Vandy Duffy, Exeter, NH                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Vandy Duffy of Silver Sage Storytelling and Family Tales hails from Exeter, New Hampshire.  She comes from a family tradition of dinner table storytellers and front porch musicians.  Her soul is fed with the stories of living and the mysteries beyond.  Vandy has been spinning tales for 10 years.      

 Peter Brodeur, Elkins, NH

"Bearded Turtle" is not an American Indian Storyteller, but rather a teller of American Indian stories, mostly stories from the "People of the Dawnland"(Wabanaki). He is native to the area and these stories are about places and things that are part of him. "I tell stories to keep alive oral tradition over 10,00 years old, and because a story is only a story if it is told."    Peter Brodeur is the NH State Liason for the National Storytelling Network. 

  Simon Brooks,  Orford, NH  (www.diamondscree.com)

Simon began spinning yarns and telling tales in 1991 when he would perform for school groups and families at Youth Hostels in the United Kingdom before moving to the States. In 2003 Simon became a Children's Librarian and professional storyteller. He has performed for libraries, schools, and private functions and festivals telling to young children and adults. Combining his passion for children's literature and folklore, Simon creates fun programs for all ages. His repertoire comes mainly from European folk and faery tales, but Simon also includes stories from South America, Africa, China and Japan amongst other countries and cultures.  Simon Brooks performs tales with energy and wit. Telling folktales, myths and legends from all over the world, he brings characters like Ananzi the Spider, the trickster Raven, Wayland Smith, Merlin and Dionysus vividly to life. From this world of stories Simon captivates his audience with unique voices to animate characters, and with expressive body language he truly brings the stories to life. 

 Karen Chace,  E. Freetown, MA  (www.storybug.net)

Karen is  a storyteller, teaching artist, presenting performances and workshops around the country. She is founder of a student storytelling troupe, writes a regular column for Storytelling Magazine, is the author of Story By Story - Building A School Storytelling Troupe and a contributing author to two National Storytelling Network's  publications.  

Marion Posner,  Tamworth, NH

“ MARION POSNER is the Mary Poppins of storytelling for children, and a witty, profound gift for adults”.  Marion was brought up in England, Scotland and Wales ~ which richly flavors her writing of her own stories?and the accents and dialects she uses in her tellings.  She turns her stories into theatrical productions, blending storytelling with the old tradition of the dramatic monologue where the teller takes on the personality of one or more of the story’s characters. Her professional work has included Human rights, researching Community Care Policies for the British Government, and co-founding a conference centre in a Castle.  She has lived in the U.S. for the last twelve years with her family. She and her husband Richard have built and run a small school house in their garden. Marion teaches, writes, acts and produces plays. She works with Advice to the Players and has co-founded the Story Theatre Co., Blessings in Disguise.??

Lani Peterson,  Andover, MA  (www.lanipeterson.com)

LANI PETERSON is a psychologist, public speaker, storyteller and coach.   She delivers customized lectures and workshops for individuals, groups and organizations ocused on leadership, emotional intelligence, women’s development, parenting and storytelling.  With a background in literature and theatre arts, Lani brings alive thought-provoking stories, lectures and workshops. Blending theory and experience into her presentations and stories, Lani guides listeners to see themselves and their world from new and stronger perspectives. Whether telling her own stories or drawing out the stories of others, Lani leads her audiences on a journey of self-discovery that inspires personal growth, healing and understanding.  Lani combines a doctorate in psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology and Masters in Counseling Psychology from Lesley University with her undergraduate degree in literature from Smith College to create programs rich and diverse in their offerings. Lani's CD (released in 2004) entitled "Stories from Within" won the Storytelling World Magazine's honor for best new story of 2004.

  Donna Leard, Northbridge, MA

  Rona Leventhal,  Hadley, MA (www.ronatales.com)

Rona Leventhal, Storyteller, Certified Teacher, Environmental Educator, and Specialist of Improvisational Theatre and Movement, Integrating-the-Arts-into-the-Curriculum, and Team Building Games is an exuberant artist who has gained repute as a cornucopia of voices, characters, and cultural accents. She infuses a dramatic touch into tales from many cultures, giving us insights on how to live more clearly with ourselves, others, and the earth. Her performances are far more than just stories, beautifully weaving together drama, movement, songs, and humor, encouraging audience participation, and creating a joyful sense of community! Whether in the schools or in a public forum, Rona has the ability to communicate with the audience in a way that effectively imparts a message in a captivating and entertaining fashion.

  George Capaccio,  Arlington, MA

George has been making up stories since grade school, much to the delight of his classmates and even his teacher, who gave him special permission to stage his original “mad scientist” plays during class time. George began his professional career as a touring actor with Boston-based children’s theater companies. In the early nineties, he co-hosted a nationally broadcast, award-winning children’s TV show called The Children’s Room. In recent years, George has been combining his interest in storytelling with his commitment to social change, and offering curriculum-based programs drawn from Arabic folklore and culture. In 2007 he will be joining the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities and telling stories at local libraries with the Prime Time Family Reading Time program. Whether performing or working in the classroom, George strives to foster the literacy skills of young people by connecting story with curriculum.

  Karen Pillsworth, Kingston, NY  (www.karenpillsworth.com)

Karen Pillsworth has been enchanting audiences all over the Northeast with her stories for over 25 years. She has performed in libraries, camps, churches, parks, schools, historic sites and at festivals. She is regularly featured at Monhonk Mountain House and has shared her stories on WAMC National Public Radio.  Karen has taught "The Art of Storytelling" at Ulster County Community College and "Discovering the Stories Within Us" at Ulster Performing Arts Center’s Expanding Horizon’s Art and Education Center. In 1994, she was selected as National Arts Education Fellow for her program: "There’s No Place Like Home: Stories of the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains." In 2002, she was named Storyteller Laureate of the city of Kingston, NY. Karen’s work has been featured in the recently published book The Storytelling Classroom:Applications Across the Cirriculum and in the July/August 2006 issue of  Storytelling Magazine.

  Bill Hinderer, Peaks Island, ME

Bill is a father, husband, professional cook, veteran, and storyteller who was raised in a family full of tales, mostly of family members’ misadventures that were told and retold until no one could remember exactly who had what part in any of the stories. His own stories take the listener from the coast of Maine to the battlefields of Vietnam   and back. His stories are filled with joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, with a few surprises along the way.

Joanne Piazzi, Rochester, NH

Joanne Piazzi began her professional life as a seamstress, then became a teacher, then a storyteller.  She is now a full-time reading teacher in a middle school, where the ability to whip up a costume and tell a good story really come in handy.  She’s a little like Paula Poundstone and a lot like Mary Poppins – practical and resourceful, but with a sense of humor.  Joanne is a member of the Seacoast Storytellers and currently serves as the president of the League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling (LANES).   

 Nancy Donnelly,  New London, NH

Nancy Donnelly is a retired chaplain who enhoys telling to both adults and children.  Her specialties are trickster tales, general folklore, Biblical stores, and stories with an ethical twist. She has been telling locally for the past 15 years. She is a member of the National Storytelling Network, the Network of Biblical Storytellers, and the central New Hampshire Storytelling Guild.

  Merideth Bird-Miller, Wilmot, NH

  Olga Merrill, 

  Bruce Marcus,  Malden, MA

Bruce Marcus has been telling his lively, original stories to adult audiences since 1990. He appears regularly at a variety of places and events, such as First Night events, Tellabration and the New England Folk Festival. Bruce tells stories of real life and true fiction, ranging from personal tales, both humorous and poignant, to his tales of outdoor adventure and misadventure (favorites of the Appalachian Mountain Club and other audiences) and his trademark clever rhyming ballads. "How does he remember all of that?" is a frequently heard phrase at his shows. Bruce likes to break down the wall between performer and audience, engaging and involving audience members in stories.

Angela Klingler, Salem, NH  (www.angelaklingler.com)

“Alternately wise and funny, silly and poignant,” (Yukon International Storytelling Festival) “Angela’s animated storytelling humorously evokes a sense of perspective in the realm of human nature,” (Chrysalis Bookseller, WA) as she weaves traditional world folktales, mythology, regional legends and history with humor and wit. Telling professionally since 1989, she has garnered national recognition, telling at arts festivals, museums, schools and libraries across the country, her audio “Faire Tales” is a National Parenting Publications Award winner. A seasoned professional, she brings a unique insight and perspective to the art of storytelling, combining her life experiences as a mother of three with the research skills and education received as a registered nurse, to enhance and influence her selection of story.

Pat Spaulding, Rye, NH  (www.patspaulding.nhtheaterproject.org)

Pat is a writer and storyteller who, for twenty-five years, brought her work to the stage through puppetry. She and her husband David Tassler toured the country with original shows produced by their company Ha'penny Theatre. Although she continues to teach workshops and residencies in animating stories through puppetry, she has now packed away the puppets for her own performances and set aside the schlepping to free her hands for the next step: unaccessorized stand-up storytelling.