 | This article or section appears to contradict itself on his place of birth.(October 2025) |
Dan Yashinsky | |
|---|---|
 Dan Yashinsky, 2025 | |
| Born | |
| Occupation | Storyteller |
| Alma mater | University of California University of Toronto |
| Notable awards | Jane Jacobs's Prize, Chalmers Arts Fellowship |
| Website | |
| tellery | |
Dan Yashinsky, born in Detroit, is a Canadian author and storyteller. [1] [2]
Contents
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]
