Contributing Storytellers
Arif Choudhury is a storyteller, filmmaker, and stand-up comic who shares a tapestry of stories about growing up in one of the Chicago area’s few Bangladeshi-Muslim families. Focusing on issues of ethnic and religious identity, immigration, assimilation and diversity, Choudhury explores the humor in how we think about and relate to one another.
Website: N/A | Email: arifchoudhury@hotmail.com
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Alton Chung grew up with the stories, superstitions, and magic of the Hawaiian Islands. This combined with his Japanese and Korean roots, gives him a uniqueperspective to tell cultural tales and personal stories with a deep sense of reverence and authenticity.
Website: www.altonchung.com | Email: Alton@altonchung.com
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Leeny Del Seamonds is a multi award-winning, internationally acclaimed master performer of Hispanic/Latino, original and World stories spiced with exquisite mime, a cornucopia of characters, and love of people. With a twinkle in her eye and fire in her heart, Leeny breathes life into her stories, as she masterfully and effortlessly springs from one story character to another.
Website: www.leenydelseamonds.com | Email: leeny@LeenyDelSeamonds.com
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Mary Gay Ducey learned about stories in the best way possible—from family. Descended from Southern women who treasured a sassy mouth, she grew up in New Orleans with its rituals and play. She has appeared twice at the National Storytelling Festival and on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. She is also a children’s librarian in Oakland, California.
Website: not available | Email: not available
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Diane Ferlatte continues to focus on schools and libraries as much as possible because she believes this is where the tradition of storytelling is to be nurtured and the lessons of the stories most need to be heard. In fact, she was honored to be featured in Language of Literature, McDougal Littell’s latest textbook series for middle school grades.
Website: www.dianeferlatte.com | Email: diane@dianeferlatte.com
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Gerald Fierst is one of America‘s most acclaimed storytellers. As a performer, he has appeared throughout the US, in Europe, and in Asia, telling original stories, stories from his own Jewish tradition, and stories from world folklore; as a writer and teacher, he has worked for school systems and universities across the US, leading workshops for teachers and students in writing and performance. He has served as a Co-director of the MidAtlantic Storytellers‘ Gathering, as a member of the board of The New York Storytelling Center, and as artistic director of the Jewish Storytelling Center at the 92nd St Y in NYC.
Website: www.geraldfierst.com 
| Email: gerald@geraldfierst.com
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A fourth generation storyteller, Lyn Ford shares stories seasoned with humor, hope, and her multicultural African American family’s storytelling wisdom. She is an Ohio teaching artist who has facilitated workshops for literacy, early childhood education, storytelling, and diversity events across the country.
Website: www.lynfordstoryteller.com | Email: friedtales@aol.com
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Linda Gorham’s stories are fun, full of energy, and designed to enhance the love of reading. She tells folktales, inspirational stories, fables, “RESPECT” stories, hero stories, and, of course, stories that make your spine tingle and your hair stand on edge. Linda’s stories reinforce values, spark the imagination, and explore the world of ideas and traditions from other cultures.
Website: www.lindagorham.com | Email: linda@lindagorham.com
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Emily Hooper Lansana, noted storyteller and educator, is the former Director of Education at Lincoln Center Theater. Her experience includes teaching storytelling and performance at: Columbia College, Chicago State University, the University of Chicago, The Guild Complex and in the Public School Schools. In addition to her performance work, she currently serves as Arts-in-Education consultant for ETA Creative Arts Foundation and Muntu Dance Theater.
Website: not available | Email: Qelansana@aol.com
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Rev. Robert Jones has more than twenty years of experience as a performer, musician, storyteller, radio producer/host and music educator. He has opened for and played with some of the finest musicians in the world. Still, Robert considers his greatest honor to be his call to the gospel of ministry. He currently performs with his wife of twenty-two years, Sister Bernice Jones.
Website: www.revrobertjones.com | Email: rojoblues@sbcglobal.net
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Robert Kikuchi-Ynogo, together with his storyteller wife, Nancy Wang, founded Eth-Noh-Tec in 1982. This is is a kinetic story theater company based in San Francisco, weaving [tec] together distinctive cultural elements of the East and West [eth] to create new possibilities [noh]. Eth-Noh-Tec produces and performs contemporary presentations of traditional folktales from the many countries and cultures of Asia through storytelling, theater, dance, and music. Robert is available for performances in schools and colleges solo, or with his wife as Eth-NohTec.
Website: www.ethnohtec.org | Email: contact@ethnohtec.org
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Susan Klein is noted for a variety of presentations involving Story. She tours her one woman shows internationally in theaters, at conferences, and at special events. Her highly acclaimed storytelling and memoir writing workshops are held annually on Martha’s Vineyard and around the nation and in Europe. Her substantial repertoire includes selections from the world body of folklore and myth, literary stories, rites of passage and love stories for adults of all ages.
Website: www.susanklein.net | Email: susan@susanklein.net
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Syd Liebermanis an internationally acclaimed storyteller, an author, and an award-winning teacher. Many of his best-loved stories deal with growing up and raising a family in Chicago. He is also known for his original historical pieces and his signature versions of Jewish and literary tales. Syd’s work has garnered awards from ALA, Parent’s Choice, and Storytelling World. He has taught storytelling at the Kennedy Center and Disney World, and received commissions from NASA; the Smithsonian Institution; Johnstown, Pennsylvania; Historic Philadelphia; and the Van Andel Museum Center.
Website: www.sydlieberman.com | Email: click here to contact Syd
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Before she was a storyteller, Latina American Olga Loya was many things. Like many of her storytelling colleagues, she spent years working as a teacher. (She even founded her own alternative school after a few years in the public school system.) The classroom is a gateway for many professional performers who learned their trade in front of a demanding audience of students.
Website: www.olgaloya.com | Email: info@olgaloya.com
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Jim May’s stories have taken him across the United States and Europe. He has told at schools, corporations, professional groups, and festivals across the land. He is a storyteller who speaks in the natural, matter-of-fact style of the fathers, horse traders, and small-town raconteurs who populated rural McHenry County, Illinois where his family has lived since the 1840’s. He received a 1989 Chicago Emmy award for a WTTW-Channel 11 production of his original story, “A Bell For Shorty.”
Website: www.storytelling.org/JimMay/ | Email: maystory@earthlink.net
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Michael McCarty (“Have Mouth Will Run It“™) is a multicultural storyteller of African, African-American and International Folk tales, Historical tales, Stories of Science, Spiritual stories as well as stories of the brilliant and absolutely stupid things he has done in his life. His stories inform, educate, inspire and amuse. His storytelling style is energetic and enthusiastic.
Website: www.havemouthwillrunit.com | Email: Click here to contact Michael
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Loren Niemi has spent more than a quarter century as a professional storyteller, creating, collecting, performing and teaching stories to audiences of all ages in urban and rural settings. In 2001 he created Public Policy Project, working with Children’s Home Society & Family Services (St. Paul, MN), helping low-wealth and communities of color shape and tell stories that illuminate issues of race, equity and social change.
Website: www.storytelling.org/Niemi/ | Email: niemistory@aol.com
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Susan O’Halloran is a noted Storyteller, Diversity Consultant and educator. These three stories are part of a longer story written and told by Susan O’Halloran called “Dividing Lines”. Since 2003, Susan has co-produced the JustStories Storytelling Festival with Angels Studio, SVD/Chicago. JustStories brings together storytellers of varying cultures to perform stories with social justice themes. She is also the author of several diversity curriculum units including Kaleidoscope: Valuing Differences and Creating Inclusion. Susan is available for storytelling and lectures with schools, faculties and a variety of adult groups.
Website: www.SusanO’Halloran.com | Email: susan@susanohalloran.com
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Antonio Rocha, a native of Brazil, began his career in the performing arts in 1985. His unique solo shows of stories and mime have been performed from Singapore to Hawaii and many places in between including ten countries on five continents.
Website: www.storyinmotion.com | Email: rochact@maine.rr.com
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Antonio Sacre, born in Boston to a Cuban father and Irish-American mother, is an internationally touring writer, storyteller, and solo performance artist based in Los Angeles. He earned a BA in English from Boston College and an MA in Theater Arts from Northwestern University. He has performed at the National Book Festival at the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center, the National Storytelling Festival, and museums, schools, libraries, and festivals internationally.
Website: www.antoniosacre.com | Email: asacre@earthlink.net
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Shanta is a nationally known storyteller who blends traditional folktales, contemporary stories, and world instruments in exciting and inspiring presentations. Since 1978 Shanta has been presenting storytelling programs at festivals, colleges, museums, schools and libraries throughout the U.S. She brings a unique blend of music and message to her work.
Website: www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=92330 | Email: shantastoryteller@yahoo.com
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Like many Japanese-American families, Anne Shimojima’s family didn’t talk about their experiences during World War II. Gathering family photographs and interviewing a 91-year-old aunt opened the way to uncovering the story, and helped Anne to articulate her own identity as a Japanese-American. Anne performs in schools, libraries, museums, and festivals, and gives workshops on the use of storytelling in classrooms and libraries.
Website: www.storytelling.org/shimojima/ | Email: ashimojima@comcast.net
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Nancy Wang, together with her storyteller husband Robert Kikuchi-Ynogo founded Eth-Noh-Tec in 1982. This is is a kinetic story theater company based in San Francisco, weaving [tec] together distinctive cultural elements of the East and West [eth] to create new possibilities [noh]. Eth-Noh-Tec produces and performs contemporary presentations of traditional folktales from the many countries and cultures of Asia through storytelling, theater, dance, and music. Nancy Wang is available for performances in schools and colleges solo, or with her husband as Eth-NohTec.
Website: www.ethnohtec.org | Email: contact@ethnohtec.org
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