Donald
Davis was born in a Southern Appalachian mountain world rich in
stories. "I didn't learn stories, I just absorbed them
," he says as he recounts tales and more tales learned from a
family of traditional storytellers who have lived on the same Western
North Carolina land since 1781. Davis grew up hearing gentle fairy
tales, simple and silly Jack tales, scary mountain lore, ancient Welsh
and Scottish folktales, and-most importantly-nourishing true-to-life
stories of his own neighbors and kin.
It was Uncle Frank, a man who "talked in
stories," who helped Donald capture the real and daily adventures
of life...and it was Uncle Frank who gave him the creative courage to
tell about them.
Davis remembers, "I discovered that in a
story I could safely dream any dream, hope any hope, go anywhere I
pleased, fight any foe, win or lose, live or die. My stories
created a safe experimental learning place. |
"I didn't learn
stories, I just absorbed them," |
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"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."
Wilma Dykeman
The New York Times |
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"Davis is not simply one of
the finest storytellers practicing his craft today, he is also one of
the master teachers of other storytellers."
Michael Williams
Nashville Banner |
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And that is the way that Donald Davis has approached all of his learning
places...as a student at Davidson Collage; as a graduate of Duke
University Divinity School; as a retired Methodist minister; as former
Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the National Storytelling
Association; as featured teller at the Smithsonian Institution, the
World's Fair, festivals and concerts throughout the United States and
the world; as prolific author and producer of books and tapes of his
works; as master teacher of workshops and storytelling courses; as a
guest host for the National Public Radio Program "Good
Evening"; and as father of four sons.
For Donald Davis, storytelling is a way of
giving and living life. He invites each listener to come along, to
pull deep inside for one's own stories, to personally share and
co-create the common experiences that celebrate the creative
spirit. For Donald Davis storytelling ",...is
not what I do for a living...it is how I do all that I do while I am
living." |
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