CANYON, Texas — A renowned Native American speaker will headline the 2024 West Texas A&M University Storytelling Festival.

Eldrena Douma, who was a classroom teacher becoming a professional storyteller, will speak during the “Back to Our Roots” festival and lead public storytelling workshops on April 18 and 19.

Douma will perform at 6 p.m. April 18 in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex Recital Hall on WT’s Canyon campus.

Admission is free.

She also will conduct a storytelling workshop for students and the general public at 1 p.m. April 18, also in the Fine Arts Complex Recital Hall. Douma also will offer children’s concerts at 10 and 11:15 a.m. April 19 in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall.

“Eldrena uses her gifts to transport listeners to a world most haven’t seen in person,” said Paula Schlegel, associate lecturer in WT’s Department of Communication and festival coordinator. “While her stories connect us with her roots, they also create in the listener a desire to explore our own roots.”

Douma, the winner of a John Henry Faulk Award from the Tejas Storytelling Association for her contributions to storytelling in the Southwest, is a professional storyteller, writer, speaker and author who travels the country sharing stories and presenting workshops on creative writing and storytelling.

Her experience as a storyteller began as a child listening to her Pueblo tribes of Laguna, Tewa and Hopi family members and other adults in her community tell stories about life experiences, history and folktales.

The WT Storytelling Festival was founded in 1991 by Dr. Trudy Hanson, who retired in 2021 as head of WT’s Department of Communication.

Douma’s appearances are funded by the WT Guest Artist Series and sponsored by the Department of Communication and the Panhandle Storytelling Guild.

For information on the festival, contact Schlegel at 806-570-3797 or [email protected].

Fostering an appreciation for the arts is a vital component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised nearly $160 million.