Featured Storytellers
Valentina Ortiz
Valentina Ortiz
Featured Storyteller
Valentina Ortiz speaks the stories of ancient and modern Mexico. She has traveled many countries with her work, taking the Latin American traditions to audiences young and adult. Her stories are entertaining, full of hope, a window into the daily life of the people of Mexico.
She moves comfortably from myth to the personal story, from folktale to her voice about migration. She loves to play with the diversity of languages, Spanish, English, French and the ancient Mexican indigenous voices. To her flow in stories, she adds her skills as a longtime professional drummer and singer.
She is recognized for her workshops in Universities and Community Centers as well as for leading rhythm and storytelling residencies for children of all ages. She published 4 books and produced 4 records of her original stories and music. She has a Bachelor´s Degree from Barnard College in New York and a Masters in Arts Management from Mexican Metropolitan University UAM; in 2018, she received the Teacher´s College (Columbia University) Certificate for Teaching of the Arts.
Adam Booth
Adam Booth
Featured Storyteller
Adam Booth (he/him) is the 2022 West Virginia Folk Artist of the Year, awarded at the Governor’s Arts Awards. Adam blends traditional mountain folklore, music, and an awareness of contemporary Appalachia to create original, forward-thinking story artistry. Adam’s new multidisciplinary program The Heron’s Journey has been selected for the 2024-2025 Mid-Atlantic Arts Touring Roster.
As a nationally touring artist, his professional telling appearances include premiere storytelling events across the United States, including the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, the International Storytelling Center, the National Storytelling Festival, the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, the Appalachian Studies Association Conference, the National Storytelling Conference, the National Academy of Medicine, and as a Spoken Word Resident at the Banff Centre (Alberta, Canada).
Adam is a member of the Recording Academy and his recordings have received multiple national honors, including a Parents’ Choice Gold Award. Adam serves as the inaugural Storyteller-In-Residence at Shepherd University and is the founding artistic director of Speak Story Series, a premier destination for storytelling in concert.
Anthony Rocha
Anthony Rocha
Featured Storyteller
Antonio Rocha (pronounced haw-sha), originally from Brazil, began his career in the performing arts in 1985. In 1988 he received a Partners of the Americas grant to come to the USA to perform and deepen his mime skills with Mime Master Tony Montanaro. Since then he has earned a Summa Cum Laude Theater BA from USM (University of Southern Maine) and studied with Master Marcel Marceau.
Mr. Rocha’s unique and award winning solo fusion of mime and storytelling with mesmerizing voices and sound effects has been performed from Singapore to South Africa and many places in between, including 20 countries on 6 continents as well as in 44 US states. Some of the venues include The Singapore Festival of the Arts, Wolf Trap, The National Storytelling Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian Institution, The National Geographic, The Tales of Graz in Austria, Dunya Festival, The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Cave Run Storytelling Festival as well as thousands of school performances.
Antonio Rocha also loves to teach his craft and often facilitates workshops, not only for performers, but for those who want to incorporate storytelling into their business presentations and classroom.A two time TEDx speaker, Mr. Rocha is a proud recipient of the coveted Circle of Excellence Award by the National Storytelling Network, and most recently the 2024 Maine Arts Commission Fellowship for the Performing Arts.
Kim Weitkamp
Kim Weitkamp
Featured Storyteller
Kim Weitkamp grew up in Amish Country as the middle child of exhausted parents. Labeled by teachers as high-spirited, uncooperative and too talkative, Kim took those comments and channeled them into a lifetime of high-energy, heartfelt and hilarious artistry. We are better for it.
Kim is an award-winning storyteller, author, singer-songwriter, and humorist. After using applied storytelling in her work with adjudicated and at risk youth for 12 years, Kim took a turn onto a different avenue of story and song which led her down the path of full time touring for the last 15 years where she gathered an armload of awards.
Kim performs regularly at festivals and theaters around the country, has written a well-received folk operetta, and has been a guest editor and contributor for various publications. Kim's material gets regular airplay on Sirius XM and NPR Affiliate Stations.
Kim has 8 award-winning albums, has produced and/or designed 32 albums for other performers, and has hosted a morning show for a DOVE Award-winning radio network. She has been honored with leadership and speaking awards for her coaching/speaking work with internationally known companies like Purina, Liebherr, Grifols, and Edward Jones, as well as nationally recognized non-profits like Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, and Conflict Resolution Centers. Kim is ranked as one of the top 20 business coaches in the Columbus, Ohio region by Influence Digest, teaching the power of story to help grow organizations and build teams.