photo by: Kathy Hanks

Professional storyteller Priscilla Howe is pictured at her North Lawrence home Aug. 7, 2019, with one of the 165 puppets she uses to tell her stories.

Local storyteller Priscilla Howe has been using different puppets each day in her online story time sessions.

Every weekday at 2 p.m., Howe offers a free story on Zoom geared toward children. She’s doing it for the community, she said, but also to brighten up her day.

“When everybody is feeling so anxious, this has been really great just to see all the listeners laughing,” she said. “We need a little lift in the middle of the day. For me, it has actually been really great for lifting my spirits, as well as the listeners.”

So far, Howe said about 15 people have been tuning in Mondays through Fridays for her 30-minute story time sessions, which include songs and puppets. She’s had listeners from across the United States, as well as Bulgaria, Belgium, Argentina, Israel and Canada.

The Journal-World reported on the globe-trotting storyteller in August. She has more than 165 puppets in her North Lawrence home and was recently one of two recipients of the National Storytelling Network’s International Story Bridge Award.

Howe puts her audience on mute when she tells her stories over Zoom, but asks questions to her viewers to keep them engaged, and has them mime out the answers.

Howe’s free story sessions are Mondays through Fridays at 2 p.m. Listeners can join in the story by going to https://zoom.us/j/874033582. If inclined to donate, listeners may Paypal Howe at priscilla@priscillahowe.com or Venmo Priscilla-Howe. For more information, see Howe’s website, priscillahowe.com, and click on the “Online Performances” tab.

“Connection Concert” with Kelley Hunt: Dance Party Edition

photo by: Ann K. Brown

Kelley Hunt

Local musician Kelley Hunt has been streaming “Connection Concerts” on Facebook from her home rehearsal studio. This Saturday night, she will stream her third quarantine concert, and she wants it to be a dance party.

“A little music, a little community and suddenly things don’t seem so isolated anymore,” Hunt said in a press release, noting that she hopes listeners on Saturday night will dance out their cabin fever. “So, you know, whip up your favorite quarantini and let’s get down.”

Hunt will be pulling out her grooviest tunes from her original catalog and hopes her fans will have living room dance parties.

The concert will stream live at 7 p.m. on Kelley’s Facebook page: facebook.com/KelleyHuntMusic/. The concert is free, but those who feel inclined to donate may PayPal or Venmo Hunt. Information about how to donate will be on her Facebook page Saturday night.