“I met Sycamore when he was changing from writer to storyteller. Since that time, he has gone from a crafter of words on the page, to a wonderful inventor of pictures in the mind. His guitar seldom leaves his side, but it is secondary to the wonder that the mind creates in Story.” Steve Otto, Missouri State Liaison, National Story Network

“Sycamore has always been a little bit different. Abhorrent to rules, he creates characters and plots that run free, like wild horses. As a teller of tales, he has taken me to magical places I would never have gotten to on my own.”
Richard Travis, President, Creative Ways Consulting, Grand Rapids, MI

Q. How long have you been telling stories?

A. A long time; my first paying gig was in 1998 but Story has always been a natural path. As a high school science teacher I mixed Story with biology and chemistry; improvised dialogues between molecules, detailed insect behavior with stories about grasshoppers who went off to college. Before that, stories were about a peace-time, draft era army where my hero was cartoon character, Beetle Bailey. Earlier stories were about my brothers and our adventures. If all that my mom wanted was the facts, she asked my brother. But if she wanted to hear the story, she asked me.

Q. When and how did you decide to become a professional storyteller?  

A. I used to be a closet writer, journaling, keeping my work to myself. I joined a writers’ guild in 1996. I thought after a teaching career I would reinvent myself as a writer. The next year I went to a writer’s retreat program. The presenter was a lady; her husband was with her. I slipped away, followed him down to the beach and we talked. Duncan SingsAlone is a traditional Cherokee Teller. He suggested that my stories, my voice and my style were better suited to the oral tradition. He was right; I’ll always be grateful for his gentle push. Since then I have been making the transition from a writer who tells to a Teller who writes.

Q. Why and how did you choose to call yourself Sycamore?

A. That’s a story. I was a climber, and my mother hated it. I started on chairs and tables, graduated to book cases and fences, climbed inside bushes before I could manage trees: always wanted to fly like a bird but the best I could do was climb trees. Sycamores are climbing trees with limbs like rungs on a ladder, great places to hide from your mother. So when it came to Story Telling I wanted a unique name, like Elvis, and Madonna. I was standing under the Sycamore, the one I planted a decade earlier for my grandchildren to climb. I looked up through giant leaves at the white bark and thought, “Why not?”

Q. What kinds of stories do you include in your repertoire?

A. I tell {Ah Ha} stories; they appeal to the intellect. I also tell {Ahhh} stories; they touch the heart. Then there are {Ha Ha} stories to provoke smiles and laughter while {Amen} stories move the spirit, revelations of universal truth. I tell them all.  

Q. What makes you unique as a storyteller?

A. Cinderella is straight forward . . . you know the story. But I can spin it with the magic of pumpkins-into-coaches and mice-into-horses. Or, I can pit good against evil. It can be framed so the unavoidable message is that love prevails. If I want to develop unforgettable characters, I can do that too. I can turn most stories into vehicles that illustrate the Nature of Nature, speak for the nations of fin and feather, of four legs and green growing things.  

Q. Who are those in your audiences?

A. They are listeners of all ages - preschool through silver haired retirees. All with the same reasons to pay attention. They still want and need stimulation, entertainment, and enlightenment.

Q. You mention about travel - how far are you willing to go?

A. I’ve always suffered from wander-lust. Sometimes, the need to be in motion is all the reason I need. On the other hand, I am committed to the Oral Tradition. Wherever I go, from Alaska to Argentina, Nova Scotia to California, Florida to Washington; I find venues and audiences, and we celebrate Story.

Q. What special interests do you have that you use in your storytelling?

A. My guitar “LaPerla” is my traveling companion. She came to me only a few years ago and I’m still learning, but we are a good match. I pick and sing a little tune, do some sing-along when it adds to the story.

Q. What do you like most about being a storyteller?  

A. I love the travel, and the people I meet. But it’s really the stories: I love the stories.

Q. Why do you tell stories?  

A. It must be like being a preacher, called to a mission. Oral Tradition is ancient as cave paintings and current as the weather. Everything we are, everything we value is framed in story. It’s like the air we breathe, taken for granted until we lose it. It is my choice, to keep bringing it to the front.

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