“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
 

Harold and I are pleased to announce the availability of our latest book:
"Spine Tingling Tales of Old Japan" through

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

Christmas Leaves           Ikkyu-san          Ole Gruesome Greenlocks              Unrashima Taro     

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

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:

  • "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 HisKin" and one DVD, "Jonatha and Harold Wright: Pieces from Our Story Quilt."

 

( copyright 2007 - 2008 jonatha & harold wright )

photography by Mao Yamamoto          this site is MPOWERD