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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen 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, \u201cThe presenter looks the listener in the eye and shares the story, creating an enriching human experience.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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After growing up in the Hudson Valley and living in Connecticut, Ford and her husband decided to escape the snow.<\/p>\n
With Ford\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
“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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n She has three upcoming shows in South Florida: two performances of \u201cYou Look Good for Your Age and Other Silly Compliments,\u201d and as a featured storyteller at the Suncoast Storytelling Festival in St. Petersburg the weekend of Nov. 14.<\/p>\n But her most immediate adventure is right around the corner.<\/p>\n Ford had an idea to hold the Canopy Oaks Storytelling Festival at the Tallahassee Museum.<\/p>\n \u201cI’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.\u201d<\/p>\n The inaugural festival premieres Nov. 7 and offers interactive programming for all ages that explores themes of history, heroism and hope.<\/p>\n The morning session, \u201cFrom Farm to Fable,\u201d focuses on families and children and includes animal encounters and creative movement.\u201cFrom Farm to Fable: Second Helping\u201d broadens family-friendly themes, while the afternoon sessions focus on adults and older children and integrate Florida history and folktales.\u201cVoices Rising: Stories of African American Resilience\u201d 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\u2019s Choctaw literary story, \u201cCrossing Bok Chitto.\u201dClosing elements include \u201cFlorida Stories\u201d and a segment called \u201cWildFlowers,\u201d where storytellers share their favorite works.The festival culminates in a final story concert, \u201cUnder the Oaks,\u201d featuring several storytellers. Ford uses her storytelling experience therapeutically, helping seniors, supporting families with loved ones with dementia and facilitating healing retreats for caregivers.<\/p>\n \u201cI find ways to bring story into my work,\u201d Ford said. \u201cI have seen the power of storytelling and how it can help change lives, build connections and uplift people.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat 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.<\/p>\n “This has become my life’s work \u2014 to help people through healing stories.\u201d<\/p>\n Ford also organizes women\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe listen to folktales and then share our own parallel stories.\u201d<\/p>\n Ford has also worked with female veterans, facilitating programs where they can share abuse and purge their personal story.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of my favorite performances ever was when I stood on the steps of Washington Irving’s family plot and performed \u2018The Legend of Sleepy Hollow\u2019 for 200 members of the International Jane Austin Society,” said Ford. “It was nostalgic, validating, and inspiring.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n “The festival brings all these elements together in one of the most beautiful settings in Tallahassee.\u201d<\/p>\n What: Canopy Oaks Storytelling Festival<\/p>\n Where: Tallahassee Museum, 3945 Museum Road<\/p>\n When: November 7, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.<\/p>\n Cost: General museum admission<\/p>\n More Information: tallahasseemuseum.org<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Linda](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/92503175007-3-linda-performing.jpg\")
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