WINTER

Japanese-Korean storyteller Alton Takiyama-Chung, grew up with the superstitions and the magic of the Hawaiian Islands.  He tells stories of Hawaii, of the Japanese-American experience of WWII, and Asian folktales, and has been a featured teller at the Timpanogas and National Storytelling Festivals, and at international storytelling festivals in the Cayman Islands, Singapore, India, Vietnam, and Thailand.  He also is the editor-in-chief of The Story Beast, a storytelling e-Publication (storybeast.org) and a former Chairman of the Board of Directors for National Storytelling Network, the national organization for storytellers in the US.

Mike Devenney found his inspiration not in conventional places, like viewing great art or listening to music, but while waiting at a traffic light.  It was a hot day, already filled with disappointment and a sense of failure. The light, it seemed, would never turn green. But then, THERE IT WAS! Inspiration, in the form of a bumper sticker: “LIVE A GREAT LIFE”.  With that as his Sacred Scripture, Mike has led a life of Hope, Love and a willingness to say "Yes!" to new adventures. He’s discovered that Great Stories aren't found in places. They are, instead, found in people. And that led him to storytelling. 

Chuck McConnell draws personal narrative stories from his careers in public broadcasting and association management, as well as his natural curiosity and varied interests, particularly music and aviation. He settled in Portland a decade ago, after serving as “an older volunteer” with Peace Corps in Ukraine. When not telling stories, he works as a mediator for small claims courts in Multnomah and Washington counties, builds science trivia multimedia for OMSI events, and plays old-time fiddle.