WV Storytelling Guild To Present "Stories A-Bloom!" at Folklife Center
The West Virginia Storytelling Guild will present a free concert, “Stories A-Bloom!,” at 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 24, at the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center on the campus of Fairmont State University.
Six storytellers from the West Virginia Storytelling Guild will entertain with a variety of stories from their repertoires. There also will be books and CDs from various tellers available for purchase.
The six tellers slated to perform are Karen Vuranch of Fayetteville; Katie Ross from Ridgeley; Tom Burnett of Albany, Ohio; Mike Kubisek of Guysville, Ohio; Damon Hanshaw of Canvas; and Suzie “Mama” Whaples of Dunbar.
The West Virginia Storytelling Guild has been a part of the state’s culture since October 1996 when the very first West Virginia Storytelling Festival was held at Jackson’s Mill. Prior to that, however, the storytellers of West Virginia were working hard to keep the cultural art of storytelling from slipping into oblivion. Through their hard work, a time-honed craft has been saved for future generations.
Besides presenting the free concert April 24, the Guild will be presenting The Grand Vue Storytelling Festival on May 8 at Grand Vue Park, Moundsville, and the Prickett’s Fort Storytelling Festival on Sept. 24-25 at Prickett’s Fort State Park, Fairmont. In addition, several West Virginia Storytelling Guild members will be taking part in the Vandalia Gathering on Memorial Day weekend in Charleston and the West Virginia State Folk Festival on June 19-20 in Glenville. Guild members also take part in a variety of festivals and other storytelling events in West Virginia, the tri-state area and internationally.
Anyone interested in joining the Guild, either as a teller or a supporter of storytelling, may pick up a form at the concert. Dues are $15 per year, and members do not have to be a resident of West Virginia to join. For more information, visit http://wvstorytellers.blogspot.com.
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