WSIU InFocus Video Player

Inside every person is a great story just waiting to be shared. The Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival is a fun-filled event that inspires the natural storyteller in all of us. At the inaugural festival in 2008, WSIU InFocus was on hand to capture the magic of storytelling and went behind-the-scenes with storyteller Dan Keding of Urbana, Illinois to learn more about this unique profession. InFocus also caught up with Keding at his Urbana home to learn how his experiences, the books he's written, and the music he plays contribute to his storytelling style. Keding also shares how storytellers mentor each other and share tips of the trade. For example, Keding learned from fellow storyteller Willie Claflin that when using puppets in your act, it's important to look at your hands when speaking in the character's voice, not the audience, so the audience will focus on the character. Claflin, Sheila K. Adams and Don Davis also talk with InFocus about their experiences and share personal insights. Visit these pages to hear stories recorded at inaugural festival in April 2008.

To view the video on the page, installation of the Silverlight plug-in from Microsoft. The direct link to the video is available. Further, Macintosh users will need the Flip4Mac software installed to play Windows Media files.