Durham Storytellers

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.

03/19/2026

Tonight's the night!!! Let me know if you would like a Zoom link by emailing [email protected]...

03/14/2026

Durham Storytellers are hosting a unique World Storytelling Day event, featuring storytellers “from away”, as well as local Durham Region tellers. This World Storytelling Day event takes place at Faith United Church in Courtice, ON, and on ZOOM simultaneously (for the ZOOM link, please contact [email protected]).

The featured storytellers include Christine Hennebury (Mount Pearl, NL), Ron Getz (Port Hope, ON), Selina Eisenburg (Montreal, QC), Jolly Arabraska (Whitby, ON), Brian Holstein (Guelph, ON), Heather Whaley (Bowmanville, ON), Silvia De Cesare (Mercedes, Argentina), and Dianne Chandler (Port Perry, ON).

World Storytelling Day (WSD) is an annual global celebration of the art of oral storytelling, observed in March. People worldwide tell and listen to stories in various languages to foster connections, celebrate diversity, and promote the art of oral narration. The 2026 WSD theme is "Light in the Dark".

03/14/2026

Durham Storytellers are hosting a unique World Storytelling Day event, featuring storytellers “from away”, as well as local Durham Region tellers on Thursday, March 19 at 7 pm sharp. This World Storytelling Day event takes place at Faith United Church, 1778 Nash Rd, Courtice, ON, and on ZOOM simultaneously (for the ZOOM link, please contact [email protected]).

The featured storytellers include Christine Hennebury (Mount Pearl, NL), Ron Getz (Port Hope, ON), Selina Eisenburg (Montreal, QC), Jolly Arabraska (Whitby, ON), Brian Holstein (Guelph, ON), Heather Whaley (Bowmanville, ON), Silvia De Cesare (Mercedes, Argentina), and Dianne Chandler (Port Perry, ON).

World Storytelling Day (WSD) is an annual global celebration of the art of oral storytelling, observed in March. People worldwide tell and listen to stories in various languages to foster connections, celebrate diversity, and promote the art of oral narration. The 2026 WSD theme is "Light in the Dark".

02/19/2026

TONIGHT is the night! Listen to amazing stories on this winter's night, or tell some of your own!

Durham Storytellers Monthly Gathering is tonight, February 19 from 7pm to 9pm. Please visit us on Zoom ONLY (contact [email protected] for the link).

We are a small, casual group. Our storytelling gatherings are a great place to hone your storytelling skills, and have fun spending time with those who love to tell and to listen.

If you want to tell (no reading please), limit your story to 10 minutes to allow as many tellers as possible. 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.

For more information about Durham Storytellers or to subscribe to our mailing list, please contact: Kathleen Smyth at [email protected]

Hope to see you soon!

01/15/2026

ONLINE ONLY TONIGHT! Listen to some wonderful stories on this snowy night, or tell some of your own!

Durham Storytellers Monthly Gathering is tonight, January 15 from 7pm to 9pm. Please visit us on Zoom ONLY (contact [email protected] for the link).

We are a small, casual group. Our storytelling gatherings are a great place to hone your storytelling skills, and have fun spending time with those who love to tell and to listen.

If you want to tell (no reading please), limit your story to 10 minutes to allow as many tellers as possible. 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.

For more information about Durham Storytellers or to subscribe to our mailing list, please contact: Kathleen Smyth at [email protected]

Hope to see you ONLINE soon!

01/10/2026

Welcome! Drop by and listen to some wonderful stories, or tell some of your own!

Our next Durham Storytellers Monthly Gathering is on Thursday, January 15, 2026 at Faith United Church (1778 Nash Rd) in Courtice from 7pm to 9pm. You can visit us in person or on Zoom (contact [email protected] for link). We are a small, casual group. Our storytelling gatherings are a great place to hone your storytelling skills, and have fun spending time with those who love to tell and to listen.

If you want to tell (no reading please), limit your story to 10 minutes to allow as many tellers as possible. 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.

For more information about Durham Storytellers or to subscribe from our mailing list, please contact: Kathleen Smyth at [email protected]

Hope to see you soon!