Presentations: Adult
Wit, Wisdom, Imagination, Motivation, and Southern Charm!
Tales of hope, adventure, and surprise have always been on the tip of Fiona’s tongue. Raised on the tricksters of the past, like Br'er Rabbit and Br’er Gator, Miss Liddie of the Okefenokee Swamp, and others, Fiona learned to tell artful tales blended with connections to contemporary lives.
Fiona says, "The life-changing event of becoming a blind storyteller in a sighted world taught me to hone in on my own imagination. It pushed me into developing my mind, being more creative, and having the courage to risk trying new ideas. It gave me a new perspective on stories and challenges." Folklore with tones of mystery and intrigue, ending with a surprising twist and giving you an unexpected belly laugh are Fiona's stories of choice.
Testimonials from BellSouth employees about Celebrating the Connection:
Amazing—Brave enough to stand up in front of all of us, let down her guard and talk so openly about a tragedy in her life.
I laughed, I cried, I wished I had as much drive, determination and courage to perform my daily tasks in life and deal as well with change.
I know in my heart that my worst day ... well, it just does not exist
anymore since I met Fiona and heard how she overcame such an obstacle in her life with flying colors.
I have learned that no matter how big the change in our life, with drive and
Determination, we can accept or overcome it and carry on.
I think her presentation related specifically to the merger: having to accept change or overcome it and move on. I know our change does not compare to Fiona's, but you sure can relate and realize how minimal our change really is.
Keynotes and Storytelling with a Message
With a twinkle in her eye, Fiona challenges her audience to get charged up about their own family stories! She wants to entertain, yes, but also to encourage people to look for positive things instead of dwelling on their frustrations and anxiety. Her repertoire includes personal stories, family stories, historical tales, tall tales, ghost stories from the woods of South Georgia, Aesop's Fables, and tales of the most famous trickster of the South -- Br'er Rabbit.
Life Is Like a Blind Date (Because You Never Know What You’re Going to Get)
A 45-60 minute keynote that opens the eyes of the listeners about their own life-changing events. Fiona uses her own mid-life story to trigger ideas from her audience about how they might look at life like as if it were a blind date—you never know what you’re going to get. She points out the armor needed for being resilient: faith, hope and love—three simple, timeless ideas. She suggests ways of being and staying connected. She evokes such a positive attitude that the audience feels charged to look at life situations as Adlai Stevenson put it: “Pain is inevitable; suffering is a choice!” Ideal for corporate or association meetings, people with disabilities, teens and families. Can be customized for your needs.
If you don’t look at life with a sense of humor, you’re liable to lose hope. —Fiona Page
How to Be Your Own Medical Advocate
Fiona’s experience of trauma in surgery led her to the 1-2-3’s of medical decision-making shared in this presentation. Perfect for patients, those facing medical treatment or disabilities, and those with loved ones in medical treatment. Often used by Alzheimer’s facilities, assistant living facilities, nursing homes, and other care facilities.
Tell Your Patients the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth
This presentation is about seeing patients in a different light, asking questions, etc. Designed for medical practioners, assisted-care facilities, rehabilitation centers, and all those in the healing profession. Also available in CD format.
Stories of My Mother
Fiona told tales to the trucks along highway 84 when she was a little girl in pigtails sporting her mother’s flowered hat and scarves!
Fifty-four years later, she was crowned Ms. Senior Georgia, and went to the national pageant to become first runner-up in America’s Classic Woman. Her 93-year-old mother was in the wings as her cheerleader!
Featured in the 1996, Paralympics exhibit and book, Portraits in Spirit, Fiona and her mother were featured as a mother-daughter team: “Disabled, but certainly not handicapped!”
Who was the buzz about? Mama—the incredibly brave woman whose first legs were made of wood!
In this storytelling bonanza, Fiona delights all with amazing, yet tender and definitely funny, stories about her hero—Mama—and her stories of love, parental wisdom, and liberation!
You’ll find out how Fiona’s father fell in love with the incredibly brave woman with wooden legs, how Mama got liberated at the Piggly Wiggly and how Fiona’s parents never got “All Shook Up” because they knew where their “Bebop Lou La Baby “girl was in the 1950s. Stories also include Becoming an Independent Woman, If I Didn’t Care, and Makin’ Eyes.
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Queen of the Okefenokee
Fiona’s grandmother knew this legendary 6' 5" swamp woman named Lydia Stone Crews, a dream heiress at the turn of the 19th century who made a million-dollar fortune as young woman because she was not afraid of hard work. The stories of Liddie’s marriages, harnessing the swamp with 100 hired hands, and her work ethic evoke laughter and fascination about the swamp woman’s grit. Fascinated, Fiona read more and asked a lot of questions until her own imagination ran wild. How could a little girl growing up on an island get such business sense? Did she really wrestle a bear? How did she make friends of the animals in the swamp? Then Fiona created stories of what life must have been like for this clever young girl.
Stories include Liddie Wrestles a Bear and Liddie’s First Lesson in Economics. Also available for youth and in CD format.
Swamp Chillers
Spine-chilling tales of the swamp. Includes original works by Fiona Page and stories based on Southern folklore, including Double-Dog Dare You, Legend of Eibow Island, Liddie Gets Scared, Night Creatures, and The Meanest Man in Georgia. FIONA WILL DESCRIBE AND PICK SUGGESTED AUDIENCES. Also available for youth and in CD format.
Presentations: Youth
Versatile, Appealing, Humorous, Unique—Kids Love Her!
Educator since 1965, storyteller and professional speaker since forever!
In this chaotic, overwhelming world of information, kids need stories that trigger their imagination to see themselves as valuable. They need to be armed with every advantage possible to achieve success. Fiona Page does just that!
Fiona has told stories to tens of thousands of children from 4 to 18 since she became blind in 1987. She has learned to see differently and portray that to her audience. Fiona says, "Stories shape my sense of who I am. I see the way story characters approach a problem and cope with adversity. I believe young people grow and thrive on universal stories and truths." Fiona’s programs not only entertain, they deliver messages about facing new challenges, building confidence, learning to communicate effectively, and understanding disabilities and diversity.
When I became blind in 1987, it was like being an infant learning to walk, talk, eat and understand what was going on around me without the benefit of vision. I lost my eyesight on September 4, 1987, and performed for 700 people in an outdoor amphitheater on October 31, 1987. It was by sheer will that I did this. Children are like that until they learn the negatives around them. I learned those too. But not right away. Thus began the 3 years of traveling to speak to educators about the value of storytelling in the classroom. When I completed the grant requirements for the Christa McAullife Fellowship, I began telling personal stories and stories of good character attributes to school children. I expanded my presentation to include a demonstration of what it is like to live with a disability. I have had numerous letters from middle school children and elementary school teachers saying, how much they learned. —Fiona Page
Fiona's favorites are the trickster tales. Tricksters are all about surviving and living to the fullest—a major ideal in her own life! "I grew up listening to the tales of Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Fox,” she explains.
“Aesop Fables were the first stories I told, because I am fascinated with the simple, yet powerful, messages of courage, perseverance, and initiative—all traits I respect. Aesop was a slave, yet his brilliance, imagination, and resourcefulness has lived far beyond him.
“Now stories about the Okefenokee Swamp (near my birthplace) are some of my favorites. These original stories tell of real-life Lydia Stone Crews (Liddie) growing up there and tall tales of her adventures.”
Teachers, if you are looking for just the right story to enhance your social studies and language curriculum, Fiona focuses on tales that teach values, have a twist, and are funny!
Teacher Remarks
"Her teaching experience gives her the wisdom to handle any kind of group."
“Fiona’s classroom experience shines through; you can hear a pin drop as she takes you on a journey of wishes, hopes, and dreams that often parallels life!"
"I was fascinated to see the boy who always squirms and rarely pays attention be entranced by Fiona’s telling.”
“The way Fiona can tweak the same story to captivate a 6-year-old and then a 12-year-old definitely shows her experience.”
“We are amazed at how Fiona uses her inability to see and turns it into an enhancement instead of a handicap.”
Find out why schools book Fiona year after year!
Storytelling with a Message
Adaptable for all ages -- preschool to High School
Fiona’s repertoire includes personal stories, family stories, historical tales, tall tales, ghost stories, and Aesop’s Fables.
Suggested Formats:
- Donuts for Dads
- Muffins for Moms
- Pizza for Parents
- Fine Arts Nights
- Faculty and staff interactive events on engaging a classroom full of nonlisteners
- Intriguing students with the oral tradition of storytelling by starting a “Tale-Tooting" Club in your school
Life Is Like a Blind Date (Because You Never What You’re Going to Get)
Humorous anecdotes about dealing with life’s uncertainty and embracing change when it isn’t a change you chose. As Adelei Stevenson said, “Pain is inevitable, suffering is a choice.” Ideal for middle school students and above, especially those with disabilities. See more description here. Can be customized for your needs. Often used by schools, libraries, and rehabilitation centers. Also available for adult audiences and in CD format.
Who’s Really in Charge?
Stories about how people learn to like themselves and straight talk about what the participants are doing with their lives. Humorous, touching stories of Fiona's tripping and falling thru the darkness as she learned to live in a sighted world. This program focuses on fear of rejection and finding your strongest assets. Fiona wants kids to know that, as much as the world is changing, certain things never change, such as the need for strength and character, the ability to trust, strong values, showing respect, dependability, integrity and imagination. Charge stands for Care, Honor, Accept, Respect, Giggles and Grace, and Enthusiasm. Recommended for middle-school age and older.
We can’t dwell on the things we can’t change. Like the Serenity Prayer says, we have to know what we can change and stick to that and not try to change the things we can’t.”—Fiona Page
Be Who You Are
Be Who You Are is a popular program about adapting to whatever life brings you, stories about people who learn to like themselves—such as the black crow who couldn’t see her gifts and talents—and the challenges of growing up, fear of rejection, peer pressure, being unsure of yourself to finding out who you are, and finding your strongest assets. Fiona also demonstrates Braille and other adaptive devices, tells how Louis Braille invented his own writing system, teaches the sighted-guide technique, introduces appropriate manners for meeting a person with a disability, explains protocol with a guide dog (she will bring her guide dog if you like), and dispels myths about people who are blind by telling how she reads with her ears and her hands and how she learned to adapt to the sighted world.
LOOKING FOR TALL TALES?
Storytelling Just for Fun
Queen of the Okefenokee
Forty minutes of tall tales and stories centered on the Okefenokee Swamp. Includes original works by Fiona Page, including Liddie Wrestles a Bear and Liddie’s First Lesson in Economics. and stories adapted from Joel Chandler Harris, including Billy Bowlegs and Br’er Gator Meets Trouble. Also available for adult audiences and in CD format.
Swamp Chillers
Spine-chilling interactive tales of the swamp to introduce youth to the southernmost region of Georgia and the survival traits and relationship skills of native swamp animals. Includes original works and stories based on Southern folklore, including Double-Dog Dare You, Legend of Eibow Island, Liddie Gets Scared, Night Creatures, and The Meanest Man in Georgia. Suggested for ages 4-9. Also available for adult audiences and in CD format.
Aesop’s Fables and Tricksters of Many Cultures
Br’er Rabbit or a simple mouse on a camel carry children on a journey of wit and wisdom, letting them learn their own strengths and value. Includes original works by Fiona Page, American and African trickster tales, and stories adapted from Joel Chandler Harris, including Billy Bowlegs, Liddie Wrestles a Bear, Liddie’s First Lesson in Economics, and Br’er Gator Meets Trouble.