Teaching Artists/Specialists

Sally Van Doren holds a bachelor of arts in comparative literature from Princeton University and a master of fine arts in creative writing from the University of Missouri–St. Louis. She is a published poet and journalist, and her poems and articles have appeared in literary journals and newspapers throughout the country as well as in the book, Fodor’s Road Guide U.S.A.

Paul Vandivort has been a puppeteer, teacher, and puppet builder at Barebones Theatre and the Heart of the Beast Theatre in Minneapolis. In St. Louis, he has taught puppetry for Taproots School for the Arts and COCA. He is a member of the Puppet Guild of St. Louis and has a bachelor of arts in English from Earlham College.

Ted Vasquez plays guitar, banjo, mandolin, dobro, and fiddle with the Young Audiences Folk Trio. He has played Old Time American Folk Music for 35 years. Ted is a master of the fiddle and banjo and performs in St. Louis with various ensembles.

Lisa von Stamwitz received her formal training in storytelling from Springboard to Learning & Young Audiences of St. Louis master storytellers Marion Cohen and Sharon Thompson. Her ongoing training includes storytelling courses at the University of Missouri–St. Louis led by Lynn Rubright, Annette Harrison, and Lyn Ford. Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Vermont and a master’s in spirituality and ministry from the University of Seattle.