Dan Yashinsky

Dan Yashinsky, born in Detroit, is a Canadian author and storyteller.^[1][2]

Born in Detroit, Dan Yashinsky was educated in Santa Barbara, then moved to Toronto at the age of 21.^[2]

He studied at the College of Creative Studies of the University of California where he receive a bachelor's degree in literature followed by a master's degree in sociology and education at the University of Toronto.^[1]

In 1978 he established Toronto's 1001 Friday Nights of Story Telling, considered to be the longest running open mic in North America.^[2][3] In 1979 he established the Toronto Festival of Storytelling which he directed for four years.^[4] He is also the cofounder of Storytelling Toronto, formerly known as the Storytellers School of Toronto.^[5]

He created and hosted the CBC radio show "Talking Stick" in 1999.^[1][5] In 2006 he collaborated with composer and musician Brian Katz to create a piece that addresses the experiences of neonatal intensive care units.^[5] Their work, "Talking You In", was inspired by the three-week stay that Yashinsky's son, Jacob, spent in intensive care after his birth^[6] and has been performed at hospitals and festivals around the world.^[5]

A world renowned storyteller,^[7] he has performed and taught the art of story telling at numerous festivals in Canada, The U.S., Asia and Europe.^[5][8] He has also been a storyteller in residence for numerous institutions such as UNICEF Canada, Queen's University at Kingston, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care and many others.^[5][9]

His inspiration derives from his Jewish, Turkish, Romanian, American and French heritages as well as his world travels.^[3]

In 2018, Jacob Yashinsky-Zavitz, son of Dan Yashinsky amd Carol Zavitz, died at age 26 following a car accident.^[10][11]

• Tales for an Unknown City : Stories from One Thousand and One Friday Nights of Storytelling, Montréal, McGill-Queen's University Press, 1990, 265 p. ISBN 0773507868.
• The Storyteller at Fault, Charlottetown, Ragweed Press, 1998, 254 p. ISBN 0921556292, 9780921556299.
• Suddenly They Heard Footsteps : Storytelling for the Twenty-First Century, Toronto, Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2004, 317 p. ISBN 0676975925.
• Swimming with Chaucer : A Storyteller's Logbook, London, Insomniac Press, 2013, 238 p. ISBN 9781554831098, 1554831091.
• At the Edge : A Book of Risky Stories, Charlottetown, Ragweed Press, 1998, 254 p. ISBN 0921556748, 9780921556749.

• Next Teller : A Book of Canadian Storytelling, Charlottetown/East Haven, Ragweed Press/Inland Book, 1994, 246 p. ISBN 0921556462, 9780921556466.
• Ghostwise: A Book of Midnight Stories, Charlottetown, Ragweed Press, 1997, 223 p. ISBN 0874834996, 9780874834994.

• The Telling Project, Mississauga, Peel Board of Education, 1993, 47 p. ISBN 1550380672, 9781550380675.

• 1999: Winner of the first Jane Jacobs's Prize.^[1]
• 2009: Recipient of the Chalmers Arts Fellowship from the Ontario Arts Council.^[1]

• Entrevue avec Dan Yashinsky
• The Wooden Sword Episode 1 - Storytelling Club with Dan Yashinsky
• Regroupement du Conte au Québec - Le Fil rouge, avec Dan Yashinsky