The Second Annual Lee Palmer Storytelling Celebration and Summer Reading Kickoff will take place on Saturday\, June 21 at 1:00pm in the Library's Auditorium. \; The event will feature Pa rent's Choice award-winning Storyteller Diane Edgecomb accompanied by Celt ic Harper Margot Chamberlain.
\nPublishers Weekly has called Ms. Edg ecomb\, "A \;virtuoso of the spoken word? an entire cast rolled into o ne." \; She will perform Fairies and Fireflies: a gathering of Sum mer Solstice Tales - a magical event of story and harp music to celeb rate the Summer Solstice. From a wild ride through the air with a fairy ba nd to a mysterious encounter with the Spirit of the Birch Grove who teache s a young girl how to dance\, tales of this magical time of year will ench ant young and old. Enjoy stories of the power of Song\, Fireflies and Hone ybees along with the Lilt of Harp Music.
\nThe event will also featu re giveaways\, refreshments and the chance to sign up for the Library's an nual Summer Reading Program!
\nAbout Diane Edgecomb and Margot Chamberlain< /p>\n
Master storyteller Diane Edgecomb and Celtic harper Margot Chamberlain have been featured on NPR and at storytel ling festivals\, coffeehouses and theaters throughout the country. Diane i s known for her unique style of storytelling\, where she embodies the vari ous characters and scenes in a tale\, bringing each moment alive. For this she has won the National Oracle Award for Storytelling Excellence in the Northeast as well as five Storytelling World Awards. Harper Margot Chamber lain has performed with numerous early music groups including LiveOak\, Qu adrivium and the Revels. Her versatile approach to harp and song brings an underlying poetic weave to support each tale.
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\nThe Lee Palmer Storytelling Celebration is o rganized by the Friends of the White Plains Public Library in honor of the ir dear friend and member Lee Palmer.
\nIn an interview wit h Palmer\, she said that in 1966 she noticed an item in the local paper. T he head of the children's department of the White Plains Public Library wa s offering a program on storytelling. It piqued Lee's interest and she att ended the five session workshop. Right after Lee told her story for her "f inal exam\," she was asked to stop in to see the Library's Director. On th e spot\, she was offered a job as a storyteller in the children's room. So began a twenty-five-year career\, sharing stories with generations of Whi te Plains children.
\nOver the course of those 25 years\, Lee honed her natural storytelling skills as an active member of Anne Izard's Westch ester Storytellers Guild. She also studied storytelling at SUNY Purchase\, taught by the groundbreaking Sesame Street Workshop. After her final requ ired performance for that course\, she was - again on the spot - invited t o spend a day on the set of Sesame Street\, where she was delighted to mee t its famous residents\, especially Big Bird. We are sure he remembers her well.
\n"The art of storytelling creates enthusiastic readers by en hancing imagination\, improving vocabulary\, and refining communication sk ills through human connection\," said City of White Plains Mayor Thomas Ro ach. "Lee Palmer understood the power of human connection honing this uniq ue skill over twenty-five years for the benefit of White Plains children. The Lee Palmer Storytelling Celebration is the perfect way to honor the va lue and joy Lee brought to so many lives."
\nLee retired from the Wh ite Plains Public Library in 1991\, but not really. She remained very acti ve in pursuits related to children\, stories\, books and libraries. When w e asked Lee why she thought storytelling is important for children\, we th ink she inadvertently gave us her secret recipe for creating generations o f dedicated readers here in White Plains. She said\, "To see a book\, to h ear the story told by somebody else\, and then to think\, 'I'm going to ta ke that book home.'"
\nLee Palmer passed away last year\, but her le gacy remains!
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