“Storytelling is alive and well, primarily
because of Connie Regan-Blake.”
- ABC Good Morning America
“…bankers, attorneys, business people
sat absolutely fixed in attention. Connie Regan-Blake
was brilliant. Her presence took the evening to a
new level.”
- Laurey Masterton, Laurey’s
Catering
“If a rose could speak, it would have Connie’s
voice.”
- Jay O’Callahan, Storyteller
“A storyteller who spins the human spirit into
one long, bright thread that stretches from place
to place, from youth to age, from generation to generation.”
- The Baytown Sun, Houston,
Texas
“Connie introduced me to storytelling in one
magical moment as we sat in an airport and she built
a story bubble around us."
- Jane Yolen, Author |
“…tremendous entertainment.”
- Pegge Saylor, Antique Car Convention
"Known nationally for her style and grace, North
Carolina is proud to claim Connie as our own."
- Marla Tambellini, Asheville
Convention & Visitors Bureau
“The mood was mountain, and the evening pure magic
. . . Connie’s voice melts to tender tones; then
sounds so womanly wise.”
- Southern Living Magazine
“Connie Regan-Blake is always a crowd pleaser,
drawing her listeners in with a warm, folksy manner. Her
stories were humorous, poignant and uplifting, setting
the tone for a memorable event.”
- Jim Mallinson, Conference of
Southern College Health Care Professionals
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“Connie has that wise persona with an impish
sense of wonder that absolutely overtakes the listener.”
- Jane Yolen, Author
“The performance was simply riveting! I was awed
and inspired by her storytelling.”
- Librarian, New York
“Connie Regan-Blake is storytelling at its best!”
- Principal, Seminole County
Public Schools, Florida
“…powerful and inspiring!”
- Middle School Librarian, Arizona
“Connie’s delivery reveals such intensity
and power that she rivets your attention to her folktale,
whether she is shouting dramatically or whispering.”
- School Library Journal
“Connie has a true gift for enticing the listener
to feel and be a part of the story.”
- High School Teacher, North
Carolina
“The children were enthralled, laughing uproariously
and then quiet, intent and absorbed during serious tales.”
- Laugh Makers Variety Arts Magazine |
“…a pioneer of the storytelling renaissance,
one of America’s foremost storytellers.”
- Jimmy Neil Smith, Founder &
Director, International Storytelling Center
“It’s a summer night in Philadelphia, and
20,000 people are seated on quilts or blankets before
a large outdoor stage. A hush falls over the crowd as
Connie Regan-Blake steps up to the microphone and, in
a low, melodic voice says, ‘I’d like to tell
you a story…’ and the audience is mesmerized.”
- Good Housekeeping
“Connie’s voice, melodious and rhythmic,
crafts words into stories like master quilters piecing
fabric into well chosen design.”
- Laugh Makers Variety Arts Magazine
“None of us could have been more surprised or moved
by the awesome power of a simple story. Not a cough or
sigh wrinkled the air as Regan-Blake’s hands stirred
the liquid attention of the crowd. When she finished,
she smiled at everyone and took a deep breath and released
them from their thrall into ecstatic applause.”
- Taos Storytelling Festival,
The Taos News
“We would love to see Connie back in this country
again.”
- Glistening Waters Storytelling
Festival, New Zealand |
“. . . the fastest and most
enjoyable hour of the entire conference.”
- Conference Attendee,
The Delta Kappa Gamma Educational Foundation
“Truly remarkable! Connie Regan-Blake was
absolutely vital in making this conference a success.”
- Stanley Fuke, Library
Administrator, Nevada
“Your contribution as our keynote speaker
was integral to the success of the conference.”
- Conference Attendee,
Texas
“The ease and candor with which you present
- we were all thoroughly entertained! Thank you.”
- Sandberg Children’s
Literature Institute, Ohio
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“. . . picturesque, entertaining,
compelling . . . a powerful meeting of the spoken word
and music.”
- Cincinnati Enquirer
“Combine storyteller, Connie Regan-Blake, with
a chamber music trio, add in music composed by a Grammy
award winner and former NFL All-Pro tackle and you
have what some are calling a totally new entertainment
genre.”
- National Storytelling Journal
“Like an old-time radio show, ‘Tales
of Appalachia’ opens the door for the imagination
to fill in details.”
- The Roanoke Times
“Regan-Blake adds her rhythmic Southern voice
to the voices of the three instruments and the images
created are so vivid and so powerful that listeners
may forget that they are not in the middle of a movie
or a play, but rather are visualizing the events in
their minds’ eye.”
- Nashville Banner
“The tale had style and sly humor, and the
music added sparkle to a story that already had plenty.”
- The Washington Post
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“Very encouraging—I can do this!”
- Participant, Indiana
“With artful direction she lures us into the depths
of joy and terror, hilarity and grief. One minute we feel
the pangs of regret, revenge, even the chill hand of death
. . . in the very next story we luxuriate in the rib-bursting
laughter of a mountain Jack Tale. Its all part of the
storyteller’s magic.”
- School Library Journal
“Both the performance and the workshop for teachers
qualify as tremendous successes.”
- Arts and Humanities Center,
Richmond, Virginia
“Wonderful . . . and fun.”
- Participant, Georgia
“Connie, thank you for nurturing the ‘voice’
in each of us and for your specific, practical “nuts
and bolts” advice. It was a terrific workshop!”
- Participant, Washington |
“The weekend renewed my spirit, got me motivated
to work on new tales, and strengthened the ones I already
tell.”
- Workshop Participant, Georgia
“Thanks again for sharing your wisdom, advice and
suggestions, and even more, for all your support and encouragement.
You inspired this ‘wannabe’ to move one step
forward.”
- Workshop Participant, Pennsylvania
“I learned to listen to myself and to let stories
‘percolate.’ I also saw the value of passion
and being present.”
- Workshop Participant, Massachusetts
“I appreciated the opportunity to honor the power
of traditional tales. There has been so much emphasis
in recent years on the telling of “personal stories”
that I felt like less of a storyteller when I relied on
the old stories. Connie’s workshop has given me
new permission to explore these stories and share their
wisdom with others.”
- Workshop Participant, California
“Loved the help in performance tips.”
- Workshop Participant, Missouri
“It was pure joy to share in the experience of
this storytelling workshop – to get to know a group
of such diverse people, to see each of us struggle with
our inhibitions, to hear Connie’s gentle suggestions
and to risk letting a little of ‘who we really are’
show in our stories.”
- Workshop Participant, Florida
“I loved your workshop. . . it was remarkable .
. . it changed my life!”
- Workshop Participant, North
Carolina
“It was incredible watching you work. I appreciate
the depth of your understanding of both the art of storytelling
and of teaching.”
- Workshop Participant, North
Carolina
“This was the most I have ever learned about storytelling
in a single weekend ever! You are wonderful! Thank you.”
- Workshop Participant, New York
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