PORT ANGELES — Personal stories, folk tales and an improvisational piece are all part of Canadian storyteller Jennifer Ferris’ set during the monthly Story Swap, an event for all ages, Tuesday.
Admission is free to the swap to start at 7 p.m. in the Raymond Carver Room at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St.
The Story People of Clallam County hosts the gathering, with featured teller Ferris on first, then a break for refreshments and an open-mic section for other storytellers. The evening wraps up by 9 p.m.
Ferris lives in Victoria, a place filled with inspiration.
“There was a rich tradition of First Nations storytelling long before the Europeans arrived, but now we can also enjoy stories from the many newcomers who have come here to live and work,” she said.
“Victoria is famous for ghost stories,” Ferris added.
When she bought her 103-year-old house on Prior Street, a neighbor asked, “would you be upset to learn that your house is haunted?”
“Absolutely not. We were delighted,” she said.
“Previous residents who were going through a troubled divorce described the ghost as a poltergeist who flung pictures to the ground, broke plates and slammed doors.
“However, when we moved in, she settled down and manifests her presence only as a pale image walking down the staircase.”
Ferris finds further fuel for her stories in Victoria’s Chinatown, the oldest one in Canada, and in the city’s castles and synagogue — not to mention the natural surroundings.
She belongs to the Victoria Storytellers’ Guild (www.victoriastorytellers.org), whose professional and amateur tellers’ events draw audiences of up to 60 people.
For more information about Story Swap and other storytelling activities around Port Angeles, visit www.clallamstorypeople.org or phone 360-452-8092.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
