Biographical Note
Diane Wolkstein was a storyteller, author, and folklorist. Born in 1942, she received an undergraduate degree from Smith College, a master's degree in education from Bank Street College of New York, and studied mime under Etienne Decroux in Paris. She worked as New York City's official storyteller between 1967 and 1971 and later worked as a freelance storyteller. She performed stories for children every weekend in Central Park at the Hans Christian Andersen statue and hosted the radio show Stories from Many Lands on WNYC from 1968 to 1980. Wolkstein also traveled extensively to conduct fieldwork, gathering myths, stories, and songs to adapt and include in her storytelling. She was the author of two dozen books. Diane Wolkstein passed away in 2013 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, while conducting research for a book of Chinese folk stories.