This year’s Kansas Storytelling Festival will feature national and internationally known storytellers Kevin Kling, Ingrid Nixon, Rev. Robert B. Jones, Geraldine Buckley, and Greg Victors (the Wichita War Dancer). This 32nd annual Festival will be held on Friday and Saturday, April 24- 25, 2026 in Downs, KS. Information about the Kansas Storytelling Festival can be found at kansasstorytellingfestival.com or the “Kansas Storytelling” page on Facebook.
Kevin Kling hails from Minneapolis and has performed his stories in libraries, school gymnasiums, The Kennedy Center, Off-Broadway, regional theaters and storytelling festivals around the US. His work is infused with an innate sense of humor and reflects the life challenges he has surmounted, including a congenital birth disorder and partial paralysis from a near-fatal motorcycle accident. Kevin has been a frequent featured teller at the National Storytelling Festival and his international tours have included Australia, Europe and Thailand. His website is kevinkling.com.
Ingrid Nixon is a retired National Park Service ranger, who has worked in expedition tourism for over three decades, sharing stories of exploration, folklore, culture, and natural history while leading groups to all seven continents. Ingrid performs historical stories, myths, tall tales, folktales and more at events and festivals throughout the United States, including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. All three of Ingrid’s recordings — Grimm’s with a Twist, Operation Bouncy Chair, Lost Hearts and Other Creepy Stories have earned the Storytelling World Gold Seal for listeners of all ages.
Rev. Robert B. Jones, Sr. is a renaissance man. He has been a professional musician for more than forty years. The National Blues Foundation recognized his work as a leading blues educator in 2007. He has been a Pastor for more than 20 years, and a nationally recognized storyteller for more than fifteen years. At the heart of his message is the belief that our cultural diversity tells a story that should celebrate, not just tolerate.
British-born, internationally known, award-winning storyteller, speaker, and educator, Geraldine Buckley is known for her natural warmth and delightful sense of humor, as well as her wise, witty personal stories that make people laugh and think. She teaches workshops and tells stories in conferences, colleges, corporations, prisons, schools, house concerts, and festivals throughout America, and as far away as New Zealand. She has been featured at many festivals including several times at the National Storytelling Festival, as well as the Timpanogos Festival in Lehigh, Utah.
Greg Victors, is the World Champion Wichita War Dancer and is of the Tohono O’Odham and Ponca Nations. He has been a Native performer since his childhood and not only performs but educates people about his culture and its beautiful history. Greg feels a deep responsibility to share and preserve the native culture through dancing, singing and storytelling. Stories, folklore and traditional teachings all play a significant role in learning about the first peoples of the Americas.Join us on April 24-25 for these storytellers and many more at the Kansas Storytelling Festival in Downs, KS, “the Storytelling Capitol of Kansas”
