Acclaimed storyteller to perform

On Saturday, April 25th at 3:00p.m, Appalachian Arts Center will present Ridin’ Route 23/75, a performance by acclaimed storyteller Anndrena Belcher. Ms. Belcher’s oral history performances integrate folktales, song, dance and poetry. She has been described as "...a Minnie Pearl with track shoes," and "...a rocket-powered raconteur" who delivers a performance which comes across "like a cannonball compared to some performer's water pistol." Author and historian Studs Terkel calls her "...a national treasure." The eastern Kentucky coalfields, inner city Chicago, and the road that connects the two are the worlds we look into in Ridin’ Route 23/75, as Anndrena reflects on her bicultural lifestyle as a child of the 1950’s rural to urban “in-migration.” Weaving together personal stories, made up fairy tales, poems and narrative clips, a word picture album of memory images is created. The journey will take you home, no matter where you are from!

Following the performance, an informal storytelling workshop will be offered with Anndrena. Participants of all ages are invited to engage in games that teach storytelling in a fun way where living memory is celebrated and shared through inter-generational exchange.

Admission to both the performance and the workshop is by voluntary donation, but reservations are required to ensure adequate seating. Please contact Appalachian Arts Center at 276-596-9188, or via email at appartsinfo@sw.edu, to reserve a seat, or for more information.