BETH HORNER Making her first appearance at the Mariposa County Arts Council’s, 23rd Mariposa Storytelling Festival, Beth Horner is a storyteller noted as a vivacious talent dedicated to providing an entertaining and empowering experience for her listeners. Her performances captivate audiences with a wide variety of folk, literary, traditional, contemporary and original tales from around the world.

Horner's lively, traditional storytelling style often incorporates music, creating a unique performance which critics have called "dynamite." A nationally acclaimed storyteller, Beth Horner takes her listeners on journeys of adventure, warmth, wonder, haunting eeriness and raucous laughter. Beth's goal as a storyteller is to entertain and to encourage her listeners to dip into the wealth of their own imaginations. "When you watch a story on television or in a movie theater, you see one person's (the film maker's) depiction of an image. When you hear a story, you create that image yourself. When I'm telling stories to 100 different people, there are 100 different movies going on in the minds of listeners. Nothing is as powerful or vivid as your own imagination."

Horner, who hails from Illinois and Missouri, has performed for the National Geographic, the National Storytelling Festival and festivals, universities and schools across the nation. She is currently serving as a narrative consultant to NASA. To purchase tickets for the 23rd Mariposa Storytelling Festival, March 12 to 14, call the Mariposa County Arts Council at 966-2555, (800) 903- 9936. Brochures can be downloaded at: www.artsmariposa. org. Friday and Saturday events take place at Mariposa County High School. Sunday’s Performances are in Yosemite National Park.