ConnTell: M - Q

This seasoned professional offers fun & engaging family shows. Mary Jo sings, plays guitar and fiddle, tells folktales and invites you to sing-along, dance, help act out a story in funny costumes, operate puppets, and laugh -- hard. Popular -- (3,000 shows since '89). "Books Are Celebrations", "Minstrel's Revels", "Howlarious Halloween", "Greek Myths", and more.

"I am in awe of your energy. You are a great performer. You have good material, a wonderful style, and you bring to your audience-participation stories good crowd control. In addition, you are a dear girl and we loved being around you." - Peg O'Sullivan, Connecticut Storytelling Festival Director

Fee: $395 and up. Block booking discount

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 "How to Tell" sessions for all ages. An experienced storyteller, teacher, Librarian; Master's thesis on Movement Assisted Storytelling, 2003 Wilbur Cross Award winner for critical thinking/reading programs. New! PeanutButter Poetry Jam summer and vacation program where participants turn poetry into an expressive "jamming" performance.

Two of her original stories are featured in Holiday Stories All Year Round available October 2008

"Everyone truly enjoyed your remarkable performance" - Chamber of Commerce.

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.

Accredited by CT Commission on Culture & Tourism and a performer for Young Audiences of CT.

"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

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

Onawumi Jean Moss of Amherst, Massachusetts is a soulful storyteller, narrator, educator, keynote speaker and author. Her timeless stories and a cappella songs of Africa include tales of wonder, liberation, praise, trickery, and spirituality. Her stories encourage pride of heritage, appreciation of cultural differences and recognition of kinship.

Since becoming a storyteller in 1991, Onawumi has told wondrous tales to intergenerational audiences from the main stages of national festivals and schools (K through College) and conferences throughout the USA. She first performed on the Swapping Grounds of the National Storytelling Festival in 1992, at Exchange Place in 1995 and on the main stage in 2002. Today she is a lifetime member of the National Storytelling Network (NSN). In 1993 she also gave her first performance on the Swapping Grounds of the The National Association of Black Storytellers (NABS); since then she has made a number of critically acclaimed performances on that organization's main stage. In recognition of the quality and range of her work, she was granted the 2005 Zora Neale Hurston Storytelling Award, the highest award given by the National Association of Black Storytellers. She has long been a lifetime member of NABS. In her own region, she is a member of the League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling (LANES); in 2007 this affliate conferred on her the prestigious Brother Blue/Ruth Hill Storytelling Award.

Onawumi co-authored the children's book, Precious and the Boo Hag, with the amazing Patricia Mc Kissack - winner of the 2006 ALA/ALSC Notable Children's Book Award.

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.

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

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.

Fee: Upon request

A story writer and storyteller, Barbara shares stories of the heart and of the imagination that touch, tickle and embrace the child in all of us. An ordained minister, she offers tales of this world and other worlds, and she weaves stories that teach more than preach. From California to Connecticut, Barbara has entertained and enthralled audiences of all ages, moving them from cheers to tears.

As one listener observed, "Your stories make me laugh, cry and think."

Fee: Negotiable

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

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