News and Events

2025 ARTISTS

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Laxmi Balaji, storyteller from India and recipient of the 'Emerging Storyteller Award' from SC-CC in 2023, specializes in Indian mythological and folk tales, sharing them in both Tamil and English with vivid imagery and interactive techniques. he has been captivating audiences since 2016 through community events and schools. Laxmi believes storytelling ignites imagination and provides solace in our busy world.

Andrea Brimmell learned her storytelling craft as a librarian in a public library, where she loved telling traditional folk tales from many cultures. Recently, she has been seeking out stories from her own cultural background and telling personal and traditional stories. Andrea is President of the Victoria Storytellers Guild.

Cindy Campbell-Stone is a storyteller from Nova Scotia with family roots in PEI. She has been telling stories and giving workshops for over 30 years. She has given workshops on ‘Telling Your Family Stories’, ‘Historical or Community Stories’ and ‘Collecting Oral Stories’. She recently wrote and performed an historical based show called, “Lady In The Lighthouse: the Catherine Gallagher Story.” This story is based on a local Halifax woman and is told from Catherine’s perspective.

Margo Carruthers is a theatrical storyteller, traditional ballad singer and teacher of Gaelic language and song. Combining storytelling with theatre and balladry, Margo created a much-heralded series of theatrical musical presentations and recordings that showcased the works of Dr. Helen Creighton and other notable collectors of Atlantic Canadian folklore. In addition to performing, Margo often works as a folklore researcher; as a facilitator in traditional music workshops; and as a stage & studio backup singer.

Clary Croft is a folklore researcher, author and recording artist.  He is best known for his continuing work with the collection of his mentor, Dr. Helen Creighton, the internationally renowned folklorist.  He has written seven books including Celebrate! The History and Folklore of Holidays in Nova Scotia which is now part of the Nova Scotia school curriculum and Helen Creighton: Canada’s First Lady of Folklore, a work that has been called “an important book which should sit on ... everyone's shelf who is interested in Canada." [Appleseed Quarterly] In 2021 Clary brought out his memoirs chronicling his long and varied career.  His recordings and concert appearances, which feature original compositions and traditional music from the Creighton Collection, has caused Clary to be called, “the acknowledged master of one of the richest repertoires in Canada.”

Liana Cusmano Writer, poet, and filmmaker Liana Cusmano (aka Luca/BiCurious George) is a three-time Montreal Slam Champion and runner up in the 2019 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championship. Their first novel, Catch & Release (2022) was published by Guernica Editions. They were a 2022 finalist for the QWF Spoken Word Prize and winner of the 2024 Society Pages Poetry Contest.

Robert Deveaux is from Saint-Joseph-du-Moine in Cape Breton, NS. He has deep Acadian Roots and through his violin, singing and storytelling, he promotes and celebrates Acadian culture. Robert has recently won the Grand Pris 2024 Award and he was nominated for album of the year at the Compagnie du Nord.

Clara Dugas est originaire de la Baie Sainte Marie, en Nouvelle Écosse. Elle est à la retraite depuis 2004 après avoir eu enseigner au primaire pour 35 ans. Comme enfant elle aimait écouter sa mère, Marie Marthe Comeau-Dugas, lui conter des contes de sa propre enfance dans les 1920. Clara a étuidé le conte au Toronto School of Storytelling; elle à frequenté plusieurs festivals depuis, surtout dans le Québec. Elle est membre de SCCC depuis 1995.

Florence Franks is a direct descendent of Africville. My father Frederick West was former Resident of Africville, the son of Lena May West; that raised a total of 14 children in Africville from 1939 to about 1962. Oct. 30, 1964 I was born, and 6 days later my Nanny brought me home from the Old Grace Hospital; she became my Legal Guardian. I had the great fortune of being raised by my Nanny, and witnessed first hand the power of Faith & importance of the Old Black Gospel Spirituals passed down to her Family, Church's affiliated with & NS Community via variety of venues.

Maria Gillen is a fourth generation Irish Teller who embraces the traditions of her home country Ireland while leaning into the traditions of the tellers she has met on the world stage.  She has an M.A. in Dramatherapy with a heavy leaning on the Medicinal Story - her work in threading and story circles is sought after as she says 'Storytelling is a living art and we are weaving the stories of tomorrow.' At the same time she has a deep knowledge and a light touch when it comes to dipping into the 3000 year history of Irish stories and tells in the 5 genres from this well.

Anne Godin est une conteuse professionnelle depuis maintenant 5 ans.  J'ai collecté des contes et légendes Acadiennes au Centre d'études Acadiennes de l'Université de Moncton et  je les ai adaptés à mon style. J'ai aussi, dans mon répertoire, des contes de ma propre composition inspirés d'histoires de personnages Acadiens. J'ai commencé à conter au Musée Acadien de Moncton et ça été la piqûre. J'ai ensuite été aidé par la grande conteuse Acadienne Clara Dugas, c'est comme une mentor pour moi. Depuis 3 ans, j'ai écrit mon propre spectacle , Contes et Légendes d'Acadie. Je l'ai présenté au N.B , en N.E, au Québec , à Terre-Neuve et en France.

Pearl-Ann Gooding has been a member of SC-CC since 1993 and has performed and/or instructed on behalf of the national organization, provincial organization or freelancing in every province, one territory across Canada as well as internationally [US, Greece, Mexico].  She was the Canadian Ambassador at FEST in Kia, Greece in 2015.   Pearl-Ann is the proud recipient of the National Story Keeper Award [2014]. 

Christine Hennebury is a storyteller, writer, and creativity coach who firmly believes in the power of stories to unite us and she is on a mission to ensure that everyone feels safe telling their stories. She tells folktales, personal stories, and things she made and has performed for a single person at a local festival, for classrooms and small groups, and for large audiences in person and on Zoom. Christine is the founder of the Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl, the past president of Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada, and a past president of the St. John’s Storytelling Festival.

Jennifer Munro   Recipient of the National Storytelling Network’s Circle of Excellence Award, Jennifer Munro tells original stories about rogues and heroes that resonate with the frailty and courage of the human condition.  She also tells braided stories, combining myth and allegory with personal experience.   She has produced three award-winning CDs and a collection of short stories, Aunty Lily and other Delightfully Perverse Stories, also an award winner.  Jennifer has performed at the National Festival, TN, and the Timpanogos Festival, UT. Her most recent project, a tour-deforce performance of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, has been hailed by critics as “dazzling and spellbinding”.

Johanne Pelletier is a Montreal based storyteller where she works in communications and teaches storytelling to scientists and startups. She performs her work in Canada and the U.S, is a past winner of the GRIT 99-Second Story Grand Slam, and is creator and producer of Good Gynecology, a new show about women’s health stories. Find out more at jpelletier.ca.

Colleen Putt is a retired high school teacher who has been teaching Scottish Country dancing for 35+ years, and received her certification at St. Andrews in Scotland. Colleen is also a Cape Breton square set caller, experienced with beginners. For dances or ceilidhs, she includes a variety of dances suitable for all levels of expertise.

Sylvie Proulx conte dans un langage du peuple et donne une voix à la fragilité humaine pour que celle-ci ait le droit d’exister, d’être entendue, accueillie et aimée. Voilà l’essence de toute sa démarche artistique. Tout ce qu’elle a fait précédemment lui sert, que ce soit ses expériences d’infirmière, de musicothérapeute ou d’enseignante en musique. Elle a toujours travaillé avec l’humain. Aujourd’hui, elle réalise que c’est l’humanité des histoires et des personnages qui l’interpellent dans ses créations. Son répertoire varie du conte merveilleux jusqu’au récit de vie en passant par des légendes. Des histoires parlant de folie, d’absurdité ou d’humanisme.

Noella Richard has been a storyteller for nearly 30 years. She is inspired by stories shared by generations upon generations of Prince Edward Island Acadians. Wanting to broaden her knowledge and experiences, she studied folklore at Université Laval where she cofounded the Cercle des conteurs de Québec in 2000 with a friend. She has participated in festivals in many provinces as well as France to do shows in both French and English, sharing traditional Acadian stories as well as some of her own. In 2015, through Culture Summerside, Noella created the Summerside Taletellers Storytelling Circle which, in 2020, took a global pandemic to stop! Through the years, Noella has also taught theatre as well as storytelling through workshops aimed at beginners looking to get a taste of what this exciting art has to offer.

Anthony Rissesco is a versatile violin player and teacher. Anthony has garnered ECMA and Nova Scotia Music Awards nominations. Anthony has played with Symphony Nova Scotia, Anne Murray, and Peggy Seeger. He has won fiddle competitions throughout Canada, including the Maritime Fiddle Championship.

Ann Rothfels has been a member of Storytellers of Canada -  Conteurs du Canada since its inception in 1993.  Since that time she has performed her personal stories in festivals and at SC - CC conferences across Canada. Last July she helped to host the conference in Sherbrooke, Québec. A retired Kindergarten teacher, Ann is the author of the recently published children’s book “Many Lifetimes”.

Celtic/Persian Duo - Iranian tar & multi-instrumentalist, Mohammad Saharei & Celtic singing harpist, Adria Jackson. This newly formed duo perform a fusion of traditional Celtic songs and original Persian music with improvisational elements.  The blending of Celtic and Persian music evokes both the vast landscapes of Persia and the misty hills of Celtic lands.

Raymond Sewell is an l’nu poet, singer-songwriter, and English professor from Pabineau, First Nation, New-Brunswick. Since a young age Raymond has been writing and producing creative works. Raymond currently lives in Bedford, Nova Scotia and is inspired by trips to the desert.

Rachel Smith believes that everyone has a story to tell and has honed her ability to coax compelling stories from other people. She works in educational institutions and coaches storytellers in the corporate world about how to use stories effectively. Rachel is able to find the central thread of a story, pull on that thread and weave them into a whole and compelling cloth. Rachel is Director of the Hong Kong Spoken Word Festival, Producer and Organiser of Hong Kong Stories and the Owner of senselessArt Studio. She has run workshops and performed in festivals and conferences around the world.

David Woods is a multi-disciplinary artist and performer (actor, director, painter, curator, playwright, poet, storyteller and arts organizer) from Dartmouth. Woods began storytelling in 1989 as a way to capture the people and events he experienced in his travels to African Nova Scotian communities across the province. He has performed his stories of African Nova Scotian experience in festivals across Canada including the Helen Creighton Festival, Labrador Arts Festival, Vancouver International Festival of Storytelling, and Toronto International Festival of Storytellers.