Durham Storytellers

10/11/2026

Storytellers and Friends... our next storytelling gathering will be held at Faith United Church**, 1778 Nash Rd., in Courtice on Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 7PM EST, and on Zoom (see details below). Meet and greet begins at 6:45 pm. This event's Host will be Enid De Coe.

Our Featured Tellers for this event will be our special online guest, Adele Koehnke from Toronto, plus our members, Jolly Abrakasa from Whitby, Heather Whaley from Bowmanville and Madhav Kochunni from Ajax, which will complete the first half of the evening. Different storytellers are featured monthly to bring delight and inspiration, before the Open Mic segment of our evening.

If you have a story to tell for Open Mic, please limit it to 10 minutes to allow for as many tellers as possible. If there is time, a longer story may fit the evening, at the discretion of the Host. In-person attendees will be prioritized and Zoom tellers will follow as time allows, unless pre-arranged by the host.

Come tell your favourite stories, whether from folklore, contemporary times, or personal experiences. We LOVE them all - those amazing, well-crafted tales, poems, songs, and recitations.

This is a small, casual group and a great place to hone your storytelling skills and have fun spending time with all who love to tell and listen.

We encourage and welcome In-Person attendance, creating an atmosphere of emotional, engaging, intimate interaction and connective storytelling.

Can’t make it in person? Contact [email protected] for a Zoom link.

The next Storytelling Gathering will be on Thursday, November 19, hosted by Kathleen Smyth. It will be a special event for Canadian Storytelling Day, with tellers from across Canada.

For more information about Durham Storytellers, please visit our website at www.durhamstorytellers.com

Come Listen, Come Tell, Catch the Magic!

**Please note that Faith United Church is a scent-free facility. Some of our participants have severe allergies and chemical sensitivities to synthetic fragrances. We kindly ask that you refrain from wearing or using scented products at the meeting. This includes perfumes, colognes, and body sprays; scented lotions and creams; and scented hair products. Thank you for your cooperation.

09/10/2026

Storytellers and Friends... We welcome you to our celebration of a new Storytelling Year! The event will be held at Faith United Church**, 1778 Nash Rd., in Courtice on Thursday, September 17, at 7 pm EST, and on Zoom (see details below). Meet and greet begins at 6:45 pm. This celebration's Host will be Heather Whaley.

Our Featured Tellers for this event will be our special online guest: Brenda Byers from Burlington. And our members, Kathleen Smyth, Dianne Chandler, and Garth Wigle will complete the first half of the evening. Different storytellers are featured monthly to bring delight and inspiration, before the Open Mic segment of our evening.

If you have a story to tell for Open Mic, please limit it to 10 minutes to allow for as many tellers as possible. If there is time, a longer story may fit the evening, at the discretion of the Host. In-person attendees will be prioritized and Zoom tellers will follow as time allows, unless pre-arranged by the host.

Come tell your favourite stories, whether from folklore, contemporary times, or personal experiences. We LOVE them all - those amazing, well-crafted tales, poems, songs, and recitations.

This is a small, casual group and a great place to hone your storytelling skills and have fun spending time with all who love to tell and listen.

We encourage and welcome In-Person attendance, creating an atmosphere of emotional, engaging, intimate interaction and connective storytelling.

Can’t make it in person? Contact [email protected] for a Zoom link.

The next Storytelling Gathering will be on Thursday, October 15 at 7 pm, hosted by Enid De Coe.

For more information about Durham Storytellers, please visit our website at www.durhamstorytellers.com

Come Listen, Come Tell, Catch the Magic!

**Please note that Faith United Church is a scent-free facility. Some of our participants have severe allergies and chemical sensitivities to synthetic fragrances. We kindly ask that you refrain from wearing or using scented products at the meeting. This includes perfumes, colognes, and body sprays; scented lotions and creams; and scented hair products. Thank you for your cooperation.

07/14/2026

Come on out to Durham Storytellers Summer Celebration, AGM and Social this Thursday, July 16 at 7pm at Faith United Church, 1778 Nash Rd, Courtice. This event will be hosted by Enid DeCoe. The featured Storytellers include Irene Chromej-Johnston, Jolly Abrakasa, and Kathleen Smyth. Following, there will be a very short AGM, and an Open Mic for anyone wanting to tell us a story. And somewhere in between, we will have yummy goodies and refreshments. Be sure to drop by for this special annual event and experience storytelling first-hand. See you there!

06/16/2026

Durham Storytellers are hosting a Storytelling Gathering this Thursday, June 18 at 7 pm EST. We have invited some Featured Tellers, namely Heather Whaley (Bowmanville), Doris Cherkas (Oshawa), Roberta Ann Walker (Peterborough) and Kathleen Smyth (Bowmanville); and there will be an Open Mic after the break for more great stories.

You are more than welcome to tell a story; however, please keep its length to about 10 minutes. You may join us in person at Faith United Church, 1778 Nash Rd, Courtice, or you can meet us on Zoom (contact durhamstorytellers.com for the link). Our evening's Host will be Dianne Chandler.

Come Listen, Come Tell, Catch the Magic!

Durham Storytellers aim to keep oral storytelling alive, promote an awareness of storytelling and illustrate how stories fit in today's society. We convey each story without books or notes, and are considered part of the performing arts.

05/21/2026

Durham Storytellers are hosting a Storytelling Gathering TONIGHT (Thursday, May 21) at 7 pm EST. We have invited some Featured Tellers, namely Doris Cherkas (Oshawa), Peter Dowse (Ajax) and Kathleen Smyth (Bowmanville); and there will be an Open Mic after the break for more great stories. You may join us in person at Faith United Church, 1778 Nash Rd, Courtice, or you can meet us on Zoom (contact durhamstorytellers.com for the link). Our evening's host will be Enid De Coe.

Come Listen, Come Tell, Catch the Magic!

Durham Storytellers aim to keep oral storytelling alive, promote an awareness of storytelling and illustrate how stories fit in today's society. We convey each story without books or notes, and are considered part of the performing arts.

05/16/2026

Durham Storytellers are pleased and excited to tell stories this Sunday, May 17, at Grandpa Henry's Picnic at the Oshawa Museum. Doris Cherkas and Peter Douse will be entertaining the audience with stories about parks, picnics, and honeybees. Be sure to join in on the fun this glorious holiday weekend.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18iNEfCHSJ/

05/16/2026

Durham Storytellers are pleased and excited to tell stories this Sunday, May 17, at Grandpa Henry's Picnic at the Oshawa Museum. Doris Cherkas and Peter Douse will be entertaining the audience with stories about parks, picnics, and honeybees. Be sure to join in on the fun this glorious holiday weekend.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18iNEfCHSJ/

On Sunday, May 17, let’s party, Victorian-style! Oshawa Museum guides will host games and activities on the green, and lead tours of historic Henry House. Bring your own blanket and basket and enjoy your picnic in the Henry House gardens. Event partners include Durham Storytellers and Hamilton Honeybees.

Join in on the party from 12:30–3:30 PM. Drop-in, no registration needed, free to attend (donations gratefully accepted).

04/08/2026

04/08/2026

Durham Storytellers are hosting the next Storytelling Gathering on Thursday, April 16 at 7 pm EST. We have invited some Featured Tellers; and there will be an Open Mic after the break for more great stories. You may join us in person at Faith United Church, 1778 Nash Rd, Courtice, or you can meet us on Zoom (contact durhamstorytellers.com for the link). Our evening's host will be Kim Michele.

Come Listen, Come Tell, Catch the Magic!

Durham Storytellers aim to keep oral storytelling alive, promote an awareness of storytelling and illustrate how stories fit in today's society. We convey each story without books or notes, and are considered part of the performing arts.

03/27/2026

After the success of our curated World Storytelling Day (WSD) event with tellers from Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, and Argentina on March 19, Durham Storytellers started our WSD outreach program today.

It was a delight for Dianne Chandler and Kathleen Smyth to tell stories to children from grades 4 and 5 at the Ajax Public Library - Audley Branch. The children were very attentive, considering they sat for 75 minutes listening to four stories.

Dianne Chandler told Belle's Journey, which was about an aging farm horse that carrIes a young girl named Molly to her weekly piano lessons. Molly’s father wants to get rid of the old horse, but changes his mind, when Belle brings Molly safely home during a sudden, life-threatening winter blizzard.

Dianne's second story was The Legend of Knockgrafton. A gentle man, with a large hump on his back, falls in love with a beautiful maiden, who he asks to marry. She agrees, if he turns into a straight-backed, handsome man, and brings back gold for them to live on. With the help of the fairies, and the legend of the standing stones on Christmas Eve, he becomes tall and handsome, and returns with the gold. Happy Ending..They get hitched.

Kathleen told a true story about a Canadian heroine, named Minnie Paterson, a lighthouse keeper's wife, who made a harrowing 12-hour trek over 20+ kilometers in a severe winter storm to alert the authorities of a shipwreck. Then, she immediately returned home on the same grueling route to take care of her unweaned infant and four children. She was a true Canadian heroine, who received many accolades for her bravery.

Kathleen's second tale was about The Water Kelpie, which looks like a horse, but is not, and leads its riders to their deaths in the Loch (lake). The story is about a 12 year old boy, who subdues the Water Kelpie, using the advice of a spae-wife (fortune teller), and emplioys the water kelpie to plough his family's fields, and those of others around the loch.