The Heron’s Journey

The Heron’s Journey uses spoken storytelling, quilting, and paper sculpture to tell an allegory filled with magic, challenges to opposition, and transformation. Meet the title character Lake in various forms of self-discovery and take part in giving the story wings!

“Adam is master of word, movement, and music.” – Fanny Crawford, Stories In The Round

Adam Booth (he/him) is the 2022 West Virginia Folk Artist of the Year, awarded at the Governor’s Arts Awards. Adam blends traditional mountain folklore, music, and an awareness of contemporary Appalachia to create original, forward-thinking story artistry. The Heron’s Journey has been selected for the 2024-2025 Mid Atlantic Arts Touring Roster. As a nationally touring artist, his professional telling appearances include premiere storytelling events across the United States, including the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, the International Storytelling Center, the National Storytelling Festival, the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, the Appalachian Studies Association Conference, the National Storytelling Conference, the National Academy of Medicine, and as a Spoken Word Resident at the Banff Centre (Alberta, Canada). He is a member of the Recording Academy and his recordings have received many national honors, including a Parents’ Choice Gold Award. Adam serves as the inaugural Storyteller-In-Residence at Shepherd University and is the founding artistic director of Speak Story Series, a premier destination for storytelling in concert.

The Cinematic Performing Artist: Masterclass with Adam Booth
Sat Mar 22, 10 AM – 1 PM
Registration: $50

Since the 1890s, the motion picture has grown to be a dominant force in storytelling, but how many creatives in other art forms employ the techniques of this medium? Many of us have vivid memories of favorite movie scenes, music, character voices, or even single lines of dialogue – and despite not having seen some of those movies in years, the elements are still fresh in our minds. Wouldn’t you want your stories to have such lasting impact? This workshop introduces to spoken storytellers, visual thinkers, and aural creatives some introductory elements of storytelling culled from cinematic techniques. Come prepared to participate and explore how filmic components can be used to enrich, strengthen, and transform our storytelling experiences.