KALAMAZOO, Mich. (PRWEB) November 19, 2021
Thanksgiving is the next holiday featured in the 10th Annual Storytelling Festival by the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. As part of a nine-month virtual exploration of festive traditions, a new selection will be rolled out each month for the public to enjoy. Instead of the usual two-day event, this and other installments in the theme of “A Celebration of Time” are available for viewing on the Museum’s YouTube channel and website for three months from their debut. Judy Sima, Donna Marie Todd and Genot Picor headline the latest segment premiering on Nov. 20. The trio will share tasty stories!
Judy Sima shares about an unforgettable Thanksgiving meal her family had in 1956. A retired middle school librarian, Sima has been entertaining audiences since 1983. She is the recipient of two National Storytelling Network Oracle Awards for “Service and Leadership” as well as “Distinguished National Service.” She is the current president of the Detroit Story League and the editor of “MI Story,” the only electronic calendar that lists public storytelling events in Michigan, now featuring virtual storytelling events across the nation. Contact Judy@JudySima.com to subscribe or to list your event. The calendar is free, and the listings are free.
Donna Marie Todd relives the year her family celebrated Thanksgiving with the “Amazing ZicoFoose Sisters.” Retired missionaries to Africa get wild when moonshiners arrive at their remote cabin with a teenager in labor and beg the nurse midwife to help their daughter birth her child. This story is a spellbinder from start to finish. Todd is an author, storyteller, podcaster and transformational speaker. Known for her deeply vulnerable and connective personal narratives, she entertains, brings powerful insights, and helps her audiences feel connected, empowered and energized.
Genot Picor shares two traditional Native American stories about “The Three Sisters: Corn, Beans and Squash” and “Rabbit's First Potlatch Dinner.” Picor has performed throughout Michigan as a storyteller, musician and folklorist. “Winter Elk” is his given Native American name. Picor has studied voice and movement at the Stratford Festival Theatre in Stratford, Ontario, and holds a master’s degree in theatre arts/interpretive performance studies from Eastern Michigan University. A retired public school teacher, Picor is a feature writer for The Great Lakes Pilot and The Mackinac Journal and serves on the Board of Directors for the Michilimackinac Historical Society.
UPCOMING: The story on Hanukkah will be released Nov. 24, with Jenifer Strauss sharing “The Wooden Sword.” Stay tuned at kalamazoomuseum.org for stories about Christmas, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the International Day of Peace (also known as World Peace Day), Purim and Passover, and much more.
For the past 10 years, the museum’s Storytelling Festival has shared stories from various themes that reinforce the notion that museums, in general, exist not only to preserve artifacts, but to share the stories that artifacts and exhibits tell about culture, history, community and humanity. This year’s festival showcases 22 storytellers from five countries and eight states.
The Kalamazoo Valley Museum is operated by Kalamazoo Valley Community College and is governed by its Board of Trustees.
Media Contact
Bill McElhone
Kalamazoo Valley Museum Director
269.373.7990 or wgouldmcelh@kvcc.edu