Local and nationally-touring storytellers are performing April 11-14 at the Beaufort Intergalactic (BIG) Storytelling Festival at ARTworks in Beaufort. Natalie Daise is the hometown favorite, performing in the Patchwork presentation on opening night; then in “Story through Rap, Hip-Hop &amp; Spoken Word: the Oral Tradition Transformed”; in concert in the free family activities on Saturday the 13th; and in “Storytelling in the Digital Age.” Other storytellers include Doug Elliott from North Carolina, Judy Sima from Michigan, Bil Lepp from West Virginia, LaShanta Ase from Bluffton and Susan Sparrow from Georgia. For more information, call 843-379-2787 or visit artworksinbeaufort.org.

<b>Susan Sparrow</b> is from McDonough, Georgia, and she will tell her stories during the free family activities on Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Susan Sparrow, retired Elementary Media Specialist, has been telling children’s stories for over 25 years. Some of the favorites she tells are Boney-Legs, Wiley and the Hairy Man, The Bellybutton Snatcher, Do Not Open, The Alphabet Soup and the Very Hungry Giant. She has performed at many festivals and is a member of the Southern Cresent Storytellers in Georgia. As one student said, “She reads stories! She reads good stories! She reads stories without the books!!!”

<b>Natalie Daise</b> is from Beaufort, of course. Her performances are throughout the festival: Patchwork; Story through Rap, Hip-Hop &amp; Spoken Word: the Oral Tradition Transformed; in concert; and Storytelling in the Digital Age.

Natalie Daise is a speaker, writer, performing and visual artist, workshop facilitator and Lowcountry resident.  For more than 20 years, Natalie  has developed and facilitated interactive learning experiences for organizations, educators, students, and audiences in schools, universities, conferences, and other venues, both nationally and regionally. She also writes and produces articles and recordings  for entertainment and educational uses. Natalie’s speaking and workshop presentations have covered such topics as Innovation in the Classroom, Understanding Diversity Through the Power of Story and the Power of an Idea.

<b>LaShanta Ase </b>is a spoken word artist based in Bluffton, performing in “Story through Rap, Hip-Hop &amp; Spoken Word: the Oral Tradition Transformed” and she’s the opening act for Natalie Daise’s concert on Friday night, April 12.

It was a fifth grade writing assignment and a teacher who could see past her misbehaving that sparked LaShanta Ase’s love of expression.  After a gazillion journal entries, hundreds of poems, many performances, and a couple published short stories, she’s now comfortable writing for and about transformation.  Her style is  passionate and purposeful and known to heal hearts.

A Kennedy Center trained teaching artist, LaShanta Ase also facilitates performance poetry workshops for all ages.