14th Annual Art of the Story Festival Announces Story Slam Winners

Student Slam Winner - Evelyn Elston & Adult Slam Winner - Kristen Olsen-Huddle

Evelyn Elston, a senior with the Arts and Communication Magnet Academy in Beaverton, is the winner of the first annual WCCLS Art of the Story Student Story Slam held earlier this month. Kristen Olsen-Huddle was selected as the winner of the fourth annual WCCLS Art of the Story Adult Story Slam. Both tellers are scheduled to participate in the Festival Finale Showcase the evening of Saturday, May 5, at the Sherwood Center for the Arts. The showcase, hosted by the Sherwood Public Library, features performances by all three professional tellers in the festival Geraldine Buckley, Rick Huddle, Habiba Addo, plus Elston and Oleson-Huddle.

Evelyn Elston is a senior at Arts & Communication Magnet Academy in Beaverton. Her main interests include theater and writing, and she serves as the student body president at her school. She will be going to college in the fall, but is currently undecided on where. Her favorite place to be is Detroit Lake state park. 

 
 


Kristin Olson-Huddle
Kristin always knew she want to be an actress, she also knew she had a story to tell, but she had to get the chops to get there. She went to a free acting intro and ended up down a rabbit hole doing weird improv for a few years. A class turned into a performance troop, The Tuesday Group and branched out to be part of the crew for a Monthly Variety Show, Scratch PDX. On her own she put together a solo show that she performed with Portland Story Theater’s Singelhandedly, The One Fest, Orlando Fringe and as an independent production. She has told stories on stage at the local Moth, Portland Story Theater’s Valentine’s show, The Mystery Box Show and Nevertheless, We Persist. In other news, she is super mom to twin one year olds and married to that guy, Rick Huddle.

WCCLS invites you to experience the stories these five exceptional tellers will share the evening of Saturday, May 5. Enjoy complimentary beverages and hors d’oeuvres preceding the showcase in partnership with Reedville Catering and no host beverages will be for sale by Smockville Brewhouse in the lobby. Sherwood Center for the Arts (22689 SW Pine St, Sherwood, OR 97140).

Art of the Story 2018: Adult Story Slam Contest

Ellen Wolfson

John Wylder

Kristin Olson-Huddle

Maggie Lot

The Art of the Story kick-off program is an Adult Story Slam Contest. This Slam is a competition within a set time limit, placing emphasis on a storytellers content and performance. The 2018 contest features Ellen Wolfson, John Wylder, Kristin Olson-Huddle, and Maggie Lott.

This program for adults takes place at the Beaverton City Library on Saturday, April 21, 7-9 p.m.

Each story must be an original work. First person, real life adventures are expected. Fiction, folktale/myths are not allowed. The four tellers each have 10 minutes to tell their story from memory.

This Slam is judged by the audience! The winner receives a cash prize and the opportunity to tell a story at the Festival Finale May 5 at the Sherwood Center for the Arts.

Learn more about the participants.

Art of the Story 2018 performer spotlight: Geraldine Buckley

Hear Geraldine Buckley perform at the 2018 Art of the Story festival:

• Wednesday, May 2, 7 - 8 p.m at the Tigard Public Library
• Thursday, May 3, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. at the Elsie Stuhr Senior Center
• Thursday, May 3, 7 - 8 p.m at the Banks Public Library
• Friday, May 4, 7 - 8 p.m. at the Garden Home Community Library Annex
• Saturday, May 5, 7 - 9 p.m at the Festival Finale Showcase Concert at the Sherwood Center for the Arts

Award-winning storyteller and educator Geraldine Buckley is internationally known for her trademark wit, warmth and humor.  She is also known for personal stories that make people laugh and think. She has been involved in storytelling, speaking, conducting  workshops, and coaching for over thirty years in the US, Canada, England, Holland, South Africa, Spain and New Zealand. 

Geraldine teaches workshops, and performs in conferences, colleges, churches, schools, corporations, and house-concerts. She has appeared as a featured teller in festivals throughout the US, including twice at the National Storytelling Festival, in Jonesborough, TN., and the Timpanogos Festival in Orem, Utah. 

Geraldine was the Protestant Chaplain at the largest men’s prison in Maryland until January 2010. In addition she conducted workshops in Rimutaka, the largest men’s prison in New Zealand. The inmates performed a Haka, a ceremonial dance as a thank you. She was thrilled.

Geraldine is frequently heard on Sirius radio. She has recorded three CDs, each which is a recipient of a gold award from Storytelling World. She has as a Master of Arts degree in Communication from Regent University.  Geraldine lives in Frederick, Maryland, 45 minutes from Washington, D.C. Find out more on her website www.geraldinebuckley.com

Art of the Story 2018 performer spotlight: Rick Huddle

Hear Rick Huddle perform at the 2018 Art of the Story festival:

• Saturday, April 28, 3 - 4 p.m. at the North Plains Elementary School
• Tuesday, May 1, 7 - 8 p.m. at the Glenn & Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center
• Saturday, May 5, 7 - 9 p.m. at the Festival Finale Showcase Concert at the Sherwood Center for the Arts

Rick Huddle is a storyteller, educator, and musician. He has toured all over the United States, Mexico, Thailand, and Colombia. He is a Moth Story Slam winner and has performed at the National Storytelling Festival- Exchange Place.

Drawing on influences of David Sedaris, Spalding Gray, and a touch of Carol Burnett, he performs personal monologues that juxtapose self-deprecating humor with self-honoring humility.

Rick believes that stories, songs, and laughter can help us better understand ourselves and each other- especially those with whom we don’t agree. His most treasured work is teaching social-emotional skills to young students with special-needs.

He lives in Portland, Oregon with his talented and charming wife, Kristin, and their wonderful little twins, Gus and Marlo.  Learn more about Rick at www.rickhuddle.com.

Librarians Attend the International Guadalajara Book Fair

For the past three years librarians representing WCCLS have been attending the Feria Internacional del Libro (FIL) de Guadalajara to purchase Spanish language books not available through traditional U.S. publishers. The FIL is an internationally-recognized book fair that brings together over 1,000 publishers from across the Spanish-speaking world.

The Spanish language books purchased by WCCLS librarians at the FIL are available for checkout to library users throughout Washington County through the shared WCCLS catalog. During the most recent book-buying trip in 2017, six librarians traveled from Washington County libraries and purchased 3,656 books. They purchased picture books, children’s novels, cookbooks, basic education materials, self-help titles, fiction, and much, much more. The majority of these titles are original Spanish-language titles, and cannot be purchased through US-based distributors. Additionally, the FIL showcases independent publishing houses whose print runs for titles are often quite small; librarians are able to purchase unique books directly from these indie publishing houses.

During the past few years, Washington County librarians have purchased original titles from countries representing the diversity of Washington County’s Spanish speaking community, with books from Mexico, Peru, Chile, Guatemala, and Venezuela, among others. The librarians have also been able to purchase books bilingual in Spanish and Mesoamerican indigenous languages such as Maya. “We are especially pleased with the number of children’s titles we found that positively reflect various Latin American cultures,” remarked librarian Crystal Garcia, from Sherwood Public Library.

Besides providing books in Spanish, many WCCLS libraries also offer Spanish language early literacy workshops for parents of young children, in-person assistance from Spanish-speaking staff at the libraries, Spanish kindergarten readiness programs, computer classes in Spanish, Spanish language story times, celebrations and activities for Día de los Niños and Día de los Muertos, English language learning materials, citizenship classes, and more. To learn about these services go to www.wccls.org/es/inicio.

Lea esta información en el comunicado de prensa en Español

Announcing 2018 Teen Summer Reading Art Contest Winners!

Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) is proud to announce the winner of its 2018 Teen Summer Reading Art Contest: Ruth Hailey!

First Place Artwork by Ruth Hailey

A eleventh-grader at Forest Grove High School, Ruth has been awarded top honors for her color design which depicts musical instruments burst out of a stack of books. Her design expertly captures this year’s Teen Summer Reading theme: Libraries Rock!

Ruth receives a $200 gift certificate for Amazon.com and her art will appear on all countywide Teen Summer Reading publicity this summer.

This is the ninth consecutive year that WCCLS has encouraged teens to capture the spirit of Summer Reading through their creative art. Fifty-six pieces were submitted digitally or the public libraries in Washington County during the months of January and February. On March 13th, feedback collected from local teens was reviewed and the winning piece was selected.

2nd and 3rd place winners were also awarded. These individuals will also receive gift certificates to Amazon.com ($100 and $50, respectively)

Second Place Artwork by Sarah He

Below is a full list of 2018 Teen Summer Reading Art Contest winners:

• First Place: Ruth Hailey, Forest Grove High School
• Second Place: Sarah He, Westview High School
• Third Place: Jasmine McCleskey, homeschool student

Third Place Artwork by Jasmine McCleskey

The Summer Reading Program promotes reading habits that last all year. Summer Reading in Washington County will officially begin on June 1st. Teens can sign up at their local public library to earn prizes for reading, including tickets to Portland Thorns, T2, and Trail Blazers games; a round of miniature golf at Bullwinkles Family Fun Center, a deep discount to Oaks Amusement Park, and Buy One-Get One admission to the Oregon State Fair.

The Teen Summer Reading Art Contest was made possible by a grant from the State Library of Oregon.

Art of the Story 2018 performer spotlight: Habiba Addo

Hear Habiba Addo perform at the 2018 Art of the Story festival:

• Sunday, April 29, 2-3 p.m. at the Cedar Mill Community Library
• Monday, April 30, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m at the Aloha Community Library 
• Tuesday, May 1, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m at the Forest Grove City Library
• Saturday, May 5, 7 - 9 p.m at the Festival Finale Showcase Concert at the Sherwood Center for the Arts

A native of Ghana, West Africa, Habiba offers an interactive, multi-cultural performance with authentic West African costume, spiced with singing and movements. Her stories will encourage the audience to explore their own world as well as those far, far away.

Addo performs stories from the continent of Africa and its diaspora to inspire and provoke thought. She lives her art through continuous study and practice – combining her knowledge and deep appreciation for these cultures with her natural talent for storytelling and prodigious vocal abilities.

Anyone who has witnessed her performances will testify that she blends her sense of humor with extremely genuine respect and love for these revered traditions. Addo teaches and performs with infectious joy and adept technical accuracy. She has performed and taught the local community in dance, storytelling and theater through companies such as Miracle Theater, Northwest Afrikan Ballet and Portland State University.

Find out more at her website: http://www.habibasvillage.com/

Coloring A Child’s World: Early Literacy Workshop at Cedar Mill Library

Saturday, April 21, 2018
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
At the Cedar Mill Community Library

Getting ready to read begins at birth! At this free workshop, find out how you can help children, from birth through preschool age, learn six specific early literacy skills.  The books, songs, and activities presented will offer ways to naturally incorporate early literacy activities throughout your day.

Participants will receive a certificate for two training hours.

Presented by: Jody Westerman, OR Registry Trainer

To register call: Jody Westerman 503-644-0043 ext.120 or e-mail jodyw@wccls.org