Sean Buvala
Sean Buvala has spent 40 years as a professional storyteller and teacher, working with audiences ranging from corporate boardrooms to elementary school classrooms to senior living communities. He began his career in 1986 and has since become a recognized figure in the storytelling field, receiving the Oracle Award from the National Storytelling Network for leadership in the art form.
Sean has worked extensively with senior audiences, including a long-running relationship with cities in Arizona, and with engagements for national senior-serving organizations. His programs blend traditional tales, personal narrative, and hands-on practice, drawing on decades spent teaching people of every age how to find and tell their own stories.
He is the author of several books on storytelling, family literacy, and public speaking. He runs a coaching practice and publishing house alongside his speaking work. Audiences leave his programs with something to fun and interesting to do, not just something to think about.
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Seasonal Storytelling
Sean shows up with stories that match whatever’s coming up on the calendar. St. Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving, the December stretch, Valentine’s Day, New Year’s. He mixes old folktales with things that actually happened to him, all tied to whatever the group’s celebrating that month. Nobody has to get up or participate unless they want to. Just listen, maybe laugh. These are the kind of stories people bring up over dinner later. Runs about 45 to 50 minutes, with time for questions after.
Your Story Is Just Five Minutes Away
This one gets the audience talking, not just listening. Sean hands the group a stack of memory triggers, and together the attendees shape a real memory into a five-minute story worth telling. Most people can stand up and tell theirs before the session’s done. It taps into something people in this stage of life already have in abundance: a lifetime of stories nobody’s asked them to tell out loud in a while. Structured, easy to follow, and genuinely moving to watch happen in real time. Runs about 45 to 50 minutes, with time for questions after.
Mirror: The Power of Folk and Fairy Tales in Modern Times
Sean asks a question that sounds simple but isn’t: “Why did people start telling fairy tales to begin with, and why do they still matter?” He tells a few tales during the talk itself, so you’re not just hearing about stories; you’re hearing them told. Works well for people who grew up with these tales and want to think about them differently now. For example, we may consider what it means to be a beast in the face of beauty as in “Beauty and the Beast,” or we may look at the shenanigans that happen with two teens alone in a tall tower as in “Rapunzel.” Runs about 45 to 50 minutes, then open for discussion.
Be Their Favorite Storyteller
Built for anyone with young children in their life. Grandparents especially, but the room usually includes great-aunts, family friends, and neighbors too. Part telling, part reading aloud. Everyone learns and practices one classic fable well enough to tell it from memory, then picks up a few simple ways to read a story aloud that actually holds a kid’s attention. For residents who want to be the one their Grands and Greats ask for a story, this gives them something real to bring home. Runs about 45 to 50 minutes, with time for questions after.