PORT ANGELES — In her storytelling debut, Cherie Trebon stepped up to the lip of the stage — and couldn’t possibly stay put.
“By the time I was finished, my back was against the wall. I had backed up the whole way,” so terrified was she to be facing an audience.
This was 30 years ago and Trebon, who calls herself “on the far side of 60,” has traveled a long path since.
She harbored a debilitating fear of public speaking, yes, but she also carried a down-deep belief in the power of sharing stories the old-fashioned way.
Now she is about to fly to Kansas City, Mo., where on Saturday she will receive the National Storytelling Network’s ORACLE award, an honor given to those who “have used storytelling to make a significant contribution to the larger community,” according to the organization’s news release.
The award is given for organization/originality, reliability, achievements, creativity, leadership and excellence, according to the National Storytelling Network website.
Trebon is the winner in the Pacific region, which covers Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska and Hawaii: “a lot of storytellers,” she said, so “I feel very honored.”
The award includes no prize money, though the National Storytelling Network will cover her stay in Kansas City for its annual conference next weekend; it’s an affirmation, however, of the way she has pursued her passion.
Trebon first studied storytelling in Seattle with Cathryn Wellner, the woman who became her mentor and supporter.
“You need to continue. You are a storyteller,” Wellner told her early on.
Then, in 1988, Trebon traveled to South Africa on a kind of storytelling exchange. She raised money for the trip with bake sales — and storytelling performances.
When she returned to the Pacific Northwest, Trebon gave many presentations about the trip, “so I was a public speaker, like it or not.”
Trebon went on to perform at Seattle’s Northwest Folklife Festival among other events; she also appeared at the Forest Storytelling Festival in Port Angeles and became increasingly well-connected in the storytelling community.
In 2005 she became director of Port Angeles’ festival and began recruiting tellers from across the world.
The concerts in 2014, Trebon’s final year as director, were sold-out events at Peninsula College.
But Trebon wanted to focus on her own telling, teaching and writing, so she stepped down.
Chris Wright was appointed director of the 21st annual Forest Storytelling Festival, which will take place at the college Oct. 16-18.
Trebon is still active in the Story People of Clallam County, which hosts story swaps and the Liars Contest held every June; she has served as the competition’s mistress of ceremonies since its birth four years ago.
Later this year and into 2016, Trebon wants to teach storytelling classes in Port Angeles, do some more telling herself and finish a book she’s writing for people who work with young children.
The book contains stories, of course: the kind that allow people to connect with one another.
With so much emphasis on the latest devices and screens, she said, stories told human to human are more important than ever.
Trebon will be seeking a publisher; if she can’t find a traditional one, she’ll look into other ways to get the book out there.
As with her leap into the storytelling profession, “if you’re passionate about something, you find a way to make it happen.
“That’s my story,” she quipped, “and I’m sticking to it.”
For information about the National Storytelling Network, see www.storynet.org, and to find out more about the Story People of Clallam County and the Forest Storytelling Festival, visit ClallamStoryPeople.org.
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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.
