Exchange Place 2007

At Exchange Place, explore the diversity of American storytelling at this Friday evening concert featuring six tellers new to the festival stage. Exchange Place is a revered festival tradition where specially invited storytellers from across the country share their finest tales.

The Exchange Place event is included with your weekend admission, but has limited seating.

Craig Larson
Craig Larson is proud to say he grew up in a town without a stoplight: Loomis, Nebraska, population 300. Larson, who has worked in radio for 25 years, has been telling stories for over 10 years. His repertoire – based on real life experiences – ranges from self-deprecating humor to stories of interesting people he's met along the way, including a 109 year old World War I veteran. His love of international travel and volunteer work has taken him to Guatemala, Peru and Uganda, with each stop providing a wealth of interesting, funny and poignant stories. Larson has performed at the Nebraska and Kansas Storytelling Festivals.

Laura Packer
Laura Packer has been telling stories her whole life; her mother reports she was born talking. After receiving her degree in folklore, she has shared her stories in venues as varied as London's Hyde Park, Three Apples Storytelling Festival, NASA, Sharing the Fire Storytelling Conference, hospices, arts festivals, and stages around the world. Laura's original and traditional stories for adults and older children often lead listeners down unexpected paths and draw on the full range of human experience. Packer hosts several Boston-area storytelling series, and helps people and organizations learn to tell better stories

Dylan Pritchett
Dylan Pritchett has been a full-time storyteller since 1990, taking his African and African-American folk tales throughout the country. His recently released children's book, The First Music, was released in 2007, and appears on the Library Media Connection's list of top books for 2007. He enjoys a thirteen-year, professional association with the John F. Kennedy Center, where he performs and leads workshops for teachers on using storytelling in the classroom. In addition to several folk tale recordings, Pritchett has created the voices of many historical characters on museum recordings and exhibits. He currently serves as president of the National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc.

Sarah Saulter
Sarah Saulter deftly weaves the bright threads of world folklore into a magic carpet of word and gesture that transports listeners to places that never were, but should have been. Saulter's subtle humor and smooth, evocative voice add depth and flavor to every story she tells. A professional storyteller for over 15 years, Saulter has been featured at festivals throughout California including the Sierra Storytelling Festival, Bay Area Storytelling Festival, Mariposa Storytelling Festival, and the San Juan Capistrano Storytelling Festival.

Toni Simmons
Author and storyteller Toni Simmons brings new life to her stories with the use of rhythm, song and audience participation. Her book for children, The Cheese Chase: Why Dogs Chase Cats, is a winner of the iParenting Media Award, and her video recording won the Parent's Choice and Parent Council Awards. Her performances have taken her across the United States, South Africa and Germany, including the Corn Island Storytelling Festival, the National Black Storytelling Festival, the Miami Book Fair International and the American Library Association Convention. Simmons is a Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Artist.

Minton Sparks
Fusing music, poetry and her intoxicating gift for storytelling, wildly original spoken word artist, Minton Sparks, is creating a genre all her own. Sparks' unique brand of poetry and music has been featured on NPR's All Things Considered and on the BBC's Bob Harris Show. An award-winning recording artist, she has traveled extensively, performing at various universities, clubs and festivals, and sharing her brand of performance poetry and workshops on creative writing. Her appearances include MerleFest and New York City's Bowery Ballroom, where she opened for Ben Folds.