Our Storytellers

Andy Offutt Irwin, Emcee

With a manic, Silly Putty voice, astonishing mouth noises, and heart-filled stories, Andy Offutt Irwin is equal parts mischievous schoolboy and the Marx Brothers, peppered with a touch of the Southern balladeer. He has been a Featured Teller at the National Storytelling Festival eleven times and is a perennial favorite at the International Storytelling Center’s Teller-in-Residence series. 


A storyteller, theatre director, singer-songwriter, and Shakespearean actor, Andy was Artist-in-Residence at Emory University’s Oxford College from 1991 to 2007.  He has performed at LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts in New York, The Library of Congress, Walt Disney World, and a whole mess of theatres, colleges, and festivals all over the United States 
Andy lives in Covington, Georgia. He thinks he is funny.

Learn more about Andy Offutt Irwin

Donald Davis

Donald Davis was born in a Southern Appalachian mountain world rich in stories. While he heard many traditional stories about Jack and other heroic characters, he was most attracted to the stories of his own family and places of origin.  Davis begin retelling the stories he heard and then adding his own new stories to them until he was repeatedly asked to tell it again, on purpose.

During his twenty-five year career as a United Methodist Minister, Davis began to use stories more and more.  He was also asked to begin performing at festivals and in other settings until he retired from the church to tell stories full time.

The author of nineteen books and more than fifty original recordings, Davis is the recipient of both the Circle of Excellence and the Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Storytelling Network.

Learn more about Donald Davis

Mokoto Dworkin Bio

Recipient of the National Storytelling Network’s 2017 Circle of Excellence Award, Motoko has captivated audiences of all ages since 1993. Featured at festivals and theaters throughout the United States, she brings to life a rich repertoire of Asian folktales, Rakugo and Zen tales, ghost stories, and oral memoirs inspired by her childhood in Osaka and her journey as an immigrant. Storytelling has taken her to China, Japan, Senegal, and the U.A.E. She is the author of A Year in Japan: Folktales, Songs and Art for the Classroom.

About Mokoto

Noa Baum

The Washington Post describes Noa Baum as someone who "Spreads cultural truths that eclipse geopolitical boundaries...". Born and raised in Jerusalem, the performing bug bit Noa at a very early age when her father improvised perfectly tailored music on the piano to match the stories she made up and danced with her younger siblings.  Noa holds a BFA in theater from Tel Aviv University, was an actress with the Khan Repertory Theater of Jerusalem and studied with acclaimed acting teacher Uta Hagen in NY. She holds a Master of Arts in Educational Theater and Drama Therapy from New York University (NYU) and received a Graduate Fellowship working in inner city schools from C.A.T., (Creative Arts Team) the Theater in Education Company of NYU. A sought-out performer, speaker, and trainer, Noa offers a unique approach to storytelling in communities and organizations. Since 1982, she has inspired and educated audiences of all ages with her performances, innovative keynotes, and transformative workshops. Since 1990 Noa has lived in the U.S. and tours internationally. She has presented in Turkey, Sweden, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Israel, as well as hundreds of venues in the US including: The World Bank, The Mayo Clinic, The Kennedy Center, The US Defense Department, US Securities and Exchange Commission, AARP, GWU Law School, Brandeis and Stanford Universities. Noa’s memoir “A Land Twice Promised – an Israeli Woman’s Quest for Peace” is a winner of the Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award, the LDS Publishing Professionals Association Award, and a Storytelling World Award. She is also the author of a picture book “How the Birds Became Friends” - winner of the Storytelling World Honors award - on the power of kindness to bring peace. Her audio recordings won Parents’ Choice and Storytelling World awards.  Noa is a recipient of numerous awards from the National Storytelling Network, the Maryland State Arts Council and the Arts Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Maryland.  Noa lives in the Washington, DC area and was voted by The Washington Jewish Week as one of the 10 most interesting local Jews. 


About Noa Baum

Bil Lepp 

Bil Lepp is an award-winning storyteller, author, and recording artist. He’s the host of the History Channel’s Man Vs History series, the occasional host of NPR’s internationally syndicated Mountain Stage, and a contributing columnist to the West Virginia Gazette-Mail. Bil’s humorous, family friendly tall-tales and stories have earned the appreciation of listeners of all ages and from all walks of life. Though a five time champion of the WV Liars’s Contest, Lepp’s stories often contain morsels of truth which present universal themes in clever and witty ways. Audiences all across the country, from grade schools to corporate execs to the Comedy Central’s Hudson stage, have been delighted by Bil’s mirthful tales and delightful insights into everyday life.  Bil’s books and audio collections have won awards including the PEN Steven Kroll Award for Children’s Book Writing, Parents’ Choice Gold awards, and awards from the National Parenting Publications Assoc., and the Public Library Assoc. He is also the recipient of the Vandalia Award, West Virginia’s highest folk honor.  

“Just as New Jersey has Bruce Springsteen, West Virginia has…Bil Lepp.” – Goldenseal Magazine 

Learn more about Bil Lepp