The Storytelling Institute Residency at Grand Canyon National Park

Six Weeks of Stories: November 4 – December 15, 2026

The South Mountain Community College Storytelling Institute was selected as the inaugural recipient of Grand Canyon Conservancy's Local Artist in Residence program. Storytellers will engage visitors, lead workshops, and present stories each week. Join us throughout the residency for a series of conversations and performances exploring the many ways we experience, remember, and connect with Grand Canyon.

Drawing on decades of experience in cultural storytelling, science literacy, and public engagement, the storytellers will share a range of perspectives, from Indigenous oral traditions to stories about wildlife, climate change, and personal connections to the park. Visitors can expect both scheduled programs and spontaneous storytelling encounters along the rim. 

Through informal conversations and interactive storytelling sessions, visitors are encouraged to ask questions, share memories, and reflect on their own connections to Grand Canyon. Whether encountering a story along a trail or joining a planned program, participants will have opportunities to connect more deeply with the canyon, one another, and the stories they carry with them.

About the Storytelling Institute 

The South Mountain Community College (SMCC) Storytelling Institute is a unique academic and community program that blends the art of storytelling with professional communication skills, offering certificates, workshops, and public events. The Institute’s mission is to help individuals tap into their imagination, discover their voice, and find their personal style by applying storytelling to professional and personal contexts. 

Meet the Storytellers

Meet the storytellers, educators, artists, historians, and community leaders coming to the canyon. Together, they bring a wide range of experiences and perspectives to the stories of this extraordinary place.

Residency Schedule

November 4 - 10: Layers of Memory

• Liz Warren
• Carly Davis
• Joi Fletcher

Thursday, November 5th, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. Grand Canyon Stories at Yavapai Geology Musuem

Join our artists in residence to hear a story or to tell one! Every visitor leaves the Grand Canyon with a story. Come share yours or hear one from our Artists in Residence! Choose a story card (land, animals, myths, or people) and let the storytelling begin. Find us at the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence tent along the rim.

Friday, November 6th, 10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Grand Canyon Stories at Bright Angel Trailhead

Join our artists in residence to hear a story or to tell one! Every visitor leaves the Grand Canyon with a story. Come share yours or hear one from our Artists in Residence! Choose a story card (land, animals, myths, or people) and let the storytelling begin. Find us at the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence tent along the rim.

Friday, November 6th, 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Layers of Memory Story Concert at the Visitor Center Theater

Two billion years of rock, one evening of stories. Just as the canyon reveals itself layer by layer, so do our lives. Join us for Layers of Memory, an evening where our artists in residence and their guests share stories about the layers that shape us and the messages and meanings tucked inside them. Bring a friend, settle in, and let the stories carry you. 

Carly Davis, Joi Fletcher, Liz Warren, plus guest tellers Travis May and Lucero Curiel 

Monday, November 9th, 10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Grand Canyon Stories at Bright Angel Trailhead

Join our artists in residence to hear a story or to tell one! Every visitor leaves the Grand Canyon with a story. Come share yours or hear one from our Artists in Residence! Choose a story card (land, animals, myths, or people) and let the storytelling begin. Find us at the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence tent along the rim.

November 11 - 17: Grand Canyon Rx: A Prescription for Awe and Connection

• Kyle Mitchell
• Doug Bland

Thursday, November 12th, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. Grand Canyon Stories at Yavapai Geology Musuem

Join our artists in residence to hear a story or to tell one! Every visitor leaves the Grand Canyon with a story. Come share yours or hear one from our Artists in Residence! Choose a story card (land, animals, myths, or people) and let the storytelling begin. Find us at the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence tent along the rim.

Friday, November 13th, 10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Grand Canyon Stories at Bright Angel Trailhead

Join our artists in residence to hear a story or to tell one! Every visitor leaves the Grand Canyon with a story. Come share yours or hear one from our Artists in Residence! Choose a story card (land, animals, myths, or people) and let the storytelling begin. Find us at the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence tent along the rim.

Friday, November 13th, 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Story Concert at the Visitor Center Theater

Grand Canyon Rx: A prescription for Awe and Connection. Join our artists in residence and their guests for an evening of stories about this remarkable place and the people who have loved it and lived in it. Take as needed: stories for the spirit, awe for the soul, and the joy of shared wonder. 

Kyle Mitchell, Doug Bland, plus guest tellers, Dianna Uqualla, Amy Sayle, and Ed Kabotie

November 18 - 24: What You See & What You Get

• Summer Cherland, Ph D.
• Kathy Eastman

Thursday, November 19th, 10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Grand Canyon Stories at Bright Angel Trailhead

Join our artists in residence to hear a story or to tell one! Every visitor leaves the Grand Canyon with a story. Come share yours or hear one from our Artists in Residence! Choose a story card (land, animals, myths, or people) and let the storytelling begin. Find us at the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence tent along the rim.

Friday, November 20th, 10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Grand Canyon Stories at Bright Angel Trailhead

Join our artists in residence to hear a story or to tell one! Every visitor leaves the Grand Canyon with a story. Come share yours or hear one from our Artists in Residence! Choose a story card (land, animals, myths, or people) and let the storytelling begin. Find us at the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence tent along the rim.

Friday, November 20th, 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Story Concert at the Visitor Center Theater

What You See and What You Get: Grand Canyon is one of the most photographed places in the world, and yet much of it is unknown to us. Hidden caves, never-discovered species of plants and animals, even uncredited Harvey Girls are among the canyon's more mysterious legacies. Join us to learn about some of the known and unknown stories, and ponder the canyon's greatest secrets.  

Kathy Eastman, Summer Cherland, plus guest tellers

Monday, November 23rd, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. Grand Canyon Stories at Yavapai Geology Museum

Join our artists in residence to hear a story or to tell one! Every visitor leaves the Grand Canyon with a story. Come share yours or hear one from our Artists in Residence! Choose a story card (land, animals, myths, or people) and let the storytelling begin. Find us at the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence tent along the rim.

November 25 - December 1: A Deeper Perspective of Home 

• Dr. Coral Evans, MBA
• Christopher Hooper

Friday, November 27th, 10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Grand Canyon Stories at Bright Angel Trailhead

Join our artists in residence to hear a story or to tell one! Every visitor leaves the Grand Canyon with a story. Come share yours or hear one from our Artists in Residence! Choose a story card (land, animals, myths, or people) and let the storytelling begin. Find us at the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence tent along the rim.

Friday, November 27th, 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Story Concert at the Visitor Center Theater

A Deeper Perspective of Home: Seeing Grand Canyon for the first—or even the second—time can feel like standing before the ocean for the very first time. Its vastness shifts your perspective, awakens wonder, and fills you with awe. As you experience the canyon over the Thanksgiving holiday, pause and ask yourself: What did this place stir within me? How can I carry the depth of that feeling home and continue cultivating the same sense of wonder in my everyday life? 

Coral Evans, Christopher Hooper, plus guest tellers Megan Finnerty, Lisa Abelar, and Carly Davis

Saturday, November 28th, 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Story Concert at the Visitor Center Theater

A Deeper Perspective of Home: Seeing Grand Canyon for the first—or even the second—time can feel like standing before the ocean for the very first time. Its vastness shifts your perspective, awakens wonder, and fills you with awe. As you experience the canyon over the Thanksgiving holiday, pause and ask yourself: What did this place stir within me? How can I carry the depth of that feeling home and continue cultivating the same sense of wonder in my everyday life? 

Coral Evans, Christopher Hooper, plus guest teller Carly Davis

Monday, November 30th, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. Grand Canyon Stories at Yavapai Geology Museum

Join our artists in residence to hear a story or to tell one! Every visitor leaves the Grand Canyon with a story. Come share yours or hear one from our Artists in Residence! Choose a story card (land, animals, myths, or people) and let the storytelling begin. Find us at the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence tent along the rim.

December 2 - 8: Everything Belongs

• Melissa Soza Fees, Ph D.
• Nereyda Martinez

Friday, December 4th, 10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Grand Canyon Stories at Bright Angel Trailhead

Join our artists in residence to hear a story or to tell one! Every visitor leaves the Grand Canyon with a story. Come share yours or hear one from our Artists in Residence! Choose a story card (land, animals, myths, or people) and let the storytelling begin. Find us at the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence tent along the rim.

Friday, December 4th, 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Story Concert at the Visitor Center Theater

Everything Belongs: Join our artists in residence and their guests to hear stories.

Melissa Fees and Nereyda Martinez with guest tellers Diana Dinshaw and Brian McBurney

Monday, December 7th, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. Grand Canyon Stories at Yavapai Geology Musuem

Join our artists in residence to hear a story or to tell one! Every visitor leaves the Grand Canyon with a story. Come share yours or hear one from our Artists in Residence! Choose a story card (land, animals, myths, or people) and let the storytelling begin. Find us at the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence tent along the rim.

December 9 - 15: Layers of Memory

• Liz Warren
• Carly Davis
• Joi Fletcher

Thursday, December 10th, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. Grand Canyon Stories at Yavapai Geology Museum

Join our artists in residence to hear a story or to tell one! Every visitor leaves the Grand Canyon with a story. Come share yours or hear one from our Artists in Residence! Choose a story card (land, animals, myths, or people) and let the storytelling begin. Find us at the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence tent along the rim.

Friday, December 11th, 10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Grand Canyon Stories at Bright Angel Trailhead

Join our artists in residence to hear a story or to tell one! Every visitor leaves the Grand Canyon with a story. Come share yours or hear one from our Artists in Residence! Choose a story card (land, animals, myths, or people) and let the storytelling begin. Find us at the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence tent along the rim.

Friday, December 11th, 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Story Concert at the Visitor Center Theater

Layers of Memory Story Concert: Two billion years of rock. One evening of stories. Just as the canyon reveals itself layer by layer, so do our lives. Join us for Layers of Memory, an evening where our artists in residence and their guests share stories about the layers that shape us and the messages and meanings tucked inside them. Bring a friend, settle in, and let the stories carry you. 

Carly Davis, Joi Fletcher, Liz Warren, plus guest tellers 

Monday, December 14th, 10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Grand Canyon Stories at Bright Angel Trailhead

Join our artists in residence to hear a story or to tell one! Every visitor leaves the Grand Canyon with a story. Come share yours or hear one from our Artists in Residence! Choose a story card (land, animals, myths, or people) and let the storytelling begin. Find us at the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Artist in Residence tent along the rim.