StorySave

We are excited to announce Toronto-based Mariella Bertelli as the StorySave teller for 2025-2026. Mariella’s impressive career and impact on the storytelling community makes her an excellent choice as our featured StorySave Artist.

StorySave

Saving the voices of  Canada’s master tellers, one story at a time.

Started in 2002, StorySave is a project of Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada that records the voices of tellers from the Canadian storytelling community. Each year, a new teller is chosen from nominees across Canada who’ve developed a marked personal style in the craft of storytelling, or who have a remarkable body of work that should be kept alive.

These voices are then made available to listeners world-wide as part of a living legacy through our website and through the production and sale of CDs and downloadable albums, and in a new initiative beginning in 2018, the production of an audio documentary on the teller, to accompany the album. StorySave stands out as yet one more way in which storytellers across the land are reaching out to their audiences.

Mariella Bertelli, 2025-2026 Teller

We are excited to announce Toronto-based Mariella Bertelli as the StorySave teller for 2025-2026. Mariella’s impressive career and impact on the storytelling community makes her an excellent choice as our featured StorySave Artist.

Mariella’s nominators from Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada are Rubena Sinha and Sarah Abusara, who nominated Mariella because of her unique style of storytelling, and body of work.

Mariella tells fluently in English and/or Italian. She tells folk and fairy tales; literary stories; personal and original stories; and commissioned works. Many of her stories are from her Italian, Armenian and Canadian heritage. Mariella’s style is varied, from longer narratives to tiny tales, and she adapts her craft and repertoire to suit all audiences. Her rhymes and rhythms enchant little ones while her family sagas of migration and endurance captivate older audiences. She enjoys experimenting with narrative, and as such, collaborates with other artists from other disciplines like music, visual arts and puppetry. 

Donate to StorySave!

2023-2024 Teller

How are the tellers chosen?

Tellers to be recorded for StorySave are chosen by the StorySave Committee from nominations sent in by SC-CC members. If a non-member wishes to propose a name, he/she should contact a local member to make the nomination.

For more information on submitting a nomination, click here. 

We are now accepting nominations for the 2027 StorySave Teller. The deadline is February 15, 2026.

The 2025–2026 StorySave Committee

Selina Eisenberg – Chair

Sue Charters – Past Chair

Heather Whaley – Podcast Lead

Cindy Campbell-Stone

Jennifer Cayley

Lorraine Jeansonne

Kathy Jessup

Judith Poirier

storysave-committee@storytellers-conteurs.ca 

StorySave Advisors

Lynda Howes

Celia Lottridge

StorySave Program Manager

Emma Rath – storysave@storytellers-conteurs.ca

Support StorySave: Donate now!

StorySave is dependent upon on-going fundraising. We cannot continue without your assistance. Donate to Storysave. Choose the StorySave fund on SC-CC’s donation page.

Individual Donor Recognition Plan

In addition to our sincere appreciation for your generous support, donations are gratefully acknowledged under the following categories:

StorySave Enthusiast – $1,000 +

• recognition on the StorySave website, in perpetuity

• appropriate recognition on the back cover of the StorySave CD for this year’s teller

• acknowledgement of your gift at the StorySave CD Launch held at the Storytellers of Canada / Conteurs du Canada Annual Conference

• one copy of the latest StorySave CD

• a tax receipt and thank you letter

StorySave Colleague- $750 +

• recognition on the StorySave website, in perpetuity

• acknowledgement of your gift at the StorySave CD Launch held at the Storytellers of Canada / Conteurs du Canada Annual Conference

• public acknowledgement

• a tax receipt and thank you letter

StorySave Assistant- $500 +

• recognition on the StorySave website in the year of your donation

• acknowledgement of your gift at the StorySave CD Launch held at the Storytellers of Canada / Conteurs du Canada Annual Conference

• a tax receipt and thank you letter

StorySave Helper- $250 +

• recognition on the StorySave website in the year of your donation

• a tax receipt and thank you letter

StorySave Supporter- $20 +

• a tax receipt and thank you letter

Thank you to our funders!

2023-2024 Funders

StorySave Enthusiast:

Marva Blackmore, and Blackcomb Liquor Store

StorySave Helper:

Lee Porteous, Anonymous, Anonymous, and the Flavelle Family Foundation

StorySave 2022-2023 Funders

The Ontario Arts Council

Canada Council for the Arts

Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council

Storytelling St. John’s

StorySave 2021-2022 Funders

The Ontario Arts Council

Canada Council for the Arts

Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec

StorySave Assistant: Anonymous Donor (thank you!)

StorySave Assistant: Flavelle Family Foundation

StorySave Enthusiast: Elinor Benjamin

2020-2021 Funders

Ontario Arts Council

Many donations!

StorySave 2019-2020 Funders

StorySave Enthusiast: Elinor Benjamin

StorySave Assistant: Ann Rothfels

StorySave 2018-2019 Funders

Canada Council for the Arts

Storytelling Groups and Individuals

StorySave Assistant 2018-2019: Glenna Janzen, Ann Rothfels

2017-2018 Funders

Government Agencies

Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec

Canada Council for the Arts

Private Sector 

Storytelling Groups and Individuals

Our 2016-2017 Funders

Canada Council for the Arts

Storytelling Groups and Communities

1,001 Friday Nights Of Storytelling

Around Town Tellers of Nanaimo

StorySave Fundraising Quilt

Pearl-Ann Gooding

Mariposa in the Schools

Sir Joseph Flavelle Foundation

Alberta storyteller, Jennie Frost, who established the Elizabeth Annie Cogswell Frost Memorial Fund for StorySave in memory of her mother.

The 1000 Island Yarnspinners

Michelle Tocher (StorySave Helper)

Dolores Anderson (StorySave Helper)

Storytellers, story listeners, and story lovers who have contributed from across the land.