About Ed
In reviews of his work, Ed Stivender has been called “the Robin Williams of storytelling” by the Miami Herald and “a Catholic Garrison Keillor” by Kirkus Review.
Since 1977, when he left his day job as a high school teacher in Connecticut and turned to storytelling full-time, Ed has fabulated his way around the globe --appearing in schools, churches, coffeehouses and theaters, as well as at major storytelling festivals. He has been a featured performer at the National Storytelling Festival, the Cape Clear Island International Storytelling Festival in Ireland, Graz Festival, Austria and our own Philadelphia Folk Festival. Ed has enjoyed narrating “Paddington Bears Special Day” with the Harrisburg Symphony, “Ferdinand the Bull” with a violinist for the Philadelphia Orchestra, and “Peter and the Wolf” with the LaGrange Symphony.
In the Spring of 2005 Ed worked with a group called Historic Philadelphia, Inc. on a project called “Once Upon A Nation”. Working with them as a consultant/writer/trainer, he helped Colonial Re-enactors and Tellers develop short historical stories to be presented throughout Independence National Historic Park. He trained the tellers during their three-week-long “Benstitute”, creating scripts and developing a theme song.
The National Storytelling Association inducted Ed into its Circle of Excellence in 1996.
Ed has strutted in the Comic division of the annual Philadelphia Mummers Parade since 1982, receiving numerous Awards for his humorous send-ups of political figures, and as Captain of the First Prize Comic Group, The Kingsessing Morris Men.
Ed is the subject of a chapter in Storytellers by Corki Miller and Mary Ellen Snodgrass, the writer of a story in Chicken Soup for the Romantic Soul and the author of two books of coming-of-age stories: Raised Catholic, Can You Tell? and Still Catholic After All These Fears. He has also released several recordings of his performances. Visit the Website Store to learn more.
Some of the places Ed has appeared
The National Storytelling Festival, Jonesborough, Tennessee * Tales of Graz Festival, Austria * Jakarta International Storytelling Festival, Indonesia * Glistening Waters Storytelling Festival, New Zealand * Cape Clear Storytelling Festival, Co. Cork, Ireland * SeaCat Storytelling Festival, Omagh, Northern Ireland * Bay Area Storytelling Festival, California * Sierra Storytelling Festival, California * Azalea Storytelling Festival, LaGrange, Georgia * Southern Festival of Books * Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Utah * Akron Storytelling Festival, Ohio * Illinois Storytelling Festival * Stone Soup Storytelling Festival, South Carolina * Flint Storytelling Festival, Michigan * Long Island Storytelling Festival, New York * Once Upon a Story, Philadelphia * Theater of the Open Eye, Manhattan * The Painted Bride, Philadelphia * The Philadelphia Folk Festival * The Hermitage, Nashville * The Philadelphia Museum of Art * Missouri Cattlemen's Association Dinner * University of Pennsylvania * St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia * Concordia University, Quebec * The University of Connecticut * The Philadelphia Mummers' Parade * The Academy of Music, Philadelphia * Walt Disney World Staff Seminar * Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California * Yale Divinity School * Duke University, North Carolina * Thursday is a Work of Art, Hartford, Connecticut * The Hans Christian Andersen Center in Central Park * Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Utah
Contact
Nancy Clancy, storyclan@aol.com
26616 Willowmere Drive E-35
Millsboro, DE 19966