Vivian Rutherford, Heart of Texas Guild, Waco, Texas

Vivian Rutherford is a librarian in Waco and a member of the Heart of Texas Storytelling Guild, the newest guild in the Tejas Storytelling Association Affiliate Guilds. A lover of African-American folktales, Vivian will be telling "The Cool Ride in the Sky," Diane Wolkstein's version of "Straighten Up and Fly." Spreading her wings in this initial flight onto a Texas Storytelling Festival Stage, Vivian is heralding not only her own first appearance, but that of her guild's, as well.

Texas Storytelling Festival, March 26 - 29, 2009

The 24th Texas Storytelling Festival is slated to begin Thursday evening, March 26, and continue through Sunday, March 29. Storytellers and audiences from many states will gather to tell and listen as the Festival brings a range of storytelling concerts and workshops guaranteed to enthrall young and old, alike.

Last year the Festival moved indoors to avoid the unpredictable spring weather of this north Texas community. The Festival is now back on the campus of Texas Woman's University, where the first Texas Storytelling Festival was held many years ago - not indoors, but outside in a small tent which did not keep out the soaking from the automatic sprinklers which erupted under folding chairs, creating havoc during one of the early storytelling concerts.

Now safely located in the ballrooms of Hubbard Hall, the Quakertown and Denton Storytelling Stages continue to bring the excitement of storytelling to aficionados. A Resource Center, located in the same building, will offer publications and audio recordings related to storytelling.