WHO IS BZ SMITH?

2005—A Teacher of the Year Award from Tuolumne County Office of Education

2011—An Oracle Award from the National Storytelling Network for Service & Leadership in the Pacific States Region

2016—A second Parents’ Choice Foundation’s Gold Award for her audio recording, Striking Up Gold Mountain: Stories & Songs of the California Gold Rush created with musician Peggy Reza. That same audio project received two other significant national awards

2016—Striking Up Gold Mountain: Stories & Songs of the California Gold Rush is selected for Parents’ Choice Foundation’s Top 10 Family Audio Recordings

2018—Chosen for the Storytelling Association of California’s Regional Gem Award

(Not too shabby for the kid, who couldn’t shut up!)

A LIFETIME OF STORIES

CAREER GOALS FOR A NEW DECADE 

“Could you please post this on your page?” I hear that all the time! Like a bee, I love community, especially in the Central Mother Lode where I live! And like a bee, I strive to collaborate and collect “nectar” to share. I love to write, to create: I enjoy mini-blogging on a variety of topics, diving in to do research and making sure to use my authentic voice. First and foremost, I am a storyteller, using words to bring people together. Through the years my career has taken me on several paths, but always with the focus on finding the story that will quilt us together. I’ve done projects in branding, public relations, and event promotion. Like a bee, I persevere, working with diligence and instinctively seeking ways to sweeten and strengthen our community.

EDUCATION:

• B.A. Liberal Studies. Cal-State, Stanislaus, Turlock, CA, 1992

• California Teaching Credential, National University, 1993

• Additional Continuing Education Units in the Arts, Language Arts, Multiculturalism, STEM, 1994-2004

• Lifelong Auto-Didact

CULTURAL HERITAGE:

I am a member of the federally recognized tribe, Wyandotte Nation, located in Wyandotte, Oklahoma. Our historical name is the Wandat. When the French arrived on Turtle Island, they gave us a disparaging name, Les Hurons (which means boorish, ill-mannered ruffians). In the last decade, our Nation has been on a strong path to rebuild our language, our traditions, and to more deeply understand our history.  Currently, I’m very much involved in those efforts and now in my 70’s, I’m learning my family’s indigenous language.

CAREER—HIGHLIGHTS SINCE 2000:

• Recipient of Grant from California Department of Humanities to produce an online family outreach program during the COVID Lock-down.

• Host of Children's Radio Show: The Cabbage Moon for KAAD.org Community Radio

• Storytelling Association of California's Regional Gem Award for 2018

• National Storytelling Network’s Regional Liaison for the Sierra Nevada, since 2011

• Mother Lode Storytelling Guild, co-founder, since 2010

• 2nd Saturday ART NIGHT, creator & coordinator, 2010-2016

• Hive-Arts.Org—arts events producer, art exhibitions curator, arts education consultant, children's literature advisor, since 2009

• Storytelling Specialist Teacher: 10 schools, northern & central California, 1982-2012

• Public School Teacher, Sonora Elementary School, grades K,1,2, and 7 & 8, 1993-2005

• Arts-Lead Teacher, Sonora Elementary School, school wide, part of The California Arts Project of the California Department of Education

• Co-creator: Nationally Awarded Tandem Storytelling Troupe, The Story Quilters (1995-2009)

• Foothill Farmlands Festival, creator, grant writer, and executive director, working in cooperation with Farms of Tuolumne County, the US Forest Service-Stanislaus National Forest, Tuolumne County Schools, and many other community agencies and clubs. Produced by Central Sierra Arts Council, now known as Tuolumne County Arts (2006-2008)

• Public school educator, K-12, 1993-2005

FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES:

• Strawberry Music Festivals, 1982-2019 “Village Storyteller”

• Bay Area Storytelling Festival, Story Quilters' California Showcase, 2001

• Mariposa Storytelling Festival, Story Quilters, 2004

• National Storytelling Festival, Story Quilters, Regional Showcase, 2005

PRESENTER OF STORYTELLING WORKSHOPS, LECTURES:

• National Association of Interpreters—Region #9, Storytelling in parks, 2003-2007

• Central California Preschool Educators' Conference, 2012

• Outdoor-Ed workshops: Natural Bridges; San Mateo County;Yosemite National Park Personnel;

• California Department of State Parks, Asilomar, CA,  Outside Garden Educators, San Francisco, CA 2007-2019

• Railtown 1897 State Park, 2015

• National Storytelling Network’s Summer Conference, held in Kansas City, MO. Session on effective coordination and organization of events. In partnership with Marilyn McPhie of San Diego, CA

• Vocali Camp: Vocal Arts, directed by musician Joe Craven, since 2016

PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND AGENCIES—PERFORMANCES & RESIDENCIES:

• Stanislaus National Forest, Summer Storytelling & Puppetry Programs 1978-2018

• Yosemite National Park. Summer Concerts (Story Quilters). 2003-2006

• Storytelling Residency at The Blue House for after-school programs with Tuolumne Band of Mewuk. 2004

• Connections Academy for The Arts, Summerville HS teacher “Art of Storytelling For Filmmaking” (2009-2013)

• Haggin Museum, Stockton, CA, Year-Long Docent Training Program, 2015-2016

SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS:

• Parents' Choice Gold Award for Story Quilters' CD 2001

• Teacher of the Year, Sonora Elementary School 2005

• NSN Pacific Regional Oracle Award for Service & Leadership 2011

• Parents’  Choice Gold Award AND chosen for Top 10 Family Recordings for Striking Up Gold Mountain, Stories and songs of the California Gold Rush CD 2016

• Regional Gem, awarded by The Storytelling Association of California, 2018

GRANTS AWARDED:

• California Arts Council's Exemplary Arts Curriculum program for Sonora Elementary School, 1998-2004

• James Irvine Foundation Award, director, presented by Central Sierra Arts Council, Stanislaus National Forest & Farms of Tuolumne County: The “Foothill Farmlands Arts Festival,” arts & agro-tourism events, 2006-08

• Front Porch, Inc. "Community Giving," grant for The Art of Storytelling for Filmmaking, for students of Summerville High and Connections Academy 2009-13

• Sonora Area Foundation Leadership Grant for Tuolumne County Poetry Out Loud, 2012-13

• NSN Pacific Spotlight Award 2014 for Sierra Story Winds Retreat, creator & director

• California Department of Humanities, Recipient of Individual Project Grant, 2020

• California Arts Council and United Way, Heartland Creative Corps Rural Individual Artist Grant for Pebbles in a Pond: The Rippling Effect of Democracy, 2023

• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), The Mellon Foundation, & Kansas Arts Commission for Trespassers Beware: Story of the Conley Sisters; a project of The Omakyehstih Collective, 2024

PRIOR TO 2000:

• 1973—Arrived in Tuolumne County. Started working for Tuolumne County Library adult services and circulation department as Librarian's Assistant

• 1974—Assigned to be Librarians' Assistant in Charge of Children's Library Services for the Main Library and Six Library Branches

• 1977—Co-Founded The Moonbeams, California's fist Tandem Storytelling Troupe

• 1978—Began Freelancing as Storyteller & Puppeteer, specializing in literature-based programming

• Contract with Stanislaus National Forest to design Visitor Interpretive Programs at Pinecrest Lake

• Contract with WIC Program to help teach nutrition to women with children, ages 0-5

• 1981—Contract with Tuolumne County Mental Health Department to design and present literature-based storytelling and puppetry programs. Sunnyside-Up Players Program  involved over 54 volunteers in the 5 years of the program.  In Year 4, The Sunnyside-Up Players Program received recognition from the California Directors of Mental Health Services

• 1981—Founded The Story Tailors Tandem Storytelling and Puppetry Troupe

• 1984—Presented with Children's Concert for the 2nd Bay Area Storytelling Festival

• 1986—Presented the Children's Concert for the Sierra Storytelling Fesitval

• 1988—Recruited to be School Library Technician, Sonora Elementary School

• 1992—Graduated from Stanislaus State Summa Cum Laude

• 1993—Began teaching at Sonora Elementary School

• 1995—Co-Founded The Story Quilters Tandem Storytelling Ensemble