On the Sara Slayton Stage
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Stuart Stotts
We are so pleased to welcome Stuart Stotts back to the Sara Slayton Stage
Stuart Stotts is a songwriter, storyteller, and author from DeForest, Wisconsin. He has worked as a 
full-time performer since 1986 and gives more than 200 shows a year for kids, families, and adults around the Midwest, and sometimes farther. Mr. Stotts is a frequent presenter at conferences and workshops for teachers, parents, and librarians. He has worked extensively as an artist-in-residence in elementary, middle, and high schools. He has also released several award-winning recordings and is the author of The Bookcase Ghost: A Collection of Wisconsin Ghost Stories, Books in a Box: Lutie Stearns and the Traveling Libraries of Wisconsin, Curly Lambeau and the Green Packers, and most recently We Shall Overcome: A Song that Changed the World.
Stuart also is a Kennedy Center teaching artist. His presentations are funny, practical, engaging, and based in everyday practice and experience. Stuart gives many concerts every year and has released several recordings.
Susan O’Halloran
We are so pleased to welcome Susan O’Halloran to the Sara Slayton Stage.
Susan O’Halloran is a story artist, writer, television personality and keynote speaker. Susan has been featured several times at the International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee and is a frequent keynote presenter and seminar leader for the National Storytelling Network’s annual conferences. Within her own profession, she has received the Leadership and Service Award and the Circle of Excellence Award. One Fortune 100 company newsletter stated: “Sue’s presentation was a brilliant and entertaining.” Susan O’Halloran is author of several books and is a producer/director of multicultural performances and films.
Sue has been seen on such media programs as PBS and ABC Nightline and has been interviewed by The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune. About her own storytelling skills, The Chicago Reader’s Critic Choice said, “O’Halloran has mastered the Irish art of telling stories that are funny and heart-wrenching at the same time.”
Jim May
Jim May is an Emmy award-winning storyteller, teacher, and author of the critically acclaimed “Farm On Nippersink Creek” and a children’s picture book, “The Boo Baby Meets The Ghost of Mable’s Gable”. A professional storyteller for over twenty-five years, Jim has told stories to all ages across the United States, and in Canada and Europe. His keynote and training venues have included the American Library Association, Illinois Reading Council, Texas Library Association, National Park Service, Austin Library System (Texas), Illinois Teenage Institute, and numerous school districts. Jim will be sharing stories on Friday and Saturday evenings and conducting a workshop on Saturday afternoon. This is Jim’s first time performing at the La Crosse Storytelling Festival. 
Michael Scott
A local favorite, Michael Scott will be the emcee for our Saturday evening performance and entertain us with a story or two. Michael is known for his humorous personal tales, his Mark Twain performances, and his La Crosse Ghost walks. Michael was the founder and host of the Old School Variety Shows which highlighted La Crosse area talent, especially storytelling.
Eddie Allen
Eddie first appeared on our Sara Slayton Stage two years ago. And he was a huge success. Eddie, a Trempealeau native, is a musician who sings stories. Our audiences loved him and we knew right away that he fit perfectly with the festival. Eddie will entertain us at the Friday and Saturday night performances. 
The Bluff Country Tale Spinners
The Bluff Country Tale Spinners is a local storytelling guild made up of storytellers and story listeners. Several members tell stories all around the Coulie Region and have appeared on the Sara Slayton Stage for our Tales of the Creepy and Scary, Celtic Tales, our Children’s Programs, and our annual festival.