Featured Tellers

Stay tuned for bios of our 2025 Tellers

Carol Birch, Johnny Thomas Fowler, Paul Strickland, Linda Chancey Guice, Tamara Green

Our 2024 Tellers

Connie Regan-Blake

Connie Regan-Blake is one of America’s most celebrated storytellers. She has captivated the hearts and imaginations of people around the globe with her powerful performances and workshops. Entertaining audiences in 47 states, 18 countries, and 6 continents she brings the wisdom, humor, and drama of stories to main stage concert halls, libraries, and into the corporate world. Both as a solo artist and a member of the acclaimed Folktellers duo, Connie has been featured on seven award-winning recordings – five audio and two videos produced by PBS. New Age Magazine, School Library Journal, and Southern Living have praised her work. She has been a guest on NPR’s All Things Considered, ABC Good Morning America and CNN. When Connie takes the stage she generates a brightness and warmth, drawing in listeners with her engaging humor and Southern charm. Her stories range from hilarious traditional Appalachian Mountain tales to poignant true-life drama. Connie is a frequent host and featured performer at the National Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee.
www.StoryWindow.com

Tim Tingle

Tim Tingle is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the author of twenty books, novels and children’s illustrated books. “How I Became a Ghost” is based on his Choctaw Trail of Tears story. Though filled with tragedy, as Tingle says “humor is a key to Choctaw culture—the light in the darkness.” He has performed at festivals and schools and universities across the USA and Europe, recently returning from ten days of storytelling in Ireland. Choctaws sent a monetary gift to the Irish during the Famine of the 1840’s, and the Irish recently dedicated a monument celebrating this deep friendship. As a featured teller many times at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tingle often includes native flute music and drumming in his stories. He enjoys selecting his stories for the audience before him, from adults to children of all ages.
www.timtingle.com

Eva Abram

Eva Abram is a storyteller, public speaker and award-winning actress. Her storytelling grew out of an appreciation for the valuable lessons of history and the desire to share lesser-known American history with a larger audience. In solo performances, she embodies historical characters, bringing history to life. Among others, her characters include: Shirley Chisholm – 1972 Presidential Candidate; Bessie Coleman – Aviation Pioneer; and Rosa Parks – Civil Rights Activist. Her engaging traditional tales and literary stories are told with masterful use of gesture and physical expression. She has delighted audiences from elementary age to adult, leaving them with a laugh, a gem of wisdom or something to ponder. Performance venues include schools, universities, business diversity programs and community organizations and storytelling festivals. She was selected by the National Storytelling Network as the recipient of the 2022 J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Award.
www.rainwaterstorytelling.com

Chris Kastle

Chris Kastle is an award winning storyteller, songsmith, and author. She is a seasoned traveler who offers insight into a lifetime of adventure with original works that possess great imagery and have the occasional flavor of Celtic and Maritime traditions. Nonets in Nine Courses: Recipes in Verse, her most recent release and first book of poetry, adds to many other published resources. Using her background in storytelling and education, she has presented for Stories in Schools and, as a teaching artist with Arts4All, has created a myriad of multidisciplinary programs for students with disabilities. Chris was the 2015 recipient of the Annette J. Bruce Lifetime Achievement Award from the Florida Storytelling Association and is a member of the Tale Tellers of St. Augustine. She has served on the boards of both organizations.
www.chriskastle.com

Mary Lou Williams

Mary Lou Williams, M. Ed., is a retired teacher and a professional storyteller. She holds a masters degree in education from Columbia University and has spent 35 years as an educator of English and mathematics on the secondary level. She has served on the board of the Florida Storytellers Association from 2010 to 2014 and received their Distinguished Service Award for 2014
Mary Lou has told at the Stone Soup Festival in South Carolina, at the Cracker Festival in Florida, and at the Florida Storytelling Festival, where she won first place at their story slam in 2018 and second place in 2022. She won Toastmasters 2022 District 48 Humorous Speech Contest with a humorous story. Mary Lou wrote a book of her stories called Ten Fractured Fairy Tales, modernized versions of classic fairy tales. Mary Lou is a member of The Tamiami Tale Tellers of Fort Myers.
story-theatre.com