STORYTELLER MARY HAMILTON

This year's storyteller grew up on a family farm in Meade County, Kentucky, in the 1950s. Mary Hamilton's childhood was typical of a rural youngster, revolving around family, the farm, school, and church. Her love of reading led her to enroll at the University of Kentucky, where she received a bachelor of science in secondary education in 1974. After graduation, she taught high school English for five years, before receiving a master's in library science, also from the University of Kentucky, in 1979. She worked as a children's librarian for the Grand Rapids Public Library in Michigan from 1979 to 1983, when she began full-time work as a professional storyteller.
 

Hamilton has appeared at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee; the Corn Island Storytelling Festival in Louisville, Kentucky; Winter Tales in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and the Florida Storytelling Camp. She also uses storytelling at professional conferences to set the stage for learning. Keynote venues include the National Storytelling Conference, Appalachian Educational Laboratory, and Clemson University's Professional Development Conferences for Women. In addition to her conference presentations, Hamilton leads workshops on storytelling technique and presentation skills. She spends nearly 300 days a year at storytelling residencies for schools in Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, and North Carolina.
 

With Cynthia Changaris, she cofounded Scheherazade's Legacy, producer of storytelling in education workshops and a supplier of storytelling resources. Hamilton's storytelling expertise can be enjoyed on the following audiocassettes: The Winter Wife, 1000 Ideas and Then Some, Some Dog and Other Kentucky Wonder Tales, Stepping Stones - Stories for Ages 4-10, Haunting Tales, and Sailing the Flying Ship: Stories and Thoughts on Navigating Life.