January 16, 2020 - Mark your calendars! The 33rd annual Mariposa Storytelling Week is back, kicking off Friday, March 13th with Mariposa Story Slam!, a local amateur storytelling competition with this year’s theme echoing its Friday the 13th date: “Stranger Than Fiction”. In the hall of the Mariposa United Methodist Church (located at 4991 6th St.), community members tell a true story from their own experience in 5 minutes or less to a friendly audience and three judges. Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and third place, of $100, $75, and $50 will be given. Pre-register to guarantee one of ten storytelling slots by calling (209) 742-2548 or signing up at High Country Health Food Store & Café in downtown Mariposa. This not to be missed evening includes an intermission with refreshments, and three local children telling their own stories.
Next, on Saturday, March 14th is Featured Storytellers’ Night with Diane Ferlatte (pictured), her musician accompanist Erik Pearson, and Mariposa’s own Storyteller, Angela Heiss, at the Parish Hall of St. Joseph’s Church (4985 Bullion St.) in downtown Mariposa.
Diane is an award winning, dynamic performer, who has captivated audiences across six continents in over 20 countries. She has been researching, collecting and telling stories for over thirty years. While emphasizing the history, struggles and triumphs of the African American experience as well as African & Southern tales, she also loves to tell stories that hold truths touching upon our common humanity, including personal stories as well as many tales from across the globe. Her awards include a 2008 Grammy Nomination, the National Storytelling Network’s Oracle Circle of Excellence Award, the National Association of Black Storyteller’s Zora Neale Hurston Award, California Arts Council's Highest Ranking, as well as Parents’ Choice, American Library Association, iParenting Media, Storytelling World, & National Parenting Publications Awards for her recordings with her accompanist Erik Pearson on banjo & guitar.
Angela Heiss, winner of Story Slam contests in Mariposa and Sonora, was featured at the Northwest Tall Tale Competition in Medford, OR, and performed at the 2017 National Storytelling Network Conference in Kansas City, MO, as a storyteller from the Pacific Region.
Both performances begin at 7:00 P.M. (doors open at 6:30 P.M.) in downtown Mariposa, with suggested donations of $3 for Story Slam!, and $10 for Storytellers’ Night.
All proceeds support the Mariposa Community Foundation Keeping Storytelling in Mariposa Schools and Community.
Visit the Mariposa Storytelling Facebook page at: Facebook.com/StorytellingMariposa
Source: Mariposa Storytelling
