Regional Tellers and New Voices

Please help us welcome new talent to the 2016 Storytelling Festival of Carolina!  We are so excited to bring these tellers to our festival and to spread the joy and ethusiasm that they bring to the stage.  

 

 JA Bolton, Winner of the 2016 Bold-Faced Liars' Showdown

Gary Buchanan, People's Choice 2016 Bold-Faced Liars' Showdown

Ray Mendenhall

Linda Goodman

Jess Willis

Robin Kitson

Jadie Fuson

 

Robin Kitson loves taking an audience along with her. Her trips of the mind are much like those she heard as a child in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, where stories roll down the river clothed in fog. Robin often has folks rolling in the aisle while learning about life in the land of the Cajuns or her days living in a tin house overseas.

 

Jadie Fuson – Teller of incredible stories, Jadie takes you on fantastic journeys through regions of you imagination that will delight, inspire and reveal deep truths.  Jadie won the People’s Choice Award at the Bold-Faced Liars Showdown in 2015.

 

Ray Mendenhall  spins folk tales, tall tales, stories from many lands, original stories and home-grown humor with joy and vigor. Ray brings energy, exuberance, passion and excitement to his work. Jolly Man Stories are  Amazing Songs and Whimsical Stories shared through the art and antics of Ray Mendenhall.

 

J.A. Bolton was raised in Richmond County, North Carolina along the banks of the Pee Dee River. He loved to hear the old characters tell their tall tales. It wasn't long before he was telling 'em with the best of them. Bolton placed first at the ninth annual Bold-Faced Liars’ Showdown in Laurinburg. His book, “Just Passing Time” was released by the St. Andrews University Press this year.

 

Linda Goodman, author, storyteller, playwright, is a National Touring Artist and the  recipient of six Storytelling World Awards and the Excellence in Storytelling Award. Her works are known for their “Southern Appalachian’ flavor and her CDs have been aired on several NPR programs.

 

Gary Buchanan of West Virginia was the People’s Choice Winner at the 2016 Bold-Faced Liars Showdown. He won over the audience with a story about why there are so many intelligent people in Virginia.

 

Jess Willis – If you are around Jess Willis long enough, chances are she will tell you a tall Tale. A storyteller at heart, she loves to tell anything from folk and fractured fairy tales to family stories and personal foibles. She believes no matter a person’s age, everyone needs stories.