Free Storytelling Presentation Offered

As part of the Mountain State Storytelling Institute at Fairmont State University, prominent storytellers will offer a free presentation.

Bil Lepp, a West Virginia native and five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars Contest, and Dr. Joseph Sobol, the director of the master's degree program in storytelling at East Tennessee State University, will give a presentation on Friday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the Falcon Center third floor conference area. Sponsored by the West Virginia Humanities Council, the presentation will be open to the public.

Lepp will address the preservation of personal history through story. 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.
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.

Also featured during the Friday evening presentation will be storytellers from the West Virginia Storytelling Guild including Suzi "Mama" Whaples, Ilene Evans and Susanna "Granny Sue" Holstein.

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 Power of Story: Transmitting Culture and Transforming Lives" is the theme of the Institute, and registration is still open. To register or for more information, call Susan Bailey at (304) 367-4203. Registration is $35 for adults and $15 for students. Registration is not required for those only attending the Friday evening free presentation.

Joanna Guy of Oakland, Md., grand torch bearer of the national youth storytelling showcase at the Smokey Mountain Storytelling Festival, will perform during the closing session of the Institute on April 5.