Kearney Area Storytelling Festival 2026: Stories for Adults (Read More)
At the Kearney Area Storytelling Festival, professional storytellers—along with area tellers—present the art of storytelling in many area venues. Lyn Ford and Paul Strickland - Stories for Adults 7:00 pm | Kearney Country Club 2800 19th Ave, Kearney, NE *Non-members are welcome to order food and drinks from the menu before and after the show. **Dinner Reservations Recommended - Contact 308-234-3151 or [email protected] Please visit the Kearney Area Storytelling Festival website for the full range of events in Kearney. Lynette (Lyn) Ford, an American storyteller, teaching artist, author and creative narrative workshop presenter was the first storyteller in the state of Ohio to be nominated for a Governor’s Award for the Arts. She is a regular performer at regional and national storytelling festivals and conferences, including the National Storytelling Festival, Hawaii’s Talk Story Festival and the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. Lyn has also shared keynote presentations, performances and workshops in Australia and Ireland, and for the Transformative Language Arts Network’s and Ohio Literacy Resource Center’s annual conferences and events. Lyn is a two-time recipient of the National Storytelling Network’s ORACLE award, receiving both its Leadership and Service and Circle of Excellence awards. Lyn is a member of the National Association of Black Storytellers Circle of Elders. Lyn’s first publications as an individual author are Affrilachian Tales and Beyond the Briar Patch. Both books are compilations of stories from Lyn’s childhood memories, enriched with information on Affrilachian culture. She has written several other books alone and has been a co-author on other books. Paul Strickland is a professional storyteller and theatre artist from Kentucky. He has a large repertoire of unique family friendly stories, including reupholstered folk tales, fairytales for adults and future adults, tall-tales and even historical stories that just happened to have never happened. Paul was a Teller-in-Residence at the International Storytelling Center in 2024. He was a Featured Teller: New Voice at the National Storytelling Festival in September of 2023. He was a Featured Teller at Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in September 2023, Cave Run Storytelling Festival in 2022 and many other major storytelling festivals. In November of 2018 he made his NYC stage debut Off-Broadway at the SoHo Playhouse with his shadow and flashlight ghost story play, “13 Dead Dream of Eugene.” Always adapting to whatever audience is in front of him, Paul loves telling stories in every imaginable environment, from comedy clubs to elementary and middle schools, corporate events and even two prisons - where he was NOT an inmate at the time. Collections of his stories have won “Best of Fest” honors more than 18 times at Fringe Theatre Festivals in the US and Canada. Selections from his comedy performance “Levels of Difficulty” are still played nearly every day on Sirius XM radio.
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Kearney Area Storytelling Festival 2026: Stories for Seniors (Read More)
At the Kearney Area Storytelling Festival, professional storytellers—along with area tellers—present the art of storytelling in many area venues. Wednesday, February 4 Lyn Ford - Stories for Seniors 2:00 pm | Peterson Senior Activity Center 2020 W 11th St, Kearney, NE 68845 Please visit the Kearney Area Storytelling Festival website for the full range of events in Kearney. Lynette (Lyn) Ford, an American storyteller, teaching artist, author and creative narrative workshop presenter was the first storyteller in the state of Ohio to be nominated for a Governor’s Award for the Arts. She is a regular performer at regional and national storytelling festivals and conferences, including the National Storytelling Festival, Hawaii’s Talk Story Festival and the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. Lyn has also shared keynote presentations, performances and workshops in Australia and Ireland, and for the Transformative Language Arts Network’s and Ohio Literacy Resource Center’s annual conferences and events. Lyn is a two-time recipient of the National Storytelling Network’s ORACLE award, receiving both its Leadership and Service and Circle of Excellence awards. Lyn is a member of the National Association of Black Storytellers Circle of Elders. Lyn’s first publications as an individual author are Affrilachian Tales and Beyond the Briar Patch. Both books are compilations of stories from Lyn’s childhood memories, enriched with information on Affrilachian culture. She has written several other books alone and has been a co-author on other books.
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Storytelling workshop: CREATE Questions. THEN Answer Them! (Read More)
At the Kearney Area Storytelling Festival, professional storytellers—along with area tellers—present the art of storytelling. Storyteller Paul Strickland will present a storytelling workshop entitled "CREATE Questions. THEN Answer Them!" at the Regional Engagement Center in UNK's University Village Development - Upstairs Gala Rooms. Parking is available on both sides of the building. Paul Strickland is a professional storyteller and theatre artist from Kentucky. He has a large repertoire of unique family friendly stories, including reupholstered folk tales, fairytales for adults and future adults, tall-tales and even historical stories that just happened to have never happened. Paul was a Teller-in-Residence at the International Storytelling Center in 2024. He was a Featured Teller: New Voice at the National Storytelling Festival in September of 2023. He was a Featured Teller at Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in September 2023, Cave Run Storytelling Festival in 2022 and many other major storytelling festivals. In November of 2018 he made his NYC stage debut Off-Broadway at the SoHo Playhouse with his shadow and flashlight ghost story play, “13 Dead Dream of Eugene.” Always adapting to whatever audience is in front of him, Paul loves telling stories in every imaginable environment, from comedy clubs to elementary and middle schools, corporate events and even two prisons - where he was NOT an inmate at the time. Collections of his stories have won “Best of Fest” honors more than 18 times at Fringe Theatre Festivals in the US and Canada. Selections from his comedy performance “Levels of Difficulty” are still played nearly every day on Sirius XM radio. Please visit the Kearney Area Storytelling Festival website for the full range of events in Kearney.
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Storytelling Workshop: Laughter and Storytelling! Interactive Stories and Play! (Read More)
At the Kearney Area Storytelling Festival, professional storytellers—along with area tellers—present the art of storytelling. Storyteller Lyn Ford will present a storytelling workshop entitled "Laughter and Storytelling! Interactive Stories and Play!" at the Regional Engagement Center in UNK's University Village Development - Upstairs Gala Rooms. Parking is available on both sides of the building. Lynette (Lyn) Ford, an American storyteller, teaching artist, author and creative narrative workshop presenter was the first storyteller in the state of Ohio to be nominated for a Governor’s Award for the Arts. She is a regular performer at regional and national storytelling festivals and conferences, including the National Storytelling Festival, Hawaii’s Talk Story Festival and the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. Lyn has also shared keynote presentations, performances and workshops in Australia and Ireland, and for the Transformative Language Arts Network’s and Ohio Literacy Resource Center’s annual conferences and events. Lyn is a two-time recipient of the National Storytelling Network’s ORACLE award, receiving both its Leadership and Service and Circle of Excellence awards. Lyn is a member of the National Association of Black Storytellers Circle of Elders. Lyn’s first publications as an individual author are Affrilachian Tales and Beyond the Briar Patch. Both books are compilations of stories from Lyn’s childhood memories, enriched with information on Affrilachian culture. She has written several other books alone and has been a co-author on other books. Please visit the Kearney Area Storytelling Festival website for the full range of events in Kearney.
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Kearney Area Storytelling Festival 2026: Stories for All Ages (Read More)
At the Kearney Area Storytelling Festival, professional storytellers—along with area tellers—present the art of storytelling in many area venues. Paul Strickland and Lyn Ford will present Stories for All Ages on February 3 and 7. Tuesday, February 3 Paul Strickland – Stories for All Ages 5:00 pm | Calvin T. Ryan Library-UNK 2508 11th Ave, Kearney, NE Lyn Ford - Stories for All Ages 7:00 pm | Kearney Public Library 2020 1st Ave, Kearney, NE Saturday, February 7 Paul Strickland and Lyn Ford - Stories for All Ages with Local Teller Janice Polk 1:00 pm | Kearney Public Library 2020 1st Ave, Kearney, NE Lyn Ford and Paul Strickland - Stories for All Ages with Local Teller Rick Brown 3:00 pm | Kearney Public Library 2020 1st Ave, Kearney, NE Please visit the Kearney Area Storytelling Festival website for the full range of events in Kearney. Lynette (Lyn) Ford, an American storyteller, teaching artist, author and creative narrative workshop presenter was the first storyteller in the state of Ohio to be nominated for a Governor’s Award for the Arts. She is a regular performer at regional and national storytelling festivals and conferences, including the National Storytelling Festival, Hawaii’s Talk Story Festival and the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. Lyn has also shared keynote presentations, performances and workshops in Australia and Ireland, and for the Transformative Language Arts Network’s and Ohio Literacy Resource Center’s annual conferences and events. Lyn is a two-time recipient of the National Storytelling Network’s ORACLE award, receiving both its Leadership and Service and Circle of Excellence awards. Lyn is a member of the National Association of Black Storytellers Circle of Elders. Lyn’s first publications as an individual author are Affrilachian Tales and Beyond the Briar Patch. Both books are compilations of stories from Lyn’s childhood memories, enriched with information on Affrilachian culture. She has written several other books alone and has been a co-author on other books. Paul Strickland is a professional storyteller and theatre artist from Kentucky. He has a large repertoire of unique family friendly stories, including reupholstered folk tales, fairytales for adults and future adults, tall-tales and even historical stories that just happened to have never happened. Paul was a Teller-in-Residence at the International Storytelling Center in 2024. He was a Featured Teller: New Voice at the National Storytelling Festival in September of 2023. He was a Featured Teller at Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in September 2023, Cave Run Storytelling Festival in 2022 and many other major storytelling festivals. In November of 2018 he made his NYC stage debut Off-Broadway at the SoHo Playhouse with his shadow and flashlight ghost story play, “13 Dead Dream of Eugene.” Always adapting to whatever audience is in front of him, Paul loves telling stories in every imaginable environment, from comedy clubs to elementary and middle schools, corporate events and even two prisons - where he was NOT an inmate at the time. Collections of his stories have won “Best of Fest” honors more than 18 times at Fringe Theatre Festivals in the US…
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Family Day: Music and Storytelling for All Ages (Read More)
The July edition of The Sheldon Art Museum's Family Day with Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival will feature a special children’s storytelling concert with Crossroads’ artists, an evocative performance by Nordic-folk duo iiS in the Museum’s Great Hall, and a hands-on, storytelling-through-poetry-workshop with the wryly perceptive and truly Nebraskan wordsmith and former Nebraska State Poet, Matt Mason.
An experienced storyteller, Linda Garcia-Perez draws on her experiences as a young girl in Omaha’s Mexican-American barrio. Her stories convey a universal message of humor, wonder and tradition. This program is appropriate for all ages. This presentation will be given in the East Room.
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Art-Tastic Saturday: Music and Storytelling for All Ages (Read More)
Crossroads Music Festival joins forces with the The Joslyn for a day of creativity and connection for the whole family. Enjoy a fun-filled children’s concert, two performances by the enchanting Nordic-folk duo ííS, live poetry with Nebraska State Poets, current and former, Jewel Rodgers and Matt Mason, and an interactive storytelling-through-poetry workshop with Matt Mason. It’s a perfect way to experience music, stories, and art–together.
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Untold Migrant Stories Spring Showcase (Read More)
April's First Friday at the LUX Center for the Arts will include an Untold Migrant Stories presentation from young people involved with the Asian Community and Cultural Center. Refugee and immigrant youth will tell stories and share their cultures through digital media, art, performance, and food.
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Kearney Area Storytelling Festival: Workshop on Humor and Storytelling for Children (Read More)
At the Kearney Area Storytelling Festival, professional storytellers—along with area tellers—present the art of storytelling in many area venues. On February 5, Don White will present a workshop on humor and storytelling for children in the UNK Ockinga Conference Room. There is no one-word description for what Don White does. He’s an award-winning singer/songwriter, comedian, author and storyteller. He’s been bringing audiences to laughter and tears for over thirty years, released ten CDs, three live DVDs, and two books, Memoirs of a C Student and The Hitchhiking Years. In 2011, he won the Jerry Christen Memorial Award, given out by Boston Area Coffeehouse Association, for his work with the community and that same year was given a key to the city in his hometown of Lynn, Massachusetts. Please visit the Kearney Area Storytelling Festival website for the full range of events in Kearney and Lexington and complete speaker bios.
Immigrant and refugee youth in Lincoln have stories to share! Young people involved with the Asian Community and Cultural Center will present evening of cultural exchange and storytelling through art, digital media, and cultural performances.
A family-friendly daylong event filled with song, stories, and fun. Free with Mahoney State Park admission; paid registration required for storytellers’ workshops at Peter Kiewit Lodge. 10:30 am – 4:30 pm Sessions on the main stage with the featured storytellers — Joyce Slater, Paul Strickland, Lyn Ford, Don White — and youth tellers 12:15 – 1:45 pm Paid workshop with Joyce Slater: A Head Full of Stories 2:30 – 4:00 pm Paid workshop with Lyn Ford: Laughter, Breath, Joy: Extroverted Relaxation You'll Like 4:40 – 5:45 pm Story Swap – Hosted by OOPS (Omaha Organization for the Purpose of Storytelling) 7 – 8:30 pm Evening stories with the featured storytellers 8:40 – 9:30 pm “Ghosting” with the featured storytellers See the event website for additional detail and updates. Register for the workshops (limited to 15 people each; $40 per workshop or $70 for both) by calling 402.312.4749 or emailing [email protected]
A family-friendly daylong event filled with song, stories, and fun. Free with Mahoney State Park admission; paid registration required for storytellers’ workshops at Peter Kiewit Lodge. 10:30 am - 4:30 pm Sessions on the main stage with the featured storytellers -- Mama Edie McLoud Armstrong, David Novak, Megan Wells, Maureen Korte -- and youth tellers 12:15 - 2:15 pm Paid workshop with Megan Wells: Riveting Characters 2:30 - 4:30 pm Paid workshop with Edie McLoud Armstrong: Inner Flight Through Storytelling, Music, Silence and Sound 4:45 - 5:45 pm Story Swap - Hosted by OOPS (Omaha Organization for the Purpose of Storytelling) 7 - 8:30 pm Evening stories with the featured storytellers 8:40 - 9:45 pm "Ghosting" with the featured storytellers See the event website for additional detail and updates. Register for the workshops (limited to 15 people each; $40 per workshop or $70 for both) by calling 402.312.4749 or emailing [email protected]
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Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival: storytelling, artist conversations & “The Seat Beside You” (Read More)
Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival is a celebration of culture through world-class music in Omaha and Lincoln. Taking place August 4-6 in Omaha and Lincoln, on August 5 on the UNL City Campus, the music festival features several free humanities events. 10 am - Storytelling Slam Listen to stories of the festival artists, or share your own. 11 am - Artist Roundtable There are always so many stories behind all the music at Crossroads. Hear the artists’ unique perspectives through an in-depth artist roundtable discussion. Ask questions and get to know the artists and where they – and the music that defines them – are really coming from. 1 pm - "The Seat Beside You" Q&A "The Seat Beside You" is a video created to get to know the unique stories behind the more than 40,000 students who make up Lincoln Public Schools. The video will be screening all day, and this Q&A session will provide space and a forum for discussion. For the full schedule of events and tickets for musical performances, visit https://nebraskamusicfest.org/.
The Nebraska Storytelling Festival will give ten storytellers a stage to share their stories, understanding that our tales help us understand who we are, celebrate the diversity and commonality of human experience, and give meaning to our struggles. Storytellers will come from across Nebraska, and some have international roots in Nigeria and Ukraine. Their stories can all be considered a slice of life as they’ve observed or lived it. The list of storytellers includes Jenny Okoliko, a Nigerian living in Lincoln and attending UNL; Milan Wall, a North Platte native and long-time resident of Lincoln; Jackie Ostrowicki, an Associate Vice President of the University of Nebraska; and Toni Heimes, who teaches at Southwest High School. Other storytellers include Marcia White, Madison Hager, Craig Larson, Barb Schmidt, Jennifer Pool, and Teiana Symnia. The emcee for the event is D-Wayne Taylor. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased here.
A family-friendly daylong event filled with song, stories, and fun. This year's event includes four nationally-recognized storytellers from across the country: Sheila Arnold of Virginia, Al Batt of Minnesota, Jeff Doyle of Michigan, and Ingrid Nixon of Alaska. Free with Mahoney State Park admission; set fee for storytellers' workshops. Workshops will be conducted at the Mahoney State Park Lodge.
