Kathryn Tucker Windham
Her father was a farm-country banker. She grew up during the Great Depression in a house that was probably never painted. But she remembers that there were books in every room.
Kathryn Tucker Windham, now in her late eighties, has authored 19 books and seven spoken word CDs. Her calendar is peppered with events at which she is scheduled to tell stories of her South Alabama childhood, traditional parents, bevy of aunts, and all the superstitions to which she still-- delightedly-- adheres.
The National Storytelling Festival was the first event ever to invite her to its stage. Since that day more than 30 years ago, she has headlined hundreds of storytelling festivals, folk life festivals, and other events.
She has been heard on NPR's All Things Considered, traveled to Paris, France to see her photography on display, and been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of West Alabama, and been named to the National Storytelling Network's Circle of Excellence, reserved for the most hallowed performers.
As befitting her stature as the beloved grande dame of American storytelling, Ms. Windham is now featured every October at the National Storytelling Festival.
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