JIM GREGORY

Every year, through much hard work and dedication, Jim and The Miami Storytellers Guild produces and hosts a Tellabration in the north end of town. Also, for the last three years, we have produced a second Tellabration at the library in Key Largo.    

What is "Tellabration?".....It is a worldwide benefit evening of fun through storytelling. 

Bonded together in spirit through their love of the art, a network of storytelling enthusiasts come together through their stories and networking at the same time and weekend each year.

J.G. Pinkerton, Tellabration originator, envisioned this as an international event which would help build community support for storytelling as an art.   It was the Connecticut Storytelling Center which helped launch the event in 1988 in six locations across their state.

The first of many to follow, the 1988 Tellabration event proved to be such a success that it grew to several additional states the following year and grew to be a nationwide event under the umbrella of the National Storytelling Network which was called the NAPPS back then and has since come to be the National Storytelling Association.

Tellabration reached another milestone in 1995 when Japanese storyteller Masako Sueyoshi, a member of Tellabration in Connecticut for several years, carried the event over to Japan.   Since then, there have been Tellabration events on every continent except the Antarctica.   

Traditionally, Tellabrations are held Saturday night preceding Thanksgiving, however some events may be held at other times during the same weekend.    Some storytelling guilds and groups also host more than one tellabration event.