ConnTell Directory M-Q
 Mary Jo Maichack
Minstrel Storyteller
58 Longfellow Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Phone: (413) 532-3667
Email: EmJay7@aol.com
Website: www.maryjomaichack.com
Winner of two national awards (NAPPA Gold and Honors) for her CDs of storytelling and music, veteran singer and storyteller Mary Jo Maichack has "got it down to a science," says Pat Pierce of Newington's Lucy Robbins-Welles Library.
Mary Jo offers a huge variety of themes for your library, school (prek-8), museum, festival or other venue, from summer reading club shows to school residencies and professional development workshops for teachers and parents in using storytelling as oral literacy skill-building. Fun. Fun. Fun. Aligned with learning standards. Easy, fun and businesslike in making arrangements. Free posters and press releases save you time.
Performer, creative teaching artist, cabaret singer and dynamic teller of folktales, Mary Jo's shows work because they are unusually interactive. In family and children's programs, your audiences sing, (MJ plays guitar) chant, play instruments, make sound effects, dance, act in costumes and have a ball. Vastly experienced (22 years) in any age-group or mix of ages. Using multicultural folktales at the heart of each program, Mary Jo weaves in music, dance and audience play.
Winner, Julie Andrews Artist-in-Residence Award, Mass. Cultural Council Stars residency, NEFA touring artist can help fund your program. B.A. cum laude, English lit., Middlebury College. Extensive foreign language study.
"Clever and engaging," says School Library Journal, "A perfect choice for the literacy path," says L.A. Parent Magazine
As a cabaret singer interpreting the Great American Songbook, Mary Jo brings top notch professional pianists to accompany her and wow your audience – background or shows. Performed at Pittsfield Mass.'s Colonial Theatre, Cranwell Resort, Berkshire Forum.
Please visit www.maryjomaichack.com for show descriptions from summer reading to preschools to Halloween and beyond.
Fee: $395 up
 Linda Marchisio
41 Tudor Hill Road
South Windsor, CT 06074
Phone: (860) 289-8711
Email: LjcLsj@cox.net
Linda is an animated performer who uses song, dance, and audience participation. Her stories travel to far-off countries, into your playful imagination, and touch the spirit.
Performances and workshops for all ages.
Custom designed and unique hands-on programs such as Book Cooks, PeanutButter Poetry Jam, Scrapping Stories and How to Tell. Experienced storyteller, teacher-librarian, CHC book discussion leader, Master's thesis on Movement Assisted Storytelling, 2003 Wilbur Cross Award winner for critical thinking/reading programs. Two of her original stories were featured in Holiday Stories All Year Round.
"Everyone truly enjoyed your remarkable performance"
- Chamber of Commerce.
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 Lauren McClelland Mendoza
7 Bauer Road
New Fairfield, CT 06812
Tel: (203)219-7697
Email: lmccmendoza@yahoo.com
A blend of family stories, fairy and folk tales with a splash of music for extra fun!
Lauren has been telling in schools in Fairfield and Westchester counties for nearly twenty years! Prior to that she worked her magic as a pre-school and Sunday school teacher. Lauren is currently a Youth Programmer at the Greenwich Library.
While specializing in children's programs, Lauren enjoys telling to anyone who will listen!
Her motto: Stories grow like wild flowers in the imaginations of eager listeners!
Fees: negotiable
 Marilyn O'Connor Miller
Storyteller/Puppeteer
P. O. Box 178
Canton Center, CT 06020
Phone: (860) 693-4129
Email: MOCM@aol.com
Website:www.puppetconnection.com
Marilyn O'Connor Miller has a style and presentation all her own. Combining the art of puppetry with the telling of multicultural tales, she works with signature puppets, 'Tiffany' and 'Piccolo', as proxy children, helping to solve their problems, ease their fears and develop their self-esteem. Marilyn also tells a story mimetically as if it happened to her wherein there is a fantasy puppet character, and performs with masks and puppets together as well.
"You and Tiffany both made me laugh in such a deep way that I felt loosened up inside and I thank you for this!" - John Nugent Hahn, Sharing the Fire conference.
Fee: $350 and up with reduced rates for Public Libraries and block bookings.
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 Carol Mon
Corporate Storyteller/Speaker
P.O. Box 310595
Newington, CT 06111
Phone: (W) 860-214-3249 (H) 860-666-2413
Email: carolmon@carolmon.com
Website: www.carolmon.com
Carol unlocks the secrets of creating and telling compelling stories to strengthen communication skills. Her workshops are fun and interactive with steps for making your message memorable. Carol also delights audiences of all ages with traditional classic tales and original stories of inspiration and adventure.
"Amazing! Carol showed us easy-to-follow steps to construct a story, our own stories, to powerfully persuade. Thanks." - Donna Magnussen, Senior Sales Director, Mary Kay Cosmetics
 Mother Goose
c/o Ellie Toy
1-3 Canterbury Court
Middletown, CT 06457
Phone: 860-704-0493
Email: eltoy@sbcglobal.net
Mother Goose and her friendly goose, Tallulah, can arrive at your Kindergarten, Nursery School or Early Learning Center bringing her traveling bag filled with special friends just waiting for a chance to come out and say hello. Everyone gets to join in and recite rhymes, sing songs and hear stories tailored for young listeners.
Ellie Toy is a Children's Librarian and professional storyteller who draws on her broad experience as performer, teacher, mother and grandmother to give young children a lively introduction to the creative language they will use throughout their lives.
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 Motoko
Japanese Storyteller
24 North East Street #4
Amherst, MA 01002
Phone: (413) 253-1664
Email: motoko@folktales.net
Website: www.folktales.net
Motoko specializes in telling folktales from Japan, China, Korea and S.E. Asia, combined with participatory songs and mime movements. (Look for her award-winning CD, The Promise of Chrysanthemums.)
She also offers one-woman theater programs, workshops and residencies about Japanese culture, story-writing and creative drama. Her innovative residency program, A Year in Japan, teaches Grades 2-4 about Japanese festivals and holidays using stories, songs and art.
A native of Japan, Motoko has performed in schools up and down the East coast, and is nationally known by her appearance on MisterRogers' Neighborhood.
Audience: Kindergarten through adult
Fee: Upon request
 Mystic Paper Beasts
Producer: Daniel Potter
Artistic Director: Marya Ursin
8 Hancox Street
Stonington, CT 06378
Phone: (860) 535-3346
Email: mybeasts@aol.com
Website: www.dragonseggstudio.org
Daniel Potter and Marya Ursin work together as the Mystic Paper Beasts, creating masks and dances as they journey through new and old myths with a wit and whimsy that delight all ages.
Marya tells stories in mask and offers workshops in mask/movement/storytelling on her own, as a solo Beast, as well.
Fee: Upon request
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 Diane Postoian
130 Wentworth Avenue
Cranston, RI 02905
Phone (h & w): (401)461-1322
Email: dianepostoian@gmail.com
Website: www.dianepostoian.com
Diane Postoian's three decades as a performing artist and theater arts educator for young audiences, earned her an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts in 2006.
Her wide range of programs include:
The Olga! Revolution - A social commentary/comedy routine for teens on marketing and self- identity.
'Olga' gets students to laugh at her and themselves as she plows through topics on body image, fashion ads, smoking, bullying, and violence in entertainment.
Big Me, Little Me - A high school motivational speech filled with emotion, quick wit, and respect for young adults. Ms. Postoian's life-long mission to preserve the creative spirit shines throughout her program.
When Artists Mean Business - An energetic program combining theater and public speaking to help students sharpen their presentation skills for any job interview.
Acting Naturally About Reading - A performance enriched classroom workshop preserving the act of reading for pleasure, by helping students connect the emotion of the spoken word to its written text.
The Power of Play - A compilation of classroom observations filled with genuine inspiration and vision for any teacher or parent of young children. The Power of Play can be presented with or without professional development training.
Fee range: $400-$900
 Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti
Historical Character Interpreter and Storyteller
PO Box 380496
East Hartford, CT 06138-0496
Phone: (860)528-0733
Email: woventales6@sbcglobal.net
Website: http://www.rhetoricofsurvival.com/
Living history scenarios of women. Their voices are the vehicles Gwendolyn uses to serve up the drama of slavery and freedom, and to underscore the enormous courage of many individuals. History is Gwendolyn's passion; it is our story. A chronicle of the struggles, tragedies, triumphs and joys of people from all walks of life and many cultures. All the people who shaped and helped build this country.
Gwendolyn's collection of stories reveals universal themes, spirited celebration from lighthearted trickster tales of Brer Rabbit to legendary Buffalo Soldiers and Black Seminole Indians. Her True Tales will force many to reexamine their assumptions about American history.
Currently, Gwendolyn is an Artist-In-Residence at the Connecticut Historical Society Museum, with Young Audiences Arts for Learning - Connecticut, and a Recipient of The New Boston Individual Artist Fellowship by the Greater Hartford Arts Council. A talented workshop leader, Gwendolyn has presented in many educational settings. She is a member of the CT Storytelling Center.
"Spellbinding, captivating and riveting performance."
- Elizabeth Santoro, Bucks Hill School, Waterbury, CT.
"Teaching in this way leaves an indelible mark on students and increases their joy in the learning of history."
- Barbara Simpson, Wheeler School, MA.
Fee: call
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