“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
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“…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
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“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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