I grew up on Long Island, where I spent summer days crawling through a spiderweb-filled tunnel, picking buttercups by a creek, and writing stories about my toys.  When the leaves were off the trees, I could see the skyline of New York City from my backyard. 

I spent two years at Smith College, and graduated magna cum laude from Temple University in Philadelphia.  Then I finally got to do what I had long dreamed of doing:  for eight years I lived in Manhattan, where I edited a journal about art auctions and consumed all the theater and dance I could.  When I moved to Los Angeles,I bought a dulcimer and a ukulele, and became a storyteller.

In 2007 I moved back across the country to Portland, Maine.

BIOGRAPHY

Katy has a Master’s Degree in Folklore from UCLA.  She spent five years at California State University, Los Angeles, teaching teachers how to use storytelling in the classroom.  She has taught classes at Loyola Marymount University and the University of Judaism, and is a frequent lecturer at the University of San Diego.  Katy has taught preschool, elementary school, middle school, college classes, and adults.

Katy is a writer as well as a storyteller.  For fifteen years she was editor and publisher of the journal Stories.  She is author of the classic bedtime story, Wind Says Good Night, published by Houghton Mifflin.  She contributed to and edited the National Storytelling Network’s introductory booklet, A Beginner’s Guide to Storytelling.  She was a featured reader of her poetry at the renowned World Stage in Los Angeles.

For over twenty years she has traveled the country, performing and leading workshops.  She has been a featured storyteller at regional festivals throughout the West, including the Forest Storytelling Festival, Sierra Storytelling Festival, Bay Area Storytelling Festival, and Mariposa Storytelling Festival. In 2007 she moved to Portland, Maine, but she still spends much of the year in Southern California.

 

RESUME

Education

M.A., Folklore and Mythology, UCLA
B.A., German (magna cum laude), Temple University, PA
American Sign Language, Santa Monica College
Puppetry with Betsy Brown, Los Angeles Valley College
Writing for Children, UCLA Extension
Taiko, Taiko Center of Los Angeles
Logomotion with Simone Forti, Santa Monica CA


Featured Performer

Bay Area Storytelling Festival, Oakland CA
Beverly Hills Public Library, Beverly Hills CA
Claremont Folk Festival, Claremont CA
By Word of Mouth Performance Series, Pasadena CA
Desert Sands Storytelling Festival, Palm Desert CA
Desert Storytelling Festival, Las Vegas NV
Festival of Masks, Los Angeles CA       
Flying Leap Storytelling Festival, Solvang CA
Forest Storytelling Festival, Port Angeles WA
Kamishibai Conference, Tokyo JAPAN
Los Angeles Children’s Museum CA
Los Angeles Storytelling Festival CA
Mariposa Storytelling Festival, Mariposa CA
Max10, Venice CA
Maui Arts and Cultural Center, Kahului, HI
Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles CA
Seattle Storytellers' Guild, Seattle WA
Sierra Storytelling Festival, Nevada City CA
Storytellers of San Diego CA
Talk Story Festival, Honolulu HI
Tellabrations in Tiburon, Palm Springs & San Diego CA
University of San Diego CA
World Stage, Los Angeles CA


Classes, Lectures and Workshops

American Folklore Society, Oakland CA
Armand Hammer Museum, Los Angeles CA
California Folklore Society, Los Angeles CA
California State University, Los Angeles CA
Clark County School Librarians Association, Henderson NV
Dominican College, San Rafael CA
Families for Literacy, Long Beach CA
Japanese-American National Museum, Los Angeles CA
Long Beach Public Library, CA
Long Beach Symphony, CA
Los Angeles Basin Storytelling Festival, CA
Los Angeles Opera, CA
Los Angeles Philharmonic, CA
Los Angeles Public Library, CA
Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles CA
National Storytelling Conference, San Diego CA
Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles CA
Pepperdine University, Los Angeles CA
Robotics Conference, Catalina, CA       
San Diego Unified School District, CA
University of California at Los Angeles CA
University of Judaism, Los Angeles CA
University of San Diego CA


Grants

The Fund for Folk Culture, Santa Fe NM 1993, for “Voices and Faces of Long Beach,” a photo exhibition of and storytelling performance by residents of Long Beach, focusing on stories of immigration.

Individual Artist Grant, City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, 1990 & 1991, to tell stories in Los Angeles Public Libraries and the Los Angeles United School District


Residencies and Rosters

Wolf Trap Institute For Early Learning Through the Arts, administered through the Music Center Education Division, providing storytelling and literacy preparedness to preschoolers in Los Angeles, since 2005
           
DreamShapers, providing storytelling workshops for students and teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District, since 2005
           
LARP Literacy Council, providing storytelling and literacy preparedness to preschoolers in Los Angeles, since 2003
           
City of Santa Monica, CA Farmers’ Market, providing children’s crafts, since 2005

Storyteller-in-Residence, City of Long Beach CA Public Library, providing programs and workshops for children and adults, 1992-96


Publications

WIND SAYS GOOD NIGHT (Houghton Mifflin, 1994)
A Beginner’s Guide to Storytelling (editor) National Storytelling Press 2003
Storytelling Magazine (guest editor) National Storytelling Network 1999
Storyline (contributor) Storytelling Association of Alta California 1997-2005
STORIES (Editor and Publisher) 1987-2002


Professional Associations

Member, Community Storytellers, Los Angeles CA
Member, Maine Organization of Storytelling Enthusiasts
Member, League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling

 

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