A teller of folktales, historical, personal and family stories, Madiha has a rich relationship with storytelling. She has told stories to children, adults, families, newcomers, and seniors in daycares, schools, womens’ shelters, Mosques, libraries, festivals, private parties and story cafés.
Madiha is certified as an early childhood development worker and has years of experience working in various human services and volunteer roles, where she continues to draw upon the magic of storytelling. She uses story to invite people to go within and beyond themselves. With her creative, reflective and community-based approach, Madiha can create customized story programs and workshops for your group.
A lifelong student, passionate mother and educator at heart, Madiha is currently exploring the role of storytelling in strengthening attachment, reinforcing family and community bonds, and as a tool to foster emotional regulation and resilience. She welcomes the opportunity to deliver programs and workshops in Urdu/Hindi.

Phone Number: (403) 400-2929
Email: mmadda@storytellingalberta.com

Betty Hersberger has more than 40 years of storytelling experience. Her stories are drawn from folktales, folklore and family. Betty's performances are a collage that can include poems, songs, riddles, rhymes, tradition tales, and family stories. Recently, she has interpreted writings by and about two of The Famous Five: Nellie McClung and Henrietta Muir Edwards and gives solo storytelling performances in these personae. She is a member of the Storytellers of Canada – Conteurs du Canada

Phone Number: (403) 690-9415

Email: north40stories@hotmail.com

Ellen Gasser has always loved stories, both written and oral.
Her long career in natural and cultural history interpretation with Alberta Parks, Heritage Park Historical Village, and a variety of museums and visitor centers, and her passion for researching history has led her to many stories. She has told stories about Alberta's wildlife, and tales of the history and people of Writing-on-Stone/Aisinaipi, Fish Creek Provincial Park, Heritage Park and early Calgary to audiences of all ages around campfires, in museum exhibits, on guided walks and ghost tours, at tell arounds, and through her writing. Ellen also plays guitar and sings and often uses music to enhance her presentations.

Phone Number: (403) 831-2280
Email: ellen.gasser@gmail.com

Chantal is a Cree Ojibwe Métis Singer, Drummer, Artist, Storyteller, Actor, Educator, Workshop Facilitator, Social Justice Advocate and Activist with roots in Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan. She shares Traditional Indigenous Songs, Stories, Culture, History, Arts and Teachings. Chantal has presented at Conferences, Conventions, Galas, Fundraisers, Community, Social Justice Events and in Classrooms from Preschool through University. She has performed at the National Music Centre, Saddle Dome, Jubilee Auditorium, Jack Singer Concert Hall, and many other stages showcasing Traditional and Contemporary Indigenous Music, Stories and Knowledge. Chantal aims to entertain, engage, enlighten, educate, and inspire everyone she meets.

Website: http://www.Cree8.ca

Email: Chantal@Cree8.ca

Phone: 403-404-7664

Proud of her Icelandic and Danish ancestry, Karen Gummo relishes and performs sagas of the ancients as well as more recent tales of Vikings on the prairie. Wisdom tales from around the world as well as her own invented stories are an important part of her repertoire as well. Since 1997 she has been working in Calgary schools and beyond, nurturing the creative spirit in folks of all ages through workshops and school residencies. She has been part of TALES since its inception and values the generous community of storytellers found there. Story Topics: Norse myths, folktales, legends, family tales, nature stories and history stories.

Website: http://www.karengummo.com/

Email: karengummo@gmail.com

Phone: 403-869-3921

Stories to touch the heart and tickle the funny bone!

Mary’s storytelling delights audiences of all ages through traditional tales, personal, and historical stories about social activism, pioneer life and World War ll. Her storytelling programs combine the use of traditional storytelling, historical artifacts, puppetry, flannel figures, and rhymes. Mary can offer workshops on a variety of topics including: storytelling, personal and family stories, puppetry, readers theatre, vocal care, poetry, and early literacy.

Website: http://www.storymary.com/

Email: storymary@hotmail.com

Phone: 403-556-5831

Since 1992, Ginger Mullen’s immersion into the oral tradition has led to a unique storytelling style that blends performance and scholarship. Having earned a Master of Arts that focused on folktales in general, and the ballad of “Tam Lin” in particular, she brings to her craft a deep and layered understanding of the stories she tells. Currently, she juggles several roles that draw on her multi-disciplinary knowledge. She teaches Storytelling at Mount Royal University in Calgary and University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She presents papers about various folktales both nationally and internationally. And she continues to tell stories and facilitate programs for schools and community organizations.

Email: ginger.mullen@shaw.ca

Katrina Muzaic is a storyteller, library technician, and dancer in Calgary. Her storytelling journey began while studying library information technology at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. After graduation, she carried on practicing her storytelling through performing at the Calgary story slam. She has also worked for the Whyte Museum in Banff where she developed a special interest in oral history. Later she began volunteering with TALES in the StoryShare program, and soon after became a member. She continues to experiment with her stories and hopes of bringing connection to all audiences.

Email: katrina.muzaic@gmail.com

Doreen Vanderstoop is a Calgary-based storyteller, musician and writer. She performs stories of all kinds — historical, family and personal stories, as well as folktales from around the world — for groups of all ages in numerous settings including schools, seniors lodges, festivals, story cafes, historical celebrations, parties and more. She loves presenting a mix of stories and music on a theme. Doreen’s debut novel Watershed was published by Freehand Books in 2020. It won the Alberta Book Publishers Trade Fiction Book of the Year Award in 2021.

Website: http://doreenvanderstoop.ca/

Email: dvanderstoop@gmail.com

Phone: 403-816-6002

Cassy Welburn is a Calgary storyteller and poet who loves to share stories with people of all ages in schools, colleges, libraries and community centres around the province and country. She is a retired teacher who specialized in theatre and English, using storytelling and writing to promote literacy.
Cassy specializes in folktale, ballad, and literary tales, including music and poetry in performances. She enjoys teaching workshops or being a storyteller in residence. Cassy was a post Canadian Storyteller on Tour with TD Book Tours and has a book/cd, Changelings, of poetry and story.

Email: catherine_welburn@hotmail.com

Phone: 403-437-6484

Mindy is a retired French Immersion / Learning Disabilities teacher who has been telling stories (some true, most not) for over 20 years. She creates customized programs and specializes in fables, folk tales and legends. She has told in libraries, coffee shops, schools, churches and festivals. If you ask, she may well tell!

Email: mwoolcott3@gmail.com

Phone: 403-971-1826

Blue Elk is considered by his community to be a traditional person having spent his childhood living on the land in a traditional way.
He is dedicated to being a knowledge keeper for the Stony Nation and a storyteller, sharing native awareness, history, healing, and the path of connection to Creator and all beings. All are welcome to ask for a story to be told.
Eeshneesh! Thank you!

Phone: (587) 357-9295
Email: puh.chi.dinn.toh@gmail.com

Kathleen enjoys finding and offering stories that reach deep into human experience and encourage reflection, inspiration and connection to our own life stories. She looks for the sparkle in stories from the island of Ireland.
Kathleen told stories during the years of the Annual Alberta Storytelling Festival and tells at community events in Edmonton and area.
She is the Treasurer for the Storytelling Alberta Edmonton Chapter.

Email: mkquinn@telusplanet.net
Phone: (780) 975-7824

Dean came to the world of Storytelling as a writer. He began by telling his own original works, then added traditional tales for all ages from all over the world. He assembled likeminded raconteurs to form the first Ottawa Storytelling group in 1982. These days, his repertoire ranges from real life stories of the mountains through to Herman Melville's Moby Dick.

Dean owned and ran Rasputin's Folk Cafe in Ottawa, Canada. This little club ran for 28 years. In that time he hosted thousands of concerts featuring musicians, storytellers, actors, and poets.

Dean shares stories with children, teens, adults and seniors. Dean also gives workshops on

• "How to use a microphone",

• "Crafting the large story from a novel"

• "Dealing With Stagefright".

Phone: 1 (825) 51-3536
Email: deanverger@gmail.com
Web: https://www.rasputins.ca/dean/

Ruth grew up in a storytelling household where she was immersed in amazing tales of her grandparents' childhood memories, of traveling tellers who dined at the family table and of Canada’s historical heroes. She developed a respect for an oral tradition that lives in all cultures. Her love of the spoken word has been shared on concert stages, at festivals, in embassies, on radio, and in the classroom.

 Ruth has traveled across Canada telling stories and finding new ones! She has facilitated workshops, conducted seminars, and presented at symposiums and conferences.

 Ruth tells to:
Parents and tots under two,
Preschool children,
School-age children,
Adults,
Seniors.

 Ruth facilitates:
Introductory workshops for those new to the art of storytelling,
Skill development workshops for experienced Tellers,
Giving Voice to History,
Sharing your story, from your culture,
Using storytelling to develop English Language skills (designed for newcomers to Canada learning English)

Phone: 1 (825) 512-3536
Email: ruth.stewartverger@gmail.com

Wendy tells healing stories that take you on a journey of heartbreak and humour, tragedy and triumph, hardship and hope. Backed by years of experience in adding a light touch to serious topics such as grieving, disability, care giving and illness, she is a speaker of choice at health, social service and educational conferences. She offers workshops on developing healing stories, starting hopeful stories and growing personal stories. Her writing is featured in professional journals, agency newsletters, caregiver anthologies, Our Canada Magazine and on THE HOPE lady Blog.

Website: www.thehopelady.blogspot.com

Email: wendy.edey11@gmail.com

Phone: 780-690-8452

Widely travelled with a background in theatre and education, Bethany Ellis has taken her tales to England, Asia and Africa, and across Canada in classrooms, pre-schools, libraries, seniors’ centres, theatres, behind barns under trees, and thrice in a graveyard. She is the co-founder, playwright and director of Caraway Story Theatre, which has been in operation for 14 years. She frequently tours schools and libraries with Young Alberta Book Society (YABS) and is available for school bookings and as an artist-in-residence to teach storytelling and Story Theatre. Languages: English and French

Website: Under construction

Email: bevido@telus.net

Phone: 780-436-9064

Kathy Jessup has been a professional storyteller for over twenty-five years. She tells stories for all ages and has performed in schools, libraries, concerts and festivals across Canada and internationally. Kathy's CD of original stories, "Listen Up!" was recommended by the Canadian Children's Book Centre in their guide "Best Books for Kids and Teens." The CCBC has also chosen Kathy (twice) as a featured storyteller in their national touring program. Kathy's performances for adults and teens include a set of Alaska Highway stories based on her family history. Story sets can be tailored to specific audiences and occasions.

Website: www.kathyjessup.com

Email: kathyjessup@hotmail.com

Phone: 780-499-3421

Story Topics: Celtic Folklore, original prairie stories, humour, nostalgia and surprise stories.

Marie Anne has a casual open style of telling to family and adult audiences. Her stories help people to smile at life.

Email: mamclean@shaw.ca

Phone: 780-437-7736

Born and raised in the amazing city of Calgary, Ruoh-Yeng Chang somehow ended up in Oilers territory. She is a family doctor, public speaker, and passionate storyteller. Her experiences in work and life have created an appreciation for the role of stories in life's journeys and our connections to each other and the past. Her repertoire focuses on Chinese folktales, life through turmoil, and medical circumstances.

As a previous Emerging storyteller, Yeng treasures the opportunity to share and listen to beautiful experiences.

Note: All stories related to medicine are either personal experience or have patient consent for sharing.

Email: yengchang.md@gmail.com

"I love the quick-paced interaction that a room full of children wrapped up in a story can bring. The fun, the laughter, the sparkling eyes, from a tale well-told has a joy that can touch your soul. But, the intimate telling of a tale that has several layers and meanings to an older audience is extremely fulfilling to me." Pearl-Ann's love of oral literature has taken her across Canada performing and attending concerts, festivals, museums, libraries, schools and conferences. Story Topics: Fairytales, Folktales, Interactive Stories, Humorous Family Tales and Tales with Canadian Twists.

Email: goodtell@telusplanet.net

Phone: 780-806-3492

Listening to Jim Green relate stories, songs, poems and observations on the human condition is a unique experience. His repertoire has been described as entertaining, provocative, and just a tad outrageous. Audiences warm to Jim’s infectious sense of humor and homespun honesty – often dissolving into fits of laughter as his stories unfold. Jim has performed his own material in every province and territory of Canada.

Website: www.jimgreenstoryteller.com

Email: jimgreen29517@yahoo.ca

Phone: 867-872-2251

Kayla Groening is of Métis/Ukrainian-Canadian heritage and resides in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta. Growing up in rural Manitoba, she spent much of her childhood exploring the outdoors, reading, painting, drawing and daydreaming. Following her love of nature, she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies at the University of Winnipeg and upon graduating, moved to Alberta to begin work in the environmental sector. A generalist at heart, there is not a lot that doesn't pique her interest. She is learning to appreciate her renaissance soul. It has the ability to grow her connections, consider different perspectives, find unique solutions to difficult problems and widen her worldview.

Email: kayla.adele.groening@gmail.com

Phone: 403-700-2346