KUOW is partnering with The Story Collider and The Wild's Chris Morgan for an evening of “wild” stories. Chris Morgan, host of “The Wild” and The Story Collider's Kent Whipple will be our guides for a night of real life tales of adventure, exhilarating encounters with wildlife, and transformative experiences in nature. We are not alone when we walk out the door, and these stories highlight what can happen when you open yourself up to the wild around you. Join us for this special evening of storytelling Friday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Kane Hall University of Washington Seattle Campus.
Doors open at 7 pm.
Hosts:
Chris Morgan is a British-American ecologist, conservationist, filmmaker, TV host and podcaster. His stories from 6 continents have reached hundreds of millions of people worldwide as part of his mission to connect listeners to nature and to help conserve our beautiful planet. For over thirty years his ecology and conservation work has focused on bears and other large carnivores worldwide. He emigrated to the US from the UK in 1997, and in the year 2000 co-founded the award-winning community-based education program, the Grizzly Bear Outreach Project (GBOP; now Western Wildlife Outreach, WWO), which was designed to bring scientifically credible information about grizzly bears and restoration to local communities of the North Cascades in Washington State. Through his work as a wilderness guide he has escorted hundreds of people into wild locations around the world from the Arctic to Antarctica, to share the wonder of nature, and trigger conservation initiatives. Chris has hosted and narrated many television shows for PBS, National Geographic Television, BBC, Discovery Channel, and has appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. He has become a familiar voice of the television series PBS Nature having narrated numerous films since 2011 on topics ranging from lions to pelicans and the Australian outback. Chris authored the book 'Bears of the Last Frontier'. This large format publication describes the experience, the bears, and behind-the-scenes insight from the production of the PBS Nature television series of the same title that Chris co-created and hosted. He is the co-founder of Wildlife Media, the non-profit organization that produced BEARTREK, a feature-length documentary (premiered in 2018) that follows Chris’ journey by motorcycle to Alaska, Peru, the Canadian north, and Borneo. The film’s campaign has generated support and exposure for critical bear conservation projects in these areas. Chris is the host and co-creator of 'THE WILD with Chris Morgan’, a podcast that transports people back to nature through exquisite storytelling about wildlife, conservation, and the wonders of our wild planet. Within its first year, the podcast hit the top 1% of all podcasts (6 million downloads and counting) and has become a hub for Chris’s storytelling through audio and film….all part of his mission to reconnect people with nature, so they fall in love with it, and want to protect it.
Kent Whipple is a masterful storyteller and teacher. He is the founder of the storytelling program at Unexpected Productions Improv School, Seattle, WA, where he serves as a narrative coach for the ensemble and teacher of intro and advanced storytelling classes; he has inspired countless students to find their unique voices and craft compelling stories. He is also the story coach for Ignite Seattle. Kent's achievements include winning the first Moth StorySLAM he attended, being the Moth GrandSLAM winner in March 2023, and being named Best of Bawdy Storyteller for 2019 by an audience vote and a featured teller three times on the Risk podcast. In March of 2022, he was featured on the PBS show, Stories from the Stage, which illustrates the power of real stories told by masterful storytellers and is produced by WORLD Channel in collaboration with GBH. Kent is an accomplished educator and consultant with extensive experience teaching the art of storytelling to diverse audiences, including medical school students, corporate teams, and communication professionals. With a proven track record of success, he has worked with reputable organizations such as the University of Washington Medical School, Yelp, Microsoft, WE Communications, and University of Washington Tacoma LatinX Celebration, earning accolades for his innovative teaching methods and insightful guidance. Whether delivering workshops or one-on-one coaching, Kent is dedicated to helping individuals and businesses harness the power of storytelling to achieve their goals. As the Seattle Producer for the Story Collider, he produces four shows annually, and he has taught workshops for the World Health Organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the University of Idaho - Boise. Kent is a thought leader in the art of storytelling and has appeared on various podcasts Pre-Accident Investigations Podcast and KUOW. He holds a B.A. in Arts Administration from the College of Santa Fe. He has mentored with Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones; studied with Larry Rosen, The Moth; Kevin Allison, Risk! Podcast; Margot Leitman, author of Long Story Short: The Only Storytelling Guide You Will Ever Need; Matthews Dicks, author of Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling; and Joan Logghe – Poet Laureate of New Mexico. He is an active member of the storytelling community in the PNW and has performed at events such as The Moth, Story Collider, Fresh Ground Stories, the Intersections Festival, Bawdy Storytelling, Bad Date Storytelling, and Over the Rainbow Storytelling.
Stories by:
Lisa Yeager started her career as an environmental educator and bookstore manager in Anchorage, AK. She shifted to build a career in project management after earning her MBA at the University of Washington. She currently works as a Program Manager for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center where she works to bring innovation and transformational change to business practices and collaboration. Lisa built her life in Seattle after attending UW because where else are you within a day of ocean, sound, volcano, shrub-steppe, lakes and two mountain ranges? With 10+ years as an informal education volunteer at Woodland Park Zoo, she is exploring ways to translate her business background and a recent second master’s in biology to support climate change education and advocacy. She serves on the governing council for the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation, and received a Cee-Change fellowship and grant funding from the North American Association of Environmental Education. She is a previous board member of the International Applied Improvisation Network. She is the co-founder of Yes and Nature Collaborative (climateconversations.net), which combines scientific data, communication theory, and improvisational theater techniques to help people have more effective conversations about climate change and nature.
Kim Weaver is a long-time storyteller and occasional guest host at Story Night in Bremerton, but she cut her storytelling chops as a high school math and engineering teacher. (No matter how much you heckle, you will not be as brutal as a room full of Algebra I students.) She has also told plenty of ocean tales as a Science Communication Fellow aboard the E/V Nautilus. Kim lives in Poulsbo, Washington where her primary role is meeting the demands of a high-maintenance corgi named Bird, but her actual job is providing STEM and EdTech support to teachers throughout the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas.
Paul Barach is a writer, storyteller, and thru-hiker from Seattle, Washington. A 2013 Moth GrandSlam runner up, his stories have been featured on Risk, Out There, and other podcasts. Paul has also been a featured guest on Deviate with Rolf Potts, Backpacker Radio, Zero to Travel, and Armchair Explorer. Paul has hiked the Shikoku Pilgrimage, Colorado Trail, and Pacific Crest Trail among others, bicycled the Trans-America Trail, and most recently completed the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal. He is the author of the travel memoir "Fighting Monks and Burning Mountains: Misadventures on a Buddhist Pilgrimage" and is currently working on a memoir about the Pacific Crest Trail, as well as a comedic novel about a vampire hunter who's sick of his job. Paul currently lives in Tacoma with his wife Michelle and their dog Izzy.
Belinda Fu is a family physician, educator, and performing artist based in Seattle. She has performed and taught improvisational theater since 2007, with Seattle Theatresports/Unexpected Productions, Jet City Improv, and Book-it Repertory’s "Austen Unbound". Belinda has been diving into new creative spaces in 2024, appearing in the world premiere of the play “Once More, Just for You” by Maggie Lee at Seattle Public Theatre, and making her directorial debut with "Journey of the Wind", an improvised play inspired by the works of Miyazaki, opening May ’24 at Theatre Off Jackson (Jet City Improv/Pork-Filled Productions). Offstage, Belinda is Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Washington, and Director of The Mayutica Institute, an educational and training organization. Belinda is an innovator in the field of medical improv (medicalimprov.org), and travels the country as “theImprovDoc”, teaching improv to doctors to improve communication, wellbeing, health, and patient care. Outside of work, you can find Belinda “wild swimming” in mountain lakes, hunting for a good glazed donut, squeezing more Japanese maples into her yard, or at home snuggling with her senior spaniel, Skylark, whose 17th birthday is on April 14. (belindafu.com)
Photography and audio will be recorded at this event of the stage and live audience.
Proof of vaccination and masks are not required. However, KUOW & UW strongly encourage wearing a mask for all event attendees.
KUOW is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities at our events. To request disability accommodations, please emailevents@kuow.org or call us at 206.221.7159 at least 7 days in advance of the event.
KUOW Live Events are sponsored by Phinney Ridge Painting.