Register for Storytelling Institute

An upcoming event at Fairmont State University will provide participants with tools for preserving the stories of our families, our organizations and our culture. The public will also be able to attend a free evening of tales from nationally recognized storytellers.

Fairmont State University, FSU's Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center and the West Virginia Storytelling Guild present the Mountain State Storytelling Institute on April 4 and 5 at FSU's Falcon Center. The West Virginia Humanities Council funds the institute.

"The Power of Story: Transmitting Culture and Transforming Lives" is the theme of the institute that features nationally known storyteller and West Virginia native, Bil Lepp, and storytelling scholar, Dr. Joseph Sobol, the director of the master's degree program in storytelling at East Tennessee State University.

A storytelling presentation featuring Lepp, Sobol and prominent West Virginia storytellers is planned for Friday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the Falcon Center third floor conference rooms. This presentation will be free and open to the public.
Sobol will address the preservation of culture through story and storytelling as scholarship. An artist-in-residence for many years in North and South Carolina, Sobol received a Masters in Folklore from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University. His book on the American storytelling revival, "The Storytellers' Journey," was published in 1999 by the University of Illinois Press. Sobol is the Director of the Graduate Program in Storytelling at East Tennessee State University.

Bil Lepp will address the preservation of personal history through story. Lepp is a five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars Contest. He tells original, hilarious, tales that will bring a smile to the face of even the most ill-humored person. Lepp has been a Featured Teller at the National Storytelling Festival six times, and at The Smithsonian Folklife Festival. He is the author of three books of tales and four audio collections, and he has had stories published in several national magazines.

Adults can register for the institute though the Pierpont Community & Technical College of FSU Community Education home page at http://www.wvsto.com/fairmontcms/default.aspx?classlink=161. Click on the link to the Mountain State Storytelling Institute. Registration for adults is $35. Students can register at the door for $15. Registration waivers are available for full-time students.

Workshop presenters for the institute include Rick Knoblich, Gail Herman, Kevin Cordi, Ilene Evans, Susanna "Granny Sue" Holstein, Suzi "Mama" Whaples, Andy Fraenkel, JoAnn Dadisman and June Riffle. Fairmont State faculty and students will also be presenting workshops.

For more information or to register, contact Susan Bailey at (304) 367-4203 or sbailey@fairmontstate.edu