Retiree Fair 2011
Keynote Speaker
John Bear Mitchell

Professional storyteller John Bear Mitchell will use a traditional oral format to reminisce about houses and home from the perspective of three generations at this year’s Retiree Homecoming Fair. John has been a professional storyteller since 1990 when he started with the Native American Storytellers of New England. He believes, “by weaving the past into the present, we keep ourselves alive and relevant to society.” His singing and storytelling can be heard in many Maine PBS, tribal sponsored awareness videos, and other documentaries with topics on Maine’s Native People. John is a member of the Penobscot Nation on Indian Island. He is the Outreach & Student Development Coordinator at the University of Maine as well as a lecturer in Wabanaki Studies and the UMS NAIWSP Coordinator.