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Keynote Address

Brian "Fox" Ellis

Keynote Presentations • Workshops • Performances

Since 1980, Brian “Fox” Ellis, storyteller, author and educator, has been touring the world collecting and telling stories. He has been a keynote speaker and/or featured workshop presenter at hundreds of conferences ranging from The International Wetlands Conservation Conference to the National Association of Gifted Educators Conference. His presentations are always custom tailored with a mix of pedagogy and practice, humor and inspiration. For this reason many of the state educational conferences invite him back on a regular basis! He has also published eight books, written 20 musical theatre productions and is a frequent contributor to a wide range of magazines including trade journals, parenting, academic and general interest magazines. Know that Fox comes to your conference eager to work: willing to present break-out sessions that reinforce his keynote, to share stories at an informal late-night for storytellers, and to autograph books at your sales booth. His goal is to do whatever he can to make your conference a success!

Please follow the links to read a list of specific Keynote Addresses and Workshops for different conferences.

Presentations for:

Early Childhood Educators
Reading Teachers
Teachers of English
Science Teachers
Social Studies and History Teachers

Referrals and Recommendations

A LIST OF RECENT CONFERENCES:

EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCES:

National Science Teachers, National Association of Gifted Educators, Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children, National Association for the Education of Young Children, Michigan Reading Teachers, Illinois Reading Teachers, Wisconsin Reading Teachers, North Carolina Reading Teachers, Great Plains Reading Teachers, Wisconsin Science Teachers, Michigan Science Teachers, Illinois Science Teachers, Iowa Science Teachers, Midwest Environmental Education Association, Association of New Jersey Environmental Educators, Montana Environmental Educators, Indiana Environmental Educators, Ohio Conservation Education Association, Iowa Environmental Educators, Illinois Teachers of English, Great Lakes Council of Social Studies, Iowa Council of Social Studies, Illinois Council of Social Studies, Europeon Librarians Alliance, England’s YMCA Staff Training, National Storytelling Association, New England Storytelling Association, Northlands Storytelling Association, St. Louis Storytelling Festival, Corn Island Storytelling Festival, Mid-Atlantic Storytelling, Ohio Catholic Educators, National Ag in the Classroom, et al.

SCIENCE CONFERENCES:

International Migratory Bird Day, International Wetlands Conservation, National Non-Point Source Pollution, Texas Project Wet: Make A Splash, Illinois Earth Stewardship Day, North American Prairie Restoration, Science and Religion: Joint Conference sponsored by the World Conference of Churches and United Nations, et al.

GENERAL CONFERENCES:

International Clown Convention, National Rabbit Breeders Association, North American Plymouth Owners, Michigan Heating and Air Conditioning Association, Illinois Association of Township Officials, Great Rivers Regional Tourism, et al

A PARTIAL LIST OF KEYNOTE AND WORKSHOP TOPICS:

Every program is developed with the goals of the host in mind.

1. I Tell, We Tell, You Tell - Oral Language Development, Building A Solid Foundation For Reading and Writing
2. Storytelling Basics
3. Sing Along! Act It Out! Everyone Joins In! - Audience Participation Stories For Young Children
4. Playing With Genre - Using Oral Language Skills to Improve Reading and Writing
5. Bird Is The Word: Journaling, Poetry, Non-Fiction Writing, and Ornithology
6. Prairie Tales: Explore the Relationships between Natural History and Human History through the Literature of the Tall Grass Prairie: An Inter-Disciplinary workshop that blends social studies, language arts and science.
7. Mark Twain's River His-story (and Her-story, too!)
8. The American Naturalists Tradition: The Storyteller’s Journey Through Literature and Science
9. Content Area Reading Storytelling: His-story, Science and Math Stories
10. A World Full of Stories: Storytelling and Multicultural Education
11. A Tapestry of Teaching Tales: Storytelling and Creative Writing as Warp and Weave for Integrating the Curriculum
12. Lincoln Tales Tall or True: Historical Research, Biography and Discernment
13. Why Tell Stories: The Magic and Methodology of Storytelling
14. FROG SONGS: Poetry, Non-Fiction Writing, and Insect Science
15. River Tales: Aquatic Ecology and Folklore
16. Turtle Island Tales: Teaching Science with Native American Storytelling

A PARTIAL LIST OF PERFORMANCES:

With a repertoire of 400 stories, Fox puts together a performance to fit any theme or age level. Audience participation and sing-a-long songs enliven presentations for younger audiences, while complex plots and a vivid vocabulary challenge the most astute listeners. Following is a brief list of some of his favorite themes:

• Adventures in Nature: ecological tales that celebrate our place in the web of life.
• Around the World in Less Than 80 Minutes: folk tales from other lands and songs in other languages.
• Turtle Island Tales: myths and chants of the first Americans.
• Fun With Fables From Around the World: animal stories that teach listeners to think for themselves.
• A Midwinter Celebration: holiday stories and songs from Kwanzaa, Hanukah, Christmas and Solstice.
• Classic Tales of Terror: classic literature or international tales of the supernatural.
• River Stories: the human and natural history of America's inland waterways, Twain and Lincoln, steamboats and canoes.
• Coyote Places The Stars: Native American Star Lore
• Speaking Truth to Power: conflict resolution, mediation, and creative alternatives to violence.
• Historical Encounters: Invite history to your next conference! In a well researched, interactive monologue Fox portrays the movers and shakers of history, literature and science:
  • Charles Darwin and the Voyage of the Beagle
  • A Conversation with Gregor Mendel
  • Steamboatin’ Down the River with Mark Twain
  • Wilhelm Grimm’s Fairy Tales
  • Adventures with John James Audubon
  • Lincoln Tales Tall and True
  • Canoe Song: A French Explorer's Journal, 1673- 1690
  • The Adventures of Lewis and Clark
  • Indian Legends with Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
  • Black Hawk’s View of American History