Nili Yelin Biography
February 20, 2012
Nili Yelin, The Storybook Mom has been a professional storyteller for over a decade. Combining her theatre background with mommyhood she has created an interactive style of storytelling that she calls “Sit Down Stand Up”. Nili graduated Northwestern University with a Theatre Degree and wrote and performed for MTV Networks (5 years) and for Saturday Night Live (10 years). Nili performs 5-10 storytimes weekly and has hosted the Chicago Tribune Printers Row Lit Fest Children’s Stage for the past 5 years. Nili performs for the Field Museum and has done their podcasts for children in association with The Crown Family Play Lab. She performs at The Shedd Aquarium, Musuem of Science and Industry, and various venues around Chicago and the suburbs. Nili has worked with the after school programs with the Chicago Mayor’s office and has gone into homeless shelters and domestic violence centers to work with families in need.
Working with Center for Companies That Care on their literacy initiative, Terrific Tales , Nili goes to schools and libraries on the South Side of Chicago to perform and teach storytelling. Nili is also a storyteller for Bernie’s Book Bank, a not-for-profit organization that collects and distributes books to low income schools. She also works with Creatively Caring to do storytelling for children with autism and special needs and is working with Sunrise Homes using storytelling for older people with dementia.
Nili is the Chicago Ambassador for World Read Aloud Day presented by LitWorld.org, an organization that works on literacy projects globally.
Nili has appeared on WGN TV News to discuss storytelling tips and has appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, websites and blogs devoted to storytelling and family issues. She has been named “Best Storyteller” by Make It Better Magazine (Sept. 2011 issue), Time Out Chicago Magazine, and performs every weekday morning around the Chicagoland area. Nili is currently working with Storyola ™ on a storybook app and is writing a book on the techniques of storytelling.
Visit her website at thestorybookmom.com for more information.