MCC-Maple Woods dean retires from Storytelling Committee

After many years of hard work and creative service to Maple Woods' annual Storytelling Celebration, Associate Dean Lynn Barron officially attended her last meeting. Lynn has made many contributions over the years, helping prepare for the annual event, bringing in the storytellers and overseeing a smoothly-running community activity. She plans to continue making her jewelry, spending time with her family - especially her seven grandchildren - and working in her garden.

MCC-Maple Woods closes out another diverse Storytelling Celebration

MCC-Maple Woods closed out its 11th annual Kansas City Storytelling Celebration with a spectacular performance full of song, story, laughter and lessons. Held Nov. 2-6, 2010, the yearly festival attracted more than 20,000 visitors to over 100 venues in the Kansas City Metro area.
This year’s program featured diversity on many levels, from the guests to the tellers themselves. Seniors, pre-schoolers, school children, adults and members of several cultural backgrounds were all included in the event. There was a rich diversity among the festival’s featured storytellers as well, with the Mexican-American heritage of Olga Loya, the African American history and experience of Bobby Norfolk and Elizabeth Ellis’ portrayal of the more subtle but equally-rich heritage of the American South. Thom and Sarah Howard rounded out the featured line-up with their own take on the local area.

In addition to the line-up of visiting tellers, several regional tellers shared their unique experiences as well. Tellers from Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Illinois and Missouri embodied the diversity within middle America, from the Native American traditions highlighted by Jim “Two Crows” Wallen, to the Missouri Ozarks aura of Mike and Nancee Micham.

Three new events were added to the festival this year, reaching out to students to share their own stories with a Story Slam open mic night and partnering with one of Kansas City’s museums to enrich local history. The Story Slam event gave students, community members and storytellers alike the opportunity to share their experiences about one of the diverse-yet-shared things: family. Partnering with Kansas City’s unique Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, featured storyteller Bobby Norfolk brought two of the city’s brightest Negro League baseball stars, Satchel Paige and James “Cool Papa” Bell, to life. Olga Loya, sharing stories of her rich Hispanic heritage, gave a special performance at the Mattie Rhodes Art Center, one of Kansas City’s Hispanic culture centers. Loya educated and entertained the audience about the Day of the Dead, one of Latin America’s most-celebrated holidays.

Performances at local libraries, schools, senior centers and Boys & Girls clubs, along with workshops filled out the week-long celebration, which culminated with the festival’s flagship event, the Storytelling Spectacular. Bobby Norfolk, Olga Loya, Elizabeth Ellis and Thom and Sarah Howard performed a family-friendly event with folktales and stories from their very different but still similar backgrounds.

MCC-Maple Woods presents the 11th Annual Storytelling Celebration

MCC-Maple Woods will once again host Kansas City's vibrant Storytelling Celebration, held this year Nov. 2-6 in various Metro-area locations. Most events are open to the public, and many are free. For a complete list of events, visit the Kansas City Storytelling Celebration blog.

More than 50 events throughout the Metro area will entertain a variety of different audiences, including seniors, school children, Boys & Girls Club members and families. The flagship event, the 2010 Storytelling Spectacular, will be held from 7-9 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Kansas City Public Library - Plaza Branch Truman Forum, and is free and open to the public. This year's event features four world-renowned storytellers, all of whom bring unique cultural experiences:

Bobby Norfolk, stand-up comedian, children's television show host and former park ranger, uses his stories to highlight the African American experience and promote character education, cultural diversity and literacy. Norfolk also will be giving a special performance this year at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum at 2 p.m. Nov. 6.

Olga Loya, influence by the lively but often true tales of her father and grandmother, embraces the rich storytelling tradition that was very much a part of her childhood in East Los Angeles. Her stories often explore the complexity of growing up and living as a bicultural person - Mexican and American - in the United States of yesterday and today.

Elizabeth Ellis has been telling tales of heroic women, the Appalachian foothills and the great expanse of Texas, along with her personal stories, for more than 25 years.

Thom and Sarah Howard, a guitar player and a children's librarian, have been bringing their original songs and participation stories to audiences throughout the Midwest for several years.