Brief Bio
In 1998 Carol Birch received the National Storytelling Network's
Circle of Excellence Award given to storytellers recognized as
master tellers by their peers, setting standards for excellence,
and demonstrating a commitment and dedication to the art over
a significant period of time. Thirty years of experience have
earned her a respected place in the forefront of the revival of
platform storytelling: teaching at Southern Connecticut State
University; lecturing at forty-one universities across the nation,
as well as professional and corporate organizations; producing
nine audio-anthologies for the National Storytelling Association;
directing seventeen audio-cassettes for independent storytellers
as well as August House, Lightyear Entertainment, and Weston Woods
Studios; writing THE WHOLE STORY HANDBOOK: USING IMAGERY TO COMPLETE
THE STORY EXPERIENCE; co-editing WHO SAYS? ESSAYS ON PIVOTAL ISSUES
IN CONTEMPORARY STORYTELLING, the first book on the aesthetics
of storytelling; serving as a chairperson of the Anne Izard Storyteller's
Choice Award; and producing three award-winning audio-cassettes
of her own stories.
Media appearances include ABC's NIGHTLINE and CBS, THIS MORNING,
Channel 5 in Boston, National Public Radio, Glamour Magazine and
the New York Times. She's been a featured storyteller six times
at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee,
and in videos of America's foremost storytellers produced by the
Cotsen Storytelling Project; McFeely-Rogers Foundation, The Storytelling
Channel for Cable Vision's Rainbow Programming, Hometown Entertainment,
and the H. W. Wilson Company. Her storytelling includes invitational
events in Australia, Canada, Germany, Norway, and Singapore, as
well as theater concerts for adults, festivals for families, and
school residencies throughout the United States.
Known for a compelling blend of energy, warmth, vulnerability,
and directness, Carol restores orality and spontaneity to the
fixed silence of stories found in print, but as a third-grader
in North Carolina pointed out: "She knows that story 'cause
she was there!"
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Longer
Bio
In 1998 Carol Birch received the National Storytelling Network's
Circle of Excellence Award given to storytellers recognized as
master tellers by their peers who set the standard for excellence
and demonstrate a commitment and dedication to the art over a
significant period. Southern CT State University presented her
with the Millennium Award for distinguished teaching and service
in The Storytelling Institute in 2000, and the Outstanding Educator
Award, in recognition of her as Master Teacher and Master Storyteller
in 1994. As storyteller, recording artist, distinguished teacher
and director of recordings, she delights audiences by restoring
vitality to language with a repertoire of stories that echo the
heart's concerns -- from shy hope and tenderness to humor and
good sense. Although she has told stories in Singapore, Australia,
and Europe, Carol's primary venues are concerts at schools, libraries,
colleges, theaters, storytelling festivals, museums, theme parks,
and corporate fetes throughout the United States. She lectures
extensively at conferences, teaches at Southern Connecticut State
University, and regularly appears at festivals including the National
Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee.
Carol was one of 18 storytellers included in Cable Vision's STORY
CAFE and one of 4 storytellers chosen for the McFeely-Rogers'
Foundation [as in Mr. Rogers!] storytelling project. Other media
appearances include: ABC'S NIGHTLINE; CBS, THIS MORNING with Harry
Smith; National Public Radio's GOOD EVENING, AMERICA with Noah
Adams; and A LIKELY STORY, the Emmy award winning children's television
series produced by Channel Five in Boston. She is featured on
the commemorative documentary THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL
STORYTELLING FESTIVAL, and the other two major video-cassette
productions: Hometown Entertainment's TELL ME A STORY and The
H. W. Wilson's AMERICAN STORYTELLING SERIES. In addition to innumerable
radio, television, and newspaper articles, she has also been the
subject of feature articles in the NEW YORK TIMES and GLAMOUR
magazine.
Ms. Birch published two award winning books with August House:
writing, THE WHOLE STORY HANDBOOK: USING IMAGERY TO COMPLETE THE
STORY EXPERIENCE in 2000, and co-editing, WHO SAYS? ESSAYS ON
PIVOTAL ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY STORYTELLING, on the aesthetics
of storytelling in1996. One of 50 storytellers interviewed for
in STORYTELLER'S GUIDE for August House, and STORYTELLERS: A BIOGRAPHICAL
DIRECTORY OF 120 ENGLISH-SPEAKING PERFORMERS WORLDWIDE for McFarland
Press, she has also contributed essays to TEACHING ORAL TRADITIONS
for the Modern Language Association, and THE STORYTELLING ENCYCLOPEDIA
for Oryx Press. She's contributed stories to eight anthologies:
STORYTELLING ART AND TECHNIQUE 3rd edition for R. R. Bowker, BEST
LOVED STORIES and MORE BEST LOVED STORIES TOLD AT THE NATIONAL
FESTIVAL for the National Storytelling Press, READY TO TELL TALES
for August House, STORIES IN MY POCKET for Fulcrum Press, JOINING
IN for Yellow Moon Press, THEMES IN AMERICAN AND WORLD LITERATURE
and MASTERING THE OGT: READING AND WRITING for Amsco School Publications.
All three of her audio-story anthologies are recommended for
elementary schools by Bowker's seminal reference book, THE SCHOOL
LIBRARY COLLECTION, as well as, BOOKLIST MAGAZINE, and the BULLETIN
FOR THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS . Awards include: CAREFUL
WHAT YOU WISH FOR, the National Parenting Publications' Gold Award;
HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER LOVE STORIES...MORE OR LESS, an American Library
Association Notable Recording; NIGHTMARES RISING, a New York Public
Library Best Recording. Her telling of "Caryn's Story"
appears on THE LISTENING TREE, VOL 1 from the Connecticut Storytelling
Center, while Kipling's 'How the Rhinoceros Got Its Skin"
is included on the NSA cassette TALES OF HUMOR AND WIT.
An award winning recording artist in her own right, Ms. Birch
is in demand as a dynamic director in the recording studio, recognized
by her peers for her skills in bringing out their best work. Jane
Yolen praised her direction: "Carol is intelligent and insightful...she
raised my level of understanding about STORY...she cares for -
but does not cater to - the storyteller's ego. What she caters
to is the story's needs." She's produced nine audio anthologies
from the NSA archives in Jonesborough, Tennessee, including the
award winning 5-cassette set of the 20th National Storytelling
Festival, and directed 16 independent storytelling productions.
She served as the artistic director of the nationally acclaimed
WESTON WOODS STORYTELLING CIRCLE and received two grants from
the National Endowment for Humanities for I HEAR TELL, a proposed
television series on storytelling.
In a review of her storytelling, BOOKLIST magazine praised her
as "an articulate, skillful weaver of images and creator
of moods...her facial expressions, speaking rhythm, voice timbre
combine to provide a dramatic, effective presentation." A
third grader in North Carolina stated it more simply -- "She
knows that story 'cause she was there!"
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Media Highlights
RAINBOW PROGRAMMING (American Movie Classics, Bravo, The Independent
Film Channel, etc) 1996-1998
Late Night Listening: Carol Birch, Storyteller
The Story Channel: The Storytelling Cafe Features Carol Birch
The Talebearers: Portraits of American Storytelling Artists Features
Carol Birch
THE COTSEN STORYTELLING PROJECT -- The Cotsen Children's Library,
Princeton University, New Jersey - 1997
STORYTELLING -- The McFeely-Rogers Foundation Storytelling Project
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - 1996
NIGHTLINE -- ABC Television, New York - July 5, 1993
GOOD MORNING, AMERICA -- CBS Television, New York - October 31,
1990
A LIKELY STORY -- Channel Five, Boston,, Massachusetts - 1989
(*Emmy Award Winning Series)
GOOD EVENING, AMERICA -- with Noah Adams for National Public
Radio - August, 1989.
GLAMOUR MAGAZINE -- in "Women Right Now" - May, 1990.
THE NEW YORK TIMES -- in the Sunday "Connecticut" section
- November 26, 1989.
This list excludes hundreds of interviews for local newspapers
and cable stations around the U.S.
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Director of
Recordings
*Indicates that the American Library Association recognized this
as a "Notable Recording" of the year.
Weston Woods Studios
- Samuel Babbitt - THE DEVIL'S STORYBOOK by Natalie Babbitt.
- Milbre Burch - TOUCH MAGIC stories by Jane Yolen.
- Donald Davis - LIVE AND LEARN.
- *Donald Davis - JACK TALES: MORE THAN A BEANSTALK.
- Heather Forest - TALES OF WOMENFOLK.
- Jean Fritz - THE DOUBLE LIFE OF POCAHONTAS
- Joe Hayes - FLYING TORTILLAS.
- Sonia Landes - A CLOSER LOOK AT PETER RABBIT
- Rafe Martin - WILL'S MAMMOTH.
- *Michael Parent - TALES AND CHILDHOOD.
- *Jackie Torrence - BR'ER RABBIT.
- Jane Yolen - THE GIRL WHO CRIED FLOWERS.
The National Storytelling Press
In 1992 and 1993, Carol Birch selected, edited, and arranged approximately
seventy-five stories from thousands told at the National Festival
for nine outstanding audio-anthologies.
- *A STORYTELLING TREASURY: STORIES TOLD AT THE TWENTIETH NATIONAL
STORYTELLING FESTIVAL - VOLUMES I, II, III, IV, and V.
- *BEST LOVED STORIES TOLD AT THE NATIONAL STORYTELLING
FESTIVAL - VOLUME I, and VOLUME II.
- TALES OF HUMOR AND WIT.
- WISE MEN AND SIMPLETONS.
Independent Productions
- *Milbre Burch - TRANSFORMATIONS. Kind Crone.
- Heather Forest - ANIMALS COULD TALK. August House.
- Heather Forest - WONDERTALES. August House.
- Arlo Guthrie - BABY'S STORY BOOK - published by Dutton Children's
Books, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc. A Joshua M. Greene
Production Stories to Remember for Lightyear Entertainment.
- Marianne McShane - EVERYWHERE, EVERYWHERE, CHRISTMAS TONIGHT!
Green Isle.
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Publications
Author
THE WHOLE STORY HANDBOOK: USING IMAGERY TO COMPLETE THE STORY
EXPERIENCE. August House: Fall, 2000. Winner: Storytelling World
Gold Award, 2000, and The Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award,
2003.
WHO SAYS? ESSAYS ON PIVOTAL ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY STORYTELLING.
Co-editor with Melissa Heckler of anthology by storytellers, folklorists,
and anthropologists on the aesthetics and ethics of storytelling.
August House, 1996.
Winner: Storytelling World Honor Book 1997 and The Anne Izard
Storytellers' Choice Award 1998!!
Essays
"Storytelling: Practice and Movement" in TEACHING ORAL
TRADITIONS edited by John Miles Foley. Modern Language Association,
1998.
"Building Bridges with Stories" co-written with Melissa
Heckler for THE STORYTELLING ENCYCLOPEDIA edited by Marion Sader.
Oryx Press, 1997.
Stories
"The Voyage of the Wee Red Cap" by Ruth Sawyer in STORYTELLING
ART AND TECHNIQUE edited by Ellin Greene. R. R. Bowker, Third
Edition 1996, p 65-66 and 230 - 236.
"The Fisherman and His Wife" in:
BEST LOVED STORIES: TOLD AT THE NATIONAL STORYTELLING FESTIVAL.
National Storytelling Press, 1991, p 168-171.
MASTERING THE OGT: READING AND WRITING. by Auditi Chakravarty.
Amsco Publications, ( pub set for 2004)
THEMES IN AMERICAN AND WORLD LITERATURE by Henry I. Christ. Amsco
Publication, 1998, p 128-131.
"Bracelets" in:
STORIES IN MY POCKET: TALES KIDS CAN TELL by Martha Hamilton and
Mitch Weiss. Fulcrum Publishing, 1996, p 75-78.
JOINING IN: A COLLECTION OF SIXTEEN PARTICIPATION STORIES edited
by Theresa Miller. Yellow Moon Press, 1988, p 1-3.
"Those Three Wishes" in READY-TO-TELL-TALES edited
by David Holt and Bill Mooney. August House, 1994, p 132-135.
"The Boy with a Keg" in MORE BEST LOVED STORIES: TOLD
AT THE NATIONAL STORYTELLING FESTIVAL. National Storytelling Press,
1992, p 13-16.
Profiles
STORYTELLERS: A BIOGRAPHICAL DIRECTORY OF 120 ENGLISH-SPEAKING
PERFORMERS WORLDWIDE by Corki Miller and Mary Ellen Snodgrass.
McFarland & Co, Inc., 1998.
THE STORYTELLER'S GUIDE edited by Bill Mooney and David Holt.
August House, 1996.
Periodicals
Book review of PECOS BILL by Steven Kellogg. THE FIVE OWLS: vol
1/ no. 1. September/October 1986, p 8.
"Weston Woods: A Commitment to Excellence." TOP OF
THE NEWS: vol 41/ no. 4. Summer, 1985, p 326-332.
"Storytelling Programs for the Family." THE NATIONAL
STORYTELLING JOURNAL: vol 1/ no. 3. Summer 1984, p 14-18.
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Press Photos
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