For Bookings, email: donthewriter@mac.com
"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'...
Don Ray has a story to tell, about growing up in the highly-segregated West End of Louisville, Kentucky. In over 20 scenes, this 90-minute, Two Act play portrays family, friends, bartenders, punks and other characters from his boyhood world. It's humorous, insightful, poignant, non-confrontational and still relevant for our times. A 55-minute One Act Edition (plus 15-minute Q&A) is also available for students, libraries, churches and other community groups.
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.