- Dr. Joseph Sobol, Director of East Tennessee State University storytelling master’s program

Welcome to Traveling Tales’ web page, a new adventure with every tale! This page will give you some information about Lethan, his performance history, his thoughts, the thoughts of his audience, and when you might see him next.

Traveling Tales’ CD, Favorite Tales has been released!

Includes: Rapunzel, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Goldilocks and The Three Bears, and King Arthur and Hanner Dyn. These are some of my favorite stories to tell, and I am particularly excited to announce that even if you’ve seen these stories performed before, the CD presents them in an entirely new light.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of this CD, currently it is only available at the Bloomsburg Public Library or online here, but the disks will soon be available at various CD stores throughout Bloomsburg, Open Your Eyes to Dream Art Gallery, Cloak and Dragon Bookstore, as well as the Cherry Alley Lewisburg. Enjoy!

Listen to the first two minutes of each track here!

Biography of Lethan and Traveling Tales

This storytelling adventure began in the summer of 1998, when Lethan joined Middle-Earth Studios storytelling at their theater in Knoebels Grove Amusement Park in Elysburg, PA. This was the summer after Lethan’s 10th grade year and, for Lethan, joining Middle-Earth Studios as a storyteller was a summer job, he had no intention of continuing to storytell.

But time continued to tumble on and Lethan was at a point where he was trying to figure out what to do with his life. He was finishing an undergraduate degree in philosophy at Bloomsburg University, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to continue with a career in the subject; he was considering a career path in anthropology, education, music, becoming a rockstar, but none of these paths completely ignited his passion. Then, in 2004, he went to a performance by Jay O’Callahan, storyteller, of his piece Pouring the Sun. Lethan was moved by this performance to the point where he decided he wanted to be a storyteller.

The next day Lethan approached Hal Pratt, the head librarian/storyteller at his local library, and asked if Mr. Pratt could share any wisdom about storytelling. Pratt and the children’s librarian, Karen Roszel, immediately took Lethan under their wing and began sharing their knowledge and joining Lethan on storytelling ventures. It was this tutelage and support that allowed Lethan to begin Traveling Tales and share stories throughout the country.

From that day to this, Lethan has continued passion exploration for storytelling, performing in a multiplicity of towns throughout the United States, including: Pittsburgh, PA; Philadelphia, PA; Sacramento, CA; Boston, MA; and Johnson City, TN. He is currently based in Jonesborough, TN, where he is finishing his master’s degree in storytelling at East Tennessee State University, but he loves to travel and share his tales anywhere in the world.

Lethan performs in a highly energetic, interactive style. Each character in his stories comes to life through his voices and movements. His understanding of story and his quick wit allow him to make the audience a part of each tale, incorporating their responses into each telling, and at times getting help from his audience to create a story on the spot. Lethan’s talent for story improvisation also allows each tale to take on a life of its own and grow as a story. These stories may be contemporary adaptations of classic folktales, historical tales told in a manner a textbook could never convey, or even one the true stories he made up; whatever the case, Lethan makes sure that all his work stays fun and fresh.

We all need stories; as human beings, what sets us apart from the other animals is our ability to share through story. Lethan keeps the magic of story alive through his performances; his tales will fill you with laughter, perhaps draw out a tear or two, and leave you with a smile. So come, join us for a tale or two…

Traveling Tales - Mission Statement

In today’s world, technology plays a major part in the transfer of information. While this technology is wonderful in many ways, it is my fear that with all that has, and is being gained by this, much is simultaneously being lost. Folk tales are replaced by television shows. Oral history is disappearing. We are afraid to challenge the imagination. But we must not give up in the face of this.

The goals of Traveling Tales, in light of these circumstances, is to bring to life traditional stories from all over the world, engaging the imagination of the audience and to explore the human truths in the tales told. But most of all, these tales are for everyone to have fun!