For Bookings, email: donthewriter@mac.com

Don Ray Smith

Don Ray SmithDon Ray SmithDon Ray Smith

Don Ray Smith

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DON RAY SMITH Storyteller

DON RAY SMITH Storyteller DON RAY SMITH Storyteller
Want to check out scenes from 'Growing Up White on Wilson'?

- www.YouTube.com/@donthewriter

For scheduling and fees, call Don Ray in Louisville, KY at (502) 499-5664 or email donthewriter@mac.com

Next Up...Storytelling at African Cemetery No. 2, October 15th, 2025 Lexington, KY

2024 Kentucky DREAM Storytelling Festival & Fundraiser

"Don Ray Smith's unique and creative storytelling style quickly became one of the day’s major highlights... His storytelling came alive through his dramatic vocal abilities, expressive acting, and the added thrill of props, costume changes, audience engagement, and the distinctive rhythm of his bongos.  Don Ray Smith brings an undeniable level of excellence to any storytelling event."

---Mona Lazarus, DREAM Organizer

And these comments...

And these comments...

"Pull up a chair, lean back and prepare to laugh, chuckle, snort, and guffaw at the droll humor, and mood-punctuating bongo drum playing of master storyteller Don Smith. He always has a wry and funny take on ordinary, or not so ordinary, life."

---Mandy Dick, Story Grandmother, southern Indiana


"Through the art of storytelling, Don Ray Smith offers lessons on life and insight into human nature. His colorful characters and keen descriptions of their personalities and perspectives will make you smile and, possibly, remind you of someone you know. My group responded to his stories with great enthusiasm."

--The Rev. Nancy Tinnell, Asso. Pastor, Middletown, Kentucky UMC


"Don has been telling me stories every time he visits...one of my favorite observations of Don is his principled take on our complicated communities. Bottom line, he's a good human, a good story teller, who can draw out the whimsy and the verities we all try to live with."
---Peg Taylor, Farm House Bed & Breakfast, Parkers Lake, Kentucky

Off-the-wall storytelling.

Don Ray has no problem looking at everyday life from a slightly tilted angle. From a Kentucky fisherman's tall tale to a love story told with bongos. From the ordeal of simply trying to throw away his old garbage can to a monumental misunderstanding on a gambling boat. Funny, but with messages galore.

'Growing Up White on Wilson'...

History should be explained, not erased. Don Ray Smith has a true boyhood story to tell, about growing up in the West End of Louisville, Kentucky. Where segregation was real. Racism was real. Where ignorance and hate were real. The one hour, one-act play is humorous, insightful, poignant, powerful. Non-confrontational, but  still relevant for our times. Fees to fit any club, organization, church, school, or other community groups. Call: (502) 499-5664 or email: donthewriter@mac.com

Here's a sampling of Don Ray's world...

Bongo Love Story #4.  Russian Kayaker.  If I Die on My Wife's Hair Day.  Turkey and Blessing.  Gambling Boat.  Interracial Couples.  An Angel Touched My Toolbox.   Bongo Ghost Story.  Amish the Old Ways.   Daddy's Mashed Potatoes.   The Bilingual Garbage Can.  The Power of Church Clothes.  Far Tar. A Farewell to Hemingway. The Pool Room Ball. Next Time Bring the Dog.

Copyright © 2022 Don Ray Smith. All Rights Reserved.


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