Mail to Camp Bethel, 328 Bethel Road, Fincastle, VA 24090.
Megan Wells
https://www.meganwells.com/ Megan Wells is a respected and experienced story and theater artist. She is known for creating an intimate storytelling atmosphere, infusing her characters with living souls, and delivering the experience with delicious theatrical timing. Author and Professor Rives Collins says it best: "Megan Wells is both intimate and epic in equal measure." An award-winning storyteller, Megan performs in museums and symphonies, enhances education for thousands of children, entertains families in festivals and libraries, and helps executives, actors, and storytellers craft powerful stories to effect change. With more than forty years of experience, Megan has developed an extensive story repertoire. Perhaps, her daughters describe her most accurately. Megan is also among the top literary storytellers in America. As the Artistic Director of the Ray Bradbury Storytelling Festival, Megan was granted permission by Ray himself to perform his works. Additionally, she is equally comfortable in the jazzier domains of Chicago's current spoken word explosion. |
Donna Washington
https://dlwstoryteller.com/ Donna Washington is an award-winning internationally known master storyteller, artist-educator, and author who has been providing workshops and performing for audiences of all ages for over thirty-six years. She is renowned for her storytelling for both children & adults from poignant & funny fables about the human condition to racy relationships stories to spine-tingling tales of terror. She has been featured at numerous festivals, schools, libraries, theaters and other venues around the world including Canada, Peru, Ireland Argentina & Hong Kong. During the pandemic, she presented over two hundred shows & workshops virtually online. In 2020, she co-founded the non-profit organization Artists Standing Strong Together with Master Storyteller Sheila Arnold for which they won a 2021 Oracle Award. In 2022 she received the Coleen Salley Storytelling Award. Donna's eleven storytelling CDs have garnered thirty national awards. She has authored numerous articles about storytelling and education including her very popular blog Language, Literacy & Storytelling. She is also the author of six children’s books: Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa, A Pride of African Tales, The Story of Kwanzaa, A Big Spooky House, award winning Boo Stew, and her latest book, Prak Fills The House. She travels all over the world performing and presenting workshops. She lives with her husband and cat in Durham, NC. |
Michael Reno Harell
Michael Reno Harrell is an award winning songwriter, a published author, a nationally known storyteller and a visual artist. And he’s from the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina where all those things are as much a part of life as breathing. Michael’s talents in the aforementioned Fields have taken him to forty-four states and several foreign countries over his over Fifty plus year career. His work is based in life experiences that reflect the culture of his mountain roots, which go back eight generations. But, Michael’s stories, songs and artworks reflect not only the southern experience, but also American’s story. His work, in whichever form it may take, all comes down to one thing...story. One could compare Michael's performances to his granddaddy's pocket knife: well worn and familiar feeling, but razor sharp and with a point. His brand of entertainment appeals to a very diverse audience. Michael's natural knack for storytelling, in print, song and spoken word has earned him praise from not only the music community but from the literary and storytelling worlds as well, having had the honor of being a Featured Teller at the National Storytelling Festival and to be Teller In Residence at the International Storytelling Center, as well as performing at major music events like MerleFest and the Walnut Valley Festival. Along with his performances, Michael often conducts workshops in songwriting and storytelling as well. His humor and wit, as well as the emotional depth of his work, keep his fan base growing and staying tuned in for whatever comes next. Don’t miss the chance to experience what those faithful fans keep returning again and again to enjoy. Julie Vidotto-Director of OLLI Clemson University: "We were thoroughly entranced by Michael's ability to weave his intriguing and funny stories and his music into a single delightful flow. Michael draws you in, makes you confortable and by the end of the evening you feel as if you have been friends for years! We look forward to his next time in Clemson!" WNCW Radio: Michael Reno Harrell has been at the forefront of WNCW's regional music scene since the late '90's. His storytelling, wit, and Americana sound make him a true treasure of the Southeast and of all the artists we hang our hat on. Michael's name has become as well-known and respected among core WNCW listeners as Guy Clark's and Robert Earl Keen's. |
Donald Davis
http://www.ddavisstoryteller.com/ Donald Davis was born in a Southern Appalachian mountain world rich in stories. While he heard many traditional stories about Jack and other heroic characters, he was most attracted to the stories of his own family and places of origin. Davis begin retelling the stories he heard and then adding his own new stories to them until he was repeatedly asked to "tell it again, on purpose." During his twenty-five year career as a United Methodist Minister, Davis began to use stories more and more. He was also asked to begin performing at festivals and in other settings until he retired from the church to tell stories full time. The author of eighteen books and more than forty original recordings, Davis is the recipient of both the Circle of Excellence and the Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Storytelling Network. "Absolutely hilarious and unpredictable as well as emotionally reviving." Wilson Library Bulletin “I could have listened all morning to Donald Davis … his stories often left listeners limp with laughter at the same time they struggled with a lump in the throat.” – New York Times "Davis (is)...among the most popular figures on today's storytelling circuit." – Berkely Hudson, Los Angeles Times |
Thank you for your gift! Donate on line here, or mail a check payable to "Camp Bethel SOTM Festival", 328 Bethel Road, Fincastle, VA 24090.