Stories at the River's Edge Begins Friday

It's coming! Storytelling all up and down the Ohio River! This is the third year for the storytelling series that my storytelling friend Donna Wilson and I coordinate. Here is the press release for the programs. Check the schedule and come see us when we're near your home.



Stories at the River’s Edge is a series of storytelling programs presented along the Ohio River in community centers, museums, libraries, theatres and parks.

The series brings together professional storytellers from both sides of the river to tell stories of all kinds, from family stories to traditional folktales. The goal of Stories at the Rivers Edge is to provide residents of river communities an opportunity to experience the traditional art of oral storytelling.

In the past, Appalachian people told tales as part of everyday life. From the adventures of Jack to the plaintive mountain ballads, sly tall tales, spooky ghost stories and legends, storytelling was part of the fabric of life. Over time, storytelling died out as television and other popular entertainment took its place.

Today, however, audiences everywhere are discovering the pleasure of a tale well told and the value of using imagination to create images and characters as vivid as those on a screen. Storytelling is entertaining for all ages, backgrounds and interests.

Come join us this summer for a relaxing program in your community.

Program Schedule for Stories at the River’s Edge 2010

July 2: Granny Sue
Ripley Public Library. Ripley, WV 10:00 am
Ravenswood Library, Ravenswood, WV 1:00pm.
Call 304-372-5343 for details

July 7: Suzi Whaples
Syracuse Community Ctr, Syracuse, OH 10 am Mason Municipal Park, Mason WV 2pm
Call 740-992-7830 for more information.

July 7: Keith Maynard
Point Pleasant River Museum Pt. Pleasant, WV 10:30 am
French Art Colony, Gallipolis, OH 2:00pm
Call 740-992-7830 for more information.

July 12: Donna Wilson
Sistersville Library, Sistersville, WV 12:00 noon
Pleasants County Library, St. Mary’s, WV 2:00pm
Call 304-652-6701 for details

July 14: Donna Wilson
Point Pleasant River Museum 10:30 am
Our House Museum, Gallipolis, OH 2pm.
Call 740-992-7830 for information.

July 16: Suzi Whaples
Ripley Public Library 10:00 am
Ravenswood Public Library 1:00pm.
Call 304-372-5343 for details

July 19: Granny Sue
Sistersville Library 12:00 noon
Pleasants County Library 2:00pm
Call 304-652-6701 for details

July 21: Keith Maynard
Syracuse Community Center, 10am
Mason Municipal Park 2:00 pm
Call 740-992-7830 for information.

October 2: Granny Sue
Ghosts ‘n’ Me: Halloween Tales for Children
Ravenswood Library 7:00pm
Call 304-273-5343 for details

October 23: Haunting in the Hills: Ghost Stories
Alpine Theatre, Ripley, WV 7:00pm.
Storytellers: Granny Sue, Suzi Whaples, and
Keith Maynard
Call 304-372-5861 for details.

October 28: Donna Wilson: Ghost Stories
Mason City Park, 7:00pm
Call 740-992-7830 for more information.

October 28: Granny Sue: Ghost Stories
Ripley library, 7pm
Call 304-273-5343 for details

December 4: Donna Wilson
Our House Museum, Gallipolis, Holiday stories. Time TBA
Call 740-992-7830 for more information.

December 11: Granny Sue
Ripley Library, Holiday stories. Time TBA.
Call 304-372-5343 for details


The Storytellers:


Susanna “Granny Sue” Holstein is from Jackson County, WV. Her repertoire includes Appalachian and world folktales, stories with puppets, character education programs and creative writing workshops. She is a featured teller at the Three Rivers Storytelling Festival in Pittsburgh this year and has been featured at many festivals and events over the past 15 years. She is a frequent presenter for schools, libraries and civic groups.







Donna Wilson hails from Meigs County, OH. She is a teller of tales tall and tales true, and performs frequently for senior citizens as well as young audiences. Donna is active in the Ohio storytelling community and is a coordinator for the Stories at the Rivers Edge series and for the Ohio OOPS Storytelling Conference. She is an active member of the WV Storytelling guild, OOPS and the Storytellers of Central Ohio.








Suzi Whaples resides in Kanawha County and has performed all along the East coast and points west as a member of the storytelling team “Mountain Women.” She will be a featured teller at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN this October.

Keith Maynard is a resident of Mason County, WV. A railroad engineer, Keith weaves his work into his storytelling with fascinating tales of life on the rails. He has performed at the Vandalia Festival and at the B&O Railroad Museum in Grafton, WV as well as other venues.

This project is supported in part by the Ohio River Border Initiative, a joint project of the Ohio Arts Council and the WV Commission on the Arts, and by Jackson and Pleasants County libraries, Sistersville Library, Farmers Bank and Savings Company, Gallia County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Town of Mason, Point Pleasant River Museum, Arts at the Alpine and the West Virginia Storytelling Guild.

For more information contact:

Susanna Holstein, 304-372-5861
susannaholstein@yahoo.com

Donna Wilson, 740-992-7830
storycottage@hotmail.com