Hearing VoicesLife, legends, history and fairytales come alive through the magic of storytelling.
April 12-20, 2008
Storytellers
Olga Loya
Olga is a nationally recognized bilingual storyteller of remarkable talents. The Latina teller of tales, from San Jose, CA, is also an author, performance artist, keynote speaker, and teacher, who has performed and taught workshops throughout the United States and Mexico. Loya performs a large repertoire of family and personal stories with the goal of exploring the struggles and complexity of being bicultural—a Mexican–American in the United States. Loya also tells bilingual Latin-American folklore and colorful and magical stories from around the globe. Loya has two videos, three tapes, and has written a book called Momentos Mágicos, Magic Moments, which won a 1998 Aesop Accolade, the International Reading Association award for young adults. She has been a featured teller at the Latin-American Storytelling Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico, and twice has been featured at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN.
Website:
http://www.olgaloya.com
Anne Rutherford
This is Anne’s ninth season of professional storytelling to all kinds of audiences in all kinds of places, including inside collapsing tents and on stages shared by biting ants. Her energetic performances feature original tales, real-life anecdotes and characters from vintage and world folktales brought to life through her training in music and improvisation. Anne is a member of the Portland Storytellers’ Guild and an artist in the schools with Young Audiences of Oregon.
Website:
http://www.annerutherford.com
John Dashney
An active performer for nearly thirty years, John Dashney has been a featured teller in festivals in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands and Malaysia, as well as appearing at more than 700 schools worldwide. He is the author of six books, including The Ballad of Big Ben’s Boots & Other Tales for Telling, a collection of his original stories. Though legally blind, he still travels the world freely to share his whoppers, spoken ballads, yarns of the Northwest, and original stories.
Website:
http://www.wicklewoodbooks.com/
Robert Rubinstein
Robert is a nationally-known storyteller with four recordings, an author with four published books, and a middle school teacher with 32 years of experience. He has performed at the New York Public Library; Boston Public Library, and in Atlanta. Robert has led workshops in the Master of Art in Storytelling at Eastern Tennessee State University, and presented at the National Storytelling Conference in Denver. He created and directed the nationally-known Troupe of Tellers from Roosevelt Middle School (Eugene, Oregon) for 24 years, and for the past 18 years has produced and directed Eugene’s Multi-Cultural Storytelling Festival. Robert wins the hearts of children and adults - “his stories are captivating and intriguing - it’s no wonder why the children were hungry for more.”
Website:
http://www.RobertRubinstein.net
Dayton Edmonds
A purist of the old school, Native American Storyteller Dayton Edmonds comes from a long line of tribal storytellers. A gifted artist, sculptor and printmaker, he began studying stories with his grandparents, who taught him the trials, wisdom and humor of the Hasinai people of the Caddo nation, once natives of Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas, until they were removed to Oklahoma in the 1830s. His grandfathers were priests of the peyote religion who taught him stories of nature and the power of patient observation; his father was both artist and storyteller. Dayton helps to preserve his people’s ancient traditions as farmers, mound builders, healers, teachers and storytellers by honoring and relating their stories. He travels extensively to tell and listen to the stories of others. Dayton has applied his skills in numerous venues, including gatherings, audio and videotape, and two films. He applies artistic forms to storytelling, which he weaves with thought-provoking images to give voice to the voiceless.
Website:
http://www.daytonedmonds.net/
Dorothy Ormes
Dorothy studied theatre arts at Bennington College in Vermont and went on to California Institute of the Arts where she received a BFA. She performed with the Portland Mime Theatre in Oregon and the Antique Festival Touring Theatre of Idaho. She became interested in storytelling while working as an ESL tutor for Asian children. Dorothy trained in mime with Samuel Avital and Tony Montanaro in the United States and Sigfrido Aguilar in Mexico. She received a Certificate of Storytelling from Dominican College in California, and is currently working on a Master of Art in Storytelling at East Tennessee State University. She has traveled and performed her stories in Colorado, California, Oregon, Alaska, British Columbia and Mexico. Dorothy is currently the Technical Services and Theatre Arts Librarian at Southern Oregon University.
Website:
http://hanlib.sou.edu/dorothy/
Rick Huddle
Acclaimed by The Oregonian for his "rubbery face and expressive body language”, his work explores personal growth and self-acceptance. Funny and meaningful…goofy and poignant… his stories are told with vibrant energy and accented by songs and movement. His underlying belief is that the stories help us see ourselves, and others, in a new light. Rick Huddle has taught at all levels, from preschoolers to adults, and is looking forward to working with middle school kids this year as part of the 2008 Hearing Voices Storytelling Festival. In addition to Hearing Voices, Rick has been a selected storyteller at the NW Folklife Festival in Seattle, Portland’s Tapestry of Tales Festival, and in May, he will be in the San Francisco Bay Area Storytelling Festival.
Website: http://www.rickhuddle.com/Welcome.html
Workshop Presenters
Alton Takiyama-Chung
Storyteller Alton Takiyama-Chung combines a rich cultural heritage, drawing inspiration from his Japanese and Korean roots, as well as being influenced by the superstitions, stories, and magic of the Hawaiian Islands where he grew up. Alton is a member of the Portland Storytelling Guild and an honorary member of the Mid-Willamette Valley Wonderkeepers Storytelling Guild. He collects oral histories of Japanese elders for the Portland Nikkei Legacy Center, is an apprentice to Eth-Noh-Tec, and is the recipient of the 2005 J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Award from the National Storytelling Network.
Website:
http://www.altonchung.com/
Anne Penfound
A native of the British Isles, Anne grew up in an era where stories were a part of everyday life. As a child she moved to the Caribbean where stories came in the form of poetry and song. She raised her own family on Scottish soil, where bedtime stories of wild haggis and monsters in the lock were all time favorites. A chance meeting with a storyteller in Portland, Oregon, where she has lived since 1995, sparked an interest that she felt impelled to explore. Anne shares folk and fairy tales, tall tales, and ghost stories from around the world. Anne believes that life is full of stories just waiting to be told.
Website:
http://www.portlandstorytellers.org/