The Connecticut Storytelling Festival returns for the 37th year, and, this go-round, the headliner is Donald Davis. He was born in Southern Appalachia and grew up hearing stories, and, as an adult, he used stories during his quarter-century as a United Methodist minister. When he retired from his work as a minister, he became a full-time storyteller. He has 18 books and more than 40 recordings to his name, and he has won the National Storytelling Network’s Circle of Excellence and the Lifetime Achievement awards.

The Connecticut Storytelling Festival is run by the Connecticut Storytelling Center, which is in residence at Connecticut College. It boasts a cabaret Friday and concerts and workshops Saturday. The professional storytellers and musicians that are showcased include Dovie Thomason, who will tell both Native American folk tales and a true story from the American Indian Boarding Schools; Denise Valentine, who will use historical narrative, African and African-American folklore and oral history; and Arnie Pritchard, who will demonstrate how to use original sources to meld history and storytelling.

The festival is aimed at adult audiences, but kids 12 and up can attend.

— Kristina Dorsey

The Connecticut Storytelling Festival, Friday and Saturday, Crozier-Williams Student Center, Connecticut College, New London; performances include Cabaret at 7:30-9:30 p.m. Fri., and Donald Davis at 10:45 a.m.-noon Sat. and 7:30-9 p.m. Sat.; for a full schedule, visit connstorycenter.org.