For Clients:

  • See my Standard Contract page for what to expect.

    I do not use contracts when performing for smaller nonprofit organizations or for most events produced by other performing storytellers.

  • My approach to using ancient, and often sacred, stories in my performances and collections comes with deep respect for living traditions and meticulous care when adapting indigenous primary sources (if possible) or colonial texts (if unavoidable), to meet modern values, especially for youth-facing performances.

    As a second-generation American, I recognize that my ethnic heritage does not alone confer broad license to modify and re-interpret stories from ancient South Asian storytelling traditions.

    My background includes four years of study in spoken classical Sanskrit from the Samskrita Bharati USA Foundation to the advanced level, including coursework involving reading and adapting narratives from Vedic and other ancient folklore and poetry, and certification sufficient to assist in classroom teaching of Sanskrit at the elementary and middle-grade level.

  • I’ve performed at the Washington Folk Festival for seven years consecutively, for the National Parks Service in D.C., internationally for India’s long-running Chennai Storytelling Festival, for Missouri Storytelling concerts, in Artists Standing Strong Together benefits — to support its national relief fund for performing artists — for the fantastic Virginia storytelling organization Better Said Than Done, for the Healing Story Alliance’s Kind Stories In Concert series, for swaps and invited talks for Montgomery County Public Libraries, book festivals for the City of Gaithersburg and City of Kensington, at the Irvington Peace Park annual summer camp for West Baltimore youth, throughout Maryland 4-H, and for many, many more happy clients.

  • Regionally: I perform regularly with a fantastic roster of other performing members from greater Washington D.C.-area storytelling guild Voices In The Glen. Contact Voices here to discuss group performances.

    Nationally: The National Storytelling Network storyteller directory contains the names and websites of hundreds of our professional members from across the country, including many of my friends!

For Tellers:

  • Membership in the National Storytelling Network is essential for the professional performing storyteller.

    The Network’s four special interest groups: Youth, Educators, Storytellers, Storytelling in Organizations, Producers and Organizers, and Environmental Storytelling are the largest organizations in the country for their section of storytelling, and host regular programming, networking, and professional development opportunities for their members. Membership in one special interest group is free with Network membership.

    The Network’s annual National Storytelling Conference is attended by hundreds of professional performing storytellers and producers, and provides world-class workshops, presentations, panels, and coaching from master performers. Conference registration comes with a deep discount for Network members.

    Other benefits of membership include access to Greenwood-Clio, the largest online folklore collection in the world, eligibility for in-state tuition at East Tennesee State University’s renowned MA program in storytelling, access to member grant opportunities for project funding, and monthly mailing of the Network’s newsletter — one of the most comprehensive sources of storytelling events in the country.

  • The National Storytelling Network’s list of member organizations (with links to their websites) is an excellent way to find established local and regional storytelling groups in your area!

  • The storytelling.org annual calendar of storytelling festivals is maintained by Illinois graduate students in librarianship, and is an excellent resource for tellers looking to expand their touring engagements.

  • Three essential sources of regular reading for the professional performing storyteller:

    1. The Story Beast Magazine is the most widely-read source of reading on stories and storytelling practice in the American storytelling community

    2. The National Storytelling Network Newsletter is one of the most comprehensive sources of storytelling events across the country.

    3. Storytell Listserv is one of the best ways to stay in touch with (and bounce ideas off of) other national storytellers.

  • Artists Standing Strong Together administers the J.J. Reneaux Fund and its annual Emerging Artist and Mentorship grants for new teller development.

    Two of the National Storytelling Network’s five Kathryn Tucker Windham Scholarships to the annual National Storytelling Conference are reserved for tellers engaged in storytelling for less than ten years. The application period is typically the beginning of the year to early March.

  • In memory of the beautiful, incomparable, magical storyteller Angela Lloyd, the National Storytelling Network’s Youth, Educators, Storytellers Alliance sponsors the Angela Lloyd Sunbrella Award to support pre-K–12 teaching artists who incorporate music, dance, or visual art into their primary performing art of live spoken-word storytelling.

    Membership in the National Storytelling Network’s largest special interest group, the Youth, Educators, Storytellers Alliance — which Angela chaired before her untimely passing — is an excellent resource for all storytellers who work with youth.

  • The National Storytelling Network’s ORACLE Awards are widely recognized as the American storytelling community’s highest honors.

    Nominations to recognize fellow tellers in the following categories require a narrative and three letters of support:

    1. Circle of Excellence — the highest honor for master storytellers who set the standards of excellence in performance.

    2. Lifetime Achievement — for a lifetime of expanding the art form of storytelling.

    3. Distinguished National Service — for exemplary contributions to the national storytelling community.

    4. Regional Service & Leadership — for significant contributions to your regional storytelling community.

    5. Talking Leaves — for outstanding contributions to the literary body of storytelling.

    6. International StoryBridge — for extraordinary international promotion of storytelling.

  • Interested in getting started in producing storytelling events? The National Storytelling Network’s Tellabration!™ events are a great way to start. Well known by many regional audiences, all Tellabration!™ events will be indexed in the National Storytelling Calendar and come with a helpful manual and support from the Network on producing and promoting them.

    Membership in the National Storytelling Network’s Producers and Organizers Alliance is a critical resource for all professional storytelling producers. Their Storytelling Event Production guide (available here on Amazon) is annual reading for newly-elected National Storytelling Conference chairs. Their Peer Consulting Program allows members to receive intensive consulting on specific areas from some of the most experienced nationally-known storytelling event producers, at the Network’s expense.