Nationally acclaimed musician/storyteller Reggie Harris is the featured storyteller for the 2017 Jeanne B. Goodwin Storytelling Festival. Families are invited to this celebration of words on July 19, 10 a.m., at Rudisill Regional Library, 1520 N. Hartford.
Harris’ storytelling ranges from the historical, cultural base of the Underground Railroad and Civil Rights Movement to stories that frame the rich context of the American past and present. Affiliated with the John F. Kennedy Center’s Partners in Education program for more than 20 years, he is recognized as one of the foremost presenters of songs throughout the U.S. and around the world.
The annual festival is a tribute to the late Jeanne B. Goodwin, a lifelong Oklahoma educator and literacy champion, who understood how storytelling and the visual experience work to build a vivid imagination.
Celebrating Jeanne B. Goodwin’s 100th birthday in 2003, Rudisill Regional Library’s storytime room was dedicated in her honor. Multi-colored fish, shaped with individual pieces of tile, greet children entering the ocean-themed storytime room. Each wall of the room features colorfully painted starfish, clown fish, sharks, lobsters, turtles and other wonders of the underwater world. Children often create their own stories using the sea creatures painted on the storytime walls.
While at the library, families are encouraged to sign up for the 2017 children’s summer reading program “Build a Better World” which continues through Aug. 5. Children reading eight books and visiting the library four times will receive a medal of achievement, and coupons for free food and entertainment around Tulsa County.
For more information, call the AskUs Hotline, 918-549-7323, or visit the library’s Web site, www.tulsalibrary.org.
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