August Eliot 2026: "Sheherazade's Caravan" with Will Hornyak
Sheherazade's Caravan: A Journey of Telling Stories and Changing Lives
Program Description: Sheherazade was a legendary storyteller who changed the fate of a realm, healed the heart of a sultan gone mad and saved countless lives by telling stories. Her feat offers a rich trove of ideas for stories and storytelling as change agents in the lives of individuals and societies. Employing the metaphor of a caravan of pilgrims upon a quest, we’ll travel each day into new landscapes of myth, story and poetry. We’ll explore how stories and the ritual of telling them can weave threads of community, inspire vision and offer healing for weary spirits and souls. We’ll draw upon the wisdom of a wide variety oral traditions to kindle the flame of our own storytelling and discussion. Feeding the story fire each day with our own ideas and interpretations, we’ll bring fresh insights into our caravan through the timeless ritual of storytelling.
About our Teacher: Storyteller Will Hornyak weaves a wide web of myths, legends, poems and personal tales into thoughtful, engaging and well-crafted performances, keynotes and workshops. A professional storyteller and workshop facilitator since 1994, he has assisted numerous non-profit and corporate organizations to tell the stories that reflect their deepest values and highest vision. Will has performed at storytelling festivals throughout the United States including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. He has worked with the Portland non-profit “Open Hearts, Open Minds” to integrate storytelling, dialogue and theatre into Oregon state penitentiaries. He is a strong advocate for storytelling as a change-agent in personal and collective life and a dedicated teacher of the art and craft of storytelling.
“Storyteller par excellence…transports audiences young and old into an amazing world of imagination.” The Oregonian
“A storyteller of enormous power and presence.” Reverend Marilyn Sewell First Unitarian Church Portland
“You’re the funniest most serious person I ever met!” Metolious Elementary Fourth Grader
Additional Activities
Morning program is just one aspect of August Eliot!
Other activities include: choir, singalongs, puzzles, board games, group games, art projects, writing activities, worship, social justice discusssions, hikes in the woods, and more. Learn more on the Program page.
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