Lyn Ford friedtales@aol.com P.O. Box 737, Reynoldsburg OH 43068-0737
"Her warm, down-home style will appeal to people of all ages..." - Dick Strader, Librarian, Willard Public Library, Battle Creek, Michigan
"[Lyn's stories]...bring children into a multicultural world where differences are explored and celebrated." - Sue Black, Storyteller-in-Residence at Robert Clow Elementary School, Naperville, Illinois
"Excellent--Totally held our attention--We were her "class"--Enthusiastic, fun, and funny!"
Educators who participated in Lyn's storytelling workshop at the Early Childhood Spring Conference, Lancaster Campus of Ohio University
Want to know more about how my storytelling programs and workshops help you meet benchmarks of National Academic Content Standards? E-mail your request, and I'll send you a free e-mail report.
My Work
Fourth-generation storyteller Lynette Ford shares "Home-Fried Tales" rooted in her family's multicultural African American storytelling traditions. Lyn's programs are enhanced with rhythm and rhyme, history and mystery, humor and heart.
Lyn is an Ohio teaching artist who has facilitated workshops for literacy, early childhood education, storytelling, and diversity events across the country. Lyn has also provided opening and closing activities for storytelling conferences and various types of retreats.
Lyn calls her stories "Home-Fried Tales" to honor her father, who was a terrible cook (the only things he consistently made well were home-fried potatoes and barbecued ribs doused with Lyn's mother's special sauce), and the best storyteller she ever heard. Lyn learned to "stir up, season, and simmer" her folktale adaptations and original stories while sitting knee-to-knee with elders who passed on their own special gifts from the oral tradition.
Benefits to people
- Lyn's interactive style of story communication offers a unique narrative experience for all types of listeners and learners.
- Lyn's adaptations of folktales, fables, and legends from diverse storytelling traditions provide lessons in character development, as well as English language arts, fine arts (drama/theatre), historical, social, and cultural experiences that help listeners meet benchmarks of national academic content standards.
- Lyn has successfully completed professional development seminars to assist educators and other mentors in finding creative ways to incorporate storytelling in their classrooms. These seminars were provided through: the Ohio State-Based Collaborative Initiative, in partnership with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; a collaboration of Columbus (OH) Public Schools, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Ohio Alliance for Arts Eduction, and the U.S. Department of Education.
Tell me what you need. We can work out a program just for YOU and YOUR STORY-LISTENERS!
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