Storytellers Gayle Ross and Dr. Caren Neile to Appear as Literary Guest Speakers at Coral Springs Festival of the Arts 2022

(Coral Springs, FL, November 30, 2021) – The Coral Springs Festival of the Arts is pleased to announce that the Festival’s Literary Workshop will be led by renowned Cherokee Storyteller Gayle Ross and Dr. Caren Neile, The Public Storyteller. The Workshop will be held on Friday evening, March 18, 2022 at 6:30 PM at Coral Springs Center for the Arts and will offer attendees a chance to compete for a cash prize.

Gayle Ross is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and a direct descendant of John Ross, Principal Chief of the Cherokee during the infamous “Trail of Tears”. Her grandmother told stories and it is from this rich Native American heritage that Gayle’s storytelling springs. During the past twenty-five years, Gayle has become one of the best-loved and most respected storytellers to emerge from the current surge of interest in this timeless art form. At the workshop, she will relate The Three Brothers Journey, a uniquely Cherokee version of an epic hero’s journey tale.

Gayle Ross

Caren Neile, Ph.D., MFA, has taught storytelling studies for the School of Communication & Multimedia Studies at Florida Atlantic University since 2000. A performance storyteller, she has worked in six countries including Austria, Israel and Poland. Dr. Neile co-produces and co-hosts The Public Storyteller segment on South Florida public radio WLRN, as well as numerous local storytelling events. During the Literary Workshop, Dr. Neile will speak to the art of storytelling and about her latest book, Pennina’s World: A Jewish Life in Stories.

Caren Neile, Ph.D.

During Friday’s Literary Workshop, attendees will be given an opportunity to sign up for a chance to show off their own storytelling skills during a storytelling competition to be held on Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 11:00 AM on the Performing Arts Stage. The storytellers will tell their own true, five-minute “Only in Florida” story and will compete for a cash prize and a chance to be on Dr. Neile’s radio program. More details to follow closer to the event date.

For more information on the Coral Springs Festival of the Arts, visit www.csfoa.org.

Funding for this organization is provided in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council