Story has been a central theme for me. I loved to read as a child and would get lost in a book. I remember my mom’s frustration when she would come running from three rooms away to answer the ringing telephone only to find me sitting oblivious to its ringing there on a chair beside it. I was somewhere else where telephone sounds didn’t reach.
I majored in English literature in college, immersing myself in stories from Beowulf to Frodo from Tess to Sadako. The beauty of the use of language may have defined literature but I was always hooked on the story. It was during my college years that I told stories of a small benevolent troll I had met under the log bridge on campus. My friends thought I was providing patter while they tuned their guitars between songs. I was just letting them know there was more to life than textbooks and tunes. There were stories!
After a bit of travel, I settled into a life of teaching for 22 years, though there was little that was settled in teaching. I immediately invested in a magic wand company and encouraged the research and development division to work on a new and improved reading reliability wand. The company struggled with varying degrees of success in that mission for years. I finally sold the company to a woman in England . She moved in a different direction and one of the scientific types developed the all-purpose HP wand. She is a millionaire today. I moved into storytelling to develop the listening skills of my young charges. My coffers are filled with smiles and sparkling eyes and bejeweled laughs, a rich reward also.
While enjoying life as wizard and teacher, I maintained a solid life in the world of mortals. I married Howard; we raised 3 sons and now enjoy the richest of lives with a grandson, a granddaughter and a grandpup. Our hearts are full. I changed careers from teacher to Keene Valley town librarian and am surrounded by stories. I have stories to tell and listeners who love stories ready to hear. I collect stories from around the world and offer them to listeners of all ages. I work with and listen to gatherings of story tellers and belong to the League of New England Storytellers and am a charter member of the Adirondack Storytellers’ Guild. I love to tell stories and offer workshops and encouragement and coaching to anyone interested in carrying the torch forward.
