Besides being a storyteller, author, and radio and TV host, Lauretta Phillips of Andover is also taking on the role of Event Manager for the New Hampshire Storytelling Alliance (NHSA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization designed to promote the oral tradition of storytelling throughout New Hampshire. Among other events, NHSA produces the White Mountain Storytelling Festival each year.

“It is an honor to be helping to produce this great event,” says Lauretta. “There is a terrific line-up of tellers, and Waterville Valley is a fabulous location for this event. This is the go-to event of the season for people of all ages.”

This year’s White Mountain Storytelling Festival is to be held on Friday through Sunday, September 26 through 28, at Waterville Valley Town Square.

This is the fourth annual White Mountain Storytelling Festival, and the featured teller for this event is Odds Bodkin from Bradford. Since 1982, Odds Bodkin has made his living as a master storyteller, musician, and author. He has been called “a modern-day Orpheus” by Billboard. Self-accompanied with original music on guitars and harp, he creates vivid characters that animate his wide-ranging collection of epics, folktales, ancient myths, and original stories.

Other storytellers presenting at this festival make the line-up look like a “who’s who” in storytelling. Michael Lockett from Normal, Illinois; Geraldine Buckley from Maryland; Lani Peterson from Andover, Massachusetts; and Joey Talbert from Massachusetts are all coming to perform.

The line-up includes some great New Hampshire storytellers as well: Peter Brodeur from Wilmot, Simon Brooks from New London, Mark Chamberlain from Barrington, Cora Ciampi of Gorham, Andy Davis of Conway, Papa Joe Gaudet of Epping, Shelly Hersey of Portsmouth, Angela Klingler of Salem, Mike Lang of Dover, Ruth Niven from Franklin, Lauretta Phillips from Andover, and Sharon Wood of Claremont.

There are programs for all ages, beginning on Friday evening at 7:30 in Waterville Valley Town Square with Ghost Stories. Saturday has a full schedule of events for people of all ages, including five storytelling concerts and a Chili Cook-Off. Sunday ends the program with Sacred Stories at 9:30 AM.

For more information, visit NHStorytelling.org or contact Lauretta Phillips at LPhillipsTales.com.