Sandbar Storytelling Festival

Since 1989 DANIEL MORDEN has travelled the world, telling traditional tales. His repertoire ranges from profound Greek myths to magical fairy tales, thrilling adventures to absurd nonsense. He has performed at the National Theatre, Sydney Writers Festival, The National Storytelling Festival of America, The Getty Centre, many theatres, festivals, and thousands of schools. In 2017 he was awarded the Hay Festival Medal for services to storytelling. “To experience Daniel Morden in full flight is an amazing thing. He combines the skills of the troubadour, the actor, the bard, the standup comedian and the preacher in the pulpit. One of the UK’s greatest storytellers.” -BBC RADIO3

Imagining herself as a river fed by many streams: Lakota, Apache, and Scot Traveler ancestry, urban Chicago, rural Texas, international travels, the Internet, Indigenous elders, family teachings, kitchen table wisdom, and university classrooms. Conveying these stories respectfully with elegance, wit, and passion has made Dovie one of the most admired storytellers of her generation. Featured at the Kennedy Center, National Museum of the American Indian, the Smithsonian, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and festivals around the world, Dovie is a recipient of the National Storytelling Network’s Circle of Excellence and Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers’ Traditional Storyteller Award.

Kevin Kling is an award-winning storyteller, playwright and solo performer whose work blends humor, emotional honesty, and deep human connection. Named Minneapolis Story Laureate in 2014 and often called a “Minnesota State Treasure,” Kling first gained national recognition with his landmark solo play 21A and later reached millions through NPR’s All Things Considered. A beloved voice on the storytelling circuit and featured at the National Storytelling Festival, Timpanogos, Sandbar, Athens, Azalea, Cave Run, Sounds of the Mountains, Sierra and more. Known for his gentle wisdom and deep love of everyday stories, he creates performances that celebrate family, resilience, and connection.

Never one to be boxed in, Kim Weitkamp’s wandering, curious mind is on display through her award-winning stories, songs and writing. Kim grew up in Amish Country as the redheaded middle child of exhausted parents. Labeled by teachers as high-spirited and too talkative, she took those comments and channeled them into a lifetime of high-energy, heartfelt and hilarious artistry, performing full time at festivals and theaters. Kim wrote an award-winning folk operetta, was awarded a grant from Ohio Arts Council as an artist mentor, was nominated for the Blue Ridge Excellence for the Arts award, and awarded the prestigious Leadership in Communication Award by Toastmasters in Washington D.C.

Lynette (Lyn) Ford is: a teller of folktales and stories rooted in her family’s Black Appalachian narrative traditions; an award-winning author and published poet, who has shared, live or online, in Australia, Germany, India, Ireland, and across the United States; an Ohio teaching artist; a certified laughter yoga teacher and laughter wellness ambassador, and a great-grandmother. Lyn’s poetry has appeared in several anthologies, including ”Callaloo: Black Appalachia Issue”, and on the Poets Against Racism and Hate USA website. Lyn is also a Black Appalachian Storytelling Fellow and the recipient of a National Association of Black Storytellers Zora Neale Hurston Award.

Proud daughter of immigrant parents, Jasmin Cardenas is an award-winning Colombian-American storyteller, actress, educator, and arts activist who explores the uncomfortable truths of our complicated humanity. She regularly tours her bilingual program, “Cuentos From The Americas,” which highlights lesser known folktales and legends to libraries, schools, and festivals around the country. She was awarded an international LAB Fellowship at the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University, and is a member of Dramatists Guild of America.. Jasmin has performed on stages at Steppenwolf, Goodman, and Lifeline theatres and has multiple television credits, but her favorite role is Mamá to two beautiful kids.