StoryFest 2024 - Showcase:
Hear Her Stories
1:30-2:25 - Rehearsal Hall
This showcase features storytellers who shared or coached personal/historical tales at “Hear Her Stories,” a Women’s History Month program at the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis on March 23. “Hear Her Stories” was a collaborative production of the Museum and Story Arts of Minnesota, hosted by Jen Scott.
Cynthia Veal Holm
Citizen Ruth
Cynthia Holm is a storyteller and playwright, who holds an M.F.A for Creative Writing in Stage and Screen from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For her undergraduate work, she designed her own major in Playwriting (an Individually Designed Interdepartmental Major) at the University of Minnesota. Her awards include the Garry Garrison Ten Minute Playwriting Award - Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Washington, DC and Northern Michigan University's Mildred & Albert Panowski Playwriting Award. Most recently in June 2023, her play Colored Water was honored at the FUSION Theatre Festival in Albuquerque, NM. Her International credits include readings through Write4word, a West Wales-based community nonprofit that believes the power of language arts impacts all aspects of life. Raised in the Midwest, Cynthia is delighted to have her work produced all over the United States and is a proud member of The Dramatist Guild. https://www.cynthiavealholm.com/
Kate Button
No Clearance
Kate Button has lived in South Minneapolis for over 30 years. Originally from the East Coast, Kate has worked a variety of jobs. Creatively, she has been doing improv for over 10 years and started stand up last year. Both have given her the opportunity to tell some of her many stories.
Akiko Ostlund
“My Husband’s Mother” from Stories of Sea
Akiko Ostlund is a multimedia artist, teaching artist, and an activist who lives and works in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A native of Osaka, Japan, she uses writing, dance, collage, and puppetry to tell stories that reflect her time, and a narrative of immigrant women of color that is often underrepresented.
Sue Searing
Sandwich Loaf and a Life Well Lived
Sue Searing loves to share all sorts of stories: traditional folk and fairy tales; stories drawn from history and family lore; and original tales inspired by her own life experiences. Sue has performed at schools, theaters, churches, breweries, libraries, and coffeehouses, and at the State Fair. She engages audiences online and on the radio, as well as in person. Sue has won story slams in the Twin Cities and took first place in the Great American Story Contest in Park Rapids, MN. She is a member of SAM’s board of directors and manages SAM’s online presence. https://www.suesearing.com
Danielle Daniel
[Title to be Determined]
Danielle Daniel is a motivational storyteller, speaker, actress, creative writer, director, and teaching artist. Her vivacious style fills the stage with a swirl of characters. Her storytelling programs and tour shows have been presented in Europe and the United States. She has worked in many schools, colleges, and community organizations using the art of storytelling to entertain, educate, motivate, and empower people of all ages. She is a recipient of the Jim Dusso Artist Award, Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship, LIN Grant, Many Voices and Jerome Fellowship from the Playwright Center. Her literary work includes a children’s book, “The Ghost of Old Man Willie,” three plays, Voodoo Child, Sugar and Spice a Black Woman’s Melody, and The Magic of Laughter. She believes our stories are like air and water, we need them to survive.