New Voices
Saturday, October 16 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time
The Story People have long sought to provide the opportunity at the festival for up-and-coming tellers to take to the stage. This year we are proud to feature the following New Voices on Saturday, October 16 from 4:30 to 5:30p Pacific Time:
Included in Full Festival Pass or Saturday a la carte purchase options.
Laura Packer is an award-winning storyteller and author of From Audience to Zeal: The ABCs of Finding, Crafting, and Telling a Great Story. She has told, taught, coached, and consulted around the world for almost three decades. She believes stories can break down barriers and build a more connected world.
Lillian Rodrigues-Pang is an internationally acclaimed, award winning storyteller. Her performances intertwin the oral tradition with, percussion, movement and improvisation to captivate and transport audiences. Born and bred in Australia she has performed in Peru, Colombia, Barcelona, Singapore, Malaysia, Iran, Kenya, in North America and on Australian main-stages, theatres, at schools and in community groups settings.
When she is not on stage, she is sharing story love in the community as a connective, teaching and healing art. She has over 25 years experience working in mental health, with refugee communities and youth at risk using storytelling to connect communities, create a stronger sense of self and as a gift for all occasions. In 2020 she is director and presenter of the multilingual storytelling festival in New South Wales called Southern Skies.
Mo Reynolds is a storyteller from northwest Montana who delights in folk tales, fairy tales, personal narratives, and the magic of braiding them all together. She has been a featured teller at the Florida Storytelling Festival and the Women’s Storytelling Festival and has appeared on several online concerts.
M.J. Kang is a playwright, actor, director, improviser and storyteller. She will do anything creative for money and sometimes, for no money.
Jessica Robinson, Founder of Better Said Than Done, has performed at Exchange Place at the International Storytelling Festival, on PBS’ “Stories from the Stage,” in the National Storytelling Network’s Connected Conference, and is a 2021 Stone Soup Festival New Voice. Jessica is co-author of Roar: True Tales of Women Warriors and leads storytelling workshops.
Ghost Stories Showcase
Saturday, October 16 from 8:45 to 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Brace yourself for chills and thrills in this ghost story showcase, featuring Heather McNeil. Heather will lead off on this evening of ghost stories – the first ever for the Forest Storytelling Festival. Those who have heard Heather teller her Dracula tales, know she LOVES stories from the shadows. Prepare to shiver and shake, as she’ll be joined by these illustrious tellers:
Included in Full Festival Pass or Saturday a la carte purchase options.
Kevin D. Cordi is a professional storyteller and teacher of stories. He holds a Doctorate in Storytelling from The Ohio State University but his real degree comes from listening to tales of Appalachia from his West Virginia parents, this includes mountain and folktales that chill the bones. He had told and taught stories in over 45 states, England, Japan, Scotland, Canada, and Qatar. He has seen two ghosts in his lifetime but knows there are more out there. He believes in play as a way to find stories. He currently is the producer of Debut: A Fusion of Storytelling and Play. You can find out more at www.kevincordi.com
Jenice Matias works as an EMT and as a special service teacher. But her passion is performing. She is a dancer, singer, actor, comedy writer, comedian and storyteller. She has performed storytelling for The Moth, Monti, The Story Collider and Risks, just to name a few. Her stories can be heard on “A Funny Thing on Splitsider”, SoundCloud, and podcasts. She has written and performed several solo shows. In 2020, performing her solo show on Zoom entitled “Pussinomics, A Comedy” she plays different characters. She is currently working on her next solo show entitled, “I Don’t Suffer from Insanity, I Enjoy Every Moment of It.” Learn more about Jenice from Jenicematias.biz.
Japanese-Korean storyteller Alton Takiyama-Chung, grew up with the superstitions and the magic of the Hawaiian Islands. He tells stories of Hawaii, of the Japanese-Americans in WWII, Asian folktales, and ghost stories. He has performed at the Timpanogas, the National Storytelling Festivals, and at International storytelling festivals.
