General Closing Session -- Friday, September 23, 12 noon ~ 2:00 p.m.
Ron I. Jones

STORIES BY THE BOOK

For more than 25 years Ron Jones has been sharing stories with children and adults alike throughout the southeast…from folktales and fairy tales to original contemporary stories and songs. Ron has worked for over 30 years as a children’s librarian and Youth Services Coordinator for the Wake County Public Library System in Raleigh, NC. and Youth Services Consultant in Library Development at the State Library of North Carolina. He retired four years ago to pursue his storytelling and writing and has been touring throughout the east coast in schools, libraries, museums, and at festivals.

Born and raised on a dairy farm in southern Wake County, Ron says books, reading, and libraries have always played a key role throughout his life. “Books, reading, and stories continue to inform, guide, educate, and inspire me as an adult” says Jones. During my years as a children’s librarian of course storytelling was a primary means of introducing books and reading to children. And when most people think of storytelling they most often think of the “Once upon a time…” activity with a storyteller and a group of children sitting around on the floor.

Ron now lives in Durham, NC and during the past four years he has begun to do more and more storytelling for adult audiences. He has gathered and written a series of stories in a program entitled Stories By the Book. Humorous, inspiring, heartfelt stories Jones says “I have tried to capture in these stories”- sometimes incidental, sometimes profound- the impact a book or reading in general has had on the lives of individuals.” Some of the stories are based real people and others on his experiences through the years as a librarian.

Jones says he will begin touring the Stories By the Book program this fall and is available for booking. For more information you email ron@rijones.com or call (919) 286-7995.