I was born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, and moved to Connecticut in 1997.  I grew up listening to my mother reading stories, and enjoying the richness, humor and characters of of Appalachian folk tales.  My first real turn as a storyteller came as an eighth grader at a the local Vandalia bluegrass festival when I decided, on the spur of the moment, to participate in the Liar’s Contest.  I told a “shaggy dog” story I'd learned in camp.  It wasn’t until years later, however that my wife, Amy Lilien-Harper, suggested that I come and listen at meetings of the Darien Storytelling Anon group.    

Oddly, despite the fact that I always loved listening to stories, I never really saw myself actively participating in storytelling. But I guess I’m too much of a ham to just sit on the sidelines!  After several months listening at Anon, I finally decided to try my hand at telling to the group.  I've never looked back and now, many years later, I continue to tell and even write some of my own stories to share!

From Appalachian roots, I branched into a wide variety of storytelling.  I started with folk-tales from around the world (Russia, China, the UK, Africa, North and South America, and others), and went on to tell children's stories, fables, legends, and ghost stories, as well as love stories, sentimental stories and humorous stories.  I tell for all ages from toddler to great-great-grandparent.  I love getting responses from the audience and knowing that I’m part of a long and wonderful oral tradition.  When a story really comes alive, it's a special experience for everyone involved.  As a teller I enjoy that moment as much as the audience does.  Stories are such a strong connection to our past, our heritage and each other.  They are a treasure that can be passed on from generation to generation.  

In my slightly-less-than-ample free time, I love playing and swapping stories with my very spirited and talkative young daughter; as well as doing art, photography, ballroom dancing with my wife, web design and karate.  The two cats in my lap never let me neglect to mention them, although their contributions to my storytelling consist entirely of utterly ignoring me while I practice and walking on the keyboard while I'm writing.  ...And we all live happily ever after in our little white house in Connecticut!