Throughout time, people have preserved their culture, values, and beliefs through storytelling. Giving voice to the human experience, storytelling allows families and communities to pass on their history to the next generation. A whole generation of St. Louis area residents has grown up to the St. Louis Storytelling Festival. This is storytelling at its best and most magical.

St. Louis Storytelling Festival at a Glance

WHO WE ARE
The St. Louis Storytelling Festival is an event held in early May that has been offered for 28 years to people of all ages in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. Each year, more than 60 regional and featured storytellers and their audiences gather during this four-day event for the telling of tales.

The Festival is coordinated by Continuing Education, Special Programs, the College of Fine Arts & Communication, and the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, in partnership with various organizations throughout the St. Louis area. This free cultural event is made possible through the gracious support and participation of its sponsors and is offered at a variety of locations, including: Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, The University of Missouri-St. Louis, Missouri Historical Society, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis City Parks, St. Louis County Parks, St. Louis Public Library (selected branches), St. Louis County Library (selected branches), and St. Charles City Parks—Blanchette Park. All events are free and open to the public.

While the Festival is an annual event for all ages, primary attendance during the first three days of the Festival (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) is by area school children. Storytelling performances are scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. A special phone bank is scheduled in February for teachers wishing to make group reservations. For information about the phone bank, call (314) 516-5948. In recent years, Thursday evening activities for families and adults have been added to the Festival schedule.

Storytellers also visit outreach sites to bring the Festival to audiences who may not be able to attend at the scheduled locations.

JOIN US
The St. Louis Storytelling Festival operates with the support of many volunteers donating their time during the Festival and throughout the year. To join our team, contact us at (314) 516-7005.

If you are not on the St. Louis Storytelling Festival mailing list, send your name and address to:

Diana Rehagen
Continuing Education
J.C. Penney Conference Center
University of Missouri-St. Louis
One University Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63121-4400

E-mail: dianar@umsl.edu

STORYTELLING ORGANIZATIONS

St. Louis Gateway Storytellers
www.stlouisgatewaystorytellers.org
Information on the group and individual tellers around St. Louis

Missouri Storytellers (MO-TELL)
www.motell.org
A statewide organization committed to spreading the joy of storytelling around Missouri.

Riverwind Storytellers
www.marilynkinsella.org/Riverwind Business/Riverwind Home Page.htm
The Riverwind Storytellers meet in Illinois around the Metro-St. Louis Area. Yearly workshop.

National Storytelling Network
www.storynet.org
Information on storytellers, the National Storytelling Conference, National Storytelling Festival, Calendar of Storytelling Events, and Tellabration! A Worldwide Storytelling Event.