The Kearney Area Storytelling Festival will present Joe Hayes and Mo Reynolds as our featured national storytellers for our 2024 Festival.
Joe Hayes has traveled the country telling stories for over 40 years. This pioneer of bilingual Spanish/English storytelling has published over 25 books, many in both English and Spanish. He was the resident storyteller at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian for 39 years. Born in Pennsylvania, he moved to Benson, AZ with his family at a young age. It was there that Joe picked up the Spanish that would become an integral part of his storytelling and writing. He feels his bilingual approach to storytelling helps Spanish-speaking children feel proud of their heritage and helps non-Hispanic children appreciate the Spanish language and Hispanic culture. "I think it's really important that my own heritage is not Hispanic. It defuses the 'us and them' way of looking at language. For Hispanic kids I'm one of 'them' honoring 'our' language, and for non-Hispanic kids it's one of 'us' honoring 'their' language. Barriers are lowered; rigid attitudes are softened; a better sense of community is fostered." Someone has said that enemies are just people whose stories we don’t know. Joe sees a lot of truth in that. The more other peoples’ stories are hidden from us, the easier it is for us to view them as enemies. When we learn their stories, we recognize all we share in common, and we delight in how the unique beauty of their traditions enriches our own lives.
Great adventures begin with, “Once upon a time,” but some of the greatest adventures begin with the words “Did I ever tell you about that time . .” Mo Reynolds is a professional storyteller who weaves folk tales with personal narratives, drawing connections along the way and inviting listeners to be part of the story. Mo has been telling stories for many years, performing for audiences since 2016. She has performed in schools, festivals, and homes in Montana, Idaho, Washington, Utah, Kansas, and all the way to Florida. After being a showcase teller for two years, she was a featured storyteller at the Florida Storytelling Festival in 2020. She earned the Diamonds in the Dust Diamond Award Scholarship in 2020 to help build her YouTube channel, where she spreads the art of storytelling to a broad audience around the world. Mo shares stories to foster connection, encourage confidence, and invite compassion. Based in Idaho, she travels the country weaving personal stories with folk and fairy tales, while throwing in a tall tale here and there. Mo was a Featured Storyteller at the 2023 National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee.