UNCA to Host Mountain Echoes Storyfest

UNC Asheville’s Mountain Echoes Storyfest will hold its second annual storytelling festival April 5-7. The festival will feature national award-winning storytellers Doug Elliott, Jamal Koram, Peninnah Schram and Jackie Torrence along with regional storytellers. The event is co-sponsored by the Asheville Storytelling Circle.

"Storytelling focuses on the importance of oral history and the cultural heritage of our region. This three-day festival brings together the community and the campus and provides everyone an opportunity to hear and meet wonderful national and regional tellers," said UNCA Assistant Drama Professor Laura Facciponti, one of the festival’s organizers. "It’s fun, it’s educational and it’s a great fit with UNCA’s liberal arts mission."

Events begin at 8 p.m. Friday, April 5, in Lipinsky Auditorium with an evening of storytelling for adults and teens by Elliott and Torrence. This event will be a special highlight of the festival as it marks Torrence’s return to the stage after a long break. General admission tickets are $10.

Saturday events include --

** Schram will hold a storytelling workshop entitled "Going on a Dig and Uncovering Layers in the Storytelling Process: A Workshop in the Art and Techniques of Storytelling for Newly Experienced Storytellers" from 9-11 a.m. in the Owen Conference Center. She will lead participants in exploring and incorporating the various components of the storytelling process, including effective use of pause, honoring sources and the intrinsic message of the story. Tickets for the workshop are $20.

** Elliott and Koram will hold a special hour of storytelling for families from 1-2 p.m. in Lipinsky Auditorium. General admission is free to children under the age of 12 and tickets are $5 for adults.

** The Asheville Storytelling Circle will hold a showcase of local storytellers from 2:30-4 p.m. in the Ramsey Library Glasshouse. General admission is $5.

** Koram and Schram will present an evening of folktales for adults and teens at 8 p.m. in Lipinsky Auditorium. General admission is $10.

The festival wraps up at 11 a.m. Sunday, April 7, with special telling of sacred tales for adults and teens in Lipinsky Auditorium. Facciponti and weekend host Connie Regan-Blake will join Elliott, Koram and Schram to perform sacred tales from many cultures. General admission tickets are $10.

Advanced tickets may be purchased between 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the UNCA Student Life Office, Dining Hall room 226, or may be charged by phone by calling 828/232-5000 during the hours listed above. Tickets for all events will also be available at the door.

For more information, call UNCA’s Cultural and Special Events Box Office at 828/232-5000.

Doug Elliott

Doug Elliott -- Whether he is singing about catfish, pontificating on possums, extolling the virtues of dandelions or telling wild snake tales, Elliott takes audiences on a multifaceted cultural tour of North America’s back country. He has been a featured storyteller at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tenn. He has lectured and performed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and conducted workshops for the Smithsonian Institution. A North Carolina resident, Elliott is the author of four books, many magazine articles and has recorded a number of award-winning albums of stories and songs.

Jamal Koram -- Koram is a nationally acclaimed storyteller, educator, author and musician with more than 20 years experience. Focusing on an Afrocentric approach to storytelling, Koram’s stories span the African diaspora and include Anansi, Br-er Rabbit and lion tales as well as stories related to contemporary events and personalities. Koram’s work has been featured at the National Storytelling Festival and on PBS and NPR. He resides in Maryland.

Peninnah Schram -- Drawing primarily from Jewish oral tradition, Schram tells tales from Talmudic and Midrashic sources, medieval texts and the Israel Folktale Archives. Her work as a storyteller, author and recording artists has drawn national attention, including the prestigious Covenant Award for Outstanding Jewish Educators and the Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Network. Schram, who resides in New York, is associate professor of Speech and Drama at Yeshiva University’s Stern College and Azrieli Graduate School.

Jackie Torrence

Jackie Torrence -- As one of the premier performers in the storytelling pantheon, Torrence has been featured in many publications from Parade magazine to The Wall Street Journal, and on numerous radio and television programs including CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Kurault and The David Letterman Show. She was included in "I Dream a World," the well-known photographic essay about African American women who have changed America. Torrence has received numerous awards, including the 1997 World Storytelling Award. Known nationally as "The Story Lady," Torrence returns to the stage at this festival after a long break.

Media Contacts:

• Laura Facciponti, UNCA Assistant Drama Professor, 828/251-6376
• Jill Yarnall, UNCA Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526