Storyteller Connie Regan-Blake releases an album

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When we’re willing to be in the present moment with others and share our stories, we’re connecting,” says award-winning, Asheville-based storyteller Connie Regan-Blake. “There’s something innate in us that wants to tell and wants to listen, as if it’s in our DNA. It’s part of who we are as humans.”

Regan-Blake is a regular performer at the annual National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn., and has been doing this work around the country and the world for almost 48 years. On Sunday, March 10, she’ll celebrate the release of her newest album, Leap and Laugh! Tales of Adventure, with a show at Isis Music Hall.

The tracks on the CD come from the recording of a live show Regan-Blake gave at Black Mountain Center for the Arts in 2017. The stories are a mix of traditional folk tales and personal stories, and they’re suitable for all ages. “There’s a good bit of humor,” she says, “and all of the stories involve some sort of adventure or journey.”

A traditional offering, “The Well of True Water,” tells of an ailing mother who believes a sip from a particular water source will heal her. Each of her three daughters sets out separately on a difficult journey to bring home the magical water. The story chronicles the consequences of the daughters’ choices.