Brenda Gilbert is a favorite storyteller among the children of Scotland County. Educated in voice and drama at
Greensboro College and East Carolina University, Brenda has performed principal roles in many musicals including the title role in
“Little Mary Sunshine” while a student at Greensboro College, Eliza Dolittle in “My Fair Lady” at East Carolina, the Mother Superior
in “The Sound of Music” with Marlboro Players, Sarah Brown in “Guys and Dolls” with the Wright Group Inc., a traveling dinner theater
group, Agnes Gooch and later, Vera Charles in “Mame” and the female lead, Agnes in “I Do I Do!” with the
Pinehurst Dinner Theater. In addition she has performed in scores of non-musical roles with several theatrical organizations.
Brenda began her storytelling career when she and two friends formed “The Spellbinders” over 25 years ago, and went about telling
stories mostly in the public schools, but also for local organizations and private functions. The Spellbinders were featured tellers
in the North Georgia Storytelling Festival in Carrolton Georgia. After her two partners moved from Laurinburg, Brenda continued
her storytelling in the public schools during and after her 27 year tenure as Director of School/Community Relations for the
Scotland County School System. She has accumulated a repertoire of stories for all ages dealing with many cultures and topics. She
is as comfortable with an audience of kindergartners as she is with the more senior of our citizens.
Tyris Jones
Tyris D. Jones is a native of Laurinburg and has returned back home to his roots. Currently, Tyris is a teacher
assistant with the Scotland County Schools. Before returning home, he attended North Carolina Central University and received a BA in
Theatre Arts, where he was first introduced to the world of storytelling. He continued his training in the production field through
the African American College Initiative Program at the Tony Award winning Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick, New Jersery.
While there, he had the priviledge of working with two former US Poets Laureate, Rita Dove and Derek Walcott.
Tyris has toured the United States and Europe as an independent lighting designer for Hip-Hop artist COMMON and various artists.
Since he has been back home, Tyris has performed with the New Life Players portraying the role of Hoke Coleburn in “Driving Miss
Daisy”, directed and performed “The Creation” by James Weldon Johnson with a group of local artists, performed and written an original
one man show depicting the life of a former slave with the Underground Railroad and various original short stories written by him.
Tyris will perform original and some known stories during the festival. From the words of one of his character friends
“Life been awright by me”.
Kat Littleturtle
Appealing to the child within us all, Kat Littleturtle takes each audience on an individual journey to their youth and inside their
creative imaginations. Raised in Appalachian culture, she grew up hearing stories, legends, and tall tales. Steeped in this rich
tradition, storytelling was as natural to her as speaking.
Kat is the mother of three grown children and five grandchildren. It was during her early years as a young mother that the storytelling
root began to grow. Telling retold tales and creating new adventures became a favorite pastime for generations of her family. Kat has
carried on this tradition, appearing at schools and cultural events in North and South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland.
Today, with four decades of her own professional experience and a lifetime of practical knowledge, Kat is a unique storyteller who can
engage an audience of adults, senior citizens, or young children.
Continuing her love of storytelling, Kat is engaged in teaching others this valuable art and much more. She resides in Robeson
County with her husband and two dogs.
Gwen Rainer
Gwendolyn M. Rainer is a native of Maxton, NC, but she has lived in Laurinburg, NC for 33 years. She earned a Bachelor
of Arts degree in English and a Masters of Library and Information Science Degree from North Carolina Central University
in Durham. She retired from Scotland County Schools after 30 years of service - first as a high school English teacher and then as
a media specialist. She is currently the media specialist at Bennettsville Primary School in the Marlboro County, SC School District.
Gwen has been a storyteller for a long time. She began reciting poetry and telling stories as a means of entertainment within her
family. Paul Lawrence Dunbar is her favorite poet, and she loves reciting his poetry in dialect.
“That’s actually how I got started performing for the public. One day at Scotland High another English teacher was saying that she
wanted to read some of Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s works to her class, but she couldn’t do the dialect. I told her that I knew lots of
his poems and that I used to recite them to my sister all the time when we were growing up. The next thing I knew, I was doing
poetry sessions for classes, then schools and the requests just kept coming. I like telling all kinds of stories, and although I
tell a lot of folktales, I am always more interested in finding those that fit my style and personality regardless of the genre.”
Over the years Gwen has done poetry and story sessions for schools, churches, and organizations in Scotland County and surrounding
areas.
