Bio

Honors

Highlights

Using simply voice, gesture and story, Yvonne invites you into the theater of your own imagination. Raised in the Irish oral tradition she grew up to act on New York’s stage and screen. Multicultural mythology, a love of language, and her outrageous family lured her back to storytelling.

Born in England to Irish parents, Yvonne immigrated with her family to the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania.  Inherited wanderlust inspired Yvonne to leave that small town for Swarthmore College, Tufts University and eventual life as a professional actress in the Big Apple. The birth of her daughters re-opened her heart to storytelling where she thrives on the deep sense of connection between audience and storyteller.

32 years of storytelling, professional acting, and comic improvising infuse Yvonne's lively teaching style with theatre games and interactive approaches. Children, teens and adults develop communication skills while enhancing literacy development in “Write Out Loud, "Kindred Keepsakes”, “ActUP!” and other dynamic residencies and workshops.

Yvonne gives thanks for her good fortune by volunteering as Managing Editor for MI Story: Michigan's Storytelling Publication, webmaster www.MichiganStorytelling.com and Ann Arbor Storytellers Guild, Northlands Storytelling Network Board of Directors, producing Detroit Story League Storytelling Festival,  State Liaison for National Storytelling Network and participating & mentoring actively in the Detroit Story League, National Storytelling Network, and Ann Arbor Storytellers Guild. This Swarthmore College graduate and Kripalu Yoga teacher volunteers frequently at her children’s schools and church, regularly scrubs pots in homeless shelters and enjoys wedded bliss with the same wonderful man since 1984.

Honors

• Gold Award, Best DVD, "Good Character," Creative Child Magazine 2006

• Storyteller of the Year Finalist 2004

• Gold Award, Best Spoken Word Recording, Gold Award, Children's Music Organization, 2003

• Keeper of the Story, Professional Award, America's Story Festival, Tennessee, 2003

• Gold Award, Best Audio Children’s Resource: Storytelling, Gold Award, National Parenting Publications NAPPA, 2002

• "The Healy Cross" selected as only American author, Brandon Books' anthology From the Heart of Ireland, 2003

Highlights - Performances & Workshops for:

• Michigan Arts & Humanities Touring Program (1999-present)

• Detroit Institute of Art (1999-present)

• National Storytelling Fringe, PA

• Chicago Cultural Center, IL

• Library of Michigan

• America's Story Festival, TN

• Sharing the Fire Concert, NH

• National Storytelling Network Regional Concert, IL

• Jackson StoryFest

• Michigan Story Festival

• Mohegan Colony Storytelling Festival, NY

• Ark Storytelling Festival

• Northlands Concerts, WI

• Visiting Artist in University of Michigan’s At-Risk Youth project Tellin’ It, 2000-present

• National Storytelling Network & SIG Conferences

• Michigan Reading Association Conferences

• Ohio Order for Preservation of Storytelling Conferences, OH

• Illinois Reading Council Annual Conference, IL

• Michigan Chautauqua History Project

• VASA - Virginia Storytellers Association Conference

• Festival of Faith & Writing (Calvin College)

• Michigan Wolf Trap Early Childhood Education

• performances & residencies in:

  • Michigan

  • Colorado

  • Wisconsin

  • Indiana

  • California

  • Ohio

  • Illinois

  • Virginia

  • New York

• for Children, Adults, Teens, College Students, Families at:

  • conferences

  • schools

  • museums

  • festivals

  • universities

  • corporations

  • libraries

Top of Page

Copyright 2004-2006 Yvonne Healy.  All rights reserved.