Syd Lieberman
Syd is an internationally acclaimed storyteller, an award-winning teacher, and an author. He has appeared at major storytelling festivals across the country, including seven featured appearances at the National Festival in Jonesborough, TN; at the Glistening Waters Festival in New Zealand; and on American Public Radio's Good Evening as a guest storyteller and host.
In 2002, Syd was featured in The Call of Story, a PBS storytelling special. That same year, the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. asked Syd to present his original story One Righteous Man: The Story of Raoul Wallenberg, as part of their Acts of Courage series. He created The Dead Sea Scrolls: Pieces of an Ancient Puzzle, for the Van Andel Museum Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. These stories were used in conjunction with their 2003 exhibit: The Dead Sea Scrolls.
In 2004 he finished Twelve Wheels on Mars, a commission from NASA and the International Storytelling Center to create a story about the recent rover landings on Mars. In 2005, Syd and his wife Adrienne collaborated on The Summer of Treason: Philadelphia 1776, a story about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This piece was commissioned by Historic Philadelphia.
In 1994, the Jewish Publication Society published Syd's story, The Wise Shoemaker of Studena, as a picture book for children. In 1995, August House Publishers brought out Streets and Alleys: Stories with a Chicago Accent, a collection of Syd's personal stories. Syd's writing skill prompted Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to commission him to create and perform the story of the Johnstown flood of 1889 for that city's centennial celebration.
Syd has worked extensively with the Smithsonian Institution. In 1991, he was featured at their Word of Mouth program for educators. He returned to be part of a performance series, The Renaissance in Storytelling: America's Master Storytellers Come to the Smithsonian. In 1993, the Smithsonian commissioned Syd to write a story about the fighter pilots of World War I for the National Air and Space Museum. The resulting audio tape, The Intrepid Birdmen, won awards from both The American Library Association and Parents' Choice.
Intrepid Birdmen is only one of Syd's award-winning tapes. The ALA named three others as Notable Children's Recordings: Joseph the Tailor, The Johnstown Flood of 1889, and The Tell-Tale Heart. Parents' Choice gave a Gold Award to One Righteous Man: The Story of Raoul Wallenberg, and A Winner and Other Stories. And IBM and Good Housekeeping chose Syd's rendition of the story Joseph the Tailor to be sent to every elementary school in the nation as part of their Tell Me a Tale Celebration.
At the forefront of exploring new ways to use storytelling, Syd has done considerable work in education. He has performed and taught in schools across America, and has served as storyteller-in-residence at numerous colleges. He also co-directs an annual institute at the Chicago Historical Society, helping teachers use storytelling to teach Mexican history and culture.
In 1995, the Kennedy Center invited him to Washington to teach in its professional development program for educators. In 1999, Syd was one of eight storytellers sent by the National Storytelling Foundation to work with Disney World's writers and directors. He has also run numerous workshops for lawyers, doctors, hospice workers, and clergy.
Syd is known for his varied repertoire. Many of his best-loved stories deal with growing up and raising a family in Chicago. He is also known for his original historical pieces and his signature versions of literary tales, especially those of Edgar Allan Poe.
Syd is one of the country's leading tellers of Jewish tales, bringing them to a variety of Jewish settings. In 1996, Syd starred with Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary fame in the Chicago presentation of Do-It-Yourself Chanukah.
Syd holds an A.B. from Harvard College and an M.A.T. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. During his 30-year career as a high school English teacher, Chicago's Golden Apple Foundation for Excellence in Teaching awarded Syd the prestigious Golden Apple Award. In 2000, the National Storytelling Network gave him its Circle of Excellence award for his work as a storyteller.
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