Karen Pillsworth: Storyteller, Teacher, Storyteller Laureate, Kingston, New York

Teaching Experience
A gifted storyteller and teacher, Karen first began telling stories during her undergraduate work at the College of St. Rose in Albany, NY. With a BS in Elementary Education/English and an MS in Early Childhood Education, Karen has incorporated storytelling in the classroom for the past 25 years. When she is not in the classroom or performing stories at various venues, she finds time to present workshops on a variety of topics to college students and teachers alike.

Karen has presented workshops in the past on topics such as "Discovering the Stories with Us: The Power of Personal Storytelling", "Math and Science: Making the Connection", and "Storyteller Laureate: Make it Happen in Your Community." The workshops have been presented at the NY State Reading Conference, Kingston City Schools, Mid-Hudson Teacher Center and the Sharing the Fire Storytelling Festival, to name a few.

Karen has taught "The Art of Storytelling" at Ulster County Community College and "Discovering the Stories Within Us" at Ulster Performing Arts Center's Expanding Horizon's Art and Education Center. In 1994, she was selected as National Arts Education Fellow for her program: "There's No Place Like Home: Stories of the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains." Karen will be presenting a workshop titled Once Upon a Time…Telling Stories to Children" at the Adirondack Mountain Writers' Retreat and Story Workshops.

Storytelling
Karen Pillsworth has been enchanting audiences all over the Northeast with her stories for over 25 years. She has performed in libraries, camps, churches, parks, schools, historic sites and at festivals. She is regularly featured at Mohonk Mountain House and has shared her stories on WAMC National Public Radio. In 2002, she was named Storyteller Laureate of the city of Kingston, NY.

Karen's work has been featured in the recently published book The Storytelling Classroom: Applications Across the Curriculum and in the July/August 2006 issue of Storytelling Magazine.

Fiction Among Friends
At the Adirondack Mountain Writers' Retreat and Story Workshops she presented a workshop entitled "Once Upon a Time: Telling Stories to Children". Karen says,

'Once upon a time....' Where have you heard those words before? All children should have the opportunity to go back in time and listen with wonder to stories well-told. You can be the teller who draws them into a world of imagination where time stands still and happily ever after is still a possibility. This workshop will have you playing with stories and techniques of storytelling. You will be ready to tell at least one story before you leave the session, and the urge to learn more will stay with you forever. Come with me into the magical land of story. It's going to be a great adventure!

This workshop is of use to those who wish to entertain or teach children through story. The session was divided between lecture and hands-on activities. Each had time to find his or her storytelling comfort level and had time to explore how they wished to use stories. Karen had available for purchase copies of The Storytelling Classroom: Applications Across the Curriculum.