Saturday, March 25

7:15 - 9:00pm

Emcee ChaChanna Simpson

What is an Olio? In cooking, it’s a stew; in storytelling, it’s a variety of tellers and tales together in one show; and at Sharing the Fire, it is our always rich and simmering Saturday night showcase!

Featured Storytellers (in alphabetical order): April Armstrong, Janel Behm, Mark Binder, Phyllis A Blackstone, Michele Carlo, Jeff Doyle & Joy Kelly Smith.

Location: Ballroom B/C (Whipple Roberts) and Live-Streamed in the Virtual Track

Award winning storyteller April Armstrong weaves melodies and words for a refreshing and compelling style of storytelling. Her story programs are fun and interactive. She tells stories for schools, colleges, libraries, museums and festivals. She tells multi-cultural folktales, including African-American and Latino stories. April's stories delight, inform and inspire audiences of all ages. April is the recipient of the National Storytellers Networks 2020 J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Award for Storytelling as well as the 2015 Bronx BRIO Award for Storytelling. Her cd has won a Parents Choice Award - Silver.

Janel Behm is an award-winning storyteller from Ohio who currently calls the Gulf Coast of Florida home. She lives with her husband Dennis and their dog David and can often be found creating community around a campfire by sharing her passion for the ukulele and her gift of Storytelling. BehmStorytelling.com

Mark Binder has been called “a master at spinning old tales and everyday events… into storytelling gold."  As a performing storyteller, he travels the world, sharing tales that bridge boundaries for all generations. He's written and recorded more than two dozen books, audiobooks and plays, and has been nominated for an Audie Audiobook award for best original work. He writes and tells original and traditional folktales, stories from Izzy Abrahmson's Village Life, and what he calls "autobiographical lies." "I fell into storytelling by accident," Mark says, "and I'm constantly amazed, at ways it transmits joy and connects diverse audiences.” Visit his website https://markbinderbooks.com

Dr. Phyllis A. Blackstone, storyteller extraordinaire, is a retired educator and professor who used storytelling as her preferred teaching tool from first graders to graduate students. In retirement she tells stories of wisdom and truth, including folktales, personal stories, and creative narratives. Her audiences include children, families, adults, and senior citizens in venues from classrooms to retirement homes. MY STORIED LIFE is an eclectic collection of real and imagined stories that will tickle the funny bone and bring a tear to the eye. Dr. Blackstone currently resides in Brunswick, Maine. Performance information is available at blackstonestoryteller.com.

Michele Carlo is a writer, storyteller (and sometimes actor) who has told stories across the U.S., including the Clearwater Arts & Music Festival and MOTH Mainstage in New York, the STF and NSN story conferences, the RISK! and Story Collider live shows and podcasts, on NPR (Latino USA and WNYC radio), and the WGBH-PBS series “Stories from the Stage.” Michele is also the author of the NYC-set memoir “Fish Out of Agua” and a contributor to several literary anthologies. Follow her on Instagram: @michele_asshell, and for bookings and more info: www.michelecarlo.com

Jeff Doyle started out telling scary stories around the campfire. Before long, he was writing and performing not just scary tales but wild, funny, and heartwarming stories as well. His ability to draw listeners into his world makes his performances both compelling and memorable. He is a father, a dreamer, and an average guy who sometimes sees things through the eyes of a 13-year-old boy. Jeff takes great joy in finding stories and humor in everyday life and crafts stories that evoke both audience laughter and tears. In 2022 he was a New Voice at the National Storytelling Festival. www.myblueape.com

Hailing from The Great State of Connecticut—in case you were wondering, ChaChanna says it’s great simply because she’s here—ChaChanna Simpson enjoys sharing personal stories on many stages throughout Connecticut and New York and could be tempted by frosted vanilla cupcakes and pizza to debut in other territories. 

Born in Mississippi and raised in Tennessee Joy Kelly Smith has told stories almost all of her life. The firstborn in a Baptist minister’s family, she grew up hearing stories constantly. She has told stories at the New Jersey Storytelling Festival, The Mohegan Festival, Story Grove at the Clearwater Festival in upstate New York and the Riverway Storytelling Festival in Albany, New York. She has performed as an actress on stage, film and television including a variety of soap operas. Joy was featured in the documentary “A Child shall Lead Them” about school integration in Nashville, Tennessee of which she was a part. Check out that documentary: https://youtu.be/txyQXhatnX8