Karen grew up among a large, extended Irish family in Massachusetts, surrounded by stories and storytellers all of her life. She has been sharing stories professionally with a wide range of audiences since 2000 and is the founder and director of a student storytelling club in her hometown, producing their Storytelling Festival each year since 2002. She is also the author ofStory by Story-Building a School Storytelling Club.
Karen is also a contributing author to the National Storytelling Network's recent publications, A Beginner's Guide to Storytelling and Telling Stories to Children. She is a member of the NSN Press Committee and writes a regular column, "Stor e Telling," for Storytelling Magazine. Known for her Internet researching skills, Karen never heard a story she couldn't find!
Karen presents her enthusiastic, interactive and illuminating workshops and residences at conferences, libraries and schools around the country. Combining her passion for literacy and storytelling in delightful programs with stories from around the world, Karen mesmerizes audiences everywhere. She strongly believes that storytelling nurtures children, offering them opportunities to succeed in ways they never imagined!
Karen is the 2011 Recipient of the National Storytelling Network Oracle Award for Service and Leaderhhip for the Northwest Region.
Karen is also the 2009 Recipient of the Brother Blue - Ruth Hill Award from LANES (League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling). Given in recognition of "the extraordinary commitment and efforts to promote a broader understanding of the art of storytelling and the support of storytellers in the development of their art. It serves, as Brother Blue, has said, "To honor those who give their lives to storytelling to change the world."
"There's no doubt about it, stories are powerful. Teachers,
librarians, storytellers, church education leaders, and
otherslooking for a way to make learning an exciti ng adventure
whileenhancing children's self-esteem will find a treasure trove
ofinformation, resources, and inspiration in Karen Chace's Story
byStory."-- "Kristine Morris for Foreword Reviews, November,
2014"
"While storytelling isn't a subject on which students are tested,
Chace said the art complements Core Curriculum standards in
language arts, reading and oral presentation, but more importantly,
it is a tool to access creativity and imagination." According to
the National Council of Teachers of English:
- Students who search their memories for details about an event as
they are telling it orally will later find those details easier to
capture in writing.
- Student listeners encounter both familiar and new language
patterns through story.
- They learn new words or new context for already familiar
words.
- Those who regularly hear stories, subconsciously acquire
familiarity with narrative patterns.
- Learners who regularly tell stories become aware of how an
audience affects a telling, and they carry that awareness into
their writing. Of course, getting comfortable with public speaking
benefits all kids down the line. "The students who take the stage
are confronting one of the biggest fears for adults: oral
presentation. They'll carry this skill with them into adulthood ...
college, job interviews," Chace said. Chace has witnessed "tiny
miracles" and "amazing student successes and transformations"
through storytelling. Perhaps "the shy child who rarely spoke in
class who is now a peer leader (or) the autistic student takes
stage on festival night and receives a thunderous ovation. "Each
child is unique and (takes) away what they need most -- it might be
newfound confidence, belief in their individual gifts as a
performer, enhanced reading skills or cultural knowledge."
--Lauren Daley for SouthCoast TODAY
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