It's easy -- I don't keep anything useful in my head. I walk into a room in my house and think, now what did I come in here for? I go to the grocery store and leave without the two main things I went in to buy. If it weren't for sticky notes and bits of scrap paper taped to the refrigerator, I'd be lost. Without all that information about day-to-day tasks in it, my brain has plenty of room for the words to stories!
What do you charge for a story program?
It depends on the sponsoring organization, the occasion, the size of the group, the length of the program, the distance traveled to get there and back, and many other factors. Please contact me at dolores@storypower.org or 205-951-7757, and let's talk.
If the program is for a non-profit organization in the state of Alabama, the Alabama Humanities Foundation may be able to provide one of my story programs to your group at no charge. Please visit the AHF programs page of this website for more information about this terrific resource.
Do you tell stories for children?
My storytelling is primarily for grown-up audiences, rather than audiences made up mostly of children -- I sometimes say my stories are "for grown-ups of all ages." It's not that my stories have "R-rated" material in them -- it's just that my story style and story lengths are targeted for grown-ups -- most of my stories last around 30 minutes and the emphasis is on the meaning of the words and the relationships described, rather than on rhyming patterns, audience participation, or other devices that are frequently used to engage children in a story. Also, my story subject matter generally appeals more to someone with a bit of life experience (stories about friendships, hard times, first loves, computer mix-ups, mother / daughter relationships, etc. etc.).
My work is more "audio" than "video," with themes that require some emotional and intellectual investment on the part of the audience. I describe my performances as "not recommended for children" because if I say they ARE recommended for children, many people interpret that to mean that the stories are primarily targeted for children, and that's not the case.
All of which is to say: You know your child / children, and whether they will enjoy this kind of storytelling or not. The many story samples included on this website can give you an idea of my storytelling style so that you can decide how your child might respond to it.