Bill Harley 
Bill Harley is well-traveled, well-read, well-educated, well-spoken and well-loved. Accompanied by his guitar, his narrative songs and stories, both original and traditional, are a celebration of our common humanity. Best known for his work with children and families, his ability to navigate through a confusing world with humor and wisdom is evident in his masterful storytelling as well as his numerous award-winning recordings and books. A two-time Grammy winner, he is vibrant, outrageous, unpredictable and genuine with songs and stories about growing up, schooling and what it is to be human—our connections with one another and with the planet we share. Recognized by audiences and peers as one of the finest performing storytellers in the country, his work has influenced a generation of children, parents, performing artists and educators. Bill tours internationally as a performing artist, author and keynote speaker from his home in Seekonk, Massachusetts.
Eth-Noh-Tec
Co-directors Nancy Wang and Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo, longstanding San Francisco artists founded Eth-Noh-Tec in 1982 and have contributed greatly to the Asian American performing arts movement.
Originally named the SF Kulintang and later the Kalilang Kulintang Ensemble, in 1990, at the urging of its Board of Directors, they dissolved the traditional ensemble to concentrate entirely on their artistic venture of fusing the ancient with the contemporary. Both Artistic Co-Directors having trained and performed in traditional and contemporary art forms for over two decades, they have since enjoyed tremendous success in this focused fusion, truly meeting the goals of their name Eth-Noh-Tec: The weaving [tec] together of distinctive cultural elements of the East and West [eth] to create new possibilities [noh]. Eth-Noh-Tec has performed at: President Obama’s Inaugural Celebration ’09 at the Smithsonian; President Clinton’s Inaugural Celebration ’97 at the Smithsonian; National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee; “Keepers of the Lore” Joseph Campbell Storytelling Festival in Milford, New Hampshire; and many more.
Dovie Thomason
The wise, boisterous teaching tales of her Lakota and Plains Apache relatives come alive in listeners’ imaginations as Dovie Thomason shares her culture with understanding, sly humor and astonishing vocal transformations. Told with elegance, wit and passion, her stories inspire delight in the spoken word and teach respect for values passed on through generations. When Dovie tells stories from her own life and from her people’s experience, the result is a contemporary vision of the rich cultures of the First Nations of North America. A former teacher, Dovie is an NEA and Arts International recipient, Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers’ Traditional Storyteller of the Year and was honored with the National Storytelling Network’s 2007 Circle of Excellence Award.
Angela Lloyd
One of the unique performers on the national storytelling circuit today, Angela has been featured at the 25th (1997), 2003 & 2010 National Storytelling Festival, in Jonesborough, Tennessee and regularly appears at regional festivals and theatres across the country. A virtuosa on Washboard, Angela’s performances are a whimsical braid of poetry, story and song played on Autoharp, Tenor Guitar, Spoon and Bell.
Angela’s debut recording, Dreams and Other Realities continues to be a favourite and has sold out the second edition. Her second recording, Sandburg Out Loud was re-released in 2012. This collaborative venture of Story, Song, Poetry and Music featured Angela with colleagues Bill Harley, Carol Birch and David Holt. From 2000-2003 Angela was funded by The California Arts Council as an artist in residence at The Walden School in Pasadena, CA. The impact of the residency was so great, the school continued to fund the project independently through 2007. 2019 marks a decade as storytelling teacher in residence at Children’s Community School in Van Nuys, Ca.
Michael D. McCarty
“These students had never before met a storyteller and even though I had talked to them about traditional storytelling nothing could match the experience you put them through. As I talked to them later they could retell the stories with ease which proves that they hung on to your every word. The teachers enjoyed the presentation as much as the kids, I looked around the auditorium and saw big grins on their faces.”—Kaj Malmstern, Addams School, Long Beach, CA
2019 Tellers:
