Words Alive

If scientists are the brains of society, then storytellers can lay full claim to the heart. While facts and figures sure do describe the specifics of how the world works, they don't fully capture the depth of the human experience, any more than the periodic table describes a snow-capped mountain range. Leave it to stories for that — to paint a picture, to inspire, to stir, to bring about understanding and empathy, and to share humor and laughter. Through the St. Louis Storytelling Festival, happening at various venues and times from Wednesday, May 1, through Saturday, May 4, more than 50 storytellers from throughout the region and the nation, award-winners among them, will see to it that all of the aforementioned will stimulate minds of all ages. There are various school-day events for kids, an adult storytelling workshop (on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at the Missouri History Museum), an evening of ghost stories (on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Bissell Mansion Restaurant & Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre), a grand finale performance on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Missouri-St. Louis' Touhill Performing Arts Center and much, much more. Most of the events are free (tickets for the finale cost $7 to $10), but you can register, check out the full schedule and learn more information at www.stlstorytellingfestival.org.
May 1-4, 2013