A SPECIAL PROGRAM
JUST FOR FIRST TIME CONFERENCE ATTENDEES
We are excited to be in Plymouth, MA for Sharing the Fire 2019 – the 38th Annual Northeast Storytelling Conference & Festival. With over 20 workshops, performances, a slam and swaps, it is the premier storytelling conference in the Northeast. It will be held at the Hotel 1620 in Plymouth from March 29-31. To learn more, visit https://www.nestorytelling.org/conference-details/
This year we are very pleased to have a special program designed for FIRST TIME CONFERENCE ATTENDEES looking to dip their toes into the storytelling waters. The program includes attendance at the keynote on Saturday, March 30 and choice of any workshop in the 10:30-noon slot. The fee is $60 for non-members, $50 for members and $30 for full-time students.
Our keynote this year is the phenomenal, two-time Grammy winner, storyteller, author, and singer – Bill Harley.
In a wide-ranging talk that draws on his forty years of performance and experiences in the world of storytelling, Bill suggests that a storyteller learns to tell and respect all kinds of stories – folktales, personal narratives, legends, myths, verse and prose, history and current events. In this quest towards mastery, the storyteller follows a path rather than achieving a goal, and there’s room for all kinds of stories, and all kinds of tellers.
“To be a person is to have a story to tell” – Isak Dinesen
ABOUT BILL
Bill Harley tells stories. As an author, a storyteller, a songwriter, playwright, speaker and workshop leader, he brings a lifetime of experience to his work. His fifteen books have won numerous national awards, and his thirty-six recordings have won dozens of honors, including six Grammy nominations and two Grammy Awards. Recognized by audiences and peers as one of the finest performing storytellers in the country, his work has influenced a generation of children, parents, performing artists and educators.
“Early on,” Bill remembers, “a director said to me”, Your job is not to be the best. It’s to be the only. “ And he is the only– there is no one quite like him. Willy Claflin, the much-beloved storyteller, songwriter and children’s author, says, “More than any of us, Bill is Everyman. He somehow knows how to touch on what we all feel.” Using song and story to paint a vibrant and hilarious picture of growing up, schooling and family life, his work spans the generation gap, reminds us of our common humanity and challenges us to be our very best selves.
The son of a children’s writer and a law book editor, Bill began singing, storytelling and writing stories in 1975 while still in college. His first book was published after fifteen years of performing and writing for the stage. “All of that time spent crafting for the spoken word and performance taught me a lot about story,” Harley notes. He has appeared numerous times at the National Storytelling Festival, in theaters, at festivals and conferences around the world and, visited over 3,000 schools. For twenty years, Bill was a regular commentator on NPR’s flagship news show, “All Things Considered”, bringing his insight and humor to a broader audience.
Harley’s knowledge of story and language coupled with his trademark wit and wisdom is evident in his writing for children and families. His first novel, The Amazing Flight of Darius Frobisher, was chosen by Bank Street School of Education as one of the best children’s books of the year and his second novel, Night of the Spadefoot Toads was awarded the Green Earth Book Award as best environmental book of the year in the children’s fiction category. His latest books, a series about the trials and tribulations of fourth grader, Charlie Bumpers, has won widespread accolades. The first book in the series, “Charlie Bumpers vs. the Teacher of the Year” won the Beverly Cleary Children’s Choice Award and is part of Read to Them’s popular “One School, One Book” program.
Whatever Harley’s forum, whatever the format, it’s always all about story, community and connection. If ten thousand hours is the measure of an expert, Harley is a master many times over. “As a rule, I have a hard time figuring out where I fit,” he says of his multi-faceted career, “but I got into this because I’m trying to make the world a better place.”
One story, one song, one book at a time.
Workshop Choices (10:30-12)
About Heather: Heather Forest, Ph.D. is an award winning storyteller, musician, and author. Her performance repertoire of World Folktales has been featured in theaters, schools, conferences and major storytelling festivals throughout the United States and abroad. She is a recipient of the Circle of Excellence Award presented by the National Storytelling Network. www.heatherforest.com
About Bill: Bill Harley is a storyteller, songwriter, author and playwright best known for his work with families and the geography of childhood. A two-time Grammy award winner for his spoken word recordings, member of NSN’s Circle of Excellence, and recipient of Rhode Island State Council for the Humanties Lifetime Achievement award, he has produced over 35 recordings, and seventeen books and appeared acround the world, including visits to over 2500 schools. For twenty years he was a regular contributor to NPR’s All Things Considered, and is regularly featured at the National Storytelling Festival. He makes his home in Seekonk, MA with his wife and manager, Debbie Block. www.billharley.com
