Northlands Storytelling Network Creation
and Conferences with other
Storytelling Community events as determined by
Patricia Coffie
Timeline for Festivals, Conferences and EventsMadison, WI beginnings
1978
1978
- Five friends (Mark Wagler, Reid Miller, Susan Cook, Joan Laurion, Glen Mitroff) travel in a van to National Storytelling Festival and bring their inspiration back to the north lands. First events were held under “Madison Storytellers’ Guild.”
- National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling began in 1973 and continued with name changes. NAPPS 1975-1993
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg since 1973
- Mineral Point, WI (6)
1979
- First Northlands Storytelling Festival is held in Mineral Point, WI
- First Articles of Incorporation and By-laws with Mark Wagler, Elaine Wynne, and Reid Miller as directors
- The National Story League, formed in 1903, continued
- Jonesborough, TN Annual National Storytelling Festival continues from 1973
- Waverly, IA holds 6th Cedar River Storytelling Festival
1980
- The Northlands Storytelling Festival, Second Annual Gathering
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1981
- Northlands Storyfest ’81
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1982
- Plenty of Magic: 4th Annual Northlands Storyfest
- Northlands Storyfest Newsletter begins with Sue Greenwood as first editor
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1983
- A Story of Places/A Place of Stories. Northlands first formal “Conference”
- Northlands adopts new Articles of Incorporation and By-laws created mainly by Michael Skindrud, lawyer, and Loren Niemi
- First official annual meeting of general membership is held in Mineral Point, WI
- Newsletter becomes “Grapevine”
- Spring gathering formally named first “Conference” in Vol. 2 No. 3 of Grapevine
- “Storytelling from the Heartlands” created with Co-producers Mark Wagler and Wisconsin Public Radio
- Storytellers’ Roundtable of the Iowa Library Association established by Patricia Coffie, Dave Ashcraft, Duffy DeFrance
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1984
- Politics and Media: Storytelling in 1984. Northlands
- First Illinois Storytelling Festival in Spring Grove, IL Jim May
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
- Elkader, IA (12)
1985
- Stories: Bridges in Our Lives
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1986
- Storytribe Gathers at the Oasis
- Elaine Wynne and Larry Johnson begin work to “Make NAPPS National”
- Northlands Audio Conference
- First School of Storytelling
- Playboy asks to participate at Northlands and is told “NO”
- First “Stories from the Heartland” in Austin, MN
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1987
- From Mountain to Mountain: Nurturing Grassroots Storytelling in the Midwest
- First School of Storytelling is organized by Cindy Guthrie
- NAPPS 1st National Congress St. Louis, MO with NSN a part of the planning and realization that “We are NAPPS.”
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1988
- A Wellspring of Stories
- Jimmy Neil Smith from NAPPS attends Northlands Conference
- Storytelling & Cultural Diversity co-sponsored by NSN and Metro State University in Minneapolis
- NAPPS 2nd National Congress in Santa Fe, NM. Ethics.
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is established with Michael Cotter, Donald Davis, and Patricia Coffie first tellers
- Iowa Library Association president Patricia Coffie has Jim May as first general session storyteller
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1989 - Opening the Circle
- NAPPS 3rd National Congress in Raleigh, NC. Storytelling and the Performing Arts
- National Storytelling Journal becomes Storytelling Magazine
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 2nd
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1990 - Priming the Pump
- Northlands Co-sponsored with NAPPS the 4th National Congress in St. Paul, MN
- Alternating Currents. Storytelling, Community, and the Electronic Age
- Co-coordinated by Larry Johnson and Elaine Wynne in Minneapolis
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 3rd
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1991 - Forging New Links
- Corn Days Parade in Dows, IA features Northlands Board
- NSN Co-sponsors Cindy Guthrie and Sarah Meybaum on trip to USSR
- NAPPS 5th and final Congress in Groton, CT.
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 4th
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1992 - Spinning Stories—Weaving Worlds
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 5th
- Two Chairs Telling begins in January in Minneapolis by Loren Niemi
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1993 - Net of Gems
- Patricia Coffie elected to NAPPS Board
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 6th
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1994 - A Flood of Stories
- $25 honorarium—first payment—for conference presenters is initiated
- “Heads and Tales: Storytelling in Education” Madison, WI. Co-coordinated by: Mark Wagler and Larry Johnson.
- National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling (NAPPS) becomes National Storytelling Association (NSA) 1994-1998.
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 7th
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1995
- Tales and Tellers: Ten Years at Elkader (Actually 11)
- First paid newsletter, membership records, mailings, etc.
- National Storytelling Association establishes first awards: Lifetime Achievement, Circle of Excellence, Regional Service, and Regional Leadership.
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 8th
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1996
- Stories—Sparks from the Fire
- Themed issues begin for Storytelling Magazine
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 9th
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
- Dubuque, IA (3)
1997
- Stories: Bridges to the Future
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 10th
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1998
- Stories: Celebration of Imagination
- National Storytelling Association divides into International Storytelling Center and National Storytelling Membership Association (NSMA) 1999. National Storytelling Festival is mutually owned. National Storytelling Center is International Storytelling Center
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 11th
- First “Cocktails for the Wicked” hosted by Loren Niemi at Northlands
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
1999
- Telling Timeless Tales
- Meanwhile back in Waverly, IA. Last Cedar River Storytellers Festival 1975-1999
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 12th
- Loren Niemi elected to National Storytelling Membership Association’s Board of Directors
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
- Madison, WI (8)
2000 - Stories for the New Tellenium
- No Cedar River Storytellers Festival in Waverly, IA as Iowa’s first lady Christie Vilsack’s Stories 2000 in every library in Iowa begins
- National Storytelling Membership Association (NSMA) becomes National Storytelling Network (another NSN) 2000 to present
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 13th
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival Waverly/Wartburg
2001
- Growing the Future, Rooted in the Past
- Cedar River Storytellers Festival 1975-1999 with a 2001 special by First Lady of Iowa Christie Vilsack given award in person by Loren Niemi of National Storytelling Network.
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 14th
2002
- Nurturing Storytelling, Linking Storytellers
- Business Manager, Karen Wollscheid, added!
- Northlands Journal begins
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 15th
- Madison, WI at Edgewater Hotel
2003
- Nurturing Storytelling, Linking Storytellers
- Edgewater Hotel Madison
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 16th
- National Conference Sunday Concert in Chicago “A Taste of the North Lands”
2004
- A Recipe for Success
- Last “Cocktails for the Wicked” hosted by Loren Niemi at Northlands
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 17th
- National Storytelling Network establishes Brimstone Grant for Applied Storytelling.
- National Storytelling Network establishes J. J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Grant
2005
- Hands across the Northlands
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 18th
2006
- Join the Circle
- Meanwhile back in Story City, IA. “Story!” First Annual Festival, Michael Cotter and Bev Jackson
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 18th
2007
- Well-worn Paths & Roads Less Traveled
- 25th Annual Northlands Storytelling Conference
- National Storytelling Conference returns to St. Louis after 20 years
- Northlands Storytelling Network presents “Storytellers Unleashed” at Minnesota Fringe Festival
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 19th
- Story! Continues with 2nd Festival in Story City, IA
- Green Lake, WI
2008
- Northlands Storytelling Network Conference
- 30th Anniversary of Founding of Northlands
- National Storytelling Network cuts staff severely and plans move to urban city
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 20th
- 3rd Annual Story! in Story City, IA
2009
- Our Circle is Always Open
- 27th Annual Northlands Storytelling Conference
- Year of the Regions designation and grant from National Storytelling Network
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 21st Annual
- 4th Annual Story! in Story City, IA
2010
- The Tale’s the Thing.
- Los Angeles for the National Storytelling Conference
- Story! Continues with 5th Annual Festival in Story City, IA
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 22rd Annual.
- Illinois Storytelling Festival continues at Dominican U in Illinois with Janice Del Negro
- Iowa Library Association Storytellers’ Roundtable establishes “Power of Story” Award
- Iowa Library Association Storytellers’ Roundtable sponsors 2 concurrent sessions by WonderWeavers at Iowa Library Association’s annual conference
- Lake Geneva, WI at Grand Geneva Resort
2011
- No Theme
- Stories ‘till the Cows Come Home
- Northlands reorganizes, reducing size of board and revising bylaws
- Year of the Regions designation and grant from National Storytelling Network.
- International Storytelling Center bankruptcy results in ISC’s appropriation of all proceeds to National Storytelling Festival.
- National Storytelling Network regroups and reconsiders what it is to be a National membership organization with a Conference.
- Northlands Journal and Membership Directory in print is last one
- Story! 6th Annual in Story City, IA
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 23rd Annual.
- Iowa Library Association Storytellers’ Roundtable features TWO storytellers (Tim Tingle and Pippa White) at ILA Annual Conference in Council Bluffs
2012
- No Theme
- Stories ‘till the Cows Come Home
- Story! 7th Annual in Story City, IA
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, IA is 24th Annual
- Cincinnati for the National Storytelling Conference in 2012 by National Storytelling Network
2013
- No Theme
- Stories ‘till the Cows Come Home
- Story! 8th Annual in Story City, IA
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa is 25th Annual
- Richmond, VA for the National Storytelling Conference in 2013
- Lake Geneva, WI at Geneva Ridge Resort
2014
- No Theme
- Stories ‘till the Cows Come Home
- Story! 9th Annual in Story City, IA
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake is 26th Annual
- Phoenix AZ for National Storytelling Conference
- National Storytelling Network moves headquarters to Kansas City, MO.
- National Black Storytelling Festival and Conference Chicago
2015
- Northlands Confabulation
- Two Chairs Telling continues in Minneapolis with Loren Niemi
- Story!10th Annual in Story City, IA
- Iowa Storytelling Festival in Clear Lake is 27th Annual
- Includes a workshop by Storytellers’ Roundtable of ILA
- National Storytelling Network first Conference in Kansas City, Mo PATHWAYS
2016
- Confabulation
- Story! Revamped in Story City
- Iowa Storytelling Festival 28th Flood in Park and Fire on Boat
- National Storytelling Network second Conference in Kansas City, MO
2017
- Confabulation
- Iowa Storytelling Festival 29th No Boat and 2 sessions City Park. Fire on boat and flood in park!
- National Storytelling Network third Conference in Kansas City, MO
2018
- Northlands Confabulation with Beth Horner
- 40 years from founding of Northlands
- National Storytelling Network Summit in Kansas City, MO
- Iowa Storytelling Festival 30th Boat and 3 sessions City Park
- Pyle Center, Madison, WI
2019
- Northlands Confabulation with Tim Lowry
- National Storytelling Network in Fremont CA
- Pyle Center, Madison, WI
2020 - Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
- Northlands Confabulation with Kim Weitkamp
- Pyle Center, Madison, WI