Nationally renowned story teller comes to Valley

MAT-SU Donald Davis stories are about more than his adventures as a boy in the southern Appalachian Mountains. They are about all of us discovering our own history.

During a five-day tour of the Mat-Su Valley next month, the celebrated storyteller will present his repertoire of traditional folk tales and stories gathered from his own life. He will also lead several workshops to help others see the power of their own stories.

Storytelling is all about who we are, Davis said during a telephone interview from his North Carolina home. If we know our history, we know who we are.

By rediscovering our past, we can sort out the good from the bad and choose what we carry on with us, Davis said.

The only thing we cant give away is our history, unless we dont know it, he said.

Janice Carrington, director of Palmer Public Library, said a growing interest in genealogy and history will hopefully mean overflowing crowds at Davis presentations in the Valley.

As most storytellers would tell you, we all have a story in us, even if we dont think so, Carrington said. I think it helps people to realize that there is a life story to pass on to the next generation.

The idea to bring Davis to the Valley originated with Candy Kopperud, also of the Palmer library.

During one of several of her trips to the national storytelling festival in Tennessee, Kopperud heard Davis speak and came back to Palmer raving about his talent. Kopperud told Carrington she would like to bring the storyteller to the Valley.

I told her if you can find the money, it would be a great idea, Carrington said. And she found the money.

Kopperud got Sutton librarian Nancy Bertels excited about the possibility and the two wrote and won a grant from the Alaska Humanities Forum. Various Friends of Libraries groups around the Valley raised matching funds, and local businesses also contributed. In a year-long process, the entire community helped Kopperud reach her goal of bringing the world-renowned storyteller to the Valley.

But the Palmer librarian is far from Davis only fan.

I could have listened all morning to Donald Davis . . . his stories often left listeners limp with laughter at the same time they struggled with a lump in the throat, according to Wilma Dykeman of the New York Times.

Smithsonian Magazine described him as a master of timing . . . he measured some sentences drop by drop, poured others out like water from a pitcher.

Davis has been a featured teller at the Smithsonian Institution, the Worlds Fair and numerous festivals and events around the country, including a storytelling cruise from Fairbanks to Seward last summer.

He has also published numerous books and audiotapes of his stories, including Listening for the Crack of Dawn and Barking at a Fox Fur Coat.

With younger children, Davis shares the stories he heard as a child, often ancient Scottish and Welsh folk tales. But more often, Davis performs for older children and adults, telling the stories from his own life.

He is on the road nearly 300 days a year, traveling around the world and weaving his tales. And whether he is in New Zealand or Alaska, he still tells his stories in his own way.

Its amazing how little difference it makes, Davis said of the various cultures in which he has worked.

He said more often he has to adapt to generational differences rather than geological. But even where there is more explanation required, the stories can still have meaning.

For example, he tells about his high school years when he worked at a drive-in theater. He admitted many Alaskans probably havent experienced a drive-in theater.

The only time its warm, its daylight out, Davis pointed out. However, he said there is still a way to share the tale, by making it what he calls a museum piece, in which the storyteller takes his audience to an unfamiliar place or time.

In addition to sharing his own stories, Davis will lead several workshops in the Valley to assist others in telling their tales.

Palmer Public Library will host Storytelling in the Oral Medium at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 8. The workshop is designed for people who use storytelling as a part of their everyday lives. It is described as especially helpful for educators, youth workers, politicians and theologians. The workshop will examine the process of storytelling and Davis will discuss how to transform abstract ideas into stories.

Davis will present two additional workshops at the Palmer library. Life Story Workshop will be from 9 a.m. to noon Sunday, Oct. 9, followed by a storytelling workshop from 1:30 to 4:30. Davis will look at where stories can be found in peoples lives and how they can share them with others.

The fee for the workshops is $5 per participant. People may register by calling Palmer Public Library at 745-4690. More information about any of the scheduled performances is available by contacting the library.