Norah Dooley

It was such a wonderful day! The kids were so taken by you, your expressiveness, your voice, and your stories. I just love the idea of the picture map you drew for them and think it will be so helpful in writing their own fables and plays. A couple of them said “this was the best day”, and I agree. It was the best day of the year!

Thank you, that was great! We have had a lot of authors come but yours was the best presentation we’ve ever had.

After your presentation to children in third, fourth and fifth grades, we had one child [I would describe as a ‘reluctant writer’] who asked his teacher, “Could we do some writing when we get back to the classroom?”… not , “When is recess?”, or “Can we have our snack now?”. You really struck a chord with so many. The teachers were thrilled to hear you say things they constantly say to children to encourage them to write. Your manner of presentation was captivating, convincing and encouraging… for children and adults.

The school is still full of your wonderful storytelling. Your work and this is no “flarching” as my English Grandmother would say, is stellar. You are without doubt the best storyteller that I have ever heard and I’ve heard a lot. Thank you so much for coming to Gordon. We very much hope that you will come back soon. I was in Kindergarten yesterday and reading a description of noodle making and eating along with a thank you to Norah Dooley for sparking the whole thing. Fifth grade have your book draft as a writing model and they are engaged in their own endeavors.

Wow! I am just starting to come down from the Spoken Word high! We had our finale on Friday (which was fabulous) and the teachers shared some stories – we learned so much from you and it was so evident at the finale! We just cannot thank you enough!“

I am writing because I want to thank you for your inspiration and encouragement. Each time I tell a story, I think of you fondly, and I wanted to thank you for showing me the magic that is created when a story is told from the heart instead of just read from the page. It has become a useful tool in my teaching repertoire, and one my children heartily enjoy.

Norah’s presentation to the Mass Bay District UU ministers and religious educators today was somewhere beyond superlative. I’ve been preaching, teaching, (and preaching & teaching) the value of stories, for 35 years now. And in that entire time, I’ve never encountered someone who could do what you did: both demonstrate and teach memorable story-telling technique simultaneously. Brava!

Norah Dooley puts all of her heart and soul into her craft, whether it be storytelling, writing, writing in collaboration with students, teaching or directing. She uses her charisma to excite her audience/students and draw them into her circle of warmth. This often allows kids to take new risks with their emerging abilities. She has great follow through- once committed to a project, she gives it everything, and always keeps her eye on making it a quality experience for her collaborators.

Norah's salient message to me - and everyone she has worked with, from all walks of life - is that everyone has a story. From observing her StoriesLive lessons in Boston Public Schools to her generous collaboration with me to develop a public narrative storytelling for advocates I was working with who have experienced homelessness. Norah has a dynamic and incredibly engaging way of storytelling and teaching, which she adapts adeptly to each group with which she works. I have deeply enjoyed working with her, and could not recommend the experience enough!

(About StoriesLive Residency)

“Students learned how to put themselves out there and perform in front of an audience. They learned the importance of drawing people to their stories and incorporating a beginning, middle, and end. They understood the power of their voices, too.”