Pioneer Valley Folklore Society Happenings

Storyteller Andy Davis will join November 7 Song & Story Swap

November 7 Song & Story Swap will feature storyteller Andy Davis

Please come share in an evening of music and stories at the Pioneer Valley Folklore Society Song & Story Swap.

Saturday, November 7, 7:00-9:00 p.m. at First Church, 165 Main St., Amherst, MA. Free parking is available in back of the church, and the meeting room is near the front.

Guest performer for the November 7 Song & Story Swap will be storyteller Andy Davis of Tamworth, New Hampshire.

Davis began telling comic tales by candlelight in refugee camps while doing human rights work in Guatemala in the 1990s. He later spent 22 years co-directing the World Fellowship Center, a family camp and retreat center devoted to peace and social justice. His stories blend multicultural folklore, magical realism, grassroots history, and personal experience, from shaggy-dog tall tales and New England mountain and woods lore to poignant family stories and portraits of political courage.

Andy Davis has performed as far north as County Down, as far east as Paris, as far south as Bamako, Mali, and as far west as San Diego. He is also known for bringing stories to audiences by bicycle. One summer he pedaled about 900 miles over two tours to give 20 performances between Lake Champlain and Provincetown, with no carbon emissions. Jo Radner, former president of the National Storytelling Network and the American Folklore Society, said of his story “The Sweater,” “Only Andy Davis could weave a story of such complexity and such sparkling novelty.”

Storyteller Michael Parent calls Davis “a storyteller with brains and heart,” and Bob Reiser has named him “the best darned tall-tale teller in New England!”

Don’t miss this special opportunity to hear Andy Davis at the November 7 Song & Story Swap in Amherst.

Learn more about Andy Davis at andydavisstoryteller.com.

Attendees will be invited to contribute a song or story on the topic of “Finding Your Way” during an opening round of sharing.

This month’s theme is Finding Your Way This month's
theme is 'Finding Your Way'

The November 7, 2026 Song & Story Swap will be held at First Church, 165 Main St. in Amherst, Mass., at 7pm. Parking is available in the lot behind the church.

The Song & Story Swap is held on the first Saturday of each month, excepting July and August, and is organized by the Pioneer Valley Folklore Society. Visit the Folklore Society website at pvfs.us.

The Song & Story Swap is open to members of the public of all ages. Admission is free, with a suggested minimum donation to the artist of $10.00.

People of all experience levels gather to share stories and songs that are traditional, newly written, or of personal experiences. You can tell, sing, or lead everyone in singing, or request a song or story. Listeners are welcome.

For information contact Paul Kaplan, (413) 687-5002 or visit https://pvfs.us.