10/05/2026
Pre-Festival Weekend
Join us in our Pre-Festival Weekend, with two virtual workshops that are free and open to the public on October 23 and October 25, 2026. Registration is required.
Our first presenter will be Laura Packer with “Crafting and Sharing Difficult Stories” on Friday, October 23, 7pm Eastern, 6pm Central, 5pm Mountain, 4pm Pacific.
On Sunday, October 25, Momo Heiss will present “Mother Hulda Stories Rediscovered – How Can We Tell Ancient Myths Today?” at 4pm Eastern, 3pm Central, 2 pm Mountain, 1 pm Pacific.
Laura Packer – Crafting and Sharing Difficult Stories
Friday, October 23, 7:00pm Eastern
Registration: http://tiny.cc/PackerDifficultStories
Everyone needs to know they are not alone in their experiences. Shared stories help us talk about difficult things so we can recognize common ground, find more healing, and help others. Sharing these stories requires special attention to the needs of both the story crafter and the audience. This workshop will help you shape your difficult story so you can share it safely, the audience can experience it deeply without worrying about you or themselves and will give you the tools you need for a crafted, powerful story. Prompts will be provided and tellers are welcome to arrive with an idea for a story.
Laura Packer is an award-winning storyteller with over 30 years of experience telling, coaching, teaching, and consulting. She knows that stories connect us, and believes that
sharing our difficult stories builds bridges, teaches skills, builds resilience and healing, and offers great opportunities for tellers. Find more at laurapacker.com and at patreon.com/laurapacker
Momo Heiss – Mother Hulda Stories Rediscovered – How Can We Tell Ancient Myths Today?
Sunday, October 25, 4:00pm Eastern
Registration: http://tiny.cc/HeissAncientMyths
Like most people, I grew up knowing just one story about Mother Hulda. As a storyteller I started digging and found a whole world waiting. A goddess older than the fairy tale, deeply rooted in the elder tree, connected to the stork, shaped differently by every region of the German-speaking world that remembers her. In this session, I share what I found: carefully researched, reimagined stories — including the rarely told Two Li’le Lights — and an open conversation about what it means to retell what has almost been lost. Storytellers offer one perspective to keep the story alive. Which one will we take?
Since the beginning of 2016, Momo Heiss has been telling stories extemporaneously, weaving in music and sounds. She tells both original stories and those from other sources. Transitioning into the profession of storyteller was a vigorous and vital step, fulfilling her and giving her great strength.
Virtual Workshop presented by Momo Heiss: Mother Hulda Stories Rediscovered - How Can We Tell Ancient Myths Today?
