Ojai Storytelling Festival
●●● ALL SEATS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED ●●●
Schedule, performers and venues subject to change.
Please note, all ticket purchases will show on your bank or credit card statement as Performances to Grow On.
We love dogs but not at the festival. Thank you!
October 23-26, 2025
Senior tickets are for adults 65 and over. Child tickets are for children 15 and under.
You can find bundled ticket passes here:
A purple star denotes events specifically designed for young children and school groups.
Note: After September 15, all ticket packages increase $15 and individual shows increase $5 & $10
Thursday, October 23
Meet the Tellers
with Minton Sparks, Josh Goforth, Sheila Arnold, Paul Strickland, Jasmin Cardenas, and Regi Carpenter.
3:30-5:00pm
Ojai Art Center Patio
113 S Montgomery St, Ojai
How did the tellers find their stories? Or did the stories find them?
Wine and beer for purchase.
Adults $30
Seniors $25
Child $20
For Family Passes and groups of 10 or more call or email 805.272.0027 or info@ojaistoryfest.org
Thursday
Schedule
Story Slam!
Finalists vie for the coveted top storyteller spot!
6-8pm
Ojai Art Center
113 S. Montgomery St, Ojai
Adults $30
Seniors $25
Child $20
For Family Passes and groups of 10 or more call or email 805.272.0027 or info@ojaistoryfest.org
Thursday
Fresh Brewed Tales
A Free Community Concert!
Thursday, October 23 at 4pm
Ojai Coffee Roasters
337 E Ojai Ave, Ojai
Thursday
Enjoy a cup of fresh brewed coffee while listening to live stories and music by Minton Sparks, John Jackson and Josh Goforth.
with Minton Sparks & Josh Goforth
Story Night at Sam's
Thursday
A Free Community Concert!
Thursday, October 23 at 8pm
Sam's Place
308 E Ojai Ave, Ojai
with Minton Sparks & Josh Goforth
Have a drink and a snack and enjoy stories and music from Minton Sparks, Paul Strickland, Sheila Arnold, and maybe a few others!
Friday, October 24
Josh Goforth with a guitar on stage at Libbey Bowl.
Spooky Stories
with Paul Strickland, and Josh Goforth
9:30 – 10:30pm
Art Center Patio
113 South Montgomery
Adults $25
Child: $15
For Family Passes and groups of 10 or more call or email 805.272.0027 or info@ojaistoryfest.org
Friday
Shoulders up photo of storyteller, Minton Sparks.
Shoulders up photo of storyteller Jasmin Cardenas.
Shoulders up photo of storyteller, Minton Sparks.
TGIF!
Minton Sparks Jasmin Cardenas, Josh Goforth
Kick off the weekend with a Friday Story!
Friday 2:00 - 3:30pm
Ojai Art Center Patio
113 S Montgomery St, Ojai
(venue subject to change)
Adult $30
Senior $25
Child $20
For Family Passes and groups of 10 or more call or email 805.272.0027 or info@ojaistoryfest.org
Friday
Come tell your story and get optional feedback from the pros!
Regi Carpenter, Jasmin Cardenas, Minton Sparks
Friday 4 - 5:30 pm
Ojai Art Center
113 S Montgomery St, Ojai
Venue TBD
Free!
Friday
Storyteller, Paul Strickland, playing guitar.
Shoulders up photo of storyteller, Sheila Arnold, performing at the National Festival.
Shoulders up photo of storyteller, Jasmin Cardens
Storyteller, Paul Strickland, playing guitar.
Fall Stories for Primary Grades
Grades K-4th
with Paul Strickland, Jasmin Cardenas, Sheila Arnold
9:30 – 10:30am
Libbey Bowl
210 S Signal St, Ojai
(venue subject to change)
Adult $20
Child $15
For Family Passes and groups of 10 or more call or email 805.272.0027 or info@ojaistoryfest.org
Friday
Storyteller Josh Goforth, playing the fiddle.
Storyteller Paul Strickland, playing guitar.
Sheila Arnold, telling a story.
Storyteller Josh Goforth, playing the fiddle.
Fall Stories for Upper Grades
Grades 4th and up
with Josh Goforth, Paul Strickland, Sheila Arnold
11:15am – 12:30pm
Libbey Bowl
210 S Signal St, Ojai
(venue subject to change)
Adult $20
Child $15
For Family Passes and groups of 10 or more call or email 805.272.0027 or info@ojaistoryfest.org
Friday
Laughing Night with All the Tellers
Laughing Night
Friday 6:30-9:00pm
Ojai Art Center
113 S. Montgomery St, Ojai
(venue subject to change)
Adults $35
Seniors $30
Children $20
For Family Passes and groups of 10 or more call or email 805.272.0027 or info@ojaistoryfest.org
Friday
Special Musical Guests
TD Lind & the Aviators
5:30-6:30pm
Workshop: Minton Sparks
Create Your Story
Create Your Story is a fun writing workshop that is perfect for seasoned writers as well as those folks who've only dreamed of writing their story. Minton has been teaching this workshop for 15 years and finds that there is no better way to get to know yourself and create community with others. This writing becomes medicine for the soul. We cange when we change the stories we tell ourselves about who we are.
Friday
Friday 9:30 - 11:30am
Ojai Art Center
General Admission $25
Saturday, October 25
Workshops!
Storyteller, Jasmin Cardenas, a Latina woman, wearing a black sleeveless top, with dark, curly, shoulder length hair.
Storyteller, Sheila Arnold, an African-American woman, performing on stage, framing her own face with her fingers in the shape of an L.
Storyteller, Jasmin Cardenas, a Latina woman, wearing a black sleeveless top, with dark, curly, shoulder length hair.
Naughty Tales
with Sheila Arnold & Jasmin Cardenas
and New Voices Drew Kirkland and Eleanor Clement Glass
Saturday 9:00 – 10:30pm
Ojai Art Center Patio
113 S Montgomery St.
$45 (adults only)
Table for 4 available at a discount
Saturday
Saturday 3:30 - 5pm
Ojai Art Center Patio
General Admission $25
Workshop: Sheila Arnold
Healing the Divides through Storytelling
Storytelling is a surprisingly flexible tool. It can entertain, inspire, inform, and even heal. Building on the use of storytelling as a healing practice in communities, schools, health care facilities, and religious institutions, Sheila will demonstrate how stories can help us heal divides and create a more inclusive and equitable world. The session will begin with a conversation-sparking story, then Sheila will teach participants how to find stories, use them to facilitate discussion, and create spaces where they can be received.
Saturday
Workshop: Paul Strickland
Comedic Techniques in Storytelling
Everyone loves a good story—but a funny story? That’s the one people remember, retell, and beg to hear again. Humor is a storyteller’s secret weapon, but great comedic moments don’t just happen—they’re crafted.
In this high-energy, laugh-filled workshop, storyteller Paul Strickland breaks down the mechanics of humor in storytelling, and how to make it hit every time. You’ll explore joke construction, comedic timing, and the subtle art of performance indicators—those small but powerful vocal shifts, gestures, and beats that signal an audience when to laugh. Through live examples, interactive exercises, and an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how professionals structure humor into their stories, you'll learn how to make funny moments replicable—not just lucky accidents.
Saturday
Saturday 3:30 - 5pm
Help of Ojai
General Admission $25
Sunday, October 26
Sunday
Continental Breakfast
and stories from All the Tellers
Friday 10:30am – 1:00pm
Madrigali Singers 10:30-11am
Farewell Stories 11am-1pm
Ojai Art Center Patio
113 S Montgomery St, Ojai
Adult: $40
Senior: $35
Child: $30
Workshops
Workshop: Regi Carpenter
From Memory to Memoir
Turn a cherished memory into a memoir in this workshop. This workshop is designed to help you breathe life into your memories, developing vivid characters, authentic dialogue, and a robust story structure. Explore techniques to unlock your creative voice, discover the emotional core of your experiences, and shape them into a narrative that resonates with readers. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just beginning your memoir journey, this workshop provides a safe and inspiring space to develop your skills, share your stories, and connect with fellow memoirists.
Sunday
Sunday 9:00 - 10:30am
Art Center Gallery
General Admission $25
Workshop: Regi Carpenter
Using Traditional Tales to Elicit Personal Stories & Coping Strategies
Stories from the world’s folk and fairy tale tradition often mirror the issues of people who seek professional care: confusion, depression, addiction, grief, and a loss of identity. This workshop demonstrates how these tales also contain coping skills, resourcefulness and resilience.
Sunday 3:30 - 5:00pm
Help of Ojai Classroom
General Admission $25
Sunday
Workshop: Paul Strickland
MORE THAN WORDS: Performance Techniques in Storytelling
Telling a great story is about more than just words—it’s about how you *bring* those words to life. In “More Than Words: Performance Techniques for More Engaging Storytelling,” Paul will share practical techniques to enhance your stage presence, connect with your audience, and make your storytelling more compelling. Whether you’re a storyteller yourself or are just curious trying your hand (and voice) in the art, this interactive session will help you explore voice modulation, body language, pacing, and other essential performance skills to elevate your storytelling even in your day-to-day life.
Sunday 3:30 - 5:00pm
Sane Living Center
General Admission $25
Sunday
Workshops
Workshop: Jasmin Cardenas
Finding Your Voz/Voice!™
Exploring Self & Community through the body to find Identity Stories!
Using games and activities that involve the body, voice and connecting with others, workshop participants will explore moments and memories from their lives that hold story potential. The workshop is very physical and all abilities are welcome. Come dressed comfortably to move. We will work in pairs, small groups and as a big group with moments for note taking and writing down gems that come up for you.
Saturday 9:00 - 10:30am
Help of Ojai
General Admission $25
Sunday
The Ojai Storytelling Festival is presented by Performances to Grow On, a non-profit organization. Support our programs with a tax-deductible donation. In these tough times, donations in any amount make a difference. Don’t have a lot to give? No problem. All it takes is $1 to make a difference in a child's life. Have a little more to give? You can also make contributions on behalf of friends and family…
Interested in becoming a sponsor? Click here!
SUPPORTING ONE OF OJAI'S
MOST BELOVED ANNUAL EVENTS
