GLENVILLE, WV — For the third consecutive year, Glenville State University has partnered with the West Virginia Storytelling Guild to present a week-long youth storytelling camp. To wrap up the activities of the camp on July 26, a concert will be held on the third floor of the campus’ Mollohan Campus Community Center at 6:30 p.m. All interested parties are invited to experience this exciting event at no charge.

The “Come Spin a Tale” camp runs from Monday, July 22, 2024, to Friday, July 26, 2024, and was open to incoming 9th-12th grade students, as well as new high school graduates. Numerous workshops are held throughout the week as part of the camp and include storytellers James Froemel, Mike Perry, and Judi Tarowski. This Friday evening event is the capstone of the camp prior to sending the campers back into their own communities to share their skills.

Overall, the campers are given instruction in establishing stories and developing characters, getting and keeping an audience’s attention, drawing from personal narratives, developing improvisational skills, using body language and inflection, telling tall tales, and more. These gained skills will be put on display during Friday’s evening concert for all attendees to enjoy.

“One of the goals of the West Virginia Storytelling Guild has always been to keep storytelling in the mountains a part of our folk culture,” said Jo Ann Dadisman of the West Virginia Storytelling Guild. She also serves as the camp’s co-director.

Along with demonstrations from the campers, the concert will also involve performances by the West Virginia Storytelling Guild and ballads performed by The MacAbre Brothers, which is made up of Glenville State’s own Chemistry Professor David O’Dell and Pete Kosky.

For more information about the camp, contact the Robert F. Kidd Library at (304) 462-6161.