Storyteller Spotlight: Dan Yashinsky

photo © Dan Yashinsky Above: Dan Yashinsky in a photo taken by Luigi Rignanese in Uzes, France, spring, 2011 Dan Yashinsky is a well-known Canadian storyteller, author, and community organizer. Dan has done much to encourage the renaissance of storytelling in all parts of Canada. Dan founded the Toronto Festival of Storytelling in 1979 and co-founded the Storytellers School of Toronto. He is the editor of four acclaimed collections of Canadian storytelling, and has been storyteller-in-residence at Queen's University, Toronto Public Library, The Stop Community Food Centre, Storytelling Toronto, and UNICEF Canada. He also began the longest-running open session in North America: 1,001 Friday Nights of Storytelling in 1978. He has earned accolades, honors, and acclaim across the globe for his approach to and passion for storytelling. As a part of his community, he has brought people together, given voice to the voiceless, and has worked to make safe spaces for people to share their experiences and lives with each other. In this episode, you'll hear the many sides of Dan as storyteller- the humorous, the poignant and the sublime- in an interview, a short comedic tale, and a long-form personal story entitled "Talking You in", a piece he created with composer/musician Brian Katz, which has toured to the Barbican (London), National Arts Centre (Ottawa), and festivals in Wales, Holland, and Canada. To learn more about Dan and find more of his work, visit this website: tellery.com/dan-yashinsky