skills, the art of call-and-answer rhymes and games and interactive skills. Children will develop self-confidence, language control, imagination, vocabulary and an appreciation for literature – and they’ll have fun while they’re learning!

Storytelling Workshop for Adults with Tim Tingle
October 17 at 1:00 p.m. Kansas City Missouri Public Library – Plaza Location
4801 Main St. Kansas City, MO 64112

Sorting Through Scrapbooks, Making Up Stories
Storytelling is all about giving the audience the experience of seeing life through another’s eyes – weaving an insightful, relevant theme through seemingly unrelated scenes. Tim Tingle, a renowned Native American teller from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, will offer amateur, intermediate and advanced performers alike the tools for making a favorite story fit any audience.

The workshop will cover the technique of altering a story’s content and length to fit the audience without diminishing its impact. Beginners will learn the art of personal narrative while intermediate and advanced tellers will learn how to thread a theme through many different narratives to make a cohesive story. Expect a hands-on and lively hour about how to foster the evolution of a story from memory!

Family Concert
October 17 at 2:30 p.m. Kansas City Missouri, Plaza Library Auditorium
4801 Main St. Kansas City, MO 64112
Featuring: Peter Cook, Beth Horner, Deb Swanegan and Tim Tingle

An afternoon of laughter, learning and fun await audience members of all ages at this family-friendly event. Featured tellers will weave together stories of common experience and personal tales in a relaxed and warm community atmosphere.

Youth Concert
October 17 at 3:30 p.m.
Kansas City Missouri Public Library – Plaza Location
4801 Main St. Kansas City, MO 64112

Audience members are treated to a view of the world through the eyes of local youths. The young performers, aged anywhere from 8 to 18, are never too young to take a keen interest in the world around them and develop and understanding of the importance of communication. Kids will create and perform their own stories, relating events through their unique point of view.

Storytelling Spectacular for Ages 10+
October 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Kansas City Missouri Public Library – Plaza Location
Featuring: Peter Cook, Beth Horner, Deb Swanegan and Tim Tingle

As the flagship event of the Storytelling Celebration, the Storytelling Spectacular promotes cultural diversity, global communication and, perhaps most importantly, healthy entertainment. Stories told by this year’s featured artists are relevant and fun for all ages, providing a springboard for a dialogue within families and communities.