WSU Storytelling Karen J. Ashton Award

2024 Recipient DeeDee Johnson Mower

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DeeDee Johnson Mower exemplifies and perpetuates the spirit and love of storytelling that Karen Ashton has so generously developed and shared with the citizens of the Wasatch Front. DeeDee became involved with the WSUStorytelling Festival as soon as she joined the faculty of the Teacher Education Department at Weber State University in 2014, and she has been intimately involved ever since. She first began serving as a member of the executive committee for two years and then became the chair of the festival in 2016 and served in that capacity for three years. As the chair, she introduced teacher recognition awards and the position of storytelling fellow. She also integrated an art exhibit, Eyes Toward the Past, into the festival and utilized the storytellers as readers of the historical blurbs of the events the paintings represented.

Over the years, she has served, rubbed shoulders with, dined with, and developed friendships with many tellers, and has found great delight in bringing students and children to listen to their tales. She has worked closely with the various sponsors and organizers of the festival and has coordinated numerous activities herself during the festival. She has also assisted in storytelling performances by acting as an emcee. She loves the stories, she loves the tellers, and she loves the festival. Her favorite thing about the festival is that it boasts the greatest number of youth storytellers in the nation. She herself boasts of having the greatest number of cellphone photos of festival participants over the last decade. DeeDee continues to advocate for and support the festival in her current role as the Teacher Education Department Chair.