Tampa-Hillsborough County Storytelling Festival

Involving the Community

The Storytelling Festival Committee takes pride in the number and variety of people from throughout the Tampa area that are involved in the Festival.

The Festival Committee handles planning, marketing, fund raising, and administrative details. Members include librarians, recreation department employees (city and county), professional storytellers, teachers, school administrative personnel, business people, computer people, community leaders, and parents of student tellers.

The Storytelling Festival involves a number of local creative artists, including members of the Tampa Bay Storytellers Guild, members of the Florida Suncoast Puppet Guild, Tampa Recreation Creative Arts Theater performers, and, of course, the student storytellers.

Teaching the students how to tell stories involves school and public librarians, recreation department leaders, teachers, and parents. Children from kindergarten through twelfth grade are involved as tellers. Evaluating the student storytellers at mini-festivals involves school administration, county and city recreational personnel, parents, and community volunteers.

An average of twenty to thirty sponsors each year are introduced to the power of story and its impact on children’s lives. Sponsors include Target Stores, IBM, Bright House Tampa Electric, and The Tampa Tribune.