PRESS RELEASE:
This special show will feature and honor Asheville’s very own “Storylady” from TV’s Mr. Bill Show. Gwenda Ledbetter began her career here in Asheville over 50 years ago and is now being honored by the National Storytelling Network with the prestigious “Lifetime Achievement Award.” She’ll accept that honor at their national conference in Kansas City the weekend prior to this show.
Gwenda is a matriarch of traditional storytelling and is revered by storytellers all over the world. She is definitely a storytelling treasure. At age 85, she’s still telling stories and delighting audiences. We are fortunate to be able to present this show in celebration and in honor of such a wonderful storyteller.
Not only will Gwenda tell a story or two but she’ll be joined by Dr. Joseph Sobol, chair of the Masters Degree Program in Storytelling at East Tennessee State University. The evening will also include stories from Raymond Christian, four time champion of The Moth Story Slam in Asheville and most recently featured on NPR’s Moth Radio Hour and “Snap Judgement.”
Co-hosting the event will be professional storyteller and spoken word producer, David Joe Miller and Jimmy Neil Smith, the founder of the International Storytelling Center and the National Storytelling Festival, known as the “Carnegie Hall of Storytelling,” in Jonesborough, TN.
The show begins at 7pm, doors open at 6pm and you are urged to come early for a good seat. For more information about this show, please contact David Joe Miller at davidjoetells@yahoo.com
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