ELIZABETH FIGA
Denton, TX
efiga@lis.admin.unt.edu
http://courses.unt.edu/efiga/Figa/index.htm

INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION

I am originally from Massachusetts and matriculated to Texas after living, working, and getting my education in the Midwestern USA.  I am a professor in the School of Library and Information Sciences at the University of North Texas.  I travel a lot these days for my work, which begets lots of stories, photos, and memories.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Ph.D. Library and Information Science
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Graduate School of Library and Information Science

M.S. Library and Information Science
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Graduate School of Library and Information Science

M.S. Community Health Education
Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois
College of Health Sciences

B.S. Nursing
DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana
School of Nursing

STORYTELLING INTERESTS

It was alleged by my parents that I came out of the womb telling stories and putting on theatrical events. Thus I was enrolled in dancing, baton twirling, and other performance arts to tame "the beast". I became more seriously interested in storytelling in graduate school and at the University of Illinois, I founded Inner Voices UIUC Open Forum Theatre, a theatrical troupe that did social issues theater through the use of storytelling. I teach storytelling in the School of Library and Information Sciences at the University of North Texas to approximately 150 students per year. I am a member of the National Storytelling Network and the SHE-SIG (Storytelling in Higher Education Special Interest Group.)

I also do research on storytelling including:

• Ethnography of Storytelling
• Storytelling as Information Science
• Storytelling and the Oral Tradition
• Digital Storytelling/Interactive Fiction
• Virtual Storytelling Environments
• Virtual Personalities/Conversational Agent Technologies

I am a storyteller, story collector, and story writer, as well as a member of the National Storytelling Association. I have attended the National Storytelling Association Conference where I was able to do some formal presentations as well as become a part of a magical community of tellers from around the country. My specialties and favorites stories to tell are true historical stories, musical stories, stories about brave women, folktales about the dance, and telling my personal "life's adventures" stories. I have also recently become interested in the stories of the New England Indians, in particular, the Penobscot Indians, which my mother always said was part of my maternal grandmother's genealogy.