Friday night, come to the Storytelling Arts Center of the Southeast for a wonderful storytelling concert by National Teller Kim Weitkamp. She will be joined by several up and coming youthful tellers who have honed their skills at a weeklong workshop lead by Weitkamp. The Surprise Concert will be at the Storytelling Arts Center of the Southeast, 131 South Main Street in downtown Laurinburg at 7 pm Friday July 10th.The youth who participated in the Storytelling Workshops have learned many performance skills that will amaze the audience. Students will tell newly crafted stories and Kim Weitkamp with her magical storytelling skills, will charm us with a concert filled with many previously unheard stories.

In the summer workshops, each child is learning about various types of stories and the process of Memory Mapping. Children are learning the five step process of turning their memory into a well rounded, engaging, and interesting story. Students are also gaining skills including movement, voice and facial expressions to make their stories more fun and interesting.

Kim Weitkamp has been telling stories for several years and told at the National Storytelling Festival in 2008. Kim Weitkamp used applied storytelling for over 15 years with her work with youth. She has been a guest speaker, keynote and storyteller at camps, retreats, conferences, libraries, schools, leadership summits and festivals throughout the country. Three years ago, Kim decided to take her love of humor and storytelling to the stage, and she has been warmly received. Her impressive performance list as a newcomer includes the Timpanogos Festival in Utah, the Exchange Stage in Jonesborough Tenn., the historic Lyric Theater in Virginia, the Northeast Storytelling Festival, the Storytelling Festival of Carolina, The Smoky Mountains Festival in Pigeon Forge, TN, The Colonial Williamsburg Storytelling Festival, and many others. She holds residencies at the Montgomery County Museum, the June Bug Center for Storied Arts, and the Lewis Miller Art Center.

Kim has written and performed vignettes and stories for the radio morning shows and penned numerous children’s stories. She is most noted for her original and humorous Pitscreek Series, which has resulted in two CD projects. Kim is the founder of the Wrinkles Project, a nationwide program that helps raise awareness of the treasure we have within our 'seasoned citizens' and the stories that they have to share.

Recently Kim has added the dynamic of singing original songs throughout her performances. They cozy right up to the story and add depth and additional appeal to her telling. Kim's genuine care for the audience, love of story, and natural talent has allotted her a solid position within the arena of spoken word artistry. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to hear great storytelling. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children. Call 291-0929 for more information.