The story programs described below can give you an idea of the range of topics and story themes that are available for your event. Click here to see video excerpts from some of these stories.
favorite stories and story programs
Close Encounters of the Storytelling Kind
A wise person once said, "The best part of an adventure
is the people you meet along the way." Hear about some “close encounters” on the storytelling journey, including
an unexpected hair appointment with Dr. Ruth.
It Could Happen!
Stories of Hope and Possibility
A collection of stories about the junk in the basement, the gift of getting nothing done, and the endless possibilities of dreamy childhood days.
Dishing the Dirt: Gardening Stories
Stories about the revenge of Mother Nature, the intrigue of Frederic the French Yard Man, the life wisdom that comes from getting your hands dirty, and people who grow philosophy as well as phlox on their little piece of earth.
"[Dolores] has a way of savoring lovely details and flipping neat turns of phrase into the air, like a deft and delighted juggler.
-- Mary Colurso, The Birmingham News
In-Laws and Outlaws: Family Stories
"I learned a lot about life at Mother's knee. The rest I learned at other joints."
It's an old joke, but true: Life lessons show up in unexpected places.
Where did you learn about True Love, for instance?
Why do we bother with holiday rituals, year after year?
And what does a 14th-century philosopher have to do with homemade lasagna?
Sweet and funny stories about sisterly advice, a dad’s wisdom, a mother’s unconditional love, and the lessons our families accidentally teach us.
Money Talks!
A surprising look at money through stories ... about saving it, spending it, splurging now and then, learning -- and ignoring -- financial advice, and discovering just how much happiness money really can buy.
Momorabilia: Stories about Mothers
Swishy red dresses, Jungle Gardenia perfume, home cooking, mother's intuition -- it's all part of a mother's story. A collection of funny, affectionate stories that celebrate the woman whose story will always be linked to your own: Mom.
Southern Comfort in a Cast-Iron Skillet
Can a Yankee learn to make real Southern cornbread? Bless her heart, she's willing to keep trying....
Starch in Their Petticoats:
True Stories of Strong Women Who Settled the West
They were tough, resourceful, and ready for anything! Pioneers, homesteaders, professional gamblers, mail order brides ... these were some of the women who added their own particular shine to the golden horizon of the American West in the 1800s. Diary excerpts, letters, newspaper clippings, and photos help tell their remarkable stories.
The Magic Pan
Diet detours and good resolutions get tested when "new" isn't necessarily "better."
Every Picture Tells a Story:
The Storytelling of Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell didn't just paint pictures; every picture told a story.
As he wrote: “My life work – and my pleasure – is to tell stories to other people through pictures.” Take a behind-the-scenes look at how Rockwell created his one-image stories in some of his best-loved covers for the Saturday Evening Post. Using slide images of his sketches, models, paintings-in-process, and finished work, this program follows the step-by-step process Rockwell used in becoming “America’s painter” – and storyteller on canvas.
Putting Down New Roots
This story puts a human face to the experience of early 20th-century European immigration to America, and Depression-era family life, through the detailed story of one Polish-American family. It describes the Ellis Island experience for many immigrants who passed through that entryway in the early 1900s, and details about individual experiences translate immigration data into a moving, human-scale story.
Fools for Love: Fads and Fancies of Regency England
Through true, tender, and sometimes shocking stories, this program brings to life the world of the late 1700s / early 1800s – the Regency Period in England – a time of strange fads, sketchy medicine, and hair-raising shenanigans among the Fashionable Set. Letters, diary excerpts, photographs, and paintings are used to explore the tokens of love and remembrance that were part of this stylish and passionate time in English and American history.
Soldiers in Hoop Skirts: Spies, Nurses, and Other Fighting Women of the Civil War
Women on both sides of the conflict did their part for the war effort – as spies, soldiers, nurses, and supporters from the home front. This program shares the true, sometimes funny, sometimes touching, stories of some of the sisters, wives, mothers, and daughters who snooped, smuggled, sewed, nursed, and risked their lives, health, and fortunes for a cause they loved. Photographs, letters, journal entries, and excerpts from memoirs help tell the story.
Soldiers in Greasepaint:
USO Camp Show Entertainers from World War II
It was bigger than Bob Hope!
From Utah Beach to the Philippines, from wrestlers and tap dancers to the biggest names in show business, USO Camp Shows were part of a diverse, hilarious, and inspiring story of voluntarism and service. Hear the stories of some of the unknown 7000 USO Camp Show performers who brought music, laughs, and a touch of the familiar to US servicemen far from home during World War II.
It's the Little Things: Five small objects that connect us to the world of the Dutch Golden Age
You could hold them all in the palm of your hand: five little things that not only made the Netherlands the dominant financial powerhouse of 17th-century Europe, but also helped create the world we live in today. Stories about the discoveries, inventions, coincidences, political upheavals, and cultural changes of the 1600s, along with photographs, maps, paintings, and historical records, take us on a journey from the Arctic Sea to Singapore for the remarkable story of five small objects that changed history in unexpected ways -- and helped shape who we are and how we live 500 years later.
Footprint on the Sky: Voices from Chandler Mountain
Bonnets, bow-tie quilts, tomato stakes, and an old-timey cure for hiccups -- they're all part of this funny and touching portrait of an Alabama mountain community in the 1970's. Memories, family histories, and superstitions are brought to life in this story of strong women, Southern hospitality, and the generous spirit of a close-knit community.
Abundant Blessings, Finding Christmas, and more: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holiday stories
Stories for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, birthdays, and other red-letter days on your calendar.
