2022 TELLers to be announced
Previous Storytellers
Winter Olio Storytellers
appeared on TELL Pittsburgh virtual stage: DECEMBER 16, 2021
Tim Ereneta was the 2021 Folktale Fight Champion
Tim Ereneta of Berkeley, California, connects ancient stories to modern day life, as he shares classic and forgotten fairy tales, with audiences of all ages—but especially adults. (These stories are too good to be only shared with children). He's told stories on stages from Washington, DC, to Chennai, India, performing in theaters, art museums, camps, churches, nightclubs, and on digital devices. A former playwright and actor, Tim has been delighting audiences for three decades.
April Armstrong is an actress by day, appearing on television programs such as Law & Order: SVU, and a dynamic storyteller by night. She weaves melodies and interaction into her stories for all ages, ranging from historical to personal to folktales. She has performed stories internationally and is a recipient of the
J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Award by the National Storytelling Network.
Noa Baum was born and raised in Jerusalem. Since moving to the United States in 1990, she has inspired audiences of all ages with her performances, keynotes, and workshops. She has toured internationally, presenting in Turkey, Sweden, UK, and in Israel as well as at hundreds of venues in the United States. She loves telling stories from her Jewish heritage as well as from various world cultures to entertain and build bridges of understanding, offering pathways to dialogue and peace.
Pittsburgh’s own Mike Perry brings thirty years of performing experience to the stage. Many of his original tales tap into his life experiences: from professional circus clown to the Census Bureau, from major motion pictures to maintenance man, from teaching to traveling, and everything in between. He is co-founder of Pittsburgh’s StoryShare storytelling guild, and has presented storytelling seminars at Carlow University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Mellon University’s Osher program amongst others. He can be found emceeing, teaching, and telling tales at festivals and events throughout Pittsburgh’s Tri-State Region.
Motoko is the recipient of the National Storytelling Network’s 2017 Circle of Excellence Award, Motoko has enchanted audiences of every age since 1993. She appeared on PBS’s Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, and has toured the United States and Japan with her award-winning storytelling. Motoko’s repertoire includes Asian folktales, Rakugo and Zen tales, ghost stories, mime vignettes, as well as oral memoirs from her childhood in Osaka and her life as an immigrant in the U.S. She has been featured in festivals and theaters across the U.S., most notably, the National Storytelling Festival, Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Bay Area Storytelling Festival.
Ed Stivender
Appeared on TELL Pittsburgh virtual stage: November 18, 2021
Called “The Robin Williams of Storytelling” by The Miami Herald and “a Catholic Garrison Keillor” by Kirkus Reviews, Ed Stivender has been a favorite storyteller around the world. He has been a featured performer at the National Storytelling Festival, the Cape Clear Island International Storytelling Festival in Ireland, Graz Festival, Austria and our own Philadelphia Folk Festival.He is known for wit, wisdom, whimsy and improvisation.
Misty Mator
Appeared on TELL Pittsburgh virtual stage: October 21, 2021
Misty Mator captivates with timeless tales that teach history, celebrate culture, inspire creativity and promote moral values. Misty draws on her study of traditional myths and her experience as a mother-of-four to entertain, educate, and amuse audiences of all ages. One of Pittsburgh's own, she performs throughout the Greater Pittsburgh Region and online. Her storytelling enriches lives with connection, laughter, and wisdom.
Diane Ferlatte
Appeared on TELL Pittsburgh virtual stage: September 23, 2021
Grammy nominated international storyteller Diane Ferlatte, is a multi-award winning performer, who for over thirty years has wowed audiences across six continents in over twenty countries.She believes that telling and listening to each other’s stories not only enables us to learn about each other, but also to understand each other better.
Winter Olio Storytellers
appeared on TELL Pittsburgh virtual stage: DECEMBER 10, 2020
Alton Chung’s humorous and poignant, nostalgic and gripping storytelling transports you away to another time and place where you experience a different slice of life, before being brought safely back home again. Alton has performed at the Performing Arts Center in Singapore, the Hipbone Studio in Portland, OR, the Oakland Cultural Center in Oakland, CA, plus numerous other places and venues, as well as winning awards.
Karl “Doctor Sparks” Smith has a PhD in BioPhysics from the University of Rochester. His popular science writing has appeared in multiple publications, and he was also the presenter of a TEDx talk on storytelling. His storytelling was profiled by USAToday and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and he was the former storyteller-in-residence at both the MOXI museum and the Carnegie Science Center. He tours nationally as a professional storyteller. He wants to make the world a more whimsical place.
Kristin Ward is a multi-faceted artist who has been performing and working in various aspects of theatre since 2000. She has performed in many venues across the Eastern United States, including Piccolo Spoleto Festival (Charleston, SC), the First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival (Rochester, NY), and Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA). She has independently produced, written and performed over two dozen tales, working alone as well as with other talented performers and musicians to create interactive family theatre that reconnects modern audiences to oral traditions.
Nick Baskerville is a husband, a dad, a military veteran, and a firefighter which gives him many of rich experiences to tell personal narratives about. And by “rich experience,” he means, “ ...making a mistake and trying to fix it before too many people notice!” Nick is an up & coming comedic storyteller who has performed for The Story Collider, Armed Services Arts Performance (ASAP), Clean AF Comedy, The Perfect Liar’s Club in Washington D.C., and The Moth.
Misty Mator captivates with timeless tales that teach history, celebrate culture, inspire creativity and promote moral values. She has performed at Tellabration, Pittsburgh’s Alphabet Trails & Tails, the Ellwood City Storytelling Festival, Better Said Than Done in Washington D.C., and the Historic Fayette Theater in West Virginia amongst other venues. Her storytelling enriches lives with connection, laughter, and wisdom.
Carol Moore
Appeared on TELL Pittsburgh virtual stage: November 12, 2020
Carol Moore is a storyteller and public speaking coach who lives to connect and entertain through stories. With a style of storytelling that is comedic, conversational and authentic, she has presented at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, served as a speaker coach for TED speakers through TEDxTysons, and received the title of Moth StorySLAM Champion. Her honest and personable storytelling has been described as “Brilliant” and “Wonderful,” full of poignancy gift-wrapped in humor.
Kathy Maron-Wood
Appeared on TELL Pittsburgh virtual stage: October 8, 2020
A former instructor of storytelling at the University of Pittsburgh, Kathy Maron-Wood has performed at the Three Rivers Storytelling Festival, Tellabration, and has been a featured campfire storyteller at Pittsburgh’s Zombies of the Corn. Her peaceful, lyrical voice draws in audiences of all ages, and is the perfect instrument for dispensing chilling tales.
Marsha Wong
Appeared on TELL Pittsburgh virtual stage: September 10, 2020
Marsha Wong has traveled around the world gathering, sharing, and teaching stories: haunted mansions in North America, mystical pyramids in Egypt, temples in Japan, gardens in the Himalayas and houseboats in Kashmir. She has presented at the National Storytelling Conference amongst numerous other festivals and fundraisors. More.
Adam Booth
Appeared on TELL Pittsburgh stage: November 14, 2019
Adam Booth's original stories blend traditional mountain folklore, music, and an awareness of contemporary Appalachia. A nationally touring artist, his professional telling appearances include premiere storytelling events across the United States. More.
Kate McConnell
Appeared on TELL Pittsburgh stage: October 10, 2019
For the past 25 years, Kate McConnell has performed personal narratives, tall tales, and traditional Irish stories at festivals, universities, schools, and museums. She is a producer for the Three Rivers Storytelling Festival. More.
Judith Black
Appeared on TELL Pittsburgh stage: September 19, 2019
Judith Black, one of the nation’s foremost storytellers, creates and tells compelling, humorous, and riveting stories. They are sculpted both from her own observed life and created to augment the missions of educational, historic, and governmental organizations. More.
