Come one, come all!! Join us for the annual Weber State University Storytelling Festival, February 28-March 2, 2022. Performances by nationally and internationally acclaimed storytellers will be featured, in addition to many regional and youth tellers!
View the Festival schedule below & let the magic begin!
Paul Strickland's collections of stories have won "Best of Fest" honors on 13 different occasions at Fringe Theatre Festivals across the U.S. and Canada. He was an Exchange Place Teller at the National Storytelling Festival in 2018 and in November of 2018 he made his NYC stage debut Off-Broadway at the SoHo Playhouse with his shadow and flashlight ghost story play "13 Dead Dreams of "Eugene." He was a featured teller at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in September of 2020, is the featured teller at the Kentucky Storytelling Association Conference in 2021, and will be a featured teller at several fests, including the Cave Run Storytelling Festival, in 2022.
Paul has well over 7 hours of unique family friendly stories in his repertoire. Always adapting to whatever audience is in front of him, Paul has told stories in every imaginable environment, from comedy clubs to elementary and middle schools, corporate events and even two prisons - where he was NOT an inmate at the time. Selections from his comedy performance "Levels of Difficulty" can be heard every day on SiriusXM radio.
Fourth-generation Affrilachian storyteller Lynette (Lyn) Ford is a teaching artist with the Ohio Teaching Artists Roster, an award-winning writer and anthologist, a Thurber House mentor to young writers, a storytelling and creative-writing coach, and a certified laughter yoga teacher.
For 30 years, Lyn has provided stories, workshops, and keynote presentations for libraries and schools, universities, education and literacy conferences, and some of the most prestigious storytelling conferences and festivals in the United States, Australia, and Ireland. Lyn has also shared stories and tips for telling in sessions for Acud Macht Neu in Berlin, Germany, and is included in their publication, “Our 2030: Stories From the Future.”
Lyn’s awards include two National Storytelling Network’s Oracle Awards, the first for leadership and service, and the second the prestigious Circle of Excellence Award. Lyn feels honored that her work is recognized by her inclusion in the National Association of Black Storytellers’ Circle of Elders and the National Writers Project National Writers Council.
Jasmin Cardenas is excited to return to Utah for this wonderful festival!! A Colombian American bilingual storyteller from Chicago, Jasmin was an Exchange Place Teller at The National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN and has been featured across the country at our national parks, festivals, libraries and schools performing for all ages. Close to her heart are ancient myths, legends, folktales from this hemisphere and personal tales.
A recipient of The Racebridges Storytelling Fellowship, some of her stories mirror her heart for justice. Harnessing the power of art in action, she was recognized for her civic engagement work with working class people, awarded a 2020-2022 Global LAB Fellowship from The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, Georgetown, University. Her Chicago collective WorkersTEATRO just published their first magazine of working peoples stories, a first time writing experience for all members of the group.
Jasmin is also a proud contributing author in the new book Supporting Diversity and Inclusion with Story: Authentic Folktales and Discussion Guide. A proud SAG-AFTRA actress, she currently has a new early childhood TV show PROJECT RAINBOW produced by Cook County Commissioners office for local programming in Illinois Channel 20 and on YouTube. She has Guest Starred on several drama series including Showtime The CHI, NBC Chicago Fire and performed with Goodman, Steppenwolf, Sojourn Theater and more. Visit Jasmin's website for podcasts, programs, workshops, and more.
