Local StoryGroups
Florida enjoys the presence of numerous StoryGroups throughout the state.
FSA supports such groups through grants and other resources, and helps to connect individuals to these local StoryGroups.
Select a region from the map at right, or click one of the links below:
Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 3 | Region 4 | Region 5
REGION 1: Northwest / Panhandle
[Freeport, Panama City, Pensacola, Tallahassee, Valparaiso]
Panama City
Storytellers at Bay
Contact: Adele Head, 3616 Oak Knoll Court, Panama City, FL 32408 850-230-5624 / adele@digitalexp.com
[Daytona Beach, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Ocala, St. Augustine]
Gainesville
Gainesville Story Group
Contact: Ann Scroggie,
2000 SW 79th Drive, Gainesville, FL 32607
352-332-6502 / a.scroggie@cox.net
Jacksonville
Beaches League of Storytellers
Contact:
info@beachsstorytellers.com
www.beachesstorytellers.com
North Side Story Tellers League
Contact: Mary Webster,
3533 Hibiscus St, Jacksonville, FL 32607
904-786-1949 / nslstorytellers@bellsouth.net
Founded in 1989, the Northside Storytellers in Jacksonville, Florida, are going strong with twenty-five members. Some are active tellers, while others support the group with refreshments and administrative work. Their uniqueness lies in their ability to go beyond the normal storytelling audiences of churches, senior centers and schools. Northside members have reached out to prison inmates and to children who are reading below grade level, and have presented workshops at Literacy Fairs.
Like most story enthusiasts, the Northside Storytellers like the idea of promoting the art of storytelling for fun and healing. In the summer of 2006 they told stories at thirteen libraries. That’s a busy group! If you like beans, then you should not miss the annual Bean Soup and Stories, held each November at a local Methodist Church. A dedicated soup maker spends hours in the church kitchen producing ten gallons of soup to serve, with bread and stories, for a large crowd to enjoy.
Northside is proud of the support its members give to one another. All the money earned through events, donations and a small dues fee goes to the treasury. The members plan to challenge themselves in the near future by tackling a grant proposal. They love Story Camp and feel that the Board members have created an environment of helpfulness and information giving. Right now, they are working hard to put their history in writing, creating a record so that all who follow this dynamic group can learn from their dedication to the art of storytelling.
The Northside Storytellers meet at the Dunn Avenue Branch Library in Jacksonville on the third Saturday of the month, from 10:30 a.m to noon, September through May.
Ocala
Ocali Storytellers Guild
Contact: Taryn Evans,
15620 SE 150th Street, Weirsdale, FL 32195
652-821-0298 / terevans@comcast.net
St. Augustine
Tale Tellers of St. Augustine
Contact: Chris Kastle
37205 Harbour Vista Cr, St Augustine, FL 32080
773-576-7245/ chriskastle@yahoo.com
Sandcastle Storytellers
Contact: Sherril/Peter Giachetti
P. O. Box 184, Lake Helen, FL 32763
386.789.4259 gia184@aol.com
[Clearwater, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Tampa]
Casselberry
Storytellers of Central Florida
Contact: Pete Abdalla,
2985 Harbour Landing Way, Cassekberry, FL 32707
407-699-8790 /petenrusty@aol.com
TampaTampa Bay Storytellers Guild
Contact: Maureen Belote,
710 Westfield Court., Dunedin, FL 34698
727-785-3041 / Maureen@storytellermaureenb.com
REGION 4: Southwest / The Keys [Fort Myers, Key West, Naples, Sarasota, Venice]
Sanibel
Tamiami Tale Tellers
Contact: Leila (Cissie) Griffin,
610 Gladiola St., Immokalee, FL 34142
239.657.7955/ cisstory@aol.com
[Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce, Miami, Palm Beach]
Boca Raton
Palm Beach County Storytelling Guild
Contact: Adele Alexander,
PO Box 934890 , Margate, FL 33093
954-970-1987/ mzmirtha@aol.com
“Just kind of doing it” probably describes the Broward Storytellers Guild. A mixture of tellers, hobbyists and listeners, this group maintains a busy schedule of events each year. The members show up for magical nights of “Moonlight Tales” at the Main Broward Library every April, drawing over three hundred children and adults. The Broward Storytellers were the first group to tell at “Moonlight Tales”. The “Teddy Bear Picnic” at the Helen B. Hoffman City of Plantation Library, where audiences of up to seventy-five people have enjoyed the stories, is also on their agenda. They can also be found at the City of Oakland Park Library each year, offering a Tellabration concert on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. If you visit them in January, you won’t want to miss their annual “Telling Around the Fire”, with a bonfire on the beach serving as the focus for some “warm” tales.
The Broward guild members enjoy FSA StoryLabs around the state and hope that FSA will continue to sponsor more. They love learning from the professionals and would also like to see more StoryGroups posting their events on the state website. The Broward Storytellers enjoy watching and helping new comers evolve into great storytellers. They have not applied for any grants, but may consider it in the future.
Jo Ellen Bridges founded the Broward Storytellers in 1990. Currently, their e-mail information letter goes out to over eighty people. Meetings usually draw between twelve and twenty attendees, with no formal membership required and no dues being charged. Meetings rotate among houses or sometimes are held in a public area. The contact for the group is Debbie Helmlinger. She can be reached at: 954-966-6084. Meetings are on the second or third Thursday of each month, starting at 7:30 p.m. Mailing address for the group is 4505 SW 24th Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL. 33312.
Miami
Miami Storytellers Guild
Contact: Jim Gregory,
13600 NW 1st Ave., Miami, FL 33168
305-607-3790/jgdragon@bellsouth.net
North Palm Beach
Tattle Tales
Contact: Diane Dumbaugh,
892 Overbrook Pl, W. Palm Beach, FL 33413
561-686-2760 / dmdumbaugh@bellsouth.net
Do you have a StoryGroup to add to our listings? Want to add a description to your StoryGroup’s entry? Let us know:
