Thursday, Oct. 18th, 2012, 12:30 pm in the Little Theater at Peninsula College, Port Angeles. The program is free and open to the public. This week, our own Story People storytellers will present a taste of storytelling. These are not “Goldilocks” stories, but are meaty, engaging stories about life. They are all true, and some of them actually happened! This is a chance to participate in the eternal experience of live storytelling, which has been overshadowed by movies in our modern culture, but which can never be entirely displaced.

Joy Beaver has had what she would call a checkered career, working in many different fields.  Currently a medical transcriptionist and resident manager of a senior home park in Sequim, she loves to garden, write Haiku poetry, listen to music, and attend live theater.  Joy grew up in a remote village in Alaska, accessible only by a seaplane, but has lived in 9 states and visited all but 5 of the 50 states.  Her first encounter with professional storytellers happened at the Forest Storytelling Festival in 2007 right here in the Little Theater of Peninsula College! Enraptured by the storytellers and the wonderful variety of tales they told, she became a member of the Story People of Clallam County never thinking that she would ever get up on a stage to tell a story, but as she says, “Here I am, about to tell you a true story from my life that I’ve entitled “Nooo!”

Jean Cameron is a graduate of the Arizona School of Storytelling in Scottsdale.  Before moving to the Olympic Peninsula, Jean attended a conference for harp players.  There a storyteller movingly told a story about a stolen baby, accompanying the narrative with her harp.  A talented harpist, Jean vowed then and there to become a storyteller and these many years later still draws inspiration from the poignancy of that moment.  Jean has been a member of the Story People of Clallam County for six years and has told at the Festival and shared her stories at the monthly story swaps, often with her harp.

Dennis Duncan, a native of Port Angeles, began telling stories to his children as they grew up.  After he retired from public school teaching, he started a program telling stories to school kids.  He has told stories to thousands of children for the pat 17 years.   He especially enjoys the classic fairy tales.  Dennis has served the Story People on the board and has been instrumental in creating in our area an awareness of the wonderful art of storytelling.

Bob Nuffer has been drawn to stories since he was a child.  In grade school, he would read all the stories in the reading text in the first week.  On Boy Scout camping trips, he loved listening to stories around the campfire.  When his children were little, he read to them each night and continued the practice when he became a grandfather.  His kids would often ask him to tell stories when they were riding in the car.  Bob would make up stories about dragons, cowboys, or space travel.  In his counseling work as a Clinical Social Worker, Bob uses stories to illustrate a point or encouraged a different perspective.  He joined the Story People in 2008 and currently serves on the Board of Directors.