Bobby Norfolk
From Kindergarten to the Tenth Grade, Bobby Norfolk stuttered. He was so self-conscious about his impediment that he retreated "into books." Luckily, he had some master teachers in the St. Louis Public Schools who saw a potential in him that he had yet to see in himself. They put him in drama class, glee club— even a talent show judged by Mel Tillis. When Bobby performed, he did not stutter!
In books, young Norfolk found his troubles fused with those of heroes whose epic struggles captured his imagination. Eventually, the stutter disappeared. As a young adult, Bobby Norfolk became an actor and stand-up comedian. He became an opening act for the likes of B.B. King and Lou Rawls, when they played St. Louis venues. Norfolk's day job was as a National Park Service ranger at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.
The storytelling movement discovered Norfolk when the St. Louis Storytelling Festival began in 1979, right under the Arch where he was working! Now, Bobby Norfolk is one of the most sought-after African-American storytellers in the country.
He and his wife, Sherry, authored The Moral of the Story: Folktales for Character Development. His storytelling CDs have won prestigious awards from the American Library Association, Parent's Choice Foundation, and elsewhere. Norfolk travels internationally and lives in Atlanta and St. Louis.
See all titles by Bobby Norfolk.
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