About

Carol Simon Levin has had a career as a college & children’s librarian, author, independent historian, storyteller and program presenter.

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Carol Simon Levin is a professional storyteller, historical impersonator & NJ Council for the Humanities Scholar specializing in “Fascinating Women History Forgot.” She is the author of the book Remembering the Ladies: From Patriots in Petticoats to Presidential Candidates and the Garden State Legacy article Reclaiming OurVoice: NJ’s Role in the Fight for Woman Suffrage. She also does programs on Emily Roebling: Bridge Builder in Petticoats, pioneering photographer Margaret Bourke White, Frances Perkins “Mother of the New Deal,” Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low, as well as female inventors, aviators, astronauts, and women of all colors and creeds who have fought for women’s rights. Details at: tellingherstories.com

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Carol Simon Levin is a professional storyteller and independent historian who specializes in telling the stories of “fascinating women history forgot” through first person portrayals. Whether she is impersonating the woman who helped to build the Brooklyn Bridge, telling the stories of early women in women’s rights and aviation, engaging families in a rousing Halloween Hootenany of songs and stories, expanding on the mathematical and artistic possibilities of a simple square, or sharing the story of a dolphin who learned to swim with an artificial tail (along with activities to help children understand what it is like to live with a disability), she always strives to create exciting programs that engage audiences of all ages and expand their horizons.

“My second career as a storyteller/historical impersonator came about after a chance encounter at Curves (the exercise place). Talking with the woman using the equipment next to me, I learned she was a professor teaching K-12 teachers how to introduce STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) topics into their curriculum. She mentioned that she’d like to use Emily Roebling, who is considered by many to be the first female civil engineer, and asked if I had heard of her? I said that I had, since I had recently returned from a trip to the Hudson Valley in NY State and had stayed at a little inn said to be haunted by (cue the Twilight Zone music) Emily Roebling. She mentioned she hadn’t been able to find a picture book on Emily and I said I was a children’s librarian and would look into it. To make a long story short, there wasn’t a book at the time, I became fascinated by Emily’s story, wrote a manuscript and ended up doing programs about her for local libraries, seniors, and historical associations. Venues where I performed “Bridge Builder in Petticoats” asked if I could come back as someone else, and so I’ve added another woman each year to my Telling Her Stories repertoire (my husband teasingly calls me “Sybil” – multiple personalities without the mental illness – I hope!)”

Carol is the founder of Telling Her Stories and was a 2020 NJ Council for the Humanities Public Scholar presenting “Reclaiming Our Voice: NJ’s Role in the Fight for Woman Suffrage” which she also published as an article in March 2020 online issue of Garden State Legacy. She is the author of the book Remembering the Ladies: From Patriots in Petticoats to Presidential Candidates (which profiles 69 women – well-known and unknown – who worked tirelessly for women’s rights in America) and co-author (with Joy Tsuzuki) of Joy’s memoir A Child of Two Cultures: Growing Up in the U.S. & Japan amidst WWII. Carol holds a BA focusing on women’s history and history of technology from Cornell University and a Masters in Library Services from the University of Arizona.

She brings her presentations to libraries, senior centers, historical societies, schools, clubs, camps and other venues. For more information on any of her Telling Her Stories presentations, check out the website tellingherstories.com. STEM and holiday programs and resources for children and teachers can be found at: www.carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com. She can be reached at: cslevin59 (at) gmail.com or by phone 908 781-6041 (home) or 908 361-6519 (cell).

Carol Simon Levin is a New Jersey Council for the Humanities Public Scholar, a member of the New Jersey Storytelling Network, the National Women’s History Alliance, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.