PORT TOWNSEND — Internationally known storyteller, vocalist and author Jeff Leinaweaver will be the featured teller at First Friday StoryNight at 7 tonight at the Port Townsend Friends Meetinghouse, 1841 Sheridan St.
The suggested donation is $10 and the public is welcome.
Hosts from the Quimper Storytelling Guild invite attendees to sign up on a first-come basis for one of the 5-minute story swap slots in the open mic segment that follows the featured teller’s performance.
Oral stories, songs or poems that relate to the evening’s theme are encouraged. Emcee Perry Spring will close the evening with an appropriate story or song.
In his program, “Beyond the Velvet Veil,” Leinaweaver will explore the many facets of the shift from the season of light to the season of darkness.
Leinaweaver suggests that during the program “we will listen to the dark, where we may find tiny spirits that come to life, leading us into a deep, luminous, spirited velvet veil that lies on the other side of darkness.”
As a performing storyteller, Leinaweaver has been featured at the National Storytelling Network Conference, Northwest Folklife Festival, and many other venues throughout the United States and Canada.
He has over 20 years of voiceover experience, lending his vocal talents to a wide variety of projects in many types of media: radio, documentary, corporate leadership, narration and video games.
Reflecting on his years with his recently departed Port Townsend mentor, Daniel Deardorff, he stated, “I believe the old stories inform us on how to deepen our connection with each other, nature, place and our own mythic journey.”
Leinaweaver, author of “Storytelling for Sustainability” published by Dō Sustainability and Greenleaf Publishing, has also been a contributing editor for several other books, as well as publications including the Associated Press, National Public Radio, The Guardian and academic journals.
His storytelling album, “Wild Minds in Uncertain Times,” and his book are available via Amazon; storytelling preview recordings and the album are available at CD Baby.
First Friday StoryNight is an exploration of the art and ritual of the oral tradition including the old myths, folktales, fairy tales, ballads, family, personal and modern stories.
The Guild also holds a monthly Third Sunday StoryCrafting StorySwap for aspiring and experienced tellers to hone their craft from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the Port Townsend Library Learning Center, 1220 Lawrence St.
For more information, go to www.facebook.com/QuimperStoryGuild, email QuimperStoryGuild@gmail.com, or call 360-316-9600.
