Discover the World Through the Power of Storytelling
EPL’s Third Annual Storytelling Festival Showcases Professional Storytelling
The rich art of storytelling returns to multiple venues in Evanston with the third annual Evanston Public Library Storytelling Festival the weekend of October 6 to 8. Five nationally known storytellers will entertain audiences with true and imaginative tales during this free event that is open to all. Young, locally grown storytellers from District 65, ETHS, and Northwestern University also will take to the stage and add their unique voices.
“Sharing stories like this brings us together, celebrating the diverse perspectives and expectations of the entire community," says Karen Danczak Lyons, director, EPL and co-director, Evanston Public Library Storytelling Festival. “Listening to stories takes us to places we’ve never been, inspires us with new ideas, moves our hearts, and acquaints us with people from beyond our own circles. We appreciate people in new and deeper ways once we’ve heard their stories.”
The festival begins Friday, Oct. 6, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm in the Storytelling Tent, with stories from all five of the featured storytellers. Susan Stone, founder and co-director of the EPL Storytelling Festival will introduce the storytellers. Stone, a professional storyteller, is a former EPL Board member, has been an Evanston drama teacher, taught at the Piven Theatre Workshop, and served on the adjunct faculty of National Louis University.
“Stories can help us to understand what it feels like to walk in someone else’s shoes," Stone says. "Come with an open mind and you’ll leave with an open heart. Everyone who attends will be entertained and enlightened," adds Stone.
The storytelling events continue on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 10:30 am to 10:30 pm, and Sunday, Oct. 8, from 9:30 am to 8 pm. They will be held at downtown Evanston locations in addition to the Main Library, including the Storytelling Tent (in the parking lot east of the Library), the Celtic Knot, (626 Church St.), The Woman’s Club of Evanston, (1702 Chicago Ave.), Hyatt House Evanston, (1515 Chicago Ave.), and Bookends and Beginnings, (1712 Sherman Ave.).
The featured professional storytellers are Mama Edie McLoud Armstrong, Jessica Carleton, Dan Keding, Jay O’Callahan, and La’Ron Williams. African folktales, stories in Spanish, true personal tales, adult "fringe" stories, ghost stories, preschool stories, an open mic, a storytelling workshop, and a panel discussion led by Northwestern's Rives Collins will all be part of the 28 festival events. Collins is Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence at Northwestern University, where he has taught in the Department of Theatre for the past thirty years. All featured tellers will participate in a showcase of stories in memory of one of the country's most accomplished storytellers, Evanston's own Syd Lieberman. Additional featured events include LGBTQ stories from Chicago’s OUTspoken! and This Much Is True, a curated storytelling show featuring true personal stories from some of Chicago’s most fascinating people, and opportunities to learn and demonstrate your own storytelling skills.
Mama Edie McLoud Armstrong is the former National Membership Chair of the National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc.; Founding Co-Chair of Ase: the Chicago Association of Black Storytellers; and served on the transitional Board of Directors for Illinois Storytelling, Inc. She was recently showcased at the Annual Conference of the National Storytelling Network.
Jessica Carleton, a Northwestern University graduate, is an Emmy-Award-winning actress and writer. She was an actor, head writer, and puppet designer on the national children’s TV show Green Screen Adventures. She has been storytelling professionally for more than 20 years, performing and teaching at schools, libraries, and festivals around the country.
Dan Keding, an award-winning storyteller of international acclaim, is well known for his telling of traditional world folktales, personal narratives of his boyhood in Chicago, ghost stories and dark tales, original pieces, and the ballads of Britain, Ireland, and North America. He has been featured multiple times at the National Storytelling Festival, and was inducted into the Circle of Excellence by the National Storytelling Network.
Jay O’Callahan, author, storyteller, and workshop leader, has performed his stories in New Zealand, The Abbey Theater in Dublin, Africa, the National Fine Arts Complex in London, Lincoln Center, and throughout the United States. He was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for performance excellence. His work has been heard on National Public Radio. Time Magazine called his work “genius.”
La’Ron Williams, a nationally acclaimed and multiple award-winning storyteller shares both original and traditional tales that appeal to a wide range of ages and social backgrounds. His energetic, music-spiced presentations are always fun, highly participatory, educational, and entertaining.
Festival Schedule
Volunteer opportunities are available. Please contact: Mary Kling, Evanston Public Library volunteer coordinator, at mkling@cityofevanston.org.
The Third Annual Evanston Public Library Storytelling Festival is made possible in large part through volunteer support, strategic partnerships and in-kind donations from the following organizations: City of Evanston, Downtown Evanston, Chicago Folklore Ensemble, Hyatt House, Prairie Moon, Five & Dime, Taco Diablo, Lulus, Potbelly, Four Finches, The Celtic Knot Public House, Bookends & Beginnings and The Woman's Club of Evanston.
About the Evanston Public Library
For more than 140 years, the Library has provided educational, culturally rich
resources for all residents, helped children prepare for school through
the joys of reading and learning, celebrated Evanston’s diversity, and
helped residents find information they seek. The Library is more than a
building of books; it is a place to meet, connect, learn and explore. To learn more, visit www.epl.org.