“Definitely our storyteller laureate.”
Tim Courlas, Documentary Filmmaker
Folklore and storytelling
Stories are experiences, shared.
They transform the power of imagination into empathy.
As a volunteer public folklorist, I discover, archive, and share stories, specializing in local ghostlore and urban legends.
As a storyteller, I aim to delight, inspire, and to teach others to tell their own stories.
folklore Fieldwork and research
“His explanation of folkloric terms and providing me with resources to further my own personal interest was very helpful…”
Amanda Ferguson, local herbalist and fieldwork participant
And I Looked Again…
2024
Folklore documentary exploring the way supernatural narratives about a historical landmark establish community identity within a hyperliminal space.
The Hookah Folk: Understanding Hookah Smokers as a Folk Group
2011
Study of how hookah lounges around the Ohio State University campus function as a third place, and how traditional practices unique to each lounge establish place identity. Published as an essay in Living Traditions, 2nd edition.
Read The Hookah Folk in Living Traditions
No Shit, There I Was: Humorous Narratives Among US War Veterans
2012
Study exploring the function of humorous personal storytelling among US war veterans, presented at the 2012 reFraming and unMapping IU/OSU joint student folklore and ethnomusicology conference.
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storytelling
“I enjoyed your storytelling so much!”
Kari Hawk, local historian
What Happened?
2024
Live storytelling at A Night of Gahanna Stories in Film and Spoken Word. What Happened? is a humorous narrative about finding a wasp nest in a Gahanna park.
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Who’s Missing?
2019
Co-champion of an international data storytelling competition hosted by Tableau, in front of a live in-person audience of 17,000 and over 100,000 online. Who’s Missing explored the homogenization of international cuisine US culture and data. Awarded co-champion.
Watch Who’s Missing? at the Iron Viz
A Small Annotation
2020
A short fictional story exploring data humanism as an analyst finds himself face-to-face with the real person behind a data point.