91¶ÌÊÓƵ

Laurie Allen

Regional Storyteller

Laurie has been telling ghost stories, folk tales and Americana tales, some with music, for more years than she wants to admit. She has taught storytelling to children and adults alike. Laurie will share anywhere there is an audience and is a favorite with Ogden Ghost Tours. Contact her at storiesbylaurie@gmail.com for help with your storytelling needs.

Cassie Ashton

Regional Storyteller

Cassie Ashton is a natural-born storyteller. In 1992, as a young mother, she was looking for a creative outlet. She saw a blurb for a storytelling group that sounded intriguing. That was the beginning of a lifelong passion for telling, teaching, writing, coaching, volunteering, and being fully immersed in the power of story.

As a storyteller, she is known for historical stories, ghost stories, folktales, myths, and legends. She has prepared commissioned pieces for Better Days 2020 and The Mormon Battalion Association. She is co-author of "Haunted Salt Lake City" and "The Ghostly Tales of SLC:" true stories of ghosts living in downtown Salt Lake City.

Cassie has a private practice as a relationship coach, where she assists others to reframe and create empowering stories for their own lives.

Elizabeth Atkinson

Regional Storyteller

Elizabeth Atkinson was born to a southern family for whom storytelling was a natural part of life. Stories were shared around the kitchen table and, occasionally with extended family, during front porch gatherings. She pursued performance as an adult, receiving a B.A. Theater Arts at BYU-Provo. Elizabeth has been a professional storyteller for four years. She has a varied repertoire of southern folklore, ghost stories, and personal narratives and has been part of the Ogden Ghost Tours since 2022. This is her fourth Weber State Storytelling Festival. She is also now working in voiceovers.

Mike Brian

Regional Storyteller

Mike Brian is the creator of the National Speakers Association’s National Storytelling competition — The Last Story Standing. Mike works with organizations in the presentation and storytelling genre. A graduate of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ and retired Marketing and Advertising executive, Mike has spent over 40 years helping business people tell stories more effectively and with more impact. And, sometimes more like when they were kids.

Kristen Clay

Regional Storyteller

Kristen Clay has circled the globe as a storyteller, actor, teacher, and perpetual student. In addition to being an author, acting coach, motivational Speaker, creator, and director of Story Tours: Utah Ghost Tours, Hysterical History Tours and custom storytelling concerts, Kristen is known for bringing various cultures alive to audiences around the world. Kristen is the co-author of the books Haunted Salt Lake City, and Ghostly Tales of Salt Lake City.

She has a passion for healing and inspirational stories that she is privileged to share in schools, prisons, rehab facilities and with youth-in-custody. Her greatest joy is watching her audiences and readers make connections with different cultures and experiences, then remember their own stories.

Cherie Davis

Regional Storyteller

Cherie Davis is a storyteller, author, and mentor to young storytellers. She travels through Utah, the Western United States, and Internationally, sharing stories and teaching storytelling. Cherie began performing and teaching storytelling over two decades ago. Those she has mentored say she is a local celebrity. She is the founder and director of Story Camp, a storytelling day camp for young tellers ages 8-16. Cherie also authored Spooks and Saints, a collection of Salt Lake City ghost stories gathered during her years sharing the legends of haunted Utah.

Jeff Driggs

Regional Storyteller

A native of Sweet Home, Oregon, Jeff has performed in school and community theatre since 6th grade and has been telling stories since 2022. In addition to working as a development officer at Westminster University, Jeff serves on the SLC Arts Council board and performs with (and sells popcorn at) the Off Broadway Theatre in Salt Lake County. He volunteers at Columbus Adult Education Center and St. Joseph Villa. He lives in Sugar House and has two sons, two beautiful daughters-in-law, and three fantastic grandchildren.

Trishelle Duncan

Regional Storyteller

Trishelle Duncan is a storyteller, children's book author and elementary school librarian. Her current project involves telling the stories of your favorite fairy tale characters and how they happen to 'bump into one another'. She enjoys the stage and educating children in the art of good storytelling. She travels throughout the country to enrich the imaginations of children and families alike. She is the wife of a man she affectionately refers to as 'Doc' due to his work within the field of healthcare. Together, they have six children and a dog they call 'Ro'.

Annie Eastmond

Regional Storyteller

Annie has told stories for years, growing up in a large family and also as a children's librarian for 20 years. She is the chair of the Utah Storytelling Guild Olympus Chapter (Salt Lake area). Also, her and hubby Dan are known as Harvest Home and do tandem telling with music in many venues.

Deb Escalante

Regional Storyteller

Deb has been telling stories since she was a child, creating stories to tell her younger siblings and then starting her first “business” as the neighborhood storyteller at age 10. Since then, she has shared and taught storytelling in theatre, library, conference, reunion, church, elementary, secondary, and university classroom, assisted living facility, and home settings. Deb recently retired from UVU where she was the Graduate Studies Program Director in the School of Education and taught Elementary Arts Education. She loves stories of all kinds and works to expand her repertoire and audience.

Lori Foote

Regional Storyteller

Lori has always been fascinated by stories. When she was a child sitting in Sunday School she would pretty much ignore the teacher and let her mind wander, unless a story was being told, then she was riveted! So she always tried to rise to the challenge of making stories interesting. She is a grandmother, a quilter, a camper, a descendant of Utah Pioneers, and a highly creative problem solver.

Paige Funk

Regional Storyteller

Sit back and enjoy Paige Funk’s crisp, classic, character driven storytelling. Paige’s intelligent humor and ability to tell stories from different perspectives will shed light on dusty old tales. Music has always been very important to Paige and she often uses it to help bring her stories to life. Specializing in folk tale, myth, and tales from her own imagination, Paige’s stories are thought provoking, enchanting and you can expect the unexpected.

Alan Griffin

Regional Storyteller

Alan Griffin has spent 40 years in education telling stories of various kinds to his students. He often utilizes music and puppetry in his stories, many of which are geared to younger audiences. He has performed in numerous settings, including the 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Storytelling festival, online with TEDx, and at several state and community events. Alan’s stories feature endless variety, and are always accentuated with surprise elements that are sure to entertain.

Billie Griffin

Regional Storyteller

Billie Griffin is not yet retired from raising 11 children. After a brief stint teaching 3 rd grade, she has been home raising children and her husband for the last 46 years. She has a love for children’s literature and has a varied collection of children’s books full of stories for her 38 grandchildren. She has performed at the Weber State Storytelling Festival, and in various other formal and informal settings, and is looking forward to performing at Weber again this coming February.

MarKanDalan
Alan Griffin & Mark Randal

Regional Storytellers

Alan Griffin is married to Billie Griffin and has been telling stories with the help of his puppets for a way long time. He and his best friend, Mark Randall have spent the last 14 years singing and playing guitars as a duo called MarKanDalan. They love stories in song, and have performed in schools, assisted living centers, community events, private parties and church events. Many of their songs are original.

Alan is a 47 year retiree from education and Mark has likewise spent a similar amount of time as a business owner in West Haven. Mark loves people and he and his wife Pam are active in the community where he once ran for Mayor. He and Alan are members of the West Haven Arts Council.

Nannette Guest-Watts

Regional Storyteller

Nannette is known for bringing stories to life. Combining careers in storytelling, choreography, and a degree in Music Dance Theatre, she embraces the world of performing arts. She was a featured regional teller at Timpanogos Storytelling Festival and festivals from Idaho to Utah’s corners. She is a highly requested storyteller, storycoach, and director of National Youth Storytelling. She is the author of Youth Tell and co-authored two Haunted Salt Lake City books. She blends movement and voice, creating characters that captivate listeners.

Harvest Home
Annie & Dan Eastmond

Regional Storytellers

HARVEST HOME – ANNIE & DAN EASTMOND are tandem and solo tellers who liven up their stories with music. Between them they play six instruments, and sing. Their Tales and Tunes are heard at festivals, conferences, libraries, schools, and community events. They are co-chairs of the Utah Storytelling Guild Olympus Chapter in the Salt Lake Valley.

Rachel Hedman

Regional Storyteller

Rachel Hedman, M.A. received a national storytelling award for service and leadership as well as the Karen J. Ashton Award. She completed her Storytelling Masters and has been a storyteller since 1994. As Story Crossroads Executive Director, she will help with the 8th Annual Story Crossroads Summit & Festival in Salt Lake County, UT.

Karla Huntsman

Regional Storyteller

Karla’s storytelling is said to have “a strong sense of character and connection with the audience.” She believes strongly in the power of story to enhance, clarify and change lives. Her repertoire consists of personal, traditional, historical, and family tales and stories with music. She frequently includes original songs, guitar, autoharp, djembe drum, washboard, and /or puppetry with her storytelling programs.

Wayne Kartchner

Regional Storyteller

Wayne started storytelling at a young age, following the example of his father. He put his six children to bed with stories of George Bunny and space visitors. Now with 22 grandchildren, including two sets of twins, he keeps in practice. Wayne tells stories at many local events and is the President of the Farmington Bay Chapter of the Utah Storytelling Guild, until such time as he can get someone else to take over. Wayne never lies. He only improves the truth. Cross his heart and hope to not get caught. He speaks fluent Spanish, pretty good French, and is currently studying Mandarin.

Bob Olson

Regional Storyteller

Bob Olson is from Ontario, Canada just north of Minnesota, but he and his wife, Sandy, now reside in Kaysville. Bob loves writing stories and setting them to song. His youth in Canada, growing up on a farm, near the boreal forest, provided fertile ground for creativity for his craft.

Ginger Parkinson

Regional Storyteller

Ginger Parkinson tells stories that whisk the imagination where it can romp around like a loose puppy. She spins curriculum-based stories at Freedom Academy Elementary School as their resident teller. She lives in Springville with her husband and four children.

Steffani Raff

Regional Storyteller

Steffani's stories surprise with unexpected humor, heart, and wisdom. Her voice is captivating and the images she paints with words will immerse you into whatever story she tells. Steffani’s warmth and genuine delight for people encompasses each audience to create a memorable experience.

Steffani’s first book, “The Ravenous Gown: And 14 More Tales about Real Beauty” won a Storytelling World Award in 2016. The Deseret News called Steffani’s stories, “clever, humorous, thought-provoking tales.” The best place to buy it is through the publisher . You can find her at where you can sign up for her monthly newsletter.

Madeline Rollins

Regional Storyteller

Madeline Rollins hails from Phoenix, Arizona. A former 2-times National Youth Storyteller she is currently a freshman in college, studying acting. She is the third of eight siblings, all of whom provide her plenty of inspiration for her stories. She enjoys writing poetry, which she occasionally weaves into her tales, and will happily spend hours playing the piano. In her spare time, she has a passion for painting and watching movies.

Stephanie Rollheiser

Regional Storyteller

As an actress and senior business leader for over 30 years, Stephanie has a passion for the power of storytelling and its ability to give others an immersive experience in the background and culture of others. Stephanie received her degree in theatre and has been acting throughout her life in film, television and stage.

She also spent over 25 years as a senior leader where her background made her a subject matter expert in people strategy, change management, leadership development and executive coaching. It is here that her two worlds merged as she was able to impart the power of storytelling as an invaluable tool in both the business and personal lives of individuals, resulting in building trust, teamwork and relationships. Since her first storytelling job in the early nineties for Stone Mountain, Georgia’s, “A Tour of Southern Ghosts,” she has been hooked on passing thrilling tales on to others.

Jan Smith

Regional Storyteller

Known for her humor and flair, Jan C. Smith is an exciting storyteller and an engaging workshop presenter. She has performed on the stages of the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, the Weber State Storytelling Festival and presented workshops and performances for the Roots Technology Conference, BYU Arts Express and school residencies. In 2020, Jan donned a costume and portrayed Susan B. Anthony in celebrations commemorating women getting the vote.

Wes Whitby

Regional Storyteller

Wes Whitby comes from American Fork, Utah and is an offshoot of a long line of folk musicians, performers, and storytellers — many of whom he’s only heard about in the family lore. For the last 30 odd years he’s channeled that familial predisposition into a career of tuneful teaching and telling at Treehouse, a children’s museum in Ogden, Utah — writing and performing plays with the Treehouse Troupe, heading up the programs and education team at the Museum, and participating in daily theater and storytelling performances for and with children and families.

Wes and his wife Emily have performed their stories in tandem as far away as Russia and as close to home as the Weber State and Timpanogos Storytelling Festivals, but their best stories are saved for and made with their five children, four cats, eight chickens, and one snake in an old house full of books and musical instruments.