 | LAURIE PECK
From the age of two, Laurie Peck has been telling story. Everything about her is story. She crossed the Atlantic on the Saxonia at 8 years old, danced for royalty throughout Europe, spent a year in a convent in Belgium to learn French, loves cheese, drinks lattes and her life is story. She has been a closet writer for over ten years and has decided to share her writing with the world. Her first submission won first honourable mention in the 2002 Brucedale Press Acrostic Competition and in 2003 she won Third Place in RONA’s renovations gone wrong competition.
|
| MARGARET MURPHY
Margaret started sharing stories as a child, with puppet shows in her backyard in Ottawa. Telling stories lead to writing and a great circle of creating, listening and sharing. Stories are her passion. Margaret especially loves coaching and teaching storytelling workshops. Celebrating stories of Canadian women who paved the way is one of her greatest joys. |  |
|  | DIANE VERHIEL
From the time Diane was a small child, she had a knack for entertaining people through songs, dances, and mimicking celebrities. Eventually, she began to express herself by writing poetry and stories. As a mother and dramatic artist, she enjoyed bringing her children's storybook characters to life with her captivating ability to articulate a wide variety of vocal styles. As a Toastmaster, Diane also discovered great delight in sharing stories with adult audiences. Fascinated by the "human condition," Diane continues to investigate and understand how our perceptions and interpretations affect the degree of joy in our lives. This fascination led Diane on a personal journey to discover and celebrate the Self in everyone. Today, poetry, storytelling, and metaphor are some of the means Diane uses to communicate what she has learned in a way that is both entertaining and inspiring to her audiences. Whether she is sharing one of her own stories, or a favourite from her young son's library, Diane seeks to touch her listeners' hearts with her passionate storytelling style. |
| |
NOEL LEWIS-WATTS
Although Noel is the oldest of the ATT storytellers he is a newcomer to sharing stories in public. It all started when he met Margaret Murphy. In fact he was so impressed by Margaret's stories that he asked her to marry him and to his surprise and great delight she said yes. And the two have gone down the storytelling trail happily together.
He loves telling children's stories that may help them cope with life. He also enjoys sharing stories with adults, some of them he has written, often with a little message or humour. Until recently he had a radio program for children.
Noel also plays harmonica with a small band called the Windjammers and accompanies a pianist at the Kiwanis Village. In-between he volunteers at Nanaimo Hospice working in the Palliative Care Unit of the local hospital.
|  |
|  | SANDY COLE
Sandy Cole is an active member of Around Town Tellers. She and her husband run a bed and breakfast, Bev and Sandy's Place, here in Nanaimo. Sandy shares folk and fairy tales along with Celtic and historic tales with a wide audience. That includes senior residences, schools, libraries, festivals and children's radio. She loves to tell long rambling stories all full of fantasy and deep emotion. |
| MARVA K. BLACKMORE
Marva is a performing storyteller and word weaver who lives in Qualicum Beach and is an active member of the Nanaimo Around Town Tellers. She brings a long and varied life experience to her storytelling – be it her personal stories, historical tales, epic renderings, fairy and folk tales, or literary tellings. Marva has delighted audiences at festivals, coffee houses, and at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. She has also performed in Australia and Africa. A member of the Storytellers of Canada, she served on their Board for Directors from 2006 to 2010. Formerly with the Ottawa Storytellers, she chaired their Professional Development Committee and delights in sharing her storytelling knowledge and skills with others. Marva is currently working on a set of personal stories based on her extensive and lively travels with her husband, David. While her storytelling repertoire is extensive and varied, she always enjoys a story with an interesting twist. |  |
|  | CLARK SQUARED
Bitten by the theatre bug in grade six while playing the King in The Emperor's New Clothes, Clark discovered the thrill of entertaining live at an early age. After numerous productions and courses, that thrill remains constant. He enjoys taking an audience on a journey or making them think or simply creating comedy. He plans to develop a career in the vocal arts to balance his long-standing work as a human statue. |
| RACHEL MULLER
As the mother of five, Rachel Muller has lots of ‘in-house’ storytelling experience. She attended her first Around Town Tellers’ event in 2007, and was thrilled to discover that the art of oral storytelling was still alive. Rachel particularly likes to tell historical stories that connect audiences to the past in an imaginative way. She is the author of four children’s novels - The Solstice Cup, Squeeze, When the Curtain Rises, and Ten Thumb Sam. |  |
|  | CRAIG & EVONNE SAUVE
Storytelling has been a part of their lives for as long as they remember. Both Craig & Evonne have a great sense of humour and that’s obvious in a short time when listening to them speak. They have a huge appreciation for Mother Earth, mankind and all living things. They also passionately represent a company called Norwex (www.Norwex.com). In fact when anyone purchases any Norwex products from them and mentions ATT, they happily donate 10% of that sale to the ATT storytelling group. If you’d like to know more about Around Town Tellers or Norwex, give them a call at 250-933-4288 or e-mail them at Evonne.Sauve@gmail.com
|
| BEV COLE |  |
|
| |
 |
|
