Dan Yashinsky | |
|---|---|
 Dan Yashinsky, 2025 | |
| Born | |
| Education | University of California University of Toronto |
| Occupation | Storyteller |
| Writing career | |
| Notable awards | Jane Jacobs's Prize, Chalmers Arts Fellowship |
| Website | tellery |
Dan Yashinsky, born in Detroit, is a Canadian author and storyteller.
Born in Detroit, Dan Yashinsky was educated in Santa Barbara, then moved to Toronto at the age of 21.
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.
In 1978 he established Toronto's 1001 Friday Nights of Story Telling, considered to be the longest running open mic in North America. In 1979 he established the Toronto Festival of Storytelling which he directed for four years. He is also the cofounder of Storytelling Toronto, formerly known as the Storytellers School of Toronto.
He created and hosted the CBC radio show "Talking Stick" in 1999. In 2006 he collaborated with composer and musician Brian Katz to create a piece that addresses the experiences of neonatal intensive care units. Their work, "Talking You In", was inspired by the three-week stay that Yashinsky's son, Jacob, spent in intensive care after his birth and has been performed at hospitals and festivals around the world.
A world renowned storyteller, he has performed and taught the art of story telling at numerous festivals in Canada, The U.S., Asia and Europe. 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.
His inspiration derives from his Jewish, Turkish, Romanian, American and French heritages as well as his world travels.
In 2018, Jacob Yashinsky-Zavitz, son of Dan Yashinsky and Carol Zavitz, died at age 26 following a car accident.
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