Featuring: Wright Clarkson, StoryGuy
Playful Musician, Nature-Loving Storyteller, Engaging Teaching Artist
Wright Clarkson was all over the place in North Carolina. From universities to libraries to schools, he was there. He extended into South Carolina, too, and got out to California and Florida to tell stories. People could call him Wright Clarkson…but he enjoyed “StoryGuy.”
He had close friends who would camp and hike with him. Sometimes six days or more of adventures and seeing where to rest their heads next. One of places that he shared stories was at the Reedy Creek Park and Nature Center. Then, instead of being contained in some stuffy room, he could breathe deep and tell among the trees and the breeze.
He admitted to people that he didn’t take many pictures or think about being filmed. He was “being.” So, it was hard to find any video of him telling stories. Scouring the Internet provided no answers. With some pictures, we created a simple 1-minute video to at least honor this storyteller. One does not need to be filmed to be remembered.
Besides, as you’ll see with the students, he loved teaching about the art of storytelling. He did other arts, too. He could sing, play many instruments with the guitar being most visible, and even did some playwrighting and voiceover work. He connected with businesses so they could discover their stories and find the meaning behind their services.
Then, in 2013, he needed a liver transplant and was blessed with a donor. He brought the gift of storytelling and music for 10 more years.
What have you done lately with your gift on this Earth? Wright Clarkson made sure to pay it forward. We can all do that as a way to honor him.
If you have links to add – video, audio, articles – please share by emailing info@storycrossroads.org or commenting on this blog post.
You can see more details on Wright Clarkson, Story Guy, with the Story Artists Memorial.
The video below shares a few pictures accompanied by some music. We hope that someone will share more with us or guide to where we can hear his actual voice.
Do you know a Story Artist who has passed on and want others to remember them? Memories? Pictures? You can submit names and memories of Story Artists who have passed on through our online form.
I appreciate Wright Clarkson for the way he continued forth and had an attitude of gratitude that manifested itself through his stories and music. I will need to seek him out after this time on Earth.
Wright Clarkson, StoryGuy, still has a story. You have a story. We all have stories.