Kanute's Story
From Field to Farm to Folk School
Kanute's journey in place, perspective, and practice
Born and raised on a family farm in Ohio, Kanute's early years were “rich with material” for family stories. He played with cats and dogs on the farm, helped feed the chickens and rolled down hills in the pasture field behind the barn. Then, his life was shaken by the sudden death of his mother when he was six.
Growing Up on a Farm
From River & Ridge to Rocking Chair
From his first week long workshop in 2015 with national storyteller, Elizabeth Ellis at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, Kanute likes to say, Elizabeth “opened the door to that canary cage and the bird flew out”.
His first step in story telling and one that he is most proud of is a program he developed in 2016 for folks at area care centers, senior centers and retirement communities. It is called, “Reminiscing, Storytelling and Capturing Personal History. It combines discussion and story to reminds us of the present and the past and helps us find joy in the moment.
From Town Square to Playhouse Stage
At the Heart of the Journey
In 2015, he started helping with the annual Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival, a growing festival and the first of its kind in the area. This all thanks to the work of founders, Amanda Lawrence and Ruth Looper and the family, friends and volunteers they inspire. Since 2017, Kanute has helped with the annual Texas Storytelling Festival in Denton and is now the co-managing director of that festival.
In 2018, he started a story telling group. Today, with the help of Gayle Cox and the support of great Georgia storytellers just across the state line, the aptly-named Mountain Area Storytellers is in full swing. The Mountain Area Storytelling group meets monthly on zoom, inspiring new tellers, refining stories and providing a place for folks to listen.
Crafting a Storytelling Revival
Building Bridges for Others
Inspired by the need to provide more opportunity for storytellers and other artists to have a stage to tell their stories and for story lovers to have a place to listen to stories, Kanute produces the monthly Open Mic Night for storytellers, writers, poets and singer-song writers in his hometown in western NC.
You and me under a story tree. Telling stories every night. Swapping tales 'til everyone is out of sight.
Even in a soup kitchen, a crowd we grew. Filling coffee shops and tents and halls.
Our waggin' tongues, they really flew. From stage to stage, mic to mic, about dogs and cats, brother Fred, and brother Ike. About mom and grandpa and Aunt Arline. And places known and places seen.
Some make believe. Some close to true. Missed some words and made up a few.
Some about a dog named Sport and an ox named Blue. My mouth a ramblin' on like all was true. All that and wondering what you would do. If I were you and you were me. Knowing now. Story tellers we would be.
You and Me Under the Story Tree
- Kanute Rarey