Biography
Dan Keding, storyteller of international acclaim, is well known for his telling of
traditional world folktales, personal narratives of his boyhood in Chicago, ghost
stories and dark tales, and superbly crafted original pieces. As a child he learned
the traditional stories that his grandmother brought to this country from Croatia.
A well-
In the summer of 2000, in recognition of his artistic achievements and his contributions to the art of storytelling, Dan was presented the Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Network. Dan has been a featured performer at some of the most prestigious events in storytelling including The National Storytelling Festival, The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, The Texas Storytelling Festival, The Sidmouth International Folk Arts Festival (England), and Festival at the Edge (England). His love for story goes beyond the performance stage and into research, resulting in a unique masters degree from The University of Illinois at Springfield in the history and performance of traditional folktales and ballads. As an adjunct professor at the UI Springfield, Dan taught courses on the literature and art of storytelling. He is also a Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Illinois in the Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences. He currently writes a column on storytelling for the folk music magazine Sing Out. He has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, including a Halloween special on London Radio BBC.
Dan is a sought after workshop and seminar leader for teachers, librarians, and professional and amateur storytellers and has been a featured presenter at dozens of conferences. Among these are The National Storytelling Conference, The Florida Storytelling Camp, Storytelling at the Edge Workshops in Shropshire, England, The Society for Storytelling Conference in England, and the International Storytelling Institute at East Tennessee State University.
Working as a performer and as an educator for over thirty years, he has entertained
students from pre-
His first book Stories of Hope & Spirit -
Dan also produced and was one of the featured artists on the recording Tales Across
the Ocean that featured five American and five Irish tellers and that also won the
Storytelling World Winner Award in 2000. In 2000, he also released Promises Kept,
Promises Broken, traditional and original stories and ballads. Dan's stories appear
not only on his CD's but also in print. His story "The Tear" appears in the award-
Dan has also been active as an organizer and leader in the storytelling community.
He served on the Board of Directors of the National Storytelling Association from
1996-
Dan has performed at festivals, schools, libraries, colleges and concert halls. He tells the old stories from times long ago and people almost forgotten and he tells the stories of his own journey and the people whom he will never forget. Folktales and fairy tales, myths and legends, original stories and personal narratives these are the tales of storyteller Dan Keding.