Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Lehman
Hi Kim, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I consider myself a freelance educator, storyteller, musician, and author. Adventures of growing up in the country and teaching experiences in the Appalachian Mountains have inspired a life-long interest in folk traditions including storytelling, music, dance, oral histories, herbal remedies, crafts, ceramics, and beekeeping. If the truth be known, I am interested in most everything except mud wrestling, team sports and reading technical manuals.
I was raised in a large extended Mennonite family that told stories, sang, camped, and laughed loud and often. I taught myself to play guitar so I could join my uncles in playing music around the campfire on frequent family outings.
Everything came together when I began working at the Austin Public Library doing children’s programs. I found the Texas Storytelling Festival and my storytelling adventure got a kick start. I began developing, crafting, and telling more and more stories. My knowledge of folk songs, especially songs for children, greatly expanded as I listened to hundreds of records. Yes, records. That dates things a bit.
Throughout the years I have collected 150 instruments, 400 hats, many books, rocks, stories and songs.
I live by my mother’s philosophy, “If you are having company, it is better to read a good book than to have a clean oven.”
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I am dyslexic. Reading was difficult for me. I have very vivid memories of breaking out in a cold sweat when I had to read aloud in class. My hands would get clammy and my heart rate would increase. It was terrifying. With time I figured out tricks and tips. As it turns out, I ended up reading aloud to children at the Austin Public Library for twenty years. I am an avid reader now thanks to audio books. It is no wonder that I would rather create and tell a story than write one.
Lack of confidence has also been a challenge. Too often we are our own worst enemy. I have come a long way in putting myself out there and pushing through.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Storytelling
I have been telling tales for many years, first as a way to entertain younger cousins and now as a professional storyteller and musician. I have had the privilege to perform at hundreds of festivals, schools, libraries, and museums including being a featured teller at the Texas Storytelling Festival. Stories are a powerful tool to connect us to others and to ourselves. Stories touch both our minds and hearts – thinking and feeling.
Music
Like storytelling, music touches in profound ways as a universal language. I can go on and on about all the benefits of singing in a group. I want to keep this tradition alive. To do that, I am a considered a community song leader. We sing a cappella songs that are easy to learn, many with very meaningful messages. I am honored to be a part of this national movement. I sometimes play a guitar, banjo, or dulcimer but there is nothing like the vibrations of the human voice in our little singing circle. Too many people have been told they cannot sing. My philosophy? If you can speak you can sing. If you can walk you can dance.
Workshop Presenter
I love sharing my experience and ideas with librarians, teachers and parents. I’ve presented workshops from El Paso to Houston and Dallas to the Rio Grande Valley. Some popular topics include using music, storytelling, puppets, art, poetry, and literature with children. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with the Texas State Library to produce forty videos with ideas to support youth programming in libraries. A highlight for me was working as a youth consultant for rural libraries all over Texas.
Honey Bee Education
Years ago I began keeping bees. The natural progression was to develop and present educational programs about honey bees that included music, participation and hands-on activities. One thing lead to another, until I began presenting city wide programs at the American Beekeeping Federation Conventions in over 18 states. Now I write a column for kids for Bee Culture Magazine. Through that column we started the Bee Buddies Club which has members in every state. A few years ago I was invited to write the book Beekeeper’s Lab: 52 Family-Friendly Activities and Experiments Exploring the Life of the Hive. I also present workshops for adults about encaustic art, benefits of pollinators, and making candles bowls from beeswax.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
People are reconnecting with personal stories. There is a definite rise of interest in memoirs, podcasts featuring stories, and movies based on true events. Things like the “The Moth” and Storycorp have set a trajectory that has been gaining momentum and continues to influence culture. Stories are making their way into the business and non-profit world as a way to communicate in a way people can hear and understand. There is a story about how naked truth comes to town. No one listens. Someone dresses up the truth and folks are all ears. Stories are the dressing to universal truths of humanity. We don’t pay attention to talking but when a story starts, we are all ears.
Pricing:
- Programs range from $250 – $1500
- Workshops range from $250 – $1500
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kimlehman.com
