Performing Arts

A Patchwork of Stories at the Folk Art Center

David Novak. Photo by Scott Treadwa

By Gina Malone

Spinners of yarns will gather Sunday, March 18, from 2–4 p.m. for A Patchwork of Stories at Asheville’s Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The event is open to story lovers of all ages and proceeds will benefit Stories on Asheville’s Front Porch, an annual storytelling series. Participating storytellers are Ray Christian, Elena Diana Miller, David Novak and Donna Marie Todd. Tom Chalmers, writer, performer, storyteller and radio personality, will host the event.

David Novak began his storytelling career in the late 1970s, and today travels with his myths, folktales, personal stories and “original confabulations” to schools, universities, theatres and festivals. He has been featured numerous times at the National Storytelling Festival, a decades-old event held in Jonesborough, TN each October.

“People listen to all kinds of stories all the time,” Novak says. “Of course audiences always enjoy a laugh, but are greatly rewarded when the stories go deep beyond laughter.”

West Virginian Donna Marie Todd has been called “The Singer of Stories” for combining vocal and acting talents with her original narratives. “I discovered storytelling when my son was born 23 years ago,” she says, “and never looked back because it employs my writing, singing and performing gifts in one delightful medium.” For this event, singer-songwriter Andy Gwynn will accompany her on vocals, harmonica and acoustic guitar.

“I find that listeners enjoy stories they can relate to,” Todd says. “The characters and situation in my stories have universal appeal.” Telling stories, she adds, is “our oldest communication medium and still our most powerful.”

Ray Christian, an Appalachian State University professor, teaches courses on African-American culture and American oral history. He is a 10-time Moth Story Slam Champion and winner of the 2016 National Storytelling Festival Story Slam. “The stories people fi nd most appealing,” he says, “are the universal accounts of dreams, love, loss, disappointment, courage and fear, relatable life experiences that cross a wide space of human emotion.” He enjoys telling “true, personal narratives” about his growing-up years, military service and time in academia.

Elena Diana Miller has been involved with storytelling and drama since grade school. After teaching high school and junior college English and drama and acting with regional theaters, she toured with the National Park Service performing poetry and first-person presentations and playing and singing folk songs. She is president of the NC Storytelling Guild and is on the board of directors for Asheville Story Circle and Asheville’s Front Porch.

Miller enjoys telling personal stories, stories from literature, Jack Tales and fairy tales. She encourages storytelling as a “viable art” for all ages. Funny folk tales, inspirational stories and stories with twists and surprises are among her repertoire.

“A good storytelling performance can cast a wide net and involve many generations,” Novak says, “Storytelling is the original virtual reality.” The Wilma Dykeman Legacy and the Southern Highland Craft Guild are sponsors for the event. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door, and are available at brownpapertickets.com.

The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville. To keep up with Stories on Asheville’s Front Porch events, see storytellingcalendar.com.

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