ConnTell Directory R-Z
 Sally Rogers
P.O. Box 285
Pomfret Center, CT 06259
Phone: (860) 377-1127
Email: sally@sallyrogers.com
Website: www.sallyrogers.com
1997 Connecticut State Troubadour, Sally Rogers, has been singing songs and telling stories rooted in tradition and springing from her own life for over forty years. She delights audiences across this country as well as in Europe and as far afield as China.In addition, she is a veteran music educator, award-winning song writer and performer of folk and original songs.
For Schools:
Sally is represented by Arts for Learning CT and is available for rich, engaging classroom residencies which can last from one to ten days. She has received a master’s degree from Lesley University in Integrated Curriculum through the Arts. Her residencies can include songwriting, movement, and visual arts.
Her most popular programs are songwriting from oral histories collected by the students from elders in their communities. For the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, Rogers has also prepared “Songs of the Suffragettes” which combines storytelling and songs from the Suffrage Movement. (also available for libraries)
See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDkXdU1JIjM&t=31s.com for a short video about her programs.
For Libraries:
Connecticut in Story and Song: Songs written by Sally Rogers about interesting characters and events in our state. The program includes spoken stories connecting the songs. Many were written when Sally was the State Troubadour. Some were written with students who collected oral histories and then wrote songs based on those stories.
Family Fun and Songs:
Families are invited to share in a 45 minute program of participatory folk songs for all.
Sing a Story, Tell a Song:
This is an entertaining and participatory concert of songs that come from books and books that have been made from songs. Great for families and school-aged children
Songs of Peace, Justice and Getting Along with Each Other in This Old World:
The title says it all. Sally is well known for her anthemic songs, like "Love Will Guide Us" (in the Unitarian Hymnal), "What Can One Little Person Do?" featured in the national music textbooks, "We Are Welcomed" from her eponymous album, and "Circle of the Sun" a joyful song about the circle of life. She will have you singing on all the choruses, creating a community before the evening's even halfway over.
“Songs of the Suffragettes” which combines storytelling and songs from the Suffrage Movement. (also available for schools)
SING, CONNECTICUT!
Sally is able to create custom performances for schools and libraries using songs and stories she has created based on primary sources and oral histories from Connecticut's archives and elders.
Professional Development for Teachers:
For information on arts integration for the classroom teacher go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcCxTUELOzU
Due to the COVID pandemic, Sally has become a fluent user of Facebook Live, Zoom and YouTube, broadcasting both live-streamed productions as well as pre-recorded videos. She is also exploring new platforms like Mandolin, as Facebook has started limiting access to live streaming of music, effective October 1, 2020.
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 Ann Shapiro
Phone: (860) 669-6581
Email: ann.s@crackerbarrel-ents.com
With guitar, ukulele, strumstick, mountain dulcimer, and an assortment of non-conventional or "found" rhythm instruments, Ann Shapiro weaves participatory tales and songs from many times and places. Ann has been an artist-in-residence in many schools, working in classrooms with students, and in special teacher workshops, where she helps teachers to incorporate the arts into their curricula. She has also conducted programs with non-English speaking students of all ages that have succeeded in bringing out even the most reluctant learners. In performance, her lively performing style sparks interest and heightens awareness in a variety of academic subject areas. She helps students and teachers to keep folk traditions alive by sharing the old stories and songs, followed by creating their own.
Ann has been entertaining with her participatory music and storytelling programs for many years. She serves as Executive Director for The CT Storytelling Center as well as a teaching artist. Ann will use the ancient art of storytelling and singing together to create some fun for students, as they learn. Children will leave their electronic devices behind, and will be engrossed in fairy and folk tales and songs. This program creates a feeling of community as everyone joins in.
In addition, she tours her variety of shows as a solo and with her husband, Tom Callinan. Their recordings include: Hokey Folky and For No Good Reason At All (sing alongs), Imagine Menagerie & I'm Gonna Tell(stories in tandem), Let's Clean Up Our Act (songs for the earth), and most recently, Home Remedies (original songs about family life).
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 ChaChanna Simpson
Phone: 203-434-3931
Email: chachannas@gmail.com
Hailing from The Great State of Connecticut – in case you were wondering, ChaChanna says it’s great simply because she’s here – ChaChanna Simpson is a writer, puzzle addict, astrology curious, karaoke star, and stellar storyteller who specializes in sharing personal stories and traditional stories.
ChaChanna’s enjoyed sharing her stories on many stages throughout Connecticut and New York, but she’s not limited to the area. She could be tempted by frosted vanilla cupcakes and pizza to explore other territories.
ChaChanna is a proud member of Northeast Storytelling and Connecticut Storytelling Center.
Testimonials:
“Thank you for gifting the Stamford Chamber of Commerce Members with the Nutcracker story. Our President made a special point to tell me how much he appreciated your tone, style, presentation and story choice. We also heard words of praise from numerous members about your presentation of the Nutcracker that evening. More opportunities will certainly follow…” — Constance Newton, Stamford Chamber of Commerce, StamfordChamber.com
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“Great storytelling, it would seem, is a lost art.
Friends, family and anyone within earshot: The lost art of storytelling has been found. ChaChanna Simpson has the power to transport you to another time and place. She reaches in, engages your senses, and takes you on a wild ride.
Five days later, I still remember the story she told at our event. I don’t remember what I had for breakfast, but I remember the details of ChaChanna Simpson’s story. I didn’t simply listen to a story that day. I was changed. I went on a wild and exciting journey, and I never even left my seat.
If you ever have the opportunity to listen to ChaChanna tell a story, DO IT! (I also suggest you buckle up.) You’re welcome." — RJ Redden, Maester of Productivity, rjredden.com
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 Rick Spencer and Dawn Indermuehle
Phone: 860-303-1823
Email: rspencer02@snet.net
Website: www.catfeather.com/
Rick Spencer and Dawn Indermuehle develop and present a series of theme-based music and history programs. They present songs that give cultural insight into interesting times, places and events in American history. Rick and Dawn carefully craft their vocals and accompaniment to sound as true to a song’s era or style as possible. Their vast repertoire includes music from the Colonial era to the present day. Rick and Dawn use these songs to illustrate the evolution of our nation’s culture and history in an informative and entertaining way. They present for museums, historical societies, libraries, civic organizations and entertainment settings.
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Carolyn Stearns – Storyteller & Announcer
"I make a simple story one you never forget"
440 Mansfield City Rd.
Storrs, CT 06268
Phone: 860-690-4292
Website: www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.com
you-tube/ctstoryteller, Facebook, Twitter
www.carolynstearnsstoryteller.blogspot.com
2020 brings us Zoom and internet-based performances and workshops for schools, organizations, business or individuals. Performances can have follow-up interactive question and answer time. Companion crafts can be demonstrated for school programs. CT History programs available through technology as well. I also offer my family historical stories workshop online. For students it can be family or famous person to research and develop a story about.
Storytelling:
Story performances for all ages, each filled with rich coloration brought by diverse experiences in agriculture, history, the equine world and music. My favorite genres of stories are the historical and historical fiction stories. I have a broad repertoire of multi-cultural tales, folk lore, Connecticut history, and tales from the natural world. My schools performances align with curriculum content and can include supportive activities such as games art, or crafts.
From a school program: "Carolyn, Thanks so much for another memorable afternoon at Wolf Rock. You really captivate the imaginations of the third graders and adults alike!" – Deb Csere, Vinton School
Workshops:
For storytellers, for students, seniors, organizations, business, and communities.
Family Historical Stories
Living and Telling the Civil War Experience
Public Speaking - the number one fear can be tamed!
S.T.E.A.M. Ice Cream - STEM curriculum with the art of storytelling - a workshop that teachers the curriculum using alternative energy to make 5 gallons of ice cream.
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 Janice Steinhagen
1586 Voluntown Rd., Griswold Ct 06351
Phone: 860-608-3723
Email: steinhagen7@aol.com
Janice Steinhagen has spent four decades as a journalist and arts educator, but she's been a fiber artist even longer. Her knowledge of how people (primarily women) turned wool, flax and cotton into warm, practical and beautiful fabrics over the millennia informs her presentation. As people through the centuries made the fabrics they needed, they simultaneously spun tales of goddesses, maidens and heroines who used their fiber skills as superpowers. (Think Sleeping Beauty, Ariadne, and Rumplestiltskin.) Accompanied by her drop spindle, spinning wheel and tapestry loom, Janice both shows and tells how the twisting of threads and the weaving of cloth binds human culture together.
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Story City Troupe
Contact: Michael J. Isko (c)860- 726-8393
Email: StoryCityTroupe@gmail.com
Website: https://www.facebook.com/storycitytroupe/
Story City Troupe is a group of story tellers brought together by a mutual interest in performing true-personal “Moth-Type” stories. We have a regular gig at the Buttonwood Tree Art Center, an intimate “coffee-house” type space in Middletown, CT. Our shows comprise up to six storytellers and we invite the audience to put their name “in the hat”. Shows run 2 hours from 7:30 to 9:30 the first Friday of every month.
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 Laconia Therrio
PO Box 16903
Stamford, CT 06905
Work: (203) 613-0279
Fax: (203) 461-9641
Email: lotscabin@gmail.com
A therapist, a chaplain and the Director of Behavioral Science of Stamford Hospital’s Family Medicine Residency Program, Laconia Therrio shares stories from across the globe. As a professional storyteller he tells stories in schools, libraries, corporations…or wherever stories can be told. Believing that stories remind us more of our commonalities than our differences, his repertoire include stories from the Americas, the African continent, Europe and Asia. Whether folktale, myth, fable or scary, he invites the listener to discover the wonder of each tale. Laconia is available for workshops, residencies, retreats, and concerts.
References upon request
"Laconia is a powerful storyteller. He is deeply connected to the stories he tells and deeply connected to his audience. The enchantment of community, art, and insight come together whenever and wherever Laconia performs." – Jane Gangi, CSC Member, Associate Professor of Education Mount Saint Mary College (Newburgh, NY)
"Laconia can tell an amazing story and he can teach kids to tell their own story. He skillfully blends together his talents as a storyteller and a teacher to help students find their voice, which is a teacher's greatest challenge. He demands that students 'own" their stories and know it intimately as they know themselves. His expectations are high for the students and himself alike. The educational psychologist Howard Gardner describes leadership and storytelling going hand in hand: 'Well, if storytelling is important, then your narrative ability, or your ability to put words or use what someone else has put into words effectively, is important too.' Laconia is a leader who creates other leaders through the art of storytelling." – Tom Thorpe, 9 - 10 grade English teacher, Colorado Academy, Denver, CO
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 Valerie Tutson
Phone: (401) 439-7122
Email: vtutson@yahoo.com
Valerie has been telling stories in schools, churches, libraries, festivals and conferences since 1991. With a master’s degree in Theatre Arts from Brown University and a degree in a self-designed major - Storytelling as a Communications Art, Valerie has carefully crafted Connecticut / New England-based stories.
THE RIGHT TO…LIBERTY- During the colonial period and the time of the American Revolution, freedom was on the minds of all people, including those held in captivity or on the margins in the free Black communities. Valerie recounts significant moments from that time in our national history through the tales of Ona Maria Judge, who escaped from the plantation of President George Washington, James Forten, who, as a teen, risked his life in the fight against the British, and Elizabeth Freeman, known as Mumbet, whose court case paved the way to abolishing slavery in Massachusetts.
MARY ELLEN PLEASANT - the story of the Black business woman who financed John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. Hear about her journey as a free young Black girl whose father sends her from Philadelphia to Nantucket for an education. There she encounters the likes of Frederick Douglass and other Abolitionists and dedicates her life and mission to assist the abolition of slavery. When she hears about John Brown, she travels to meet him, and give him the money he needed for his endeavor.
THE STORY OF THE AMISTAD - After slaves revolted and took control of the Amistad in 1839, Americans captured the ship off Long Island and imprisoned the slaves in New Haven. A US Supreme Court trial in which Roger Sherman Baldwin and John Quincy Adams defended the slaves, ultimately won them their freedom. An absorbing story told by a master storyteller.
WHEN FREEDOM CAME: A story about Juneteenth. While the Emanicaption Proclation was issued in January 1863, freedom did not come to the enslave African Americans until the end of the Civil War. Valerie recounts the day the enslaved people of Galvaston TX gathered to hear General Granger announce the end of the war, and the end of slavery. This story is based in history, and told through the eyes of an imagined character.
These programs are available in person and virtually.
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 Tim Van Egmond
PO Box 253
Montague, MA 01351
Phone: (413) 221-5156
Email: tim@timvanegmond.com
Website: www.timvanegmond.com
https://www.creativeground.org/profile/tim-van-egmond-0
Raised in a musical family, a lover of books from an early age, enraptured by daily sing-alongs at day camp, enchanted by a storyteller who performed at his grade school, Tim Van Egmond had a lot leading him to his chosen profession as a folksinger and storyteller from an early age. No wonder this turned out to be what he wanted to do when he grew up!
A gifted performer and artist-educator for close to 40 years, Tim blends together tales, tunes, and songs to bring their wellspring of wisdom, humor, warmth, and excitement.
Music flows in and around his stories through his singing and playing on a wide variety of traditional instruments including hammered dulcimer, guitar, conga drum, and limberjack (a dancing wooden rhythm puppet). His dynamic style of voice and movement brings stories to life, and his knack for encouraging participation makes for high-spirited and engaging programs. Tim also offers workshops and residencies.
Programs include Building Bridges (multicultural stories of community and connection), Hearing Nature's Voice, Sun and Moon and Stars, Mystery Mastery, Shivers & Shudders, Sing, Say, Laugh, Clap! (for young children), "You Say 'Potato', I Say 'Pomme de Terre'" (celebrating the 400s section of the Dewey Decimal System, Languages), Hats Off To Seniors, Young Fogies & Old Whippersnappers (Intergenerational), and The Story Bag. Each year Tim creates a special performance celebrating the Summer Reading Program theme for libraries. There are also special programs for seasons and holidays throughout the year.
Tim has been chosen for the New England States Touring Program, Hartford Performs, the Massachusetts Cultural Council's STARS Residency Programs, and the New Hampshire State Library's "Kids, Books, and the Arts" program.
"Tim is a triple treat. He can sing, play instruments, and tell whopping good tales! " - Jane Yolen, renowned author and storyteller.
Audience: All ages
Live and pre-recorded virtual programs available.
Fees: $425 and up. Reduced rates for block-bookings, Public Libraries, and residencies.
Fee support for Tim Van Egmond may be available to nonprofit organizations through the New England States Touring (NEST) program of the New England Foundation for the Arts. Visit www.nefa.org for more information.
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 Margie Warner
Website: www.MusicWithMargie.com
Email: Margie@MusicWithMargie.com
www.facebook.com/musicwithmargie
PO Box 185, Chester, CT 06412-0185
Phone: (860) 526-5794
Children's Recording Artist, Songwriter, Storyteller, Entertainer, Teacher, and Early Childhood Developmental Music Consultant
With a unique understanding of what makes kids tick, Margie has been teaching the joy and humor of life through music and story since 1979.
Offering residencies or single performances of her "Music With Margie™" developmental music program for our ‘littlest listeners’, as well as family concerts, sing-a-longs, workshops and performances for school age kids and adults, she customizes programming to suit a client’s needs, live or virtual.
Formerly the Education Program Manager at the Connecticut Storytelling Center, Margie continues to provide literacy programs to schools through their teaching artist program. She is a member of the Connecticut Storytelling Center as well as ASCAP and SCBWI.
Her recordings have been well received by her fans:
Of Singin'Round the Campfire, The Hartford Courant says, "Delightful";
New Haven Register, Joyful songs with storytelling lyrics that invite participation";
The Middletown Press,"""lively and fun; kids of all ages will enjoy . . . hilarious!"
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 Donna Washington / DLW Storyteller, Inc.
Donna Washington, Storyteller
Dave Klibanow, Manager, DLWStoryteller, Inc.
Phone: (919) 471-3036
Fax: (919) 620-6753
Email: Dave@Donnawashington.com
Website: www.Donnawashington.com
CHECK OUT DONNA'S NEW BLOG!!!! http://donnawashingtonstoryteller.blogspot.com/
Donna L. Washington is an award-winning storyteller and multicultural folklorist who has been sharing stories for over thirty years. She has nine storytelling CDs that have won over twenty awards and is the accomplished author of five children's books. Her sixth book is in process and will be available soon.
Her amazing vocal pyrotechnics and dynamic physicality make her stories come alive and enthrall and delight audiences from four to one hundred and four!
Donna presents a wide range of tales from many different cultures. Korean Stories, Greek and Celtic myths, African folk tales, Arthurian Legends, English lore, American folk heroes, Halloween stories, holiday stories and a mixture of many other things including personal narratives and stories of her own creation.
She has been featured at numerous festivals, schools and libraries and other venues across the country and internationally.Donna spends her days roaming the country performing for schools, libraries, festivals, theaters and special event venues as well as doing workshops for educators, librarians and anyone else who will listen to her.
Fees:
Schools:
$800 for one 45 minute performance; $1,000 for two, $1,200 for three, $1,400 for four – plus lodging.
Libraries:
$700 for one 45 minute performance, $900 for two, $1,100 for three, $1,300 for four – plus lodging.
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 Teresa Whitaker & Frank Schwartz
52 Wheeler Drive
West Suffield, CT 06093
(860) 930-9480
Email: ftzj@cox.net
Websites: www.teresaandfrank.com
Teresa and Frank awaken imaginations with story and music. They infuse world folk tales, myths and original stories with rhythm, movement, creative dramatics and song. Using voices, guitar, harp, banjo and percussion they invite audience participation and inspire a love for these timeless stories.
During school assemblies students hear age appropriate multicultural stories. In residencies, students strengthen their own storytelling and writing abilities. They internalize narrative structures and learn to take creative risks in a supportive community. They retell using drama, art, puppetry, masks and song writing.
Teresa and Frank offer a wide variety of programs (single day as well as workshops, in-services and extended residencies) connecting storytelling to literacy standards, including:
• Learning to Tell Stories (students often tell their stories to other classrooms, or create a school wide storytelling festival)
• Environmental programs with special focus on water
• World folktales (they also offer programs with a special emphasis on Celtic or Appalachian tales, or Greek myths)
• Storytelling: writing and telling
• Intergenerational Storytelling (collecting, crafting and performing stories with students and elders)
In addition Teresa has also done extensive work creating lullabies and offers the following to parents, family centers, libraries and hospitals:
• Creating a lullaby Tradition
• Creating a Meaningful Bedtime
Fees: Upon request
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 Gail Zeiba
27 Cottage Street
Moosup, CT 06354
Phone: 860-303-755
Email: zeibazoo@gmail.com
Gail’s love for storytelling began as a child...when the lights went out the stories began!
She heard exciting adventures of heroes and villains, entered into Troy in the belly of the Trojan Horse, sailed the high seas, outsmarted tricksters and learned to laugh out loud hearing tales of the foibles of human nature, opening her imagination and the windows of the world.
For more than 25 years, as an Early Childhood Educator and Children’s Librarian Gail has shared her love of storytelling with people of all ages in schools, libraries, and senior centers. She is especially fond of little listeners but will enchant people of all ages using stories, songs, and movement to all who can and will imagine!
As a world traveler, and a host of many young foreign exchange students Gail has gained a true understanding of world cultures. She has led storytelling workshops for teachers and children both in the US and abroad.
While living in the UK for a year and a half, she worked in schools and libraries as well as being a guest teller at the Storyteller’s Garden in Grasmere, alongside the UK’s first Storytelling Laureate, Taffy Thomas, and was a regular teller at the Lakeland Storytelling Club performing at the Watermill Tavern in the Lake Districts of England.
Fee: $300-$400 depending on age and size of audience.
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