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Storyteller
Contact Walt Belcher at wbelcher47@yahoo.com
Safety Harbor, Fl
More Adventures: You can reach me at 813-767-4575 or at wbelcher47@yahoo.com
More About Me
After 35 years as a newspaper columnist and reporter, I started oral storytelling in 2018.
I have told stories at the past seven Florida Storytelling Festivals in Mount Dora, Fl.
I also have told at the Florida Folk Festival at the Stephen Foster State Park.
I am a part of the new storytelling night on the 4th Saturday of the month at the Jack Kerouac House in St. Pete.
In November, I was a featured teller at the inaugural Suncoast Storytelling Festival in St. Pete: more info at: www.suncoaststorytellers.org.
I currently serve on the boards of the Florida Storytelling Association and the Suncoast Storytellers Inc of St. Petersburg and the Tampa Storytelling Guild.
I host a Storytelling Open Mic on the first Wednesday in Safety Harbor, Fl.
I also do some emcee work and have helped out at the Stone Soup Storytelling Festival in Woodruff, SC.
Also, emcee work at the Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival.
I've told at The Moth in Asheville and in Atlanta.
Other Festivals:
Texas Storytelling Festival
Cumberland Falls Storytelling Festival
At the 2024 Florida Storytelling Festival I was inspired by a cowboy poet from Texas to turn my stories about Florida wrangler Morgan Bonaparte "Bone" Mizell into Florida Cowboy Poetry.
Bone was born in 1863 and died in 1921. His adventures have been told in song and story.
This 6-foot-six-inch-tall lanky cowman who spoke with a lisp and a wheeze could outride, outshoot, out-rope, out-talk,, out-prank and out-drink anyone of his day.
Already in 2026:
Another successful Florida Storytelling Festival in January.
Another year on the Board of FSA and I'm treasurer this year. And I still do the FSA Blog.
For the second year in a row I'm doing volunteer work and emcee duties at the Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival in Hiawassee, GA.
I also do emcee work at the Stone Soup Storytelling Festival in Woodruff, SC.
Going back to the Folk Festival in May.
I ran a story swap at the National Story Network's convention last year. And I'm doing a Fringe performance at this year's NSN convention in July.
Also told at the Texas Storytelling Festival in March.
Also, after winning the Liars Contest at the Hagood Mill Storytelling Festival in South Carolina last fall, I return this year as a featured teller.
Also was a featured teller at the Suncoast Storytelling Festival last year.
Gonna be a featured teller at the new Canopy Oaks Storytelling Festival in Tallahassee in November.
And what a grand Storytelling Festival we had in Mount Dora, Fl. on the last weekend in January of 2025. I did a Fringe Performance with my Bone Mizell stories.
An. oh my, I was honored to address students at 65th Annual Conference and Awards Banquet on November 14-15, 2024, at the College of Central Florida in Ocala, Florida.
More stuff I do or did!
I continue to write the Blog for the Florida Storytelling Association.
I'm also on the board of the Suncoast Storytellers and we host an Open Mic on the second Saturday of each month at the Sunshine Center in St. Pete.
Went back to Edinburgh in August 2025 for the Fringe shows. Last summer I got to share a story there.
I also spoke to the Florida Historical Society in Cocoa, Fl. and was interviewed for the Society's radio program: "Florida Frontiers" (coming soon).
We had a great time at the Texas Storytelling Festival in March. Good to see old friends and even told a story at an open mic.
Honored to have been the emcee for the International Folk Festival in Pinellas Park recently. Amazing entertainment from the diverse cultures in our county.
We had so much at The Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland in August that we went back in 2026, I was lucky to get to tell a story at a Fringe event in Edinburgh in 2025.
I continue to visit the Barberville Pioneer Settlement near Deland, FL to share stories during their weekend festivals.
Good times always at Festival in Mount Dora