Master storyteller Donald Davis will come to Mocksville to give children and adults the opportunity to hear his funny and heartwarming stories April 14 and 15.

Davis was born in southern Appalachian mountains’ world that  is rich in stories.   “I didn’t learn stories, I just absorbed them,” he said.

He graduated from Davidson College, and then went to graduate school at the Duke University Divinity School. Davis is a retired Methodist minister; former chair of the board of directors for the National Storytelling Association; a featured teller at the Smithsonian Institution, the World’s Fair, festivals and concerts throughout the United States and the world; an author and producer of books and tapes of his works; a master teacher of workshops and storytelling courses; a guest host for the National Public Radio Program “Good Evening.”  His public appearances include PBS, NPR, CNN, and ABC.  He has recorded over thirty albums and written eighteen books.

This visit to Davie County has been arranged as a partnership between Davie County Arts Council and the Davie County Library.

The following is a schedule and description of three opportunities of Davis’ visit to our area:

• Saturday, April 14, 2 p.m. at the Brock Performing Arts Center. Purchase of a $5 general seating ticket is required;

• My Brother Was A Bad Idea, a children’s presentation, will include stories of being the older brother who thought he didn’t need siblings, but learned he did.Donald tells family stories that are universal to every family. It will be Saturday, April 14 at 3 p.m. at Davie County Library. Since seating is limited, pre-registration is required.  Email the library (jferdon@daviecountync.gov).

• At “Yes, You Have Stories Too,” a free adult and high school student writer workshop, Davis will help people discover ways of finding stories that are already inside of them. It will be for adults but older students who like to write are encouraged to attend on Saturday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. Purchase of a $15 general seating ticket is required to attend.

• Our Stories Tell Us Who We Are, and adult presentation, will include family stories, the kind the relatives tell to remind themselves of who they are as a family.  Donald’s stories will remind listeners of things that happened in their own lives. It will be Sunday, April 15 at 2 p.m. Purchase of a $15 general seating ticket is required to attend:

• Our Stories Take Us Home, an adult presentation, will be more family stories, but this time reminding us of our beginning places, bringing to mind memories of when we were growing up.

To purchase general seating tickets for the Brock Performing Arts Center’s presentations, call (Monday-Friday, noon-5 p.m.) 336-751-3000.