Remember the time grandma killed the snake in the spring house? Or when great-uncle Victor gave his gold watch away to a hobo on Christmas eve? Or what about the time Aunt Millie saw her husband’s ghost on the night he was lost at sea?

For the past four years noted storyteller and radio producer Joe McHugh has traveled the backroads of America meeting people and recording their family stories. Many of these stories have been featured on programs for public radio, NPR’s Morning Edition, and Voice of America. He is now available to come and speak to your organization. A gifted storyteller and traditional fiddler, he invites his listeners along a delightful and fascinating journey of exploration that reveals how family stories reach across cultural and political barriers to help us better understand and appreciate who we are and where we came from. Funny, sad, sometimes outrageous, he spins a complex tapestry of cherished stories that rekindle the imagination and draw us together again as a people. And if time and circumstance allow, he encourages people from the audience to share a few of their own family stories with each other. In all it makes for a highly entertaining evening that is sure to captivate all.

For More Information

Many families possess a tradition of remembering and telling family stories. These stories about ancestors and relatives are told and retold within the family and passed down from generation to generation. Noted educator and radio producer Joe McHugh leads this lively “hands-on” workshop for teachers on how to use family stories in the classroom to enhance learning and promote cross-cultural understanding. Working with the Family Story Tree, participants learn how the collecting and telling of family stories by their students can foster the language skills of listening, speaking, writing and reading while helping make the study of history come alive in a variety of meaningful ways.

This two hour after-school workshop will benefit elementary, middle and high school teachers. And it is also a great team-building activity for participants as they are given the opportunity during the workshop to share their own family stories with each other.

Contact Information