Loren NiemiLoren Niemi told his first formal story when he was in First Grade to the disapproval of Sister Mary Margaret and has been at it more or less nonstop since then. For the last 40 years he has been an innovative professional storyteller performing, dircting, collecting, coaching, and teaching stories - traditional and personal, funny, scary, erotic or poetic - to audiences of all ages in urban and rural settings. Niemi tells the life he lives frequently, artfully, and truthfully. Storytelling is also at the core of his work as a community organizer, public policy advocate and consultant working with marginalized communities and non-profit groups to articulate their dreams, build their capacity and resolve their conflicts. He was a 1998 Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow and the recipient of a 2016 National Storytelling Network's Lifetime Achievement Award. His website is at www.lorenniemistories.com. Read More Read Less