For more than twenty-five years, storytelling has shaped the course of my life. It has been my chosen form of artistic expression, my profession, and a delightful pastime to share with my family.

I grew up in Detroit, and graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in English Literature.  In Seattle, I worked as a teacher, performing dancer, and puppeteer.  In 1985, I left the classroom to become a full-time professional storyteller. I belong to the National Storytelling Association, and currently serve as president of the Seattle Storytellers Guild.

Over the years, I have taught storytelling at the University of Washington's Experimental College, and storytelling for educators at Seattle Pacific University.  I co-hosted a Saturday morning children's program, "Cracker Barrel Mornings," toured with the Washington State Arts Commission's Cultural Enrichment Program, and was a Washington State Artist-in-Residence.

I have been a featured performer at young authors' conferences, storytelling festivals, folk festivals, medieval fairs, schools, libraries, bookstores, museums, and coffee houses. Organizations, including Childcare Providers, Toastmasters, Parents' Anonymous, Girl and Boy Scouts, University Child Development Center, and KCTS TV, have hired me to tell stories, give keynotes, or present workshops.  I've presented my most popular workshop, "Crazy Gibberish and Other Story Hour Stretches," to library systems throughout the region, and at the National Storytelling Conference.

When the girls' schedules allow, my daughters Elly and Bea and I love to tell in tandem.  The Northwest Folklife Festival, and the King County International Storyfest, Tellabration!, and the King Country Summer Reading Program are among the many venues at which we have appeared.

My storytelling books and recordings have been honored with a Parents' Choice Gold Award, three Storytelling World Awards, and the Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award.  My first novel, Keeper of the Crystal Spring, was a Doubleday Book-of-the-Month Club selection.