Elizabeth Ellis to Share Tales During the Big Read
The theme of mothers and daughters is at the center of Amy Tan’s novel “The Joy Luck Club,” this year’s PLS Big Read selection. The Pioneer Library System will stick with that theme but go outside the pages of the book for a program on “Mother-Daughter Stories,” presented by national-known storyteller Elizabeth Ellis at 7 p.m. Monday, April 23, at the Sarkeys Performing Arts Center on the St. Gregory’s University campus in Shawnee.
Ellis will spend the program talking about the collecting, sharing and impact of mother-daughter stories during her presentation.
Tan weaves the stories of several Chinese-American immigrant families, specifically in the relationships between the mothers and their daughters and the cultures they are blending.
Ellis has taken her storytelling talents all over the globe, ranging from her home in Dallas to halfway around the world in New Zealand. She has received several honors, including being the first honoree for the John Henry Faulk Award from the Tejas Storytelling Association and receiving the Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Association.
In addition to her appearance in Shawnee, Ellis also will visit several Pioneer Library System branches for Story Times and storytelling workshops during the week.
Her schedule includes:
10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, Moore Public Library, 225 S. Howard Ave. – Chinese Stories and Folk Tales. The morning session will be for preschoolers and the afternoon program for elementary school-age children
7 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, Southwest Oklahoma City Public Library, 2201 SW 134th St. – Collecting and Preserving Family Tales
11 a.m. Wednesday, March 25, Newcastle Public Library, 705 NW 10th St. – Newcastle Preschool Story Time, Chinese Stories and Folk Tales for Preschoolers
3:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, Norman Public Library, 225 N. Webster Ave. – Chinese Stories and Folk Tales, an Afterschool Special event
6 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, Norman Public Library, 225 N. Webster Ave. – Collecting and Preserving Family Tales Workshop
In addition to her library stops, Ellis will make several private appearances in several school classrooms in Tecumseh and Newcastle.