“Home-Fried Tales”
GCAC Artists-in-Schools Program @ or 614-221-8625
lynetteFord / storyteller; workshop facilitator; Ohio teaching artist; author
Lyn is available year-round, but book her as early as possible, by contacting:
Lynette Ford
614-237-7605
or
Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC)
614-221-8626
614-224-2606
Why invite Lyn Ford?
- “Within less than a minute, Ms. Ford had captured the audience and held their attention throughout her presentation. Ms. Ford’s lively presentation of three stories held the attention of all. These stories were interesting, educational, entertaining and meaningful. ” – Charlie McBriarty, journalist, The Shoreline, September 2010.
- “Students stayed afterward to talk about how great she was and how much it taught them about the oral tradition. They were still talking about her in our next class that week as well…She took great time to give context, make historical connection, and share authentic performance.” – Mentor of a gifted program for high school students in Central Ohio
- “Yes, they [the students] are still referring to the characters in the stories, and the lessons learned. Lyn's storytelling complements science information, mathematics, and of course, language arts and social studies. – Elementary-school educator, after Lyn’s weeklong residency
Remember: “Storytellers” are “Authors”, too!
Ask about Lyn’s CDs, published articles, and writing workshops!
Read about Lyn Ford's work
in the June 2011 issue ofColumbus Parent Magazine…
See Lyn tell a story at the 2011 St. Louis Storytelling Festival:
Hear Lyn share stories at Storybee…
…where tales for all ages and interests, told by fantastic tellers, are available…and Tales2Go,a subscription, on‐demand kids story/audio service for smart phones.
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Lyn’s work is included in the following publications:
The August House Book of Scary Stories
Liz Parkhurst, Editor
(Stories and tips for telling them are appropriate for grades 5 and up.)
Literacy Development in the Storytelling Classroom
Sherry Norfolk, Jane Stenson, and Diane Williams, Editors
Greenwood Publishers order form:
Literacy Development in the Storytelling Classroom is a2010 Storytelling World Award - Winner, in the category of Special Storytelling Resources - Storytelling World.
Note: the above book linking oral literacy to other areas of language arts and the curriculum is acompanion bookto the 2006 publication, The Storytelling Classroom: Applications Across the Curriculum. The Storytelling Classroom is a 2008 Storytelling World Resource Award Winner! Lyn's work is also included in that publication.
Lyn was also honored with publication in the National Association of Black Storytellers' Sayin' Somethin' (2006).
Lyn has written several articles for the National Storytelling Network's Storytelling Magazine.Lyn is also included inthe 2010 publication Team Up! Tell in Tandem, by Jonatha Hammer Wright(Presto & US Storytelling Publications), and the 2011 publication, Storytelling and QAR Strategies, by Phyllis Hostmeyer and Marilyn Kinsella (Libraries Unlimited).
AND…LYN’S BOOK, AFFRILACHIAN TALES, IS AVAILABLE FROM PARKHURST BROTHERS, INC. PUBLISHERS, IN OCTOBER, 2012!
Travelin’ and Tellin’…Some of the venues where Lyn has appeared:As a featured teller at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park outreach programs; the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee; the annual National Association of Black Storytellers’ Conference and Festival; the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in Orem, Utah; the Haunting in the Hills in Big South Fork National Park; the Talk Story Festival in Hawaii; the Moonshell Festival in Omaha, Nebraska, and many more storytelling events. As a storyteller in residence or workshop presenter at: the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tennessee; the National Storytelling Conference; the Northlands Storytelling Conference; ECE conferences in Ohio and West Virginia, Ohio After-School Counts sessions, and several schools in Ohio.
Who is Lyn Ford?
Lynette Ford is a fourth-generation storyteller; she listened to and learnedfrom the elder storytellers in her Affrilachian family. Lyn is a nationally recognized, raconteur and workshop presenter, a writer, a Thurber House mentor to young authors, and an Ohio teaching artist, who shares the gifts of the oral tradition with interaction, rhythm and rhyme, humor, personal history, and heart. Lyn’s style of telling encourages:
- Positive audience behaviors among young listeners through “front porch” communication: the audience becomes attentively involved in the relaxed give-and-take of story-sharing;
- An understanding of meaningful concepts important to positive personal development, effective communication skills, and pre-reading, pre-writing, reading and writing capabilities, offered through “backdoor fables”—the morals of the stories visit the mind like welcome friends coming to your back door.
- An appreciation of diversity and multicultural experiences: stories, call and response, choral response, and informative banter; in interest in preservation and perpetuation of the oral tradition.
What are “Home-Fried Tales”?
Folktale adaptations and original stories rooted in the oral traditions of Lyn’s multicultural African American, “Afrilachian” family. Lyn calls her stories “Home-Fried Tales” to honor her father, who was a terrible cook (the only things he consistently made well were home-fried potatoes and barbecued ribs doused with Lyn’s mother’s special sauce), and the best storyteller she ever heard.
From Lyn’s travels in the United States (and Ireland!), her interest in researching the narratives she heard as a child, and her exchanges with other storytellers, Lyn has acquired a repertoire of stories from many places and many faces.
PROGRAMS AVAILABLE:
- AFFRILACHIAN TALES: The heritage of African American folktales from Lyn’s family’s Appalachian roots and remembrances, including a touch of folklore and stories from the paths of the Underground Railroad.
- FROM AESOP TO ZORA: STEWPOT STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD: folktale adaptations from many places and many faces (for all ages).
- A GIFT OF STORIES: tales for all ages, for your holiday season programming.
- JACK, JANIE, AND OTHER ‘BOBOS”: noodleheads and fortunate fools in folktales from many places (for all ages).
- LET’S THROW STORIES: Folktale adaptations rooted in African and African American storytelling traditions (for all ages).
- RABBIT TALES RETOLD: Tales of the trickster hero, from Lyn’s storytelling family (for all ages).
- SPOOKERS AND HAINTS: from gentle, silly stories for young ears to strange and creepy tales for the mature listener, according to your needs (unique programs for various age and grade levels).
- TALES OF EARTH, SEA, AND SKY: Folktales and fiction that lead to an interest in the facts (elementary-school grade levels).TELL IT! FOLKTALES TO COMPARE: A special program of multicultural, transcultural folktales for high school classrooms to enjoy and discuss.
- TURTLE SHELL TALES: The trickster and his cousins and family in tales from Africa to the Appalachian region.
- PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO MEET YOUR NEEDS!
KEYNOTE SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, GUEST LECTURES, MORE STORYTELLERS’ WORKSHOPS, & PROGRAMS FOR MATURE LISTENERS are available.
Remember, storytelling isn’t just for kids!!!
Contact: Lyn at or
614-237-7605 or GCAC Artists-in-Schools Program: or 614-221-8625
Visit Lyn’s web site:
WORKSHOPS FOR STUDENTS: These “playshops” can be shared as single-class or single-grade experiences, or as part of three-day to weeklong residencies. Playshops (interactive workshops) link the gifts of the oral tradition and literary resources with
The five steps of the writing process, particularly pre-writing and revising;
Listening/reading for comprehension;
Fine arts-drama theatre, English language arts, and social studies benchmarks.
Tell It! Tortoise and Hare (grades K – 5) – a multicultural, interactive presentation of the basic elements of story, as well as resources for comparison of fables from several cultures.
Tell It! Let’s Compare (grades 3 – 12) – story variants from several cultures, offering different ways to experience familiar folktales: Cinderella in many versions; The Three Little Pigs from Europe to Afrilachia; The Tortoise and the Hare from Aesop to West Africa and beyond; Appalachian, Afrilachian, and European “Noodlehead” Stories, and others…session(s) can be adapted to your grade level’s needs and your curriculum plans.
Others available. See Lyn’s page at
WORKSHOPS FOR MENTORS AND STORYTELLERS; several topics foreducators, including:
- Tell It! Developing Language Arts Skills through Interactive Wordplay and Storytelling Experiences;
- LOL! Laughter and Oral Literacy
- Heartworks:Storycrafts to Encourage Story-Sharing.
STORYTELLERS’ PARTICIPATORY SESSIONS, including:
- From the Beginning – “Nuts & bolts’ tips and activities for novice and “learning” storytellers;
- Sweetening the Tale - Adding action and interaction to your storytelling, adaptable for tellers of all ages;
- The Next Step: Goal-Setting for the “Professional” Storyteller;
- To Boo, or Not to Boo… - Using your storytelling gifts to share “spooky” tales with young listeners, teens, and adults; and
- Private consultations for goal-setting or coaching.