In 1992 Rex Ellis and I traveled to Midland, Texas, to work with teachers and begin the Midland Storytelling Festival. Thirty-four years later I have not missed a single year being there.
At this year’s Festival, we had a wonderful lineup. Tellers joining me included Antonio Rocha, Bil Lepp, Mary Hamilton, Charlotte Blake-Alston, Laura Pershin Raynor, and Barbara McBride-Smith. We had a wonderful time.
The Festival itself is held beside Centennial Park in Downtown Midland at the Bush Convention Center and it is free to all comers. In addition, the festival is live-streamed on Basin Public Television and on the Festival Facebook page.
On Friday all the tellers go out to schools for an education impact day. Some of us were at Bowie Fine Arts auditorium where we had two groups of 480 second graders who were bussed in from a number of schools. In addition to the children, we got to see the Fine Arts Center where the lights in the hallway looked like glass blown by Dale Chihuly but were actually made by the students from soft drink bottles.
There is a strong student storytelling program here run by Festival Director Sue Roseberry. On Thursday evening, at the Bush Convention Center we were joined by several of these student tellers in a program live streamed on Basin PBS. We were all on the stage in the end.
I always have a good time telling here, and, we will be back next year on December 3 and 4.
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