With animated language and facial expressions, hisses, shrieks, and other homespun vocal effects, Jackie Torrence (born 1944) has breathed new life into the age-old art of storytelling. Her retelling of African-American folktales and classic ghost stories, as well as her delivery of modern tales, has established Torrence as a strong presence among contemporary storytellers worldwide.

Hailing from an extended family of tale spinners, Torrence learned everything she needed to develop her craft from her grandparents, aunts, and uncles. She was born on February 12, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois, but raised in the South. Torrence spent her early childhood on Second Creek in the North Carolina countryside, where she lived on a farming settlement with her grandparents. Jim Carson, Torrence's grandfather, regaled the family with traditional tales told to him by his own father, a former slave. It was from Carson that Torrence first heard many of the narratives her audiences enjoyed--the...