NYPR Archives & Preservation
Diane Wolkstein and Stories From Many Lands
Storyteller, author, and folklorist Diane Wolkstein (1942-2013) produced and hosted Stories From Many Lands. Sponsored by the New York City Parks Department, the Saturday morning children's program aired from 1968-1980.
Wolkstein's career as the Parks Department's first full-time storyteller began in 1967. The intrepid tale spinner visited ten city parks five days a week with props and a full range of folktales, fairy tales, legends, and epics from all over the world. Her captive audiences ranged in age from infants to the very elderly.
By 1971, the city's fiscal crisis was felt at every level of public service, and the municipal bean counters put an end to her $40 per week salary as New York City's official storyteller. Instead, they bestowed upon her the honorary lifetime title of New York City's Storyteller, without pay. The ever passionate Wolkstein, known for her range of performance, became a leading figure in the American national storytelling revival and was reportedly called "one of the greatest storytellers in the Western world" by the myth and story scholar Joseph Campbell.
Wolkstein continued with her show on WNYC and, over the years, authored twenty-two books and released more than 10 audio collections and three videos. Wolkstein's volumes included creation myths, legends, and folktales she collected on trips to Haiti, Asia, and Africa. She later teamed up with Samuel Noah Kramer, a scholar of Assyrian civilization, to translate and retell Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth, an ancient tale of the Sumerian goddess of fertility, love, and war. Her titles include The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folktales, The Glass Mountain, The Banza, and First Love Stories.
In 1980, Wolkstein, along with storytellers Gioia Timpanelli and Laura Simms, co-founded The New York City Storytelling Center which held monthly workshops for seasoned storytellers, novice tellers, and interested beginners. The Center trained an untold number of storytellers and sent them to schools, libraries, and the weekly storytelling at the Hans Christian Andersen statue by the boat pond in Central Park near Fifth Avenue at 72nd Street. Wolkstein was the director of the storytelling program at the Hans Christian Andersen statue from 1971-2012. Several generations of children, including Wolkstein's daughter, Rachel Zucker, grew up on the summer Saturday morning programs. Many of them brought their own children to listen to Wolkstein or "Grandma D" as she was called by her three adoring grandsons. The program continues today with families gathering in front of the statue of Hans Christian Andersen every Saturday, June through September at 11 a.m.
Diane Wolkstein was born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey. She received a bachelor's degree from Smith College and a master's degree in education from Bank Street College of Education. While living in Paris, she studied mime with Étienne Decroux. She was a long time resident of Greenwich Village and passed away at the age of 70 while working in Taiwan on translating and retelling the epic Journey to the West.
In a 1992 interview with the Daily News Wolkstein told columnist Clem Richardson, "Each time I tell a story that I love, I appreciate it in a different way." She added, though, "If it doesn't move you, it won't move anyone else when you tell it. You're really sharing your heart, exchanging love with your listeners." Wolkstein not only told her tales, but she also lived their values. She was an activist for issues both local -transforming the Jefferson Library parking lot into a garden- and international as a staunch human rights and anti-racist activist.
To learn more about Diane Wolkstein's work and legacy please visit or contact the Library of Congress, which houses the Diane Wolkstein Collection of photographs, recordings, galleys, and correspondence. To request permission to reprint Wolkstein's work or for questions about her literary estate, contact her daughter, Rachel Zucker.
Listen now to Diane Wolkstein performing stories from her collection, The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folktales.
In this broadcast Diane Wolkstein joins with Shirley Keller to tell three Native American stories; The Squirrel's Song, Shingebliss and Sunflower H.
Special thanks to Rachel Zucker for her assistance and permission to post these broadcasts and to Melissa Heckler for her help with fact-checking.
