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September 14-16, 2007
Be part of the Magic of Colonial Williamsburg's third annual storytelling festival.
There’s something magical about listening to a well-told story—whether it comes from the roots of our history or from the heart of our present. Join storytellers from across the nation September 14-16, 2007, for “Spinning Stories/Spanning Time: A Weekend of Stories Old and New,” which will span the centuries from the 18th to the 21st.
Download Schedule (pdf)
Download Event Flier (pdf)
Festival Ticket options:
Weekend Pass $65 adults, $33 youth (ages 6–17)
- Day programs on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Friday evening Olio and one Saturday evening storytelling event (Family or Ghost Stories program; does not include the Wine-and-Cheese Storytelling program).
Single Day Pass $29 adults, $15 youth (ages 6–17)
- Available Friday, Saturday, or Sunday
- Admission to all day programs for that day
- Excludes evening programs
Evening Pass $15 adults & youth, $8 children under age 6
- Admission to one evening program per ticket: (Does not include Wine-and-Cheese Storytelling Program)
- Friday evening Olio
- Saturday evening Family Program
- Saturday evening Ghost Stories
Wine-and-Cheese Storytelling $30 adults
- Saturday evening (Adults only)
Storytelling Festival Package
Enjoy the experience all weekend by staying onsite. Our Storytelling Festival Package includes:
- Hotel accommodations*
- Daily continental breakfast
- Length-of-stay tickets for the Historic Area
- Weekend passes for the Storytelling Festival
- Commemorative CD of the 2007 Storytelling Festival
Package rates per person, per night:
- Governor’s Inn $65*
- Williamsburg Woodlands Guestroom $93*
- Williamsburg Woodlands Suite $117*
Call 1-800-HISTORY to book your Storytelling Festival Package.
* Rates quoted are starting rates per person, per night based on double occupancy at stated hotel and require a two-night minimum stay. Taxes and gratuities are not included. Rates are not applicable for groups; some restrictions may apply.
Featured storytellers
Len Cabral
has enchanted audiences with his storytelling performances at schools, libraries, museums, and festivals throughout this country and Canada since 1978. Of Cape Verdean ancestry, he tells stories from Africa, the Caribbean, the Cape Verde Islands, and the southern United States. He uses his skills in poetry, song, movement, and humor to bring out the child in everyone while he creates a setting for the imagination to soar. He gathers his stories from everywhere—traditional tales from folklore and fable, imaginative yarns from far-off places, and heartwarming stories from his own family—and weaves them into a magical performance that wins the hearts of all who hear him.
Donald Davis
was born in a southern Appalachian mountain world rich in stories. “I didn’t learn stories, I just absorbed them,” he says as he recounts tales learned from a family of traditional storytellers who have lived on the same western North Carolina land since 1781. Davis grew up hearing gentle fairy tales, simple and silly Jack tales, scary mountain lore, ancient Welsh and Scottish folktales, and—most importantly—nourishing true-to-life stories of his own neighbors and kin. Davis has performed at storytelling festivals and concerts throughout the United States and the world, served as chairperson of the board of directors for the National Storytelling Association, as master teacher of workshops and storytelling courses, and as guest host of American Public Radio’s Good Evening. He has appeared on CNN and ABC News Nightline. He is a prolific author and a Storytelling Circle of Excellence Award recipient.
Clips from the CD "Grandma’s Lap Stories" (MP3 format)
Carmen Deedy
was born in Havana, Cuba, and immigrated to the United States with her family in 1963 during the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution. The combination of her Latin American and southern heritages has had a rich influence upon her work. She has performed at the Disney Institute, on Broadway at the New Victory Theater, at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., and the Kennedy Center, as well as at many storytelling festivals nationwide. Deedy’s relating of the humorous and poignant episodes of familial living ring a familiar tone in the ear while retaining the unique quality of her individual upbringing. Not only does Deedy recount personal stories, she also tells classic folk tales from around the world and is a published author of many children’s books.
Eth-Noh-Tec
is an interdisciplinary theater duo that features the combined performance chemistry of Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo and Nancy Wang. Founded in 1982, the group layers ancient Asian mythologies, folktales, and Asian urban legends with Asian American sensibilities. Eth-Noh-Tec performs with several storytelling theater programs, workshops, and residencies. They mix music, theater, dance, and spoken word to challenge the borders between theater, movement, mime, and storytelling. Eth-Noh-Tec has performed in numerous festivals and at educational institutions, theaters, and conferences throughout the United States and abroad, and has appeared on television and radio shows.
Clips from the CD "Sharing the Light." (MP3 format)
Bil Lepp
hails from Charleston, West Virginia, and got his start as a storyteller in 1990 at the West Virginia Liars Contest. Since then, he has continued honing his lying skills and is now the five-time champion of that contest. He has also been a featured performer at the National Storytelling Festival and the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival, is an author of books and audio collections of tales, and has had stories published in several national magazines. According to Lepp, the secret to a good story is a grain of truth that stirs up an emotional reaction in the audience. He tells original tall tales that are side-splittingly funny and sure to bring a smile to the face of everyone.
Onawumi Jean Moss
uses her dramatic voice, expressive face, and graceful movements to transport her listeners into the worlds of adventurous girls and women, charming creatures, scheming tricksters, and wicked demons. Her performances encourage pride of heritage, appreciation of cultural differences, and recognition of kinships. Her timeless stories and a cappella songs of Africa and African descent include tales of wonder, liberation, praise, trickery, and spirituality. Moss, associate dean of students at Amherst College in Massachusetts, has been a storyteller at the National Storytelling Festival and a featured performer at the National Association of Black Storytellers Conference.
Tim Tingle
brings the lore of the Choctaw Nation to life in lively historical, personal, and traditional stories. In addition to storytelling, he plays the Native American flute and often accompanies himself with an assortment of ground rattles and drums, adding a haunting dimension to his performances. Vocal chants and hymns sung in the Choctaw language also complement his stories. Tingle, a powerful conference and festival speaker, was featured at the 2002 National Storytelling Festival. Throughout his career, he has performed as a featured storyteller in festivals covering 30 states. In 2004, he was a Teller-in-Residence at the International Storytelling Center.
Kathryn Windham
for more than 20 years, has made a second profession out of traveling the South and other parts of the country, telling tales about such southern phenomena as butterbean cows, grapevine swings, and cornbread. Her stories are simple, straightforward, and intended, she says, to do little more than entertain. However, their significance reaches beyond mere entertainment. Most listeners comment that Windham’s stories ground them in some way and remind them of what’s important, or of a vanishing way of life. Apart from being a master storyteller, Windham is also the author of 21 books, a playwright, an accomplished photographer, and a popular television and radio personality. She has been named to the Communication Hall of Fame at the University of Alabama, received the prestigious Alabama Humanities Award, and is a recipient of the Storytelling Circle of Excellence and Lifetime Achievement awards. But best of all, she is Kathryn Windham of Selma, Alabama, and she tells stories.
Clips from the CD "Grits" (MP3 format)
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Virginia Regional Tellers
Denise Bennett
Ralph Chatham
Linda Goodman
Kim Weitkamp -
Colonial Williamsburg Tellers
Shel Browder
Kathaleen Getward
Art Johnston
Sharon Rogers
Darci Tucker
Tracey Ellis Turner
Listen to Clip 1
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