Priscilla Howe

Priscilla Howe, a full-time storyteller since 1993, travels the world (15 countries to date) with a headful of stories and a bagful of puppets. Her performances are tailored to the group in front of her: young children get stories, songs, puppets and silliness with lots of audience participation, while older kids and adults get more sophisticated (and often funny) fare. Priscilla has a full repertoire of personal stories, folktales, and literary stories. Apart from single performances, she loves doing school residencies, either staying in one or two schools or traveling to schools within one district. She offers workshops on storytelling, writing, puppetry, fingerplays, and more. Her presentations for adults have been listed on the Humanities Kansas Speakers Bureau since 2018. She lives in Lawrence with her orange cat Pippin. Priscilla is also looking for the best restaurant pie on Earth.

• Kindness, Compassion and Courage: Stories for Character Education (kindergarten – 6th grade) These stories highlight character traits such as kindness, courage, respect and more. After each story, Priscilla invites the listeners to reflect on how those traits might manifest in their own lives.
• Laughter Makes the World Go ‘Round (kindergarten – 6th grade) Join Priscilla for a rollicking show of some of her favorite silly world folktales, stories from books and songs. Of course, a few of her ridiculous puppets come along for the ride.
• Shakespeare’s Inspiration (6th grade – adult) Where did William Shakespeare get his ideas? Priscilla tells the old tales that inspired some of the Bard of Avon’s best-known plays, King Lear, Hamlet and Taming of the Shrew.
• Tell Your Own Story Workshop (adults) In telling our own stories, we discover our uniqueness, as well as our common ground. This workshop is especially fun for amateur genealogists filling in the foliage of the family tree.
• Hands On, Hands In: Using Puppets with Young Children (adults) You don’t have to be a ventriloquist to use puppets with children! This “hands in” workshop focuses on simple hand puppet technique and style.

More performances and workshops are available on Priscilla’s website.

$325 for the first 45-60 minute segment, dropping to $275 each for more than one session (up to three per day), plus mileage at .60/mile roundtrip from Priscilla’s office in Lawrence, and lodging if necessary.

Community/Educational Activity: $275 per 45-60 minute segment for additional activity.

Performances at libraries, coffeehouses, senior living residences, juvenile detention centers, alternative schools, special populations groups, preschools and Head Start facilities are also available.

School assemblies, family reading nights, special events, teacher in-services.

Extensive study guide with pre- and post-visit activities and discussion questions available on request.

Workshops on storytelling, writing, story games, using puppets with young children, story stretches and songs, and cultural awareness in storytelling also available.