by Linda Kuntz
When Larry Brown was the president of MO-TELL he called Gary and me and asked if we would join MO-TELL and support Missouri Storytelling, Inc. Gary and I joined MO-TELL. I thoroughly enjoyed telling at Missouri State Parks. My first park was Knob Noster State Park for their Halloween Extravaganza. Campers decorated their sites and went trick or treating. At dusk, Gary and I started to tell stories. We started off with Not So Scary stories and as the little ones left, our stories became scarier.
I competed in the first Missouri Liars Contest at Woodneath Library, Kansas City, Missouri. Ken Wolfe blew the competition out of the water with his
story and walked away with first place.
Jim Wallen had been the secretary for MO-TELL and had indicated he was ready to step down. He asked me if I was willing to step up and be a MO- TELL Board member. I agreed and was elected at the January 2020 Annual MO-TELL Membership meeting. The MO-TELL board meetings went onto Zoom as the Covid-19 pandemic changed where and when we told stories. Zoom allowed MO-TELL to reach out to tellers and listeners around the world.
It has been a real pleasure working with Joyce Slater, Sue Hinkel, Jackie Wright, Glen “Papa” Wright, Nancee Walker-Micham, Perrin Stifel and Gary Kuntz on the MO-TELL board. Currently I am the secretary and in charge of membership. I take minutes of the board meetings, send out letters as requested, and maintain the membership list.
Getting involved with MO-TELL has allowed me the opportunity to meet
and listen to lovely storytellers.
Hello my friends,
I met a storyteller long ago named Michael Lacapa. He was an artist, a writer and a storyteller of Hopi, Tewa and Apache descent. He died in 2005. He was featured at one of the St. Louis Storytelling Festivals and at one of the Spring weekends sponsored by MO-TELL. I think of him this time of year because he told us of the tradition of his tribes of only telling stories in the wintertime. The tribes could tell their tales after the first snow had fallen and before the last snow had melted. In a lot of tribes, it was really a practical reason for doing this. There was no planting or harvesting during the winter and the people needed to stay warm. The stories told of traditions, history, nature, creation, relationships and gossip. Of course, they told of much more. They acquainted the young ones with life. They learned to listen to and carry on traditions. The stories often entertained as well. The elders and the grandparents told the stories. Each generation handed down to the next generation these stories of community and they were told with love.
What a gift storytelling is! Share your gift this winter with as many friends and family as you can and keep the stories alive.
Blend your new stories with your old ones and share them all.
Keep telling your tales,
Joyce Slater
President, MO-TELL
“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here.”
-- Sue Monk Kidd, author
by Gary Kuntz
I joined MO-TELL back when Larry Brown was President of the group and became a board member at large when Joyce Slater became President. I’ve been a member of the board ever since. The reason I’ve remained on the board is that this is a way I could help advance storytelling in the state of Missouri.
I found that I could help with storytelling in Missouri by participating in the Missouri Liars Contest from the beginning, when Anthony Clark started the contest in 2015. I also told stories at three of the state parks as part of the partnership between MO- TELL and the State Parks. I’ve had the opportunity to tell at Knob Noster State Park, along with my wife Linda, Wakonda State Park, and the Arrow Rock State Historical Site as part of their Children’s Craft Fair. In 2023 I helped produce four virtual storytelling programs using the Zoom platform: “Irish Tales” in March, “Crazy Days of Summer” in June, “A New Moon, A New Beginning” in September, and “Helping Hands” in December. In 2024 Nancee Walker-Micham and I are going to produce four more shows for MO-TELL, each on the 2nd Tuesday of the month: “Winds” in March, “Freedom” in June, “Hauntings” in September, and “Tell Me A Story” in December.
I have been very fortunate in having many people encourage, help, teach, and mentor me in storytelling. Encouraging and helping others in storytelling is something I hope I will be able to do in the years to come. There are many memories over the years and one that stands out is when Linda and I, for the first time, encouraged and helped mentor Carol Kariotis who won the Missouri Liars Contest!
Gary Kuntz
5704 N Euclid Ave, Gladstone MO 64118
816-896-8611