Ken Galipeau

Storytelling Advent Calendar

A Global Celebration of Stories: Maria and Melody’s Storytelling Advent Calendar

As the holiday season approaches, longtime Storytelling Arts teaching artist Maria LoBiondo invites you to embrace the warmth and wonder of winter tales with an exciting project spanning continents. Maria and her storytelling partner, Melody Reich of Germany, have created a unique Storytelling Advent Calendar to brighten your December days.

Each day from December 1 to December 24, the calendar will unveil a brief video featuring a winter-themed story. These tales, running between three and ten minutes, offer a daily dose of magic, nostalgia, and connection as you count down to Christmas. Whether you’re cozying up with a hot drink or sharing the experience with loved ones, the calendar promises moments of joy and reflection in a bustling season.

To register, and learn how you can support this project email Melody at melody “DOT” reich “AT” gmx.de

Thirteen Touched Tales by Joseph R. Dudis

Do you, as a storyteller, need a story for your repertoire? Or two? Or thirteen? I've published a book with literary stories that have been adapted for oral storytelling. You may  be familiar with some of the original authors: L. Fran Baum (no, not Wizard of Oz); O'henry (not Gift of the Magi); Bram Stoker (not Dracula); ...

So, Thirteen Touched Tales by Joseph R. Dudis

The book is published by Lulu Press. You get get to it from the bookdstore at  Lulu.com or by clicking the link below. It comes in paperback and ebook. The book comes with premission to tell anywhere anyway you want. You can even record a telling (please don't copy the text to the internet or social media).

Thirteen Touched Tales, by Joseph R. Dudis

Thirteen Touched Tales, the incredible new title by Joseph R. Dudis, is available now in paperback and eBook.




These are stories taken from literature that were written and published 100 or more years ago. They are stories that have been “touched,” i.e., adapted, to make them more suitable to be told orally rather than read. The collection includes 13 of the authors favorite stories ready to be told. Within these stories are ghosts, humor, feeling, and fun. The original authors will be familiar to many readers. Some are targeted to adult audiences, others to children. Readers have permission to tell the adapted stories wherever and however they wish. Permissions extend to recording the stories. However, please don’t copy the stories onto the internet, social media, and such.

About the author: Joe is a long retired Computer Software Developer. After he retired he embarked on avocations using his voice. He has been a professional oral storyteller for over 20 years to adult and children audiences. He joined Toastmaster International in 1988 to polish his speaking skills. He eventually taught public speaking at a local community college for 10 years. He has been a paid and volunteer docent for over 20 years.

Joe likes to read which came in handy as he built his story repertoire which includes literary stories, ghost stories, tall tales, folk tales, and historical stories. It was in the discovery and development of literary stories that Joe’s book emerged. He found literary stories often need to be adapted to fit the oral telling art form. His thought was to share some of his adaptations with other tellers both professional and amateur.

Contact Joe at; joedudis “AT” gmail.com

https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/joseph-r-dudis

https://www.lulu.com/shop/joseph-r-dudis/thirteen-touched-tales/paperback/product-gj886m2.html?page=1&pageSize=4

https://www.lulu.com/shop/joseph-r-dudis/thirteen-touched-tales/ebook/product-p6yyrzr.html?page=1&pageSize=4






Michelle Washington Wilson received a 2025 Folk and Traditional Arts Project Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JerseyPineStory@gmail.com

Michelle Washington Wilson received a 2025 Folk and Traditional Arts Project

award from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the

National Endowment for the Arts.

Atlantic City, NJ – July 31, 2024 – Michelle Washington

Wilson, a renowned storyteller, teaching artist, and folklorist,

has been awarded a significant grant from the New Jersey

State Council on the Arts. This grant, part of the Council’s Folk

& Traditional Arts program, will support her project “With

These Two Hands: Preserving and Sharing the Traditional

Foods of African Americans in South Jersey.” Michelle, who

has been a storyteller for over 40 years and a professional

culinarian for 30 years, will use the $9,941 grant to document

and preserve the rich culinary traditions of African American

farm workers who traveled to New Jersey farms and seafood

houses in the oyster industries during the 1950s and 60s.

These traditions, often passed down in church kitchens and

backyard barbecues, are vital to the Southern Soul Food

heritage. “I am deeply honored to receive this grant and excited to embark on this

project,” said Michelle. “This is not just about preserving history; it’s about engaging our

community in a meaningful way. By involving local residents, churches, and community

groups, we can ensure that these traditions are not only remembered but also actively

practiced and celebrated.” The grant was announced at the Council’s 58th Annual

Meeting in Trenton. Michelle was one of five individual artists to receive a grant for Folk

& Traditional Arts.

Michelle is a working storyteller, teaching artist, and folklorist who presents at schools,

colleges, libraries, museums, hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, conferences,

churches, and storytelling festivals. She is a graduate of Monmouth University and The

Academy of Culinary Arts. Her project aims to highlight the foodways of African

American farm workers in the 1950’s and 6o’s and their contributions to New Jersey’s

culinary landscape. “With These Two Hands” will focus on the traditional foods and

recipes that have been passed down through generations, preserving a crucial part of

the state’s cultural heritage. “Michelle’s work is invaluable in preserving the rich cultural

heritage of our community. Her dedication and passion are truly inspiring,” said Ralph

Hunter, Founder, Director of the African American Heritage Museum of Southern, New

Jersey. For more information about Michelle Washington Wilson and her work, please

contact her at email JerseyPineStory@gmail.com ph# 609-665-0974.

School Residencies - Storytelling Arts, Inc.

Storytelling Arts, Inc. is now booking storytelling residencies that build literacy and develop social-emotional skills while supporting cultural equity in the classroom.

Opportunities include School Readiness for Preschoolers residencies that develop emergent literacy skills, including listening, vocabulary, comprehension, sequencing, and recall that are vitally important to a child's chance of success in the formal schooling years.  

Reading Readiness for Grades K-3 residencies include stories from the oral tradition (folktales, myths, legends, and fairy tales) and powerful personal stories for supporting listening and reading skills through student response, story mapping, sequencing, and re-telling (This program meets NJ Core Curriculum Standards for 2nd Graders.).

Oral History for Grades 4-8 residencies are a tool of empowerment that develop cultural pluralism inside the classroom. Family legacy stories allow students to reclaim their identity through the transformative process of intimate family interviews and storytelling. The six-to-ten-week residencies support an emerging mosaic of diverse experiences, traditions, and migrations that inspire compassion and a deep connection to what it means to be human.

Contact us today to book storytelling residencies with PreK to 8th Grade: 609-430-1922 or vivian@storytellingartsinc.org  

Learn More:
https://storytellingartsinc.org
Event Phone Number(609) 430-1922Event Emailvivian@storytellingartsinc.orgEvent Websitehttps://storytellingartsinc.org

Let’s share our stories! - Ken Karnas

NJSN is proud of its talented members!

During the month of January, NJSN is sharing -  virtually -  “A Christmas Ghost Story” told by  storyteller Ken Karnas. 

Please click “SMEE: A Christmas Ghost Story” that will take you to Ken’s telling. 

About the Story:

“SMEE: A Christmas Ghost Story” brings us back to the Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories during the winter solstice, holiday season…into the New Year. We enjoy Christmas ghost stories by authors such Charles Dickens, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, and Washington Irving. Karnas points out the phrase “scary ghost stories” in the lyrics of the popular  song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”


About the Storyteller:

Ken Karnas is a seasoned storyteller. Before his retirement as a public school educator, he enhanced his middle school classroom lessons through stories and storytelling. He now tells stories throughout New Jersey at schools, libraries, museums, and festivals. He is currently NJSN’s vice president and promotes the mission of NJSN to “spread the art of the spoken word through storytelling.” 


Do YOU have a story you would like to share virtually? NJSN would love to feature a story each month from a member.

If you would like your story to be considered for virtual sharing, please click “Submit a Storytelling Event” on this page.

1. a link to a story you have posted online.

2. a few lines to introduce your story … a kind of interest grabber to entice viewers/listeners.

3. a few lines about yourself as a storyteller. 

* Your story’s introduction and information about you as a storyteller will be included in the promotion of your video.

* By submitting your story, you are guaranteeing that you have the “rights” and “permission” necessary to share this story virtually.

NJSN is very grateful to you for sharing a story but cannot guarantee that all stories submitted will be featured. Our goal this year is to share 12 stories, one each month. Receipt of your story will be acknowledged via email, and in a separate email you will be notified if your story will be slotted to be shared during our 2024 storytelling year. 

 

Questions? Additional information?

click “Submit a Storytelling Event” on this page

Making It Public

Click on image for full image

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, in partnership with Forecast Public Art, is pleased to invite New Jersey artists to participate in Making It Public a free 5-week virtual workshop series designed to support artists of all disciplines in exploring their art making practice and expanding into public spaces. We urge all NJ-based artists, at any level of their careers, to utilize this free professional development opportunity - especially those who are new to the field of public art, as well as mid-career artists of any discipline.

Workshop Dates: Thursdays (6 - 7:30 PM), beginning on March 2 and concluding on March 30, 2023. Registration opens mid-January 2023.

Questions? Contact Stephanie Nerbak, Artist Services Associate, NJ State Council on the Arts: Stephanie.Nerbak@sos.nj.gov or 609-292-4474

Rivka Willick: Storytelling Challenge Group Created

During this time of self isolation Rivka Willick, a NJ storyteller and story-coach, wanted to create a place for us to come together.

The Storytelling Challenge is a group on Facebook. I will post challenges with prizes every week or two. Anyone can join the group. I'm looking for folks to submit stories as well as read them, volunteer to judge, and donate prizes.

Every couple weeks I'm setting out a challenge for all storytellers - tellers can record from their phones, computers, where ever and post on the page. There will be cash prizes. My goal is to get lots of people to step out of their comfort zones, try new things, and enjoy watching a wide community of folks all trying new things.

Check it out. The Storytelling Challenge.
Here's the link. https://www.facebook.com/groups/262004438125007/