In 1984 Illinois Storytelling began as an outdoor tent experience surrounded by the beautiful trees of Spring Grove, Illinois. Among those trees, a hardy bur oak, tall and old, leaned over us, listening to stories, exhaling her gift of oxygen to an audience held breathless in the spell of story worlds.
In 2005, we pulled up our roots from Spring Grove and moved to Dominican University; housed indoors from the brutal summer heat. The trees are with us in memory and have come to stand for our commitment to the roots, trunk and branches of storytelling.
In 2005, we pulled up our roots from Spring Grove and moved to Dominican University; housed indoors from the brutal summer heat. The trees are with us in memory and have come to stand for our commitment to the roots, trunk and branches of storytelling.
Roots, Trunk and Branches
This site, storytelling.org, contains a well-known, often used STORYTELLER DIRECTORY containing bios and photos of Storytellers in Lincoln’s state. We have also attracted tellers from other states whose fond memories of a 35-year tent festival lives in their hearts. They are honorary “Illinois” tellers on our directory. We think of our storytellers as the canopy – branches reaching out shimmering with story-leaves.
Illinois is also well-forested with Guilds and organizations a plenty! These communities support Storytellers in the learning, practicing and sharing of stories. We imagine these groups as a trunk that holds Storytellers up.
From seed to old oak, Illinois has been a not-for-profit, run by members, grants and donors. Like the roots that draw nourishment from the earth, the financial support of devoted storytellers, story listeners and arts funding nourishes us root to leaf.
Illinois is also well-forested with Guilds and organizations a plenty! These communities support Storytellers in the learning, practicing and sharing of stories. We imagine these groups as a trunk that holds Storytellers up.
From seed to old oak, Illinois has been a not-for-profit, run by members, grants and donors. Like the roots that draw nourishment from the earth, the financial support of devoted storytellers, story listeners and arts funding nourishes us root to leaf.