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Susanna "Granny Sue" Holstein
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| "Granny Sue" Susanna Holstein |
Susanna “Granny Sue” Holstein has been telling stories professionally to audiences
from Boston
to Bellingham for over 10 years, and for the past three years
has been a performer for the WV State Parks Summer Performance series. She obtained her BS in Education (Secondary--Social
Studies) in 1991 from WV State College and went on to earn her MLIS from the University
of South Carolina in 1995.
Ranging from mountain tall tales to poignant personal
stories, Granny Sue’s adult and family performances often include singing British and Appalachian ballads. Performances
for children are highly interactive and participatory, frequently including the use of puppets and other props to enliven
the telling. She travels widely to present stories and workshops at conferences, festivals, and other events from Boston, MA to Bellingham,
WA. Her love of storytelling began as a child in a family of 13 siblings; television
was usually not part of their lives and the children entertained themselves by reading, telling stories and making up games
that often lasted for several weeks. Family gatherings then and now were times for sharing stories and sing-along.
“Granny Sue” is a member of
the National Storytelling Network, the West Virginia Storytelling Guild, and several regional storytelling and writing organizations.
Her writing interests were rekindled when she started a youth writing group in 2000. Since that time she joined WV Writers,
Inc and Appalachian Wordsmiths Creative Writing Group. Her writing awards and publications include:
The new title
from Mountain Girl Press, Self-Rising Flowers, includes a story by West Virginia storyteller Granny Sue Holstein. The price of the book
is $12.95, and it can be purchased by contacting Granny Sue at susannaholstein@yahoo.com
Self-Published:
· Mountain
Story, Mountain Song (CD); 2004
· Tell It Together:
Participation Stories for Family Audiences, 2003
· Homeplace: Poems from the Mountains, 2004; View From the Ridgetop,
2004; Granny’s Ghost Stories, 2004
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Natural Views:
Poems from West Virginia’s State Parks, Skull Run Stories (one of 6 editors), 2006 .
· Granny
Sue’s News and Reviews, quarterly newsletter since 1999
· www.grannysu.blogspot.com : an online writing and storytelling journal
Articles, stories and poems:
· Storytelling
with Puppets. Telling Stories to Children. NSN Press, 2005.
· Young
Writers Group. More Teen Programs that Work. Honnold, Rosemary. Neal-Schuman, 2005.
· Gracie’s Cabin and Burning the Trash. Zinnia Tales: An Anthology of Strong
Women Stories, Mountain Girl Press, 2006
· Simplicity.
Gambit Literary Magazine, 2006 edition, WVUP.
· The
Way It Was. Appalachian Journal, 2005.
· Brown
Paper Lunch Bag. Museletter, WV Writers, Inc. 2005.
· Telling
Stories in the Parks. Storytelling Magazine, 2005.
· Filling the House: a retelling of an old folktale. Storyteller.net, 2004
· Various stories and poems, MountainEchoes.com, 2003-2004
Awards
· National Storytelling Conference, 2000: Featured Regional
Teller
· WV Storytelling Conference, 2001: McWhorter Award for service to storytelling in West Virginia
·
WV Writers Conference Writing Contest 2004:2nd Place
and Honorable Mention (2)
· Allegheny Echoes Creative Writing
Workshops Scholarship, 2005
· AuthorEnablers Creative Writing Contest, 2nd place,
2005
· WV Writers Conference Writing Contest 2006:
2nd Place, 3rd Place (2), Honorable Mention (2)
· WV Poetry Society 2006 Poetry Competition: 1st
place, 2nd place, 3rd place, 1st and 2nd
Honorable Mention
Contact Granny
Sue:
Granny Sue
Stories from the
Mountains and Beyond
R2 Box 110
Sandyville WV 25275
toll-free telephone: 1- 866- 643-1353
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