|
|
||
Storyteller Kim Weitkamp brings the gift of gab to two area libraries on March 4 Date published: 2/26/2009
BY SU CLAUSON-WICKER FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR "I think I have a little addiction to performing," Kim Weitkamp confided to a friend in July, after giving up her day job to become a full-time, professional storyteller. It's not surprising. For 15 years, the Christiansburg resident has used the art of applied storytelling as a youth advocate, working with at-risk children and teens. On March 4, Weitkamp will share her stories at Fredericksburg's Central Rappahannock Regional Library headquarters and at Snow Library in Spotsylvania as part of the the Ardiena Ann Tromley Family Storytelling Series. GOING PRO At one point, Weitkamp didn't know there was such a thing as a professional storyteller. Yet after attending the granddaddy of festivals, the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tenn., four years ago, she was hooked. She started telling stories in schools, libraries--any stage she could find. Her venues keep getting bigger--including the Timpanogos Festival in Utah, the Storytelling Festival of the Carolinas, the Smoky Mountains Festival and the Colonial Williamsburg Storytelling Festival. Weitkamp's decision to join the tiny group of storytellers who go pro was soon validated: She was asked to perform as a regional teller in one of the main tents at the National Storytelling Festival. And she did it in style, getting a standing ovation from 900 people. "All those years I went to the festival as a listener, it nearly killed me not to be telling," she recalled. "It was so much of an honor to be onstage, a huge thrill, yet half of me cried: 'Twelve minutes? Give me six hours.'" TALKERS, TAKE HEART Growing up in Pennsylvania, Weitkamp was the kid who got in trouble for talking and clowning around. She claims she never sat down during school lunches, but went from table to table telling jokes and spinning tales. "I had a shtick for every clique," she said. But mostly she remembers being reprimanded for her mouth. She was told she had too much energy and her grades reflected a lack of focus. "A lot of my personality was criticized rather than encouraged," she said.
Now, Weitkamp notes, it's OK to be herself, whirling thoughts and all. "When I was 37 and discovered storytelling, I sort of came out. I realized my clowning, performing personality is a gift," she said.
Date published: 2/26/2009
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
|
|
|||||||||||||||
