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Venues & Workshops

Jill shares:

  • Traditional Tales – Folk tales from around the world: Asia and Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and the South Pacific, Africa and America
  • Original Tales – Stories about growing up, traditions and family, cross-cultural experiences, friendships and the beauty of the wild
  • Historical Tales – Stories of men and women: ghosts, heroes, and scoundrels, famous, infamous, and unknown
  • Tailor-Made Tales – Contemporary stories selected for specific events

She performs at venues including:

  • Colleges, schools and libraries
  • Performing arts centers, museums, and festivals
  • Historical, social and civic groups
  • Youth and family organizations, churches, and senior centers

Workshops Jill teaches:

  • Storytelling: The Basics for Children and Youth – Choosing and preparing a story, listening skills, simple storytelling techniques, giving and receiving feedback
  • “Mining the Gold” – Using Local and Regional History to Create a Storytelling Presentation – Finding resources, oral histories, record-keeping and recording, rehearsal and production
  • Storytelling for Teachers/Writers – “STARS” approved trainer for pre-school and primary teachers
  • Storytelling in the Classroom – Techniques and skills for elementary, middle and high school teachers
  • The Writer as Storyteller – Explore the common ground between writing and storytelling. Discover who you are as a writer, teller, artist.
  • Creating Characters You (and Your Listeners) Can Believe In – Engaging, believable characters are a cornerstone of good storytelling. Explore successful techniques for all phases (preparation, rehearsal and performance) of story-making. For storytellers and all who use story in their work.

Jill has performed at:

  • Preschool, Elementary and Middle schools in Washington, Oregon, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Montana, New Zealand, Cameroon, and the Philippines
  • Libraries throughout Western Washington, also in Yakima, Tennessee, Montana, and Ohio
  • Festivals – Northwest Folklife Festival, Seattle; Forest Storytelling Festival, Featured Teller, Port Angeles; National Storytelling Celebration and Competition, 1999 Runner-up, Ohio; Rocky Mount Harvest Festival, TN; Swapping Ground, National Storytelling Festival, TN; Africrea Auditorium, Cameroon; Sibikwa Theater Project Storytelling Festival, South Africa;Bay Area Storytelling Festival, Richmond, CA, Haunting in the Hills Festival, Oneida, Tennessee, Revels Renaissance Festival, Lebanon, New Hampshire; Village by the Sea Storytelling Festival, Langley, WA (Producer, Director, Performer)
  • Bookstores throughout Western Washington
  • Civic, community and historical presentations throughout Western Washington, also in Tennessee, Connecticut and Cameroon

“Little, But OH My! The Story of Berte Olson” – CD awarded an HONORS designation in the 2006 Resource Awards, a national juried competition sponsored by “Storytelling World” magazine; selected as part of the “Inquiring Mind” program series of Humanities Washington; performed throughout Washington State and Connecticut, California, Oregon and Tennessee.

“Ferry Tales” – stories, music and lore about ferry boating on Puget Sound – historical and contemporary – performed at Clinton Days in Clinton, Wharf Fest in Seattle, and Sound Waters in Coupeville.

“Rebecca: the story of Rebecca Ebey” received the 2011 Huebner Grant for historical storytelling from the National Storytelling Network, featured in video, “Sunnyside Cemetery: where Central Whidbey Sleeps”,  CD awarded a WINNERS designation in the 2014 national Resource Awards, “Storytelling World” magazine.