Workshops
Pre-Festival Workshops
Megan Wells: Storytelling for Caregivers
Thursday, October 3 ∙ 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Caring for our loved ones through health challenges can be illuminating and exhausting. Stories can help. This workshop taps into their medicinal power to guide participants in drawing out stories that long to be shared, developing pocket-sized stories to use, and determining when it’s most appropriate to share or listen. It also provides a framework for respectfully navigating old tensions with our elders.
Storyteller Megan Wells is a life and grief coach certified in transformative coaching. This hands-on workshop is based on her experiences of caring for dying family members.
Lyn Ford: Laughter, Breath, Joy
Thursday, October 3 ∙ 10 am – 12 pm
Before there were words, our universal language was laughter. Sharing a laugh creates and strengthens human connections. Laughing alone energizes and relaxes the body and mind. With gentle breathing exercises, shared laughter, mindful silliness, and relaxed rhythmic movement, this session is for anyone who wants to learn easy and joyful techniques for stress reduction.
Storyteller Lyn Ford is a teaching artist with the Ohio Teaching Artists Roster and the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, a certified laughter yoga teacher and laughter wellness ambassador.
Kim Weitkamp – Mapping Memories: Family Stories and Living Histories
Thursday, October 3 ∙ 1 – 4 pm
Research has shown that gathering and knowing family stories helps build happy, resilient families. In this general interest workshop, you’ll learn simple ways to gather and share the stories of your family. You will also learn about “memory maps” – a fun and quick way to gather memories and a great exercise for storytellers and writers. The techniques Kim teaches are great for bringing generations together.
Kim Weitkamp is well-known as a professional performer, consulting work with companies such as Purina and Habit for Humanities, and her extensive background teaching storytelling in its many applications.
Josh Goforth: Being Yourself on Stage
Thursday, October 3 ∙ 1:30 – 4:30 pm
Telling your stories onstage can be daunting. The lights, the audience, the sound system, the expectations, the fear – these can all lead to an uncomfortable situation where it’s hard to be “you” and tell your stories. This workshop will focus on all aspects of storytelling in front of an audience with ease and comfort, with tips on setting yourself up for success.
Grammy-nominated musician and storyteller Josh Goforth found his comfort level on stage at the tender age of four. He tours worldwide and has performed at the Grand Ole Opry, the Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. Josh is on the faculty at the Academy for the Arts in Asheville, North Carolina.
