We missed the workshops, but boy did we hear stories at the Three Rivers Storytelling Festival in Pittsburgh last weekend. Elizabeth Ellis, Dan Yashinsky, Charlotte Blake Alston and Billy Teare were the featured tellers.
I was very happy to hear folktales! These old tales seem to be losing favor in place of the personal story--copyright issues might be to blame, but the old stories still have meaning for today's listeners.
Charlotte Blake Alston playing the kora
Elizabeth Ellis and Dan Yashinsky after the Saturday afternoon sessions.
Larry and WV storyteller Rich Knoblich, who was also an emcee at 3 Rivers
The ghost stories concert on Friday evening offered a good variety of stories, from funny to jump to scary to haunting. I started the program off with the ballad "Pretty Polly" (well, to have ghosts, someone has to die) and West Virginia's most famous ghost story, "The Greenbrier Ghost."
With Elizabeth Ellis, that wild Texas-Kentucky woman!
Although the audiences were smaller than I remembered from my past attendance at Three Rivers, they were attentive and seemed to be enjoying the stories. The final concert was almost full to capacity, and very few people left early. Three Rivers has gained enough corporate sponsorship to offer free admission to most events; I don't know if other festival can offer this, but what a bargain to see these tellers at no cost!
Really enjoyed your telling of the Greenbrier Ghost - and your rendition of Pretty Polly. The ballad and the story complemented each other and both were well performed - - and grace notes for the concert.
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