Album Notes

How is it that an Arabic surnamed, Eastern European Jewish girl from Pittsburgh, PA tells multicultural stories in Spanish and English? Perhaps it is because she is a 3rd generation storyteller who came of age in Mexico.

From the time she could sit at the knees of her grandparents, listening to them tell their stories of the Old World or hearing her father recount show business adventures, through her move to Mexico as a teenager, Carrie Sue has been collecting and telling tales.

With the simplest of phrases, "Había una vez/Once upon a time . . . " her magical tales, In Spanish and English, takes you on a wondrous imaginary journey. Her tales celebrate both the similarities and the differences of our culturally diverse communities. As one 5th grade student said, "I loved it when you told the story in English and Spanish - I could listen with both my ears - Spanish and English! Gracias - Thank you!"

A nationally acclaimed bilingual storyteller, Carrie Sue Ayvar is dedicated to preserving and promoting the art of storytelling.

Sharing her stories in both Spanish and English, Carrie Sue performs at schools, parks, libraries, community festivals, hospitals and museum outreach programs.

Believing that stories are one of the best means of explaining and passing on the beliefs, traditions and history that individuals or communities wish to keep alive, Carrie Sue connects people, languages and cultures through her stories.

Blending entertainment and education, her extensive training includes Kennedy Center Seminars for the Performing Arts such as "Artists As Educators: Planning Effective Workshops for Teachers". Lessons about Latin American culture, geography, customs, history and even word origins are incorporated effortlessly into her storytelling programs.

She feels stories are the threads that are woven into the tapestry of time and the telling of them helps to develop language, critical and creative thinking skills as well as to build self-confidence and poise.

Active in local and national storytelling guilds, Carrie Sue has served as an Executive Board member of the Florida Storytelling Association for 4 years and is currently the Florida State Liaison to the National Storytelling Network.