About the library > News Releases > 2006 > Seventh annual Tapestry of Tales Storytelling Festival

Seventh annual Tapestry of Tales Storytelling Festival encourages families to share stories

October 17, 2006

Contact:

PORTLAND, OR – Multnomah County Library's seventh annual Tapestry of Tales Family Storytelling Festival will take place Nov. 16–18 at libraries and community venues throughout the county. Admission to most events is free, unless otherwise noted, and the public is invited to attend.

This year, in addition to the many public performances, the festival's outreach programs will bring stories to over 5,000 elementary and middle school students throughout the county. There will also be a workshop to help county SUN (Schools Uniting Neighborhoods) School program coordinators learn to incorporate stories and storytelling into their after-school programs.

On Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m., there will be two separate performances at area SUN Schools. Olga Loya will present a program in English and Spanish at Alder Elementary, 17200 S.E. Alder St., Portland and storyteller Madafo Lloyd Wilson will present a program of African and African American folklore at Sabin Elementary, 4013 N.E. 18th Ave., Portland.

On Friday, Nov. 17 at 12:15 p.m., Olga Loya will present a program in English and Spanish for adults titled "Storytelling: The Road to Bilingualism and Literacy" as part of the City Club of Portland's Friday Forum at the Governor Hotel, 614 S.W. 11th Ave., Portland. To purchase tickets, please call 503.228.7231.

On Friday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Kevin Kling will present an evening of storytelling for adults at the Multnomah Arts Center, 7688 S.W. Capitol Hwy., Portland. Admission is $10 and tickets may be bought in advance at Library Administration, 205 N.E. Russell St.; Capitol Hill Library, 10723 S.W. Capitol Hwy.; Hillsdale Library, 1525 S.W. Sunset Blvd.; Central Library, 801 S.W. 10th Ave.; and Annie Bloom's Books, 7834 S.W. Capitol Hwy., all in Portland. Tickets are also available by calling Library Administration at 503.988.5402 during regular business hours, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Remaining tickets will be sold at the door.

On Saturday, Nov. 18, there will be eight all-ages family matinees at various libraries. At 11 a.m., Eva Abram will be at Midland Library, 805 S.E. 122nd Ave., Portland; and Loya will be at Central Library, 801 S.W. 10th Ave., Portland. At 1 p.m., Wilson will perform at North Portland Library, 512 N. Killingsworth St., Portland; Kling will be at Hollywood Library, 4040 N.E. Tillamook St., Portland; and Loya will perform at Gresham Library, 385 N.W. Miller Ave., Gresham. At 3 p.m., Rachel Foxman will appear at Woodstock Library, 6008 S.E. 49th Ave., Portland; Kling will be at Hollywood Library; and Wilson will perform at Central Library.

The festival concludes with a Tellebration Celebration on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church, 1011 S.W. 12th Ave., Portland. Tellebration is an international event for which communities around the world gather on the same day to listen to and share stories. Kling, Loya and Wilson will be the featured tellers and the performance will have sign language interpreters. The performance is recommended for ages 8 and up.

Seating at all events is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis, except as noted. Space at library locations is especially limited; free tickets for library performances will be available 30 minutes prior to the first program at each location. The full list of festival events is available at www.multcolib.org/events/tales.

There are many ways parents and caregivers can help children increase their literacy skills. Exposing them to storytelling through performances such as those at libraries is one way. Another way is storytelling at home. "Children learn some of the most important reading lessons at the dinner table," says Molly Raphael, director of libraries. "Talking and sharing stories from the day at mealtime provide rich opportunities to help children develop and practice their oral language skills in interesting ways. They also acquire new vocabulary as adults around the table use more sophisticated and unusual words to communicate images and information about other times and places. And sharing stories, both real and imagined, can bring families closer together."

Tapestry of Tales is made possible by The Library Foundation. The Foundation works with private corporations, foundations, and individuals to support the programs, collections and buildings of the Multnomah County Library system.

Tapestry of Tales 2006 Teller Biographies (Photos available upon request.)

Kevin Kling
Kevin Kling, who grew up in Osseo, Minnesota, is well known to National Public Radio (NPR) listeners thanks to his regular storytelling on NPR's All Things Considered. He has hopped freight trains, joined a circus, and eaten things before knowing what they were. His stories fall somewhere between Garrison Keillor's homespun humor and the Midwest quirkiness of the Coen brothers' movie Fargo. His childhood stories and observations touch upon universal human experiences combined with irony and a sense of the absurd.

Olga Loya
Latina storyteller, performance artist, teacher and author, Olga Loya dramatically mixes Spanish and English in her performances. Her repertoire demonstrates how diversity embraces the richness of cultures in the commonality and individuality of lives. Loya's stories explore the struggles, complexities and joys of being bicultural &3151; Mexican American in the United States.

Madafo Lloyd Wilson
Madafo Lloyd Wilson has worked as a storyteller and musician for 25 years. His work is patterned in the spirit of the Griot, a West African word for storyteller. He shares the vibrant traditions of African and African American folklore and delights audiences as he combines traditional and contemporary tales with original music that is also a mixture of periods and styles.

Eva Abram
A native of New Orleans, Eva Abram remembers her grandparents' intriguing childhood tales and how the stories came to life as she listened to them. She built on that tradition and now interweaves song, action and words in her stories to captivate and mesmerize her audience.

Rachel Foxman
Rachel Foxman has more than 20 years experience storytelling. Her tales come from around the world, with special attention on Celtic traditions and Arthurian legend. She has a Master of Arts in education curriculum and her Oregon Teaching Certificate for drama.