Laura Packer has been telling stories her whole life – her mother reports she was born talking. The daughter of a children’s librarian and a writer, it seems inevitable that she become a storyteller, since her childhood was steeped in stories. By second grade Laura was telling stories to her classmates, and her deep love of folktales led her to obtain a degree in Folklore and Mythology from Boston University. Imagine her surprise when she discovered, upon graduating, that there isn’t a crying need for folklorists!
Laura has performed around the world, at venues as varied as
- Exchange Place at the 2007 National Storytelling Festival
- First Night Boston (with the Tongue-in-Cheek Storytellers)
- Three Apples Storytelling Festival
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Sharing the Fire Storytelling Conference
- University of Edinburgh
- 2006 Usability Professionals Association
- WomenFest
- St Anne’s Hospital
- schools, assisted living facilities, arts festivals, public spaces, museums, private events, and others.
She has also taught storytelling individually and in workshops internationally. Recent highlights include
- Usability Professionals Association
- NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
- Boston SPIN (Software Process Improvement Network)
- Cape Breton Storytelling Symposium
- Rhode Island School of Design
- Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias (Lisbon, Portugal)
Laura hosts two Boston area storytelling venues, Storytelling for Grown ups at Medford’s Bestsellers Café, and StoryLab at Club Passim, in Harvard Square. She is also a past Chair of Sharing the Fire and former Board member of the League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling.
When she isn’t busy telling stories Laura helps organizations and individuals find their voices.