Sweet story time at the Cat

Everyone knows that the typical Obie is much more in touch with their inner-child than most college students, and tonight at the Cat, a special guest will sit us all down for story time.

Odds Bodkin, who is officially known as a Master Talesman, makes his living as a professional storyteller. A New Hampshire native, Bodkin has been entertaining youngsters and others for 15 years. The Review of Children's Books has deemed Bodkin "full of wit and energy," and printed, "Bodkin tells tales like no one else can."

Part of Bodkin's draw is that he incorporates live music and other creative arts into his anecdotes. He simultaneously performs his own sound effects using his own body and everything from synthesizers to harp or guitar.

Bodkin weaves his stories around a cast of over 100 characters, switching opposite personalities and genres in the blink of an eye. With a performance style sometimes compared to that of Robin William's, the performer has said that he enjoys his work because he has a gift to give to a generation of children.

Though Bodkin has earned his reputation as a live act, he does record his stories for audio. His most recent, a collection of 13 cassettes entitled The Odds Bodkin Storytelling Library, is carried by many learning catalogs, and he won the Oppenheim Platinum Award for Best Audio in 1997 for his four-hour release The Odyssey: An Epic Telling. Bodkin has also released a picture book, The Banshee Train, which won the American Booksellers Association's "Pick of the Lists" twice. Bodkin's fourth children's book, The Ghost of the Southern Belle, is the most recent addition to his collection of works.

Who knows if the storyteller will treat Obies like his usual youngster crowds, but chances are, the evening will involve one of Bodkin's trademark tall tales or fables. True, his books generally are aimed for ages five to eight, but luckily, the rest of us are old enough to read for ourselves, but not too old to enjoy some quality story time.

Odds Bodkin performs tonight at the Cat in the Cream at 9 p.m.

Lord of the Story: Odds Bodkin brings his one-man-story-machine to the Cat. His playful act incorporates music and other arts along with his cast of over 100 characters. (photo courtesy of Rivertree Productions)