“One of the neat things about the Wrights’ storytelling technique is that they effortlessly blend Japanese terms and onomatopoeic sound effects into the fabric of their traditional tales, and not once does it alienate or seem like scholarly affectation. Each tale begins on a cultural note that may be unfamiliar to most, from language to unconventional behavior of stock characters or unfamiliar social systems of the generally rural Japanese setting. But the way a listener can become so fully engaged within seconds is a testament to the power of these tales and the skill of the storytellers."

Kyoto Journal 2004, reprinted with permission
 

Celebrate Spring and Earth Day with the Wrights! We have two programs for you to choose:

“Water, Water, Everywhere: Ohio’s Rivers, Lakes and Dams” A sprinkling of stories from Ohio’s past to the present: history, legends, myths and memories of bottom lands, brooks, bogs and backwaters; also stories of water ecology. Maybe even a ‘fishy’ tale.

“Nurturing Mother Nature” A variety of nature friendly stories from around the world in addition to cautionary tales about our neglect of the natural world. These include myths, legends, fairytales, folktales and stories from both personal memory and actual historical events.

American Stories for June/July:

June and July are perfect times to celebrate America through stories. Why not bring the Wrights to your event?

“Famous, Fabulous and Infamous Ohioans” Ohio has them all: heroes and heroines from Annie Oakley to Neil Armstrong; the fabulous inventors and leaders in many fields; U.S. presidents, generals, and explorers; and a good share of villains and shysters, from copperheads to crooks, and from bounty hunters to horse thieves.

 

Team Up! Tell In Tandem! is now available, for $22.95 plus shipping, from
http://www.Lulu.com and Amazon through their Createspace section:
http://www.createspace.com/3483177 

team up

click below to download some samples of Jonatha and Harold's stories

Christmas Leaves           Ikkyu-san          Ole Gruesome Greenlocks              Urashima Taro     

Jonatha and Harold Wright, storytellers, have been specializing in Ohio, Appalachian and Japanese stories for the last several years. In addition to folk tales, fairy tales, historical tales, myths and legends they have numerous personal stories. Often they work in tandem, but both Jonatha and Harold also tell solo. These they tell to a wide variety of ages and audiences

TRAVELING TALES IN THE 'BOX' from Yellow Springs News

 

Their storytelling programs include:

  • “Water, Water Everywhere:  Ohio’s Rivers, Lakes and Dams”
  • "That Jack, and His Kin"
  • "Famous, Fabulous and Infamous Ohioans"
  • "From Ohio, Across the Ocean and Back"
  • "Two Thousand Years of Tales from Japan"

Harold has had a career as a professor of Japanese at Antioch College and Ohio State University, and is an award-winning translator of Japanese poetry, with several books to his credit. The last fourteen years, he, along with Jonatha, led and developed a semester of Field Work study for college students through Antioch Education Abroad to Japan each summer, at Kyoto Seika University. Each fall Jonatha coordinated and they worked with Japanese students from Kyoto Seika who participated in American Field Work studies at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, OH. Always the Wrights have used these activities and contacts to research and collect Japanese stories, often in the oral tradition, continually looking for the richness of local flavor and dialect, which Harold translates and they adapt. As they travel Ohio, they continually collect local Ohio stories.

Their workshops include:

  • “From Oral Tradition to Written Word”
  • "Love, Honor and Cherish that Story: An Introduction to Storytelling"
  • "One Plus One Equals Two: Telling in Tandem"
  • "Our Stories Honor and Reveal Our Heritage: Telling YOUR Stories"
  • "Creating Bridges: Cross-Cultural Storytelling"
  • "Prose, Rhythm and Rhyme: Using Poetry to Spice Up Your Storytelling"
  • "The Oral Tradition in Japan"

The Wrights have taught storytelling in many area colleges. They do workshops all over the US and in Kyoto on storytelling techniques and skills. Professionally they belong to the state storytelling groups of Kentucky and Ohio (KSA and OOPS!), the National Storytelling Network, and the Miami Valley Storytellers.

They have two CD's of their Japanese Stories: "Tales from Japan" and "Ichi, Ni, San, Shi...Go!", plus one of Appalachian stories, "Four Seasons with Jack and His Kin" and one DVD, "Jonatha and Harold Wright: Pieces from Our Story Quilt."

 

( copyright 2007 - 2012 Jonatha & Harold Wright )

photography by Mao Yamamoto         website by MPOWERD