The Storytelling Arts Center of the Southeast will host the 4th Annual Storytelling Festival of Carolina on April 23-25, 2010. The three-day event features performances by six internationally celebrated professional storytellers.

Headlining this year’s Festival will be Carmen Agra Deedy. Ms. Agra Deedy is a frequent guest at storytelling festivals across the country. Her accolades include over 40 national and international awards for children’s literature as well as honors from and recognition by Publishers Weekly, National Public Radio, and Parents’ Choice for her collection of twelve short stories for adults, Growing Up Cuban in Decatur, Georgia (Peachtree Publishers, 2004).

Deedy’s rich storytelling themes have evolved from her childhood experience of emigrating and growing up in the South following the Cuban Revolution. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that Deedy’s experience as a refugee made her “an introspective storyteller with a keen insight into the workings of a child’s mind.” Cokie Roberts of NPR characterizes Deedy as “One of the true American success stories.”

The festival will take place on the grounds of the historic John Blue House in Laurinburg NC. Festival admission passes range from $15 to $35.

Weekend, day and family ticket packages are available at the gate and for advance purchase at a discount. For more information contact the Storytelling Arts Center of the Southeast at 131 S. Main Street in Laurinburg, at (910) 291-0929, and online at www.sfoc.info.