Michelle R. Nickens
Nov. 1, 2026, 5:03 a.m. ET
Storyteller Linda Schuyler Ford is launching the inaugural Canopy Oaks Storytelling Festival in Tallahassee.The all-day festival will take place at the Tallahassee Museum and feature interactive programming for all ages.Storytelling is a performance art that engages multiple brain regions and creates a connection with the audience.
Linda Schuyler Ford’s love of storytelling began in the very hills that inspired Washington Irving to write “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” She played at the playground next to the library that was originally Wiley Swamp, where the Headless Horseman first appears to Ichabod Crane.
“Knowing this place actually existed made the story feel real to me,” Ford said. “And that was such a gift — that story and reality are so closely paralleled.”
Storytelling is an ancient, interactive art that uses words, vocalization, movement, imagination and active listening to draw listeners in and leave them mesmerized.
Many art forms convey powerful stories, explained Ford, but true storytelling lies in the performance of a story — whether a folktale or personal narrative — without notes or memorization.
“We do not read from a script or memorize,” Ford said. “We know the stories, but we tailor them, shape the pacing, and leave parts in or take parts out based on what we feel or see in those around us as they listen.”
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It affects your brain in unique ways, said Ford, referencing Kendall Haven, a master storyteller, consultant and author on the cognitive neuroscience of storytelling. Haven found that storytelling engages multiple brain regions. Through storytelling, listeners become aligned with one another; their respiration rates slow or quicken; and they experience a once-in-a-lifetime moment of connection.
“When people listen to a storytelling performance, there is no fourth wall, and that is one of the differences from how other entities or groups use the term,” said Ford, “The presenter looks the listener in the eye and shares the story, creating an enriching human experience.”
After growing up in the Hudson Valley and living in Connecticut, Ford and her husband decided to escape the snow.
With Ford’s involvement and frequent travel to Tallahassee as a senior outreach services case manager with Elder Care Services, and with her storytelling performances, they eventually moved to Tallahassee.
“My husband always wanted to live on a lake, so using Google Maps, we searched for an option,” she said. “That led us to Lake Talquin, which became our home for a couple of years. All the birds were amazing. I never got over how I could sit on my porch and watch an alligator swim by.”
Ford has participated in numerous storytelling organizations and events in Tallahassee and beyond. She served as president of the Florida Storytelling Association and worked with the Tallahassee Senior Center to offer a storytelling class. She facilitates the Big Bend Storytelling Circle, a guild where people come to learn and practice.
She has three upcoming shows in South Florida: two performances of “You Look Good for Your Age and Other Silly Compliments,” and as a featured storyteller at the Suncoast Storytelling Festival in St. Petersburg the weekend of Nov. 14.
But her most immediate adventure is right around the corner.
Ford had an idea to hold the Canopy Oaks Storytelling Festival at the Tallahassee Museum.
“I’ve lived in Tallahassee for 12 years, and one of the first things I fell in love with was the Tallahassee Museum. From Day one, I thought it was the perfect setting for a storytelling festival.”
The inaugural festival premieres Nov. 7 and offers interactive programming for all ages that explores themes of history, heroism and hope.
The morning session, “From Farm to Fable,” focuses on families and children and includes animal encounters and creative movement.“From Farm to Fable: Second Helping” broadens family-friendly themes, while the afternoon sessions focus on adults and older children and integrate Florida history and folktales.“Voices Rising: Stories of African American Resilience” will take place at the historic Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church on the museum property. It will feature guest storytellers from Atlanta: Pamela Poole-Starks and John Edward Doyle.Ford will serve as master of ceremonies for the festival and has been approved to perform Tim Tingle’s Choctaw literary story, “Crossing Bok Chitto.”Closing elements include “Florida Stories” and a segment called “WildFlowers,” where storytellers share their favorite works.The festival culminates in a final story concert, “Under the Oaks,” featuring several storytellers.
Ford uses her storytelling experience therapeutically, helping seniors, supporting families with loved ones with dementia and facilitating healing retreats for caregivers.
“I find ways to bring story into my work,” Ford said. “I have seen the power of storytelling and how it can help change lives, build connections and uplift people.
“What happens is that, in their grief and loss, whether the person is still alive or not, or they are not who they were, we move the camera back. Instead of just seeing a disease, they begin to see the whole person again, regaining the person through story.
“This has become my life’s work — to help people through healing stories.”
Ford also organizes women’s retreats. One program she developed, Dance with Both Hands Free, uses a folktale about envy to help participants explore and let go of emotional constraints such as fear, embarrassment, or shame.
“We listen to folktales and then share our own parallel stories.”
Ford has also worked with female veterans, facilitating programs where they can share abuse and purge their personal story.
“One of my favorite performances ever was when I stood on the steps of Washington Irving’s family plot and performed ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ for 200 members of the International Jane Austin Society,” said Ford. “It was nostalgic, validating, and inspiring.
“These are stories we don’t want to forget and shouldn’t. They are part of our history, culture, and evolution. They bring people together, build community, preserve our past, and inspire the future.
“The festival brings all these elements together in one of the most beautiful settings in Tallahassee.”
What: Canopy Oaks Storytelling Festival
Where: Tallahassee Museum, 3945 Museum Road
When: November 7, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Cost: General museum admission
More Information: tallahasseemuseum.org
Michelle R. Nickens is a feature writer for the Council on Culture & Arts; the founder and director of Idi’s Oddities; and an actor, director, artist, and author (www.michellenickens.com). COCA is the capital area’s umbrella agency for arts and culture (tallahasseearts.org).