Michael Lockett taught in Normal, Illinois for 21 years. Students from schools where he taught, along with the Cub Scouts and Boy scouts he worked with, and boys and girls from church and libraries came to think of him as "The Normal Storyteller." They could always count on a fun filled story to accompany a lesson or reward them for a job well done if Mr. Lockett was the teacher. After receiving his Doctorate in Curriculum, Lockett followed his teaching experiences by serving as a school administrator in Peoria, Illinois for twelve years. It was a NORMAL experience for Dr. Lockett to share stories when he visited classrooms or met with teachers and administrators. It even played in Peoria to call him “THE NORMAL STORYTELLER.” Dr. Lockett has now taken his storytelling and educational messages to over 2000 groups all across the USA and as far away as Taiwan. A teller of traditional tales, Lockett specializes in audience participation stories. “I have more fun when audiences join in with the telling,” says Lockett. Judging from the laughter when “The Normal Storyteller” is speaking to a group, they do exactly that! He presents regularly at schools, libraries, festivals, churches and for educational and fraternal organizations. Retirement has not dulled this storyteller. Since his retirement from the position of high school principal of an alternative school, Lockett has concentrated on developing new stories and reaching out to new audiences. He has started a new small company, Heritage Schoolhouse Press, to publish materials related to storytelling and plans to also author children’s books. He has presented at programs at the No Child Left Behind Conference, International Reading Conference, the Illinois Reading Conference Three Apples Storytelling Festival, Rock Island Storytelling Festival, International Storytelling Festival in Taiwan to name a few of his programs. He has presented internationally in Taiwan, Nassau in the Bahamas, and Toronto, Canada. Check out his website at http://www.mikelockett.com to see when he will be in your area. “Tales from the Hills is a collection of Appalachian tales, released in 2000 with a second printing in 2006. The stories are all told with a wonderful southern dialect. Dulcimer and guitar melodies add to the beauty of this award winning album. "Tales from the Hills" won the 2007 Seal of Excellence from Creative Child Magazine. This award certifies that the album is wholesome and clean and appropriate for children and families. Whether using the album in the classroom or to make children happy in the car when traveling, teachers and parents won't go wrong with purchasing this album. Dr. Lockett is a past-president of the Twin City Tale Spinners, a local Bloomington/Normal storytelling guild and is the vice president of the International Christian Storytelling Network. He can be heard telling tales at the Normal Public Library on the third Thursday of each month at 6:45 P.M. You can follow Dr. Lockett's other programs on his website at www.mikelockett.com Contact Mike Lockett for more information about storytelling CD’s or about booking him for storytelling programs. - Phone (309) 454-2300