The Storytellers and Hosts

Based in Corner Brook, Elinor Benjamin has been one of the great forces and sources of storytelling on the west coast of Newfoundland for more than fifteen years. She performed in libraries for many years, while working in the provincial library system's administration and for several years, worked with the Learning through the Arts program. Now a full-time storyteller, she charms audiences with stories across the island and across the country.

Archivist, folklorist, teacher, singer and storyteller, Anita Best is a true renaissance artist in the Newfoundland folk / traditional scene. She has recorded on numerous albums, and has two of her own – The Colour of Amber (with Pamela Morgan) and Crosshanded, an a capella recording of twelve traditional Newfoundland ballads. While it is her singing which has made her famous, she remains a much-sought-after storyteller and has toured extensively telling and singing. Anita Best was the host and writer of a local CBC radio series, A Little Ball of Yarn, in 1995-96 which celebrated storytelling, and for years she ran a local concert series that combined music, readings, recitations and storytelling. For some time now, she has been preparing the stories of her father-in-law Pius Power Sr., an acclaimed storyteller from Placentia Bay, for publication. Best is from Placentia Bay herself, and tells stories from that region and other regions of Newfoundland.

Funny, magical, and mysterious, Michael Burns is an Irish storyteller and aikido master living in Montreal who tells stories in Gaelic, French and English. He has been telling stories he originally heard from his father for over 40 years. Mike has a repertoire of several hundred traditional stories from the lore of Iveragh (South Kerry, Ireland) and gives concerts regularly at festivals across Canada and abroad. He co-founded the Regroupement Du Conte au Québec (RCQ) in 2003, and has been twice awarded the Girouette Cuivrée, which is given to outstanding individuals who have made storytelling shine in Quebec and abroad.

Eleanor Dawson Eleanor Dawson hails from Bay Roberts, Conception Bay. She has been singing all her life. One of the founders of the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, Eleanor has a particular interest in traditional singing and has been a regular performer at local folk festivals. She is currently one of the hosts of the monthly ballad session at the Crow's Nest.

Mary Fearon has been performing professionally since 1997. During that time, she has performed and ran workshops at a variety of festivals, schools and other events both here in Newfoundland & Labrador and in Australia. Her interest in traditional Newfoundland material inspired her to co-develop the book, Over The Big Fat Waves; A Collection Of Newfoundland & Labrador Rhymes, Songs and Language Games.

A native of Carbonear, Jenny Gear and her uniquely captivating voice have gained popularity since her terrific performances on Canadian Idol in 2003. Her debut CD, Jenny and The Whiskey Kittens, was nominated for an ECMA roots/traditional solo recording of the year in 2005. More recently, Jenny has been enthralling audiences with Sandy Morris at various venues and festivals including the ever-popular Feast of Cohen and the Annual Rock Can Roll Festival.

Katherine Grier is delighted to be returning to St. John’s (where she lived for 10 years) after 8 years back in Ontario. She has been telling stories formally since the early 1980s – in schools and through the Parent-Child Mother Goose Program (which she helped co-found), as well as in libraries and at festivals and concert venues. She retains a deep interest in how stories affirm and allow us to explore our own experience.

Frank Holden is a performer and writer who grew up around St.John's. A folksinger and actor, he's best known for his one-man plays. The most recent is It's Like A Dream To Me, based on the life of the legendary Paddy "Iron" McCarthy (1903-2009) of Renews. This is Frank's first appearance at the St. John's Storytelling Festival."

The Holy Cross Elementary ArtSmarts Program has been running since the spring of 2007 under the direction of storytellers Mary Fearon (grades K-3) and Dale Jarvis (Grades 3-6), and has seen hundreds of kids introduced to the art of storytelling as listeners, creators and tellers in their own right. This year, the festival will be very pleased to showcase some of Newfoundland and Labrador’s youngest and most enthusiastic storytellers who have taken part in the Holy Cross storytelling program over the past two years, as part of our Thursday night Young Storytellers concert.   (website)

Dale Gilbert Jarvis is a storyteller, performer, researcher, and writer. Dale is the founder of the St. John's Storytelling Circle, and president of the St. John's Storytelling Festival. Dale tells fairy tales from the collections of the Brothers Grimm, ghost stories, legends and traditional tales from Newfoundland, Ireland, the United Kingdom and beyond. He has performed locally and at storytelling festivals across Canada, and for the past three years has taught storytelling to grades 4 to 6 as part of an Arts Smarts program in St. John's.  (website)

Widely known and highly respected on the island as a teller of traditional and community tales, Alice Lannon lives in Southeast Placentia. She has told stories at festivals, workshops and special heritage events, and credits her gift as a storyteller to her grandmother. Alice has been a highlight of many festivals and a treasure trove of traditional Newfoundland storytelling.

Well known throughout the Province as the writer and performer of the popular and critically-acclaimed Sunday Dinner with Briany Newell on CBC Radio, Stephen Lush has also performed with Rising Tide, The Elysian Theatre, The Newfoundland Shakespeare Company, Artistic Fraud, and She Said Yes. For the past twenty years he has acted in television and film projects produced in St. John's, most recently as a featured performer in two award-winning films by writer/director Justin Simms. He has trained extensively in the field of movement and dance, presenting collaborative work at the Festival of New Dance in St. John's, Dusk Dances in Toronto and at Tangente in Montreal. Presently Stephen is developing a CBC television documentary on multiple sclerosis, based on three award-winning stage shows (1998-2004) that he produced and performed with his brother John who has chronic progressive MS.

Storyteller Mary-Eileen McClear may live in Ontario, but her stories carry her, and her listeners, across Canada and around the world. She is the founder of The Story Barn, a centre which promotes storytelling through courses and events and which is now in its twenty-second year. Whether she is telling stories or leading workshops, Mary-Eileen has an engaging way with people, "a captivating sense of humour with an intriguing touch of magic." She is the recipient of local arts awards and of the Governor General's Canada 125 medal for contributing to the cultural life of her community. (website)

Michael (Mick) Mooney grew up listening to stories in his hometown of Branch, Newfoundland. He heard stories passed down through generations from the Old Country of Ireland, stories about buried treasure unearthed by the first settlers of Branch, the salmon caught after a great battle on Branch River, the mysterious visitor who poked her rain-sopped head through the porch door at the height of the last storm. Stories were part of everyday life in Branch. Leaving home to attend university, Mick earned a degree in electrical engineering and a Masters in IT education. He worked in the engineering, education and IT fields in Newfoundland and Labrador, mainland Canada, the United States, Cyprus and China. Approaching the age of forty, Mick returned home to Branch and soon rediscovered his love of story and the richness of the oral tradition. Mick is particularly interested in stories from the Seanachaí tradition - the Irish storyteller. His stories are rooted in the legacy of Celtic myth, based on tales passed through generations of creative imaginations, and dressed in the sensuous companionship of Nature and the funny peculiarities of everyday life.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Fergus O'Byrne emigrated to Canada in 1967. While living in Toronto he became a founding member of the Irish folk band Ryan's Fancy. In 1971 the group moved to St. John's, Newfoundland. During the next fourteen years, Fergus toured extensively throughout North America and Ireland as part of the trio. In the years since, Fergus has been an integral part of the traditional music scene in St. John's, performing with the late Dermot O'Reilly, Tickle Harbour, A Crowd of Bold Sharemen, and long-time collaborator, Jim Payne. Fergus has appeared on countless recordings and helped mentor many an up-and-coming musician. He was instrumental in starting the program "Young Folk at the Hall", a Folk Arts Society event that matches young musicians with older ones in a workshop setting and culminates in a concert. Fergus continues to tour and perform regularly to the delight of audiences near and far.

Kira Van Deusen. Traveling in Siberia's forests, tundra, and steppe over the last 15 years, Kira connected with indigenous traditions, stories, and people - their lives, history, spirituality, and sense of humour. She delights listeners with adventures in worlds we do not see with the eye, accompanied by her evocative original cello and vocal music. More recently she had the privilege of hearing Inuit elders recount the ancient legend of "Kiviuq" in Nunavut. With their permission she now shares that exciting story with listeners as well. She has also organized several of Vancouver's "Epic Weekends". (website)

Barb Wood lives in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Her paintings and craft work bring together a diverse mix of natural materials and textiles. Her artistic expression is nurtured by a strong sense of connection to the land that living in Labrador inspires. Barbara has received a number of honors for her work including the Canada 125 Award, the Outstanding Achievement Award for Excellence in Craft (2005) from the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Labrador (2002) from the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women.

After many years of performing in Japan, Noriko Yamamoto moved to Toronto in 1994 to be with her husband. She has continued this career here in Canada as a dancer, choreographer, mime, clown, and Silent Storyteller. She is also a visual artist and Nia instructor. Noriko performs at schools, libraries, festivals, and at private and corporate functions. Silent Storytelling is storytelling without the use of spoken words. Instead, Noriko uses and integrates other forms of communication like mime, dance & music to tell stories in a unique and colourful way. (website)