About Anne Haehl

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Anne grew up with people who never thought of themselves as storytellers, but always told stories. Some of her stories such as The Runaway Bride, who slipped away from her parents to join her soldier-fiancé in World War II, come from that background. She also learned to love The Story in Church. Her love of oral language led her to a doctorate in speech-communication; her love of the written word to a masters in English literature. She and her husband have two grown children who also love language and stories. She has been (officially) a storyteller for ten years, and is active in the Kansas City Storytelling group, River and Prairie Storyweavers. Anne is a certified instructor for Spellbinders, and has taught several local storytelling classes.

References

Sue Shackelford, 2425 Jasu Dr., Lawrence, KS 66046, 843-2207
Priscilla Howe, 347 Elm St., Lawrence, KS 66044, 785-832-1294
Gary Kuntz, 5704 Euclid, Gladstone, MO 64118, 816-452-6893

Why I tell stories

Though I grew up surrounded by stories, written and told, I didn’t know storytellers still existed. If I had speculated about it, I suppose I’d have thought they might still be found in Ireland or Africa, or even deep in the hills and hollers of Appalachia.

I told my first “official” story because it seemed easier to do a program myself than to get someone else to do it. To my astonishment, I was a hit!

With the encouragement of people who heard that first story (St. Clare and St. Francis), I expanded into other stories and other settings, including Sunday Schools, pre-schools, adult education, Celtic tales, and true stories.

I love every aspect of storytelling—from researching the historical story or finding variants of the folk tale, to shaping the story, adding audience participation, puppets, or anything that will make the story live—and finally, the actual performance, which is created by the teller and the audience, where each telling is a unique experience of time and place and person. And I love seeing the changes that occur in the listeners after the story—even if it’s as simple as understanding the importance and intelligence of skunks, or as complex as learning that all forms of prejudice are sad mistakes.