Storytellers Festival

The Friday session is free to the public. The Saturday session is $30 a person. Checks can be made to St. Ignace Area Arts Council and can be mailed to PO Box 193 in St. Ignace no later than May 21st.

The Power of Storytelling  Festival-  May 30 & 31  Hampton Inn, 1141 N. State Street ,  St. Ignace

FRIDAY May 30

3-5 pm Seminar: Using Storytelling for Marketing (2hrs)

“If you want to sell anything to anyone, anytime, anywhere, tell them a story

and you are more than half way there!”……………………………………………………….Jenifer Straus

• Friday seminar sponsored by St. Ignace Visitor’s Bureau & St. Ignace Arts Council
• Followed by After Hours social time sponsored by St. Ignace Chamber

of Commerce, the St. Ignace Visitor’s Bureau and the Hampton Inn

SATURDAY May 31

10:00- 11:00 Saturday morning keynote:……………………………………………                              Jenifer Straus

Storyteller & touring artist, Jenifer Straus has nurtured a life-long love affair with Michigan.  By sharing stories, songs, and verse, Jen will guide us on a lively and interactive journey through Michigan while spotlighting the power of story to inform and preserve history.

11-11:45  Saturday morning workshops:

• If You Can Tell It, You Can Write It: Making the Story Telling to Story

Writing Connection  ……………………………………………………………..                          Jenifer Straus

• Songwriting as Storytelling..…………………………………………………… Nancy Kelel

Nancy will share her songwriting process and sing her favorites.

Noon Saturday Lunch- (Sandwich buffet)

12:45-1:30pm afternoon keynote-Native American Storytelling……………….                            Julie Bucholtz

• An award-winning author of children’s books, and a proud member of the Bay Mills Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Julie will talk about the role of storytelling in Native American Culture. She will also share some of her (soon to be published) book about the 7 Grandfathers.

1:45-2:15 pm —Native stories with puppetry……………………………………….                             Francie Wyers

• Francie is the co-director of the Museum of Ojibwa Culture where she shares her Native American culture through stories, puppetry, and interpretation of historic exhibits at the Museum.

2:15-3:00 pm—History as storytelling  ………………………………………………                              Kyle Bagnall

• Kyle, the Mackinac Parks Naturalist and interpreter, will entertain us with folk-tales from the early French Settlement of the Eastern Upper Peninsula. He uses his background in both natural and cultural history for entertaining presentations at schools and of course, the Mackinac Parks (Fort Michilimackinac, Fort Mackinac, and Mill Creek).

Morning & afternoon snacks and beverages

Noon- sandwich buffet