[Woman with bangles.]
'...change those three things, you change your life.' 'What three things?' 'You're going to tell me. Ready?'
— Joy and Margaret
THE HABIT OF JOY


 

[Lovesick peacock]
'The last principle: no eating after noon.' Heads snapped up all around the meditation hall...
— Anne, narrator
PEACOCK LOVE

 STORIES
ANNE RUTHERFORD, Storyteller  —  telling original tales with warmth, wit and flair
 
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Here's a sampling of some of Anne's favorite stories to tell.  
 
S T O R I E S   F O R   A D U L T S 
 CHILDREN SENIORS

An Everday Hero
A regular guy discovers he holds the keys to make a difference. Inspired by September 11, 2001.
FICTIONAL STORY  |  ADULTS  |  ANNE RUTHERFORD

Coffee Odyssey
Romance, fantasy and fullfillment all available, with room for cream.
FICTIONAL MONOLOGUE  |  ADULTS  |  ANNE RUTHERFORD

Wilde Flowers
Oscar Wilde's visit to a Colorado mining town in the late 1800's is the catalyst for change for a rough-edged miner.
ORIGINAL FICTION  |  ADULTS  |  ANNE RUTHERFORD

 Thank you so much for sharing your gift of storytelling
for you share yourself, and it's beautiful!
[We] enjoyed the evening SO much.
Audience Member, 2003

The Open Window
Desperate seeking a rest-cure in the 1910 English countryside, a hypochondriac's recovery is sabotaged by a girl's flair for drama.
FICTION  |  ADULTS  |  SAKI (H.H. MUNRO

Rapture
Can friendship be possible for two middle-school girls navigating their identities as a secular Jew and fundamentalist Christian?
FICTIONAL STORY  |  ADULTS, MATURE TEENS  |  ANNE RUTHERFORD

Peacock Love
Anne's own incident of revelation, thanks to a love-sick peacock and a hard-core Buddhist monk.
ANECDOTE  |  ADULTS  |  ANNE RUTHERFORD

The Habit of Joy
An unhappy woman changes her life with the help of three questions from an unorthodox life coach.
FICTIONAL STORY  |  ADULTS  |  ANNE RUTHERFORD
FIND MORE OF ANNE'S PERFORMANCES AT SCHEDULE BACK TO TOP

[Headshot of the Thumbs.]
...they opened their doors (EERRGGHHH) went outside (AH!) and went OVER the mountain...
— Narrator
SISTER SUN AND BROTHER MOON


 

[Anne channels her inner monster.]
Anne as Abiyoyo, with Jan Deweese.
MULTNOMAH CO. LIBRARY, 2008
Photo: Roger Coles

S T O R I E S   F O R   C H I L D R E N  ADULTS SENIORS

Chili Pepper Mule
A little girl learns that ambition, like hot chili pepper oil, needs to be applied sparingly.
FOLKTALE  |  CHILDREN  |  MEXICO

Broken Pots, Mended Hearts
After making a costly mistake, a daughter learns the power of truth to heal.
ORIGINAL FABLE  |  CHILDREN  |  ANNE RUTHERFORD

Sister Sun and Brother Moon
Two thumbs go on an epic journey, complete with suspense, romance and audience sound effects.
FOLKTALE  |  CHILDREN  |  ANNE'S ADAPTATION OF TRADITIONAL TALE

 I loved having you here.
My favorite story was the girl who lied
to her mom about breaking the clay pot
but then she told the truth.
 2nd grader, Metropolitan Learning Center, 2004

When Anna Met Rufous
A shy resident hummingbird meets a migrant hummingbird from Mexico who changes her view of the world.
FABLE, MUSIC (ENGLISH AND SPANISH)  |  CHILDREN  |  ANNE RUTHERFORD AVAILABLE ON CD

Bigfoot and the Huckleberries
Clementine Ryder (Anne's original character) makes an unexpected ally in her search for the elusive indigo huckleberry in the Olympic Wilderness.
ORIGINAL FICTION  |  OLDER CHILDREN, TEENS, ADULTS  |  ANNE RUTHERFORD

The Monster in Hare's Cave
Thanks to a valiant frog, the monster in hare's cave is routed (and proves to be not such a horrible monster, after all).
FOLKTALE  |  CHILDREN  |  AFRICA, MASAI TRIBE (RECOUNTED IN THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE BY MARTHA HAMILTON AND MITCH WEISS)

Abiyoyo
The classic African folktale re-told by Pete Seeger, updated for Portland in 2009..
ADAPTED FOLKTALE  |  CHILDREN  |  ANNE RUTHERFORD, JAN DEWEESE
FIND MORE OF ANNE'S PERFORMANCES AT SCHEDULE BACK TO TOP

[Clementine Ryder surveys the distance.]
I am in a life or death situation here - this is no time for a hoe-down! But he just winked at me and began to play...
— Clementine Ryder
RATTLESNAKES REVENGE


 
S T O R I E S   F O R   S E N I O R S  ADULTS CHILDREN

Turning Back the Miles
A real-life story of a pre-WWII courting couple outwitting a nosy father and paving the way for love and marriage.
PERSONAL ANECDOTE  |  ANNE RUTHERFORD

Springtime a la Carte
A young woman in New York City in the early 1900's finds romance with the help of a manual typewriter.
FICTION  |  O. HENRY

My Darlin' Clementine
A romance that takes an unexpected turn.
TRADITIONAL SONG

 Your stories have substance.
 Audience member, Hearthstone Assisted Living, 2002

Chocolate Milk For Love?
Memories of kindergarten romance and the sweet agony of first love.
PERSONAL ANECDOTE  |  ANNE RUTHERFORD

Rattlesnake's Revenge
Clementine Ryder (Anne's original character) faces down snakes with the help of some fast-picking banjo playing
ADAPTED OREGON FOLK TALE  |  ANNE RUTHERFORD
FIND MORE OF ANNE'S PERFORMANCES AT SCHEDULE BACK TO TOP

Photos: Ron Geitgey    |    ©2009 Anne Rutherford    |    All Rights Reserved