Founding Storyteller to Headline 2026 WT Festival

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CANYON, Texas-A West Texas A&M University professor emerita will be the featured artist for the annual WT Storytelling Festival that she founded more than 30 years ago.

Dr. Trudy Hanson, a former head of WT's Department of Communication and faculty member for 31 years, will headline the April 16 and 17 festival, which she established in 1991.

Hanson will perform at 6 p.m. April 16 in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex Recital Hall on WT's campus. She also will conduct a storytelling workshop for students and the public at 1 p.m. April 16 in the FAC Recital Hall. Admission is free and open to the public.

A children's concert will be held at 10 a.m. April 17 at the Legacy Hall.

"I love how Dr. Hanson can take well-known tales and bring them to a personal level to everyone who is listening," said Paula Schlegel, associate lecturer of communication studies in and festival coordinator. "She has helped multiple generations find their voice through her teachings and storytelling."

Hanson began as a professor at WT in 1989 and served as the head of the communication department from 2007 to 2020. She was named professor emerita in 2023. Through her efforts in storytelling and the continuation of storytelling education, Hanson was recognized by the Tejas Storytelling Association in 2011 for the Colson-Herndon Educator Award.

Hanson has also written and published her own storytelling book, "Fractured Fairy Tales," which contains stories set in the Panhandle.

For more information on the festival, contact Schlegel at 806-570-3797 or [email protected].

Fostering an appreciation for the arts is a key component of the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign, which is now winding down, has raised more than $175 million.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men's and women's athletics programs.

Photo: West Texas A&M University Professor Emerita Trudy Hanson will headline the 2026 WT Storytelling Festival on April 16 and 17.

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