Gary Lloyd (Mason Talespinner)

email: garytells@comcast.net
phone: 302-645-0650
address:
35745 Elk Camp Rd.
Rehoboth Beach, DE 11971
webpage

From Vermont to South Carolina, over 450,000 listeners of all ages (not counting the festivals and fairs) in hundreds of schools, libraries and other facilities have enjoyed the unique blend of fact and fiction storytelling for which I am known.

I begin each program celebrating the bond between storytelling and reading -each requires the reader/listener to call on their imagination to recreate the story in their mind's eye. Because of my promotion of literacy, I have presented training workshops for the Virginia Library Association, the Delaware Library Association, a regional Toastmasters' Conference, and the city of Charleston , S.C. Public Library Childrens' Services Department.

I have also told at the National Zoo, the Potomac Celtic Festival, Washington Folk Festival, the Fairfax County Fair, Spotlight on the Arts, Fall For The Book, the Fairfax Chocolate Lovers Festival, parks, community, recreation and daycare centers, the prestigious Homestead resort, and was the only non-Pennsylvania teller invited to tell on Groundhog Day in Punxsatawney in 2005.

Although my large selection of programs is aimed at school age children, I have entertained all ages from preschool through senior citizens. I particularly enjoy custom designing sessions for clients to match a theme or special need. With just a few weeks lead time, I have prepared programs for cub scouts, girl scouts, collegiate honor societies, adult volunteer banquets, and private/public schools on such diverse topics as Mark Twain, the California Gold Rush, Vikings, polar explorers, survival adventures, and lives of inventors. Known for my enthusiastic delivery, I provide a vehicle to introduce an audience to a topic before sending them "off to the books" to read more on their own.

In fact, don't set a chair up for me when I visit your library, school or center - you see, I move - a lot! While I take great care in selecting stories, I take even greater care in orchestrating a program of story, voices, movement, and participation that is focused on capturing and keeping audience attention. I have earned a solid reputation for being flexible and easy to work with while providing a quality storytelling experience at a reasonable fee.

Let me help you give the people you are responsible for; be they small or tall, the Gift of Story.

Credentials
Member National Storytelling Network; Performing Artist for Creative Arts Program (CAPS) of the Arts Council of Fairfax County; listed in Library of Virginia Approved Performers' Directory; two term President of the Virginia Storytelling Alliance; Performing Member, Board of Directors of Voices in the Glen; member, Delaware Library Association; member, Virginia Educational Media Association.

Programs Offered
(programs about 50-55 minutes)
Many of these are keyed to Standards of Learning - check all of them!
• Odyssey to Mount Olympus: "Mortal" children are granted an audience with present day Zeus (the gods live forever after all!), who interactively discusses how the Greeks lived and the adventures of their gods. With the children, he ponders the good and bad side of immortality. (Features a 60 second rap version of the labors of Heracles.)
• Odyssey to Valhalla with Yrag the Skald: Every Viking chief had his bard or skald to sing his story. Yrag, complete with Viking helmet, sword and shield, recounts the Norse creation myth, stories about mighty Thor and the trickster god, Loki, then relates how Vikings lived compared to life today. Copy of Runic alphabet for each student.
• A Day in the Pentium Millenium: Fast forward to the present for an hilarious look at technology gone awry. Electronic gadgetry from computers to video games to microwaves are presented in original poetry similar in style to Jack Prelutsky or Shel Silverstein. With titles like "The Upside Download," "The Kid Who Surfed a Microwave," "The Beeper That Wouldn't Stop Beeping," and about 25 others, Mason Talespinner will have you and the students laughing till it megahertz! (great for National Poetry Month)(best for K-3rd).
• Amazing Escapes: True or False?: Mason Talespinner simulates the recent television show Fact or Fiction by telling six stories of incredible courage and survival, then allowing the students to vote at the end of each story as to whether it was true or false. (these nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat stories have done the seemingly impossible, kept middle schoolers mesmerized for an hour!). Everyone from first grade to senior citizens has been captivated to find out at the end which stories were true; (most appropriate for school-age and adult audiences). This is a great program for Teen Read Week or as a reward for "graduating" 6th graders. It is often paired with Grrreat Animal Tales for the younger kids to cover a school.
• Grrreat Animal Tales: A proven winner for all ages, but particularly for K-2. Children select the order of 5 stories by drawing animals from my story bag. Clever props, lots of movement, and some interesting facts about the animals catch and hold audience attention. This is a great program to kick off a unit on folklore and storytelling!
• Didgeridoos & Kangaroos: Gidday mates, Mason Talespinner here offering a bit o' Aussie culture and folklore. Your students select story stones from my dreambag and in-between tales of snakes (crikee!), dingoes, crocs, and kangaroos, we blows a few notes on a true didgeridoo. I even learn em a few words of proper Austrine and of course we sing, "Tie Me Kangaroo Down."
• Anansi the Spiderman: This program is chock full of facts about spiders and features three stories from around the world honoring the arachnid family. At one point, I even dress as Anansi, complete with 8 eyes and legs! Good for all ages, best for k-3rd.
• Once Upon a Dragon: Four tales announced by a three foot brass gong - one includes a story about a real dragon scale and claw for the kids to see! Best for pre-K through 2nd grade
• You Need To Read: Kids will head for the stacks if someone gets them excited about some good books - that is where I come in. Find out why Poe Middle School has had me back three years in a row. Making the books come alive is my specialty, and I carefully choose selections and collaborate with teachers and media specialists to energize the student body.
Excellent for TEEN READ WEEK or National Library Month.
• There's Gold In Them Thar Stories: Amazing tales from the California Gold Rush of 1849, an unprecedented time of expansion for America. Hear what it meant to drop everything and head West by clipper ship around Cape Horn, through the steamy jungle of Panama, and across the prairie by covered wagon; the danger, the excitement, the trials, the daily life, the failures and real winners. Find the basis for the legend of Zorro!
• Watchamacallits and Whangdoodles: Inspiring and unusual tales of inventors; their methods, ideas, trials, failures, and successes. If your students don't want to get out of their seats and invent something at the end of this program, Eureka isn't a city in California!
• Pumpkin Tales For The Young: Stories carefully selected to be more funny than scary as a Halloween treat to K-1st graders. We do the Monster Mash and all sorts of audience generated sound effects guaranteed to keep that all important attention span riveted.
• Leprechauns and Giants: We're all a wee bit Irish, don't you know! Inspired after making the pilgrimage and kissing the Blarney Stone, I've assembled a few clever props and even cleverer stories about big and little people from the Emerald Isle. Treat the kids to a Saint Patrick's Day they'll not soon forget!
• Tipi Tales: Native American facts and folklore retold with respect for the culture and a desire to pass along tradition. Although not in any way a Native American, I represent a reasonable and exciting way to start the unit on tribal life in America.
• The Gong Show: Students beat a large gong to announce each of 5 Asian tales from China, Korea, and Japan. Laden with interesting facts and good for all grades.
• Johnny Reb & Billy Yank : True stories from both sides of the Civil War, I mean the War of Yankee Aggression! Kick start your unit with tales that will fire the students up to hit the library for more.
• Ancient Tales From Ancient Civilizations : From the last tale of Gilgamesh, through the Egyptians, Greeks, and up to the Vikings, take a romp through time with classic tales.
• Teenage American (S)Heroes : It seems like most written history favors adults – but here are true tales of courage and daring deeds by teens from colonial Virginia to the present! A good reward for Teen Read Week.
• Latino Legends and Heroes : Next Cinco de Mayo, skip the dancers and go for true stories and amazing legends of Latinos, including the true inspiration for Zorro!
• Around the World in Tales : From Australia to Africa , Japan to Portugal, and Ireland to Mexico, the world loves a good story well told!

Those of you who have already experienced the best selling Grrreat Animal Tales and the Amazing Escapes: True or False survival stories, don’t forget there are sequels: More Grrreat Animal Tales and Amazing Escapes II: False or True? well, it is now so popular I have added another version Amazing Escapes Three!

By the way, you could give the kids a treat next Valentine's Day with my Chocolate-Covered Fairytales classic tales retold with a chocolate twist; Like Goldilocks and the Three Bars! Melts in your ears, not your mouth! Includes tons of facts about chocolate.

Tall Tales From America's Trails: follow the path with mighty Paul Bunyan, tornado-ridin' Pecos Bill, and Ol' Stormalong, the greatest sailor ever along with others. Sorry, no fries served with these whoppers!

Don't see exactly what you need? Give me a call or email me and let's discuss your needs. Usually with only three weeks notice I can design a program specific to your desires at no additional fee. I am available for residencies/workshops on the storytelling process. These would need to be negotiated separately.

Program Fee is a Modest $350 per show. Two shows on the same day, regardless of time and location (ie. could be a school and a library, different schools, etc.) are $275 each for a total of $550 - three or more shows the same day are also $275 each. A slight transportation fee will be added for events more than 150 miles away from base.

Clients
Virginia Counties/Cities Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, Fauquier, Virginia Beach, Louisa, Loudoun, Page, Rockingham, Orange, Shenandoah, Goochland, Southhampton, Albemarle, Lancaster, Isle of Wight, Spotsylvania, New Kent, Suffolk, Bath, Charles City, Nelson, Greene, Culpeper, Madison, Chesterfield, Washington, Virginia Beach, Waynesboro, Herndon, Fairfax, Falls Church, Alexandria, Front Royal, Norfolk, Charlottesville
Maryland Counties: Frederick, Washington, Montgomery, Prince George's, Calvert, Anne Arundel, Queen Anne's, Carroll, Charles, Harford, and the City of Baltimore
Delaware: Rehoboth Beach, Sussex County, Kent County, New Castle County, Wilmington (all but one of the public libraries in the state)
South Carolina: Beaufort - Broadriver ES
Vermont: Brattleboro
Pennsylvania: Punxsutawney, and Devon
Public Schools: Providence ES, Weyanoke ES, Forestville ES, Kings Glen ES, Deer Park ES, Cub Run ES, Willow Springs ES, Westlawn ES, Hollin Meadows ES, Lee's Corner ES, Centreville ES, Brookfield ES, Clifton ES, Leesburg ES, Gunston ES, Washington Mills ES, Centre Ridge ES, Bull Run ES, Virginia Run ES, William Holly ES, Hugh Mercer ES, Bailey's ES for the Arts & Sciences, Cardinal Forest ES, Cunningham Park ES, Daniel's Run ES, Fairfax Villa ES, Fox Mill ES, Hunt Valley ES, Kings Park ES, Little Run ES, London Towne ES, Marshall Road ES, Oak Hill ES, Providence ES, Ravensworth Es, Rolling Valley ES, Stenwood ES, Terra Centre ES, Wakefield Forest ES, Terraset ES, Shrevewood ES, Old Creek ES, Fort Belvoir ES, Fairview Es, Dranesville ES, Silverbrook ES, Island Creek and many others
Harper Lee MS, Poe MS, Stone MS, Hughes MS, and many others.
Private Schools/Colleges/Resorts/Churches: Historic Christ church in Alexandria, Little River United Church of Christ, St. Louis Catholic School, Boyd Montessori ( 3 locations - Centreville, Reston, and Fairfax), Highland (Warrenton), Chesterbrook Academy, St. Aidan's Episcopal Day School, George Mason University, Oakwood School, Leadership Institute of Phi Theta Kappa, The Homestead Resort, Holton Arms, Bullis and many others.
Public Libraries: Lorton, King's Park, Centreville, Chantilly, Dolly Madison, Pohick, Richard Byrd, Sherwood, Tysons-Pimmit, Reston, Herndon Fortnightly, Fairfax, George Mason, Patrick Henry, Brunswick, Bull Run, Crozet, Lancaster, Little Falls, Louisa, Lovettsville, Purcellville, Rust, Sterling, Ashburn, Eastern Loudoun, Middleburg, Northside, Olney, Orange County, Scottsville, Suffolk, Bealeton, Wilderness, Glen Carlyn, Cherrydale, Westover, Columbia Park, Bowie, Shenandoah County, C. Burr Artz, Thurmont, Heritage, Middletown, Emmitsburg, Goochland County, Aurora Hills, Arlington Mill Center, Nokesville, Gainesville, Independent Hill, Kempsville, Great Neck, Virginia Beach Central, Windsor Woods, Rehoboth Beach, Spauldings, Twinbrook, Rockville, Waynesboro, Laurel(Md), Glenarden, Greenbelt, Damascus, Mary Riley Stiles, Mt. Jackson, Kingstown, Bladensburg, and many others (over 215).
Festivals and Parks: 1st Annual L.A.U.G.H.S. in Sterling; Potomac Celtic Festival; Southern Maryland Celtic Festival; Guppy Gala Festival at the National Zoo; Washington Folk Festival; Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts; Viva Vienna, Fairfax Fair; Fall for the Book, Library of Virginia Showcases in Roanoke and Williamsburg; Girl Scout Council of Central Maryland; Fairfax Chocolate Lovers' Festival, Tellabration at Loudoun County; Toastmasters' International District 27 Annual Conference; International Platform Association Annual Conference; Voices in the Glen Storytelling Festival; Hagerstown, Md Council For The Arts; Dulles Town Center Opening Celebration; Virginia Mental Health Institute; Colvin Run Mill; E. C. Lawrence Park; Huntley Meadows Park; Hidden Oaks Park; Fairfax County 2001 Xmas Diversity Celebration (emcee), many Blue & Gold Boy Scout Dinners, Third Annual Storytelling Festival in Punxsutawney, Pa. for Groundhog Day, USDA Graduate School and others.

Testimonials
What Clients Say About Gary

“My kids said it was so cool! They wished he wrote books so they could buy them. He had every students and teachers attention!!!! What a great assembly!” W. B. Simpson ES in Camden, DE, teacher’s name withheld on request

“Gary Lloyd was not only entertaining, but told the kids that he researched his stories and explained the importance of reading for information. I hope we are able to get him back again. He's the best person we've had in a long time (and he really performed for a decent amount of time and just didn't perform the same "trick" from different angles). I also appreciated that we had a smaller group of children in attendance. Thank you for arranging this for us.” W. B. Simpson ES in Camden, DE, teacher’s name withheld on request

"I would definitely recommend your performance. In a roomful of adults, EVERYONE was mesmerized!"
Tracy Gray, Girl Scout Council of Central Maryland Annual Volunteer Dinner (Amazing Escapes program)

"Gary is enthusiastic, dedicated, and teaches concepts with every tale. He also greeted the children individually and showed a love of them and his work."
Emily Wagner, Waynesboro Public Library

"Grrreat Animal Tales and Amazing Escapes were both appropriate for an elementary/primary age school audience. Amazing Escapes could also be used for middle school, high school, or adult audiences. I would love to hear some of the other programs now after hearing these two. Gary holds the attention of even large groups of elementary school children with ease. From my own experiences in education and library work, I'd have to say I was very impressed! His performances were a wonderful addition to our Summer Reading Program."
Beth Wells, Waynesboro Public Library

"During your Spiderman Anansi program, even a little girl who seemed afraid of spiders had fun. This was a very creative program with educational themes, yet lots of fun. All ages would enjoy it!"
Sandy Donahue, Middletown Library

"Gary is a gifted, animated storyteller who blends educational tidbits with such skill that the audience is entertained and enlightened at the same time. He has very good rapport with the children."
Lynn Loomis, Highland School

"He brought humor and energy to his stories, and had the kids in the audience (and their parents) tuned in and appreciative for every syllable he uttered - and all joined in enthusiastically for the audience participation parts."
Beverly Meffed, Mary Riley Stiles Library, Falls Church, Va.

"I couldn't believe 3 year olds could sit that long with full attention despite baby brothers and sisters crawling around - they totally ignored all distractions to stay with Gary!"
Barbara Saenger, Great Falls Library

What Clients Say About "Amazing Escapes"
"Each of our sixth grade classes has taken your excellent model, analyzed it, and used it as a guide to write and tell our own stories. We all look forward to your next visit when you will tell us about the California Gold Rush."
Kerry Smith, 6th grade teacher at Deer Park Elementary School

"Dear Mr. Talespinner; you didn't just tell the story, you were inspiring. I don't think anyone could tell a better story than you can. On a scale from one to ten, I'd give you a 20. From a student to a teller, I give you best wishes from now to the last day you tell stories. Your listener, Marcus Williams."
(Marcus is a sixth-grader at Poe Middle School in Annandale, Virginia.)

"As soon as disasters began to happen in each story, their attention was riveted. The whole concept of the program was unique and excellent."
Connie Sargent, Children's Staff, Rust Library, Leesburg, Virginia

"You gave two performances at our library, and even though I sat through both, you presented the second program just as fresh as the first one; no one would have guessed only minutes before you were telling the same tales. I think the kids had a great time and I was tickled when they 'just knew' what the result would be, only to find out they hadn't figured it out right. Your show is an attention-getter for school-age to include young teenagers."
Amy Jo Jackson, Children's Librarian, Orange County Library, Virginia

"You are one of the best storytellers ever! You kept five classes of sixth-graders totally engaged for over an hour."
Debbie Driskill, sixth grade teacher at Deer Park Elementary School

"You captured the children's attention and imagination by presenting perfectly appropriate programming. After we returned to school from break, I had parents stop me to say how much their children enjoyed the stories and had shared them at home. You made quite an impression on them!"
Ann Voss, Librarian, Willow Springs Elementary School

"Usually when I'm in an assembly like that, I'm bored, but this time I wasn't.
Those were the best stories I've ever heard; I told my dad some, and he thought they were awesome!"
Cliff Kent Jr., 6th grader at Poe Middle School, Annandale Virginia