Art of the Story: 9th Annual Storytelling Festival
This year WCCLS hosts the Art of the Story, our 9th Annual Storytelling Festival, from April 13th to 20th. Formerly known as the Hearing Voices Storytelling Festival, this is a week long celebration of National Library Week.
Featuring five professional storytellers, the festival's shows are intended for audiences of adults, as well as children aged 6 and up. Some performances are exclusively adult-focused, and those are noted in the schedule below. The festival also features a storytelling workshop and a community story swap. It wraps up with a Final Concert, featuring all of the festival's storytellers in one great event on April 20th.
Performers in this year's festival include both local and national storytellers - Anne Rutherford, Rick Huddle, Bill Ratner, Anne Penfound, and Kim Weitkamp.
All events are free. Please call 503-846-3222 no less than 3 business days prior to an event to schedule assistive listening devices or sign language interpreters.
Festival Schedule
Jump to events on:Saturday, April 13 · Monday, April 15 · Tuesday, April 16 · Wednesday, April 17 · Thursday, April 18 · Friday, April 19 · Saturday, April 20
Saturday, April 13
Beaverton Library at 2:00 pm
Pacific NW Folklore with a Twist! · Anne Rutherford
Hear Northwest tall tales featuring Clementine Ryder - Wild West Adventuress, and the original Urban Coyote series as Coyote Goes to Daycare. (Song-circle will never be the same…)
Killer Bees · Rick Huddle
Two boys explore the woods, emergency rooms, and the meaning of friendship.
Monday, April 15
West Slope Library at 6:30 pm
Alien Invasion! · Rick Huddle
With your help, we can save our planet from complete obliteration by the invading aliens. Join us as we explore different cultures and discover the humanity underlying us all.
Tuesday, April 16
Forest Grove Library at 7:00 pm (Co-hosted with the Banks Library)
Out of This World · Kim Weitkamp
This event is a wild ride on the roller coaster of imagination with tall twisted tales!
Wednesday, April 17
Tualatin Library at 7:00 pm (Adult focused)
Tales of Love and Love Gone Wrong · Kim Weitkamp
This event features hilarious tales, and tales of suspense and horror, carrying one theme - love.
Walters Cultural Arts Center at 7:00 pm (Adult focused) (map) (Co-hosted with the Hillsboro Library)
Border Crossings · Rick Huddle
Traveling to Oaxaca, Mexico, Rick learns where to get pick-pocketed, when to say no to little green chilies, and how to unpack his cultural baggage.
Thursday, April 18
The Springs at Tanasbourne at 2:00 pm (map) (Co-hosted with the Hillsboro Library)
Celtic Tales of Wit and Wonder · Anne Penfound
Anne tells the tales that made the Irish oral tradition celebrated throughout the ages.
North Plains Elementary School at 6:30 pm (map) (Co-hosted with the North Plains Library)
A Girl Named Kimmy · Kim Weitkamp
Step into the world of Kimmy - a redheaded, freckle-faced kid that is destined to find herself in crazy messes!
Friday, April 19
Elsie Stuhr Center at 2:00 pm (Adult focused) (map) (Co-hosted with the Beaverton Library)
Voices in My Head · Bill Ratner
The story of Bill Ratner’s life, and that of his extended family, in the media and in Hollywood.
Cedar Mill Library at 7:00 pm (Adult focused)
Bobbyland · Bill Ratner
Archiving an "I Love Lucy" Bit Player - Bill's story of meeting his Uncle Bobby, the actor who played Bobby the Bellboy in the original "I Love Lucy" TV show.
Saturday, April 20
Sherwood Library at 10:30 am
Tales from the Old Country · Anne Penfound
Anne brings British and Celtic stories from the old country.
Storytelling Workshop (for ages 10 to adult)
Tualatin Library from 1:00 - 3:00 pm
The Business of Story · Kim Weitkamp
A look at the business side of story - from marketing, to booking, to creating web pages and CDs. Kim will break down the looming "business" wall brick-by-brick, and show participants that it is not as tough as it looks!
Story Swap
Tualatin Library from 3:00 - 4:00 pm (Co-hosted by the Portland Storytellers' Guild)
The Story Swap is an opportunity for members of the public to tell a 5 minute story, and it is intended for beginners as well as seasoned tellers who want to test out new material. Come meet and mingle with members of the local storytellers’ guild.
Storytelling Final Concert
Garden Home Library from 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Local Cure · Anne Rutherford
The outrageous fib that won Anne 1st place at the 2010 NW Folklife Festival Liar's Contest.
Glory Days? · Rick Huddle
The perils of high school: wearing the wrong jeans, having "the talk" with your parents, and never, ever, getting to kiss that girl in the green sweater.
Supper with the Relatives · Bill Ratner
The family gathers in Skokie, and it’s a clash of fashions, manners, and class.
The Auld Tales of Ireland · Anne Penfound
The bee with the harp, the mouse and the wee bum clock.
A Mixed Bag · Kim Weitkamp
A wide and diverse range of stories that make up the mixed bag called life.