Fresno City College held the sixth annual Fresno Storytelling Festival on Wednesday March 13. The festival proudly presented Affrilachian Master storyteller, Lyn Ford.

Ford was greeted with a round of applause and took a seat on a chair at the front of the stage. She began by asking the crowd to “sit up straight like a king” and then conducted several warm-up activities acquainting the audience with one another.

Ford told several stories and folktales by using her hands, acting out dialogue and using a maraca.

The stories ranged from all genres including romantic, suspenseful, comedy and horror. The only aspect they all seemed to have in common is the inclusion of a life lesson or a moral.

A hush fell over the energetic audience when Ford revealed how she became a storyteller. Not only did she have a speech impediment as a child, but Ford also says she was very sick growing up and remembers constantly staying at the hospital.

“I remember white walls, white sheets, white floors and white people in white clothes,” said Ford. She says her body was producing too many white blood cells, giving her a fever high enough to cause hallucinations.

Ford said her family would always come to visit her, and often told her stories and folktales.

It’s no wonder the audience enjoyed the storytelling of Lyn Ford. She is ranked in the top 20 for ghost-story telling in the country. Ford also wrote a book, “Affrilachian Tales.” Her book has been given the “Storyteller Award” and the “Storyteller Choice Award.”