About the

Since 1993

Saving Stories for Future Generations

Our History

 The guild begins

 After attending the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Nancy Alder, Syd Riggs, Kieth Rogers, and Marsha Broadway were so inspired they wanted to do something that would promote storytelling all year long. They decided to form a group where they could learn and practice and encourage the oral arts.  For a while, Utah was the only state to have a statewide guild and newsletter but those days are over. Many other states have joined us in helping to support and nurture storytelling.

The First members to join were Debi Richan and then Terra Allen. To join they had to tell a story and pay$8 for yearly dues. Our dues are a little higher today, but we still like hearing stories from new members.  Debi is still supporting storytelling, and Terra moved out of state.

Our guild name’s journey.

 The original guild name was Utah Storytellers’ Guild.  After spending time with and picking the brain of Donald Davis about the different storytelling guilds and groups he’d dealt with over the years, they changed the name.

 Nancy Alder writes in a newsletter article, February I994, page 2, “Don is a past president of  NAPPS, the National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of  Storytelling. (It too has had a name change and now goes by the National Storytelling Network better known as NSN).  In becoming a tax-exempt organization, they found they had to change to a storytelling organization.  Storytellers implied a union type group that existed to promote the tellers themselves, arranging paid performances, etc. Storytelling implied the promotion of tellers being incidental to the real acknowledged purpose of the group.  Considering Don’s information, we’d become the Utah Storytelling Guild.” And the name has had no further changes and our mission remains the same.

Our guild newsletter, The Taleswapper, by any other name?

They dated the first guild newsletter on March I993. As early as November 1993 the request was made to find a more interesting name tor the guild newsletter than Utah Storytellers’ Guild Newsletter.

Some names suggested were: Tale Bearer, Yarn Spinner, Tale Teller Times, Tales to Tell, The Telling Times. A contest ensued with a cassette tape from a National Teller being awarded as a prize. Some of us still have our beloved cassettes.  They submitted many names.

Voted on:

1. Storytelling Stuff
2. Tale Bearer
3. Tale Tellers Talk
4. Tale Teller Times
5. Tales and Tidbits
6. Tales to Tell
7. The Taleswapper (adopted officially May I994 submitted by Debi Richan)
8. The Story Sack
9. The Yarnspinner
10. The Telling Times
11. Told Beneath the Mount

 In an interview for the Jan/ Feb I997 issue of the Taleswapper, Debi told Karen Doyle-Luther, “She was inspired by the character, Taleswapper, in Orson Scott Card’s series about Alvin Maker”  Karen then shares an inspiring passage from “Seventh Son” the first volume in the series. “If you tell me your stories,  I’ll tell you mine, and we ‘Il both be richer for the trade, since neither one of us loses what we started with”.

Starting a New Chapter

Timp Tellers opened as the first chapter. They were nesteled under Mt. Timpanogos so it seemed fitting. The second issue of the guild newsletter listed seventeen dues-paying guild members and one chapter.

The Olympus chapter was quickly born on October 6, I993. Original members of that chapter were Leticia Pizzino, David Bullock, Jay Brummett, Mark Gollaher, Kevin Gollaher, Patrese Burke, and Al Sauric. By December this chapter had added two new members. David Bullock is still an active member of the Olympus chapter.

Cache Valley chapter joined the guild officially in August of I996. They had been operating under the direction of Karen Doyle-Luther from about April.

 Dixie Tellers was next on the scene in December I996 with an official vote the following January. Stan and Laura Beecham rallied the troops to get things started. Dixie was still listed as a provisional chapter in March 1999 but quickly was full-fledged. It’s membership varies, but many in Dixie still love hearing a good yarn.

Ben Lomond came on the scene after the Weber State Storytelling Festival they were a chapter by June I997. Horseshoe Mountain became a provisional chapter in Aug 1999 with Susie Nilsson leading the way. It is now called Bridgerland.

Abajo became a provisional chapter in January 2000, with Heather Young leading the way.

March 2002 saw Summit branch off of Olympus and become a new chapter. They enjoyed much success and attracted lots of new members who suddenly all had to move away, causing Summit to join back with their sister chapter Olympus for now.

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