Carmen Deedy - Storytelling
Carmen Agra Deedy is an award-winning storyteller and author of numerous bestselling books for children. Born in Havana, Cuba in 1960, she emigrated from her homeland during the Cuban Revolution, a move that profoundly affected her life and her work. Her parents, strong proponents of human rights, decided to leave after four tumultuous years in the midst of a revolutionary environment. They took Carmen and her sister and found sanctuary in the United States under the JFK Cuban Refugee Act of 1963.
The Agra family settled in Decatur, Georgia and started to rebuild their lives. While Deedy's storytelling reflects the themes of separation and deprivation, she is better known for her razor-sharp wit and light, entertaining style. Also essential to Deedy's experience are her strong sense of perseverance and her dual heritage, drawn from growing up steeped in the riches of both Latin American and Souther culture.
In August 2007, Deedy's newest picture book will be released simultaneously in English "Martina, The Beautifl Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale – and Spanish – "Martina, Una Cucarachita Muy Linda: Un Cuento Cubano."
As a professional storyteller for many years Deedy has shared her stories with hundreds of thousands of children and adults. She has performed at the Beyond the Border International Storytelling Festival in Wales; the Kennedy Center in Washington DC; the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC; the Disney Institute in Orlando; the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee; the New Victory Theatre on Broadway; and the 2001, 2002, 2003 national Book Festivals in Washington DC. Her stories have also aird on National Public Radio's "Weekend All Things Considered."
