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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. |
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"I didn't learn stories, I just
absorbed them," |
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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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"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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