www.kayebyrnes.com - About Kaye

Kaye Byrnes left a successful career in Human Resources Management in 1996 to begin sharing stories with children and adults. Since then she has shared stories at schools, libraries, senior communities, festivals, community and corporate events, and many other venues. Her repertoire of folktales, fairy tales, fables, myths, legends, original tales and classic literature is carefully crafted and compiled for maximum appeal to a wide variety of audience age groups.

With a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre, Byrnes is trained in the performing arts and carries her dramatic expertise to the storytelling stage. Characters come to life, events unfold as if the listener was there and the story moves seamlessly from beginning to end, carried along on an exciting thread of humor, suspense, and anticipation.

As a workshop leader, Byrnes helps others find their own storytelling voice. She has led workshops for public librarians, educators and storytelling enthusiasts. Her workshops are highly participatory and those who come with trepidation leave inspired and confident.

As President of the Florida Storytelling Association, Byrnes plays a leadership role in promoting storytelling and encouraging storytellers throughout the state. Overseeing such initiatives as the annual Florida StoryCamp, regional StoryLab workshops and the Youthful Voices of Florida competition, she is actively engaged in the statewide storytelling community.

Byrnes believes that stories are a universal link between all people and cultures. The oldest teaching tool in the world, storytelling has been used for thousands of years to impart cultural history and values. The young learn and the elders connect through the sharing of stories. With the industrial revolution and the information age, storytelling lost its prominence but in recent decades it has resurfaced as a powerful medium. Schools are recognizing the power of story in the classroom and adults are realizing that stories are not just for children. Storytelling is being used in a multitude of applications, from education to business to healing arts and beyond.

Byrnes is a talented storyteller and effective teacher, blending her years as a corporate executive with her academic training and stage experience. Her passion for the oral tradition is reflected in every performance and every workshop.