Gary Whitaker the Storyman, Storyteller
Stories are the fabric of humanity’s soul.
I was born and raised in Haltom City (Suburb of Fort Worth) Texas. I am a child of the ’50s and 60’s. I still live in Fort Worth Texas.
I have been telling stories since 1993 when at the age of 42 I discovered the art of storytelling at a Boy Scout ranch, on a campout with my son and his troop.
In 1997 I joined the Tarrant Area Guild of Storytellers (TAGS) where I learned how to be a better storyteller. This is where I really developed my storytelling skills.
In 1998 I also joined the Tejas Storytelling Association (TSA) where over the years I was involved in many storytelling programs including teaching and performing. I also served on the TSA board for 3 Years.
I performed my first successful historical storytelling program in 1999 at a local elementary school. I performed a variety of historically-based programs till 2015 when I began modifying my outreach to suit Libraries.
These days my focus is more general, covering a wide spread of storytelling subjects and themes which Includes history, a variety of folk tales, ghost stories, literature, personal stories, and a beginner’s Storytelling workshop.
Since my beginning and because of my association with history, I love to costume for my programs. I still costume for all of my programs. I believe that costuming helps my audiences to get into the mood for my stories and it’s fun.
Storytelling is all about connecting with your audience and thirty years later that is still my goal.