Howard Lieberman
When not writing poetry and political essays Howard spends most of his artistic hours writing and performing personal narrative stories. His jaded yet surprisingly tender style has made him a favorite on the national and, thanks to Zoom, global performance scene. Howard is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Fringe Festival and The National Storytelling Network and is a current board member of Story Arts of Minnesota.
Kory May
Kory May tells stories to make sense of the world. Since the world doesn’t make sense, Kory keeps telling stories. He’s a storyteller, coach, and performer based in Iowa City. For more than 2,500 nights, he’s gone live with *Thoughts Too Big for My Head*, a nightly microcast of real, funny, and heartfelt stories. A two‑time Moth GrandSLAM winner who has performed on a Moth Mainstage, his work spans Midwest stages, TikTok, classrooms, and gatherings—wherever people come to listen.
Kory teaches the Six Pillars of Character to elementary students through story, helping young minds connect values to lived experience. He’s mentored entrepreneurs, coached students, and as a 19‑year Toastmaster and two‑time Distinguished Toastmaster, he helps people find their voice and tell their truth.
He builds worlds, names personas, and crafts rituals that help people reflect, decide, and connect. His umbrella brand, Story Vista Frameworks, LLC, houses his work in storytelling, coaching, persona design, and mythic pedagogy.
He is Kory May, the tall man with the short name.
Sharon Stiteler
Sharon Stiteler widely known as the “Birdchick” is a writer and speaker who has made it her career to get paid to go birding. She wrote the books Disapproving Rabbits, 1001 Secrets Every Birder Should Know, adnd North American Bird Watching for Beginners and regularly appears on television, podcasts, radio answering bird questions as well as performs in storytelling shows. She’s worked a variety of jobs like conducting birds surveys, field trip leader, park ranger, and was even the voice of Denali National Park and Preserve. She currently resides in Minnesota with a retired Denali sled dog named Party Pants.
Carol McCormick
Carol McCormick stretches the mind, encourages laughter, and sparks imagination. She has a large and always growing repertoire of tales and can create a special program for your event, conference, and venue or serve as your conference keynoter. Through stories Carol engenders discovery learning and inspires new perspectives. She engages multi-generational audiences in settings from classrooms to organizational conferences, from churches to corporate training sessions. Carol plants seeds that grow empathy, creativity, and community. She leads storytelling, creativity, and writing workshops. Her children’s picture book A BRIDGE FOR GRANDMA helps people overcome the fear of death. www.carolmccormick.net
Kristy Reid
Kristy Reid is a Saint Paul–based storyteller with nearly twenty years of experience in arts and culture, primarily in theatrical and live performance spaces. She also runs a small vintage clothing business, where she restores and sells vintage clothing with histories of their own. Kristy has been drawn to her grandmother’s story since she was a teenager; her recent discovery of more than 400 love letters has reshaped her understanding of her family’s past, and of the courage it took for her grandmother to immigrate to Minnesota after World War II. Learn more about Kristy at kristyreid.com
Jim Stowell
An award winning professional actor, director, playwright and storyteller. Jim Stowell has written and directed eleven full cast plays, including two children’s plays, three book adaptations and a Spanish language play. Written
and performed twelve one man plays that were commissioned and produced by six different theaters in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. His work has also been on National Public Radio, Minnesota Public Television, seen at The Sundance Film Festival, The Toronto Film Festival, The National Storytelling Festival and 200 hundred other venues around the USA and Canada. A museum in Mexico, a theater in Guatemala, a banana plantation in Honduras and a village in the Amazon rainforest.
Teaching experience: St. Thomas University-Five Ph.D. level storytelling workshops. Moorhead State University-Tom McGrath Visiting Writer Series-Creative writing. University of Minnesota-Several times, teaching acting/playwriting/storytelling, including ‘Going Long. How to write a one-person play.’ The Playwrights Center-‘From the Page to the Stage.’ Middlebury College Middlebury, VT. ‘Creating stories through movement.’ Two local Community Colleges and many, many, high schools in the twin cities and around the state.
Danielle Daniel, Host
Danielle Daniel is a storyteller, actress, speaker, writer, director, and teaching artist whose vibrant performances ignite imagination and creativity. She has shared her storytelling programs across the U.S. and Europe, inspiring audiences of all ages. A recipient of awards includes the Jim Dusso Artist Award, a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship, a LIN Grant, Many Voices, and a Jerome Fellowship from the Playwright Center. Danielle is also the author of The Ghost of Old Man Willie and the plays Voodoo Child, Sugar and Spice: A Black Woman’s Melody, and The Magic of Laughter. She believes stories are essential to our survival.
Laura Packer, Host
Laura Packer knows the best way to truth is through a good story; she has told, taught, ranted, raved, coached, consulted, and considered storytelling for over 30 years. She loves how stories connect people and help us dream bigger. Laura has won many awards including the National Storytelling Network’s Circle of Excellence. Laura holds a degree in folklore and mythology and is the author of From Audience to Zeal: The ABCs of Finding, Crafting, and Telling a Great Story, winner of Storytelling World’s highest honors. Find out more at laurapacker.com and patreon.com/laurapacker.
Mari Harris, Music
Mari Harris is a Singer, Songwriter, Pianist, Actress, Voice Coach, Life Coach, and a Certified Reflexologist. In a world that is not necessarily designed for one to be multitalented, multidimensional, and multifaceted, she has met the challenge of creating a Life where she can powerfully be who she is and do what she does. Mari is an amazing and fierce advocate for others as they shape their best, most powerful, and most fun lives! Performing nationally for world leaders, executive events, and educational institutions, Ms. Harris specializes in performing at cutting-edge conferences, gatherings, and special events.