Producer Info

Dear Festival Organizer,

Thank you for visiting my festival information page. This is where you can learn a bit more about me, my work, and how I might bring something new to your event. Whether or not you reach out, I appreciate your time and, more importantly, the work you do to create exciting storytelling and arts events.

What follows is some of my storytelling journey. At the bottom of this page you can find links to my resumé, book, videos, and a few sources for referrals.

I grew up in a storytelling family. My mother would tell me the folktales she would later share with kids in her library, while my father would tell me stories inspired by the radio programs he heard as a boy. By the time I was ten, I was telling stories to my friends and classmates. I was invited to sleepovers mostly so I could tell scary stories.

During my high school years I spent summers with family friends in the mountains of North Carolina. There I learned how to garden, can fresh veggies, square dance, quilt, and more. When I was 15 I told my host family that I was interested in folklore and storytelling. They told me there was someone I should meet, and the next weekend we visited an older couple who lived in a wooden house with a  beautiful porch and more beautiful views. The wife gave me some lemonade (I think) and I sat on the porch with the husband, who regaled me with tales about Jack and his own childhood. I didn’t know Mr. Hicks was a national treasure when I met him, nor in the subsequent summers that I visited, I only knew that this was something very special and I was lucky to know them both. Their kindness to a city kid from Philadelphia remains with me even more than the stories.

I went to Boston University where I obtained my B.A. in Folklore and Mythology, with honors. In the midst of my university years I met Brother Blue. You can imagine the impact this had on my life. At 18 I saw him performing in the streets, and at 19 I took a class with him at an adult education center. When I told my story, Brother Blue walked up to me and came very close, then locked his gaze with mine, pointed at me and said, “You have the power.” I was thrilled and baffled, not really knowing what he meant, but I knew it mattered.

I was 24 when I first told a story in front of an audience not composed of my peers. A friend told me Brother Blue was hosting a storytelling open mic and suggested I go. I was terrified. My legs were shaking and I was afraid my throat would close up, but I did it. I told a story. By the time I was done I knew that this was my path in life. I didn’t know what it would look like or how I would make it work, but I was certain that storytelling was it. It was 1993, storytelling had yet to hit broad national notice, and I didn’t care, because I could feel the pull with my whole being.

Since then storytelling has led me around the world. With a repertoire of hundreds of stories of many different kinds, I have performed, taught, and coached at festivals, theaters, conferences, in the streets and prisons, schools and libraries for all ages, and more. You can find out more about me and my work at the links below and across this website. If you are intrigued, please get in touch. I’d love to share stories with you and your guests.

Again, thank you for taking the time to read this. I wish you the best of everything.

Sincerely,
Laura

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