Friday, August 20th, 2010

The man leading The Great Gathering at West Virginia Wesleyan this year is a liar. And not just any run-of-the-mill fibber. Bil Lepp is a champion liar. He is also a storyteller, published author, recording artist, and Wesleyan alumnus ’92. At 11 a.m. on August 31, Wesley Chapel will fill with students, faculty and staff. Shortly thereafter, it will fill with laughter when Lepp begins to spin his yarns, weaving together truth, exaggeration, and fiction. He may even offer a tale or two about his Wesleyan years.

A five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars’ Contest, Lepp is a master storyteller. He has traveled the country, appearing at festivals and gatherings, delighting young and old alike with his fish stories that are sometimes, quite literally, fish stories. While Lepp’s stories may not be one hundred percent true (or maybe they are), they all contain a measure of insight into life, love and the human condition.

Lepp’s performance will showcase the strong oral tradition still prized today throughout West Virginia. “We like for The Great Gathering to introduce students to a bit of our Appalachian culture here at Wesleyan, and it is always nice when we can feature some of our alumni at the same time,” said Kristi Wilkerson ’99, director of alumni relations.

“The Great Gathering is a tradition of Wesleyan that not a lot of other colleges seem to have,” said Wilkerson. “It is a time for us to come together as a campus community and kick off the year. It is a time we can all laugh and have a good time.”

“This event really celebrates the Wesleyan community,” said Rev. Angela Gay Kinkead ’79, Dean of the Chapel. “This year, it is especially exciting that we have a member of the Wesleyan alumni community to gather us in.”

Lepp has published three collections of tall tales, The Monster Stick; Inept: Impaired: Overwhelmed; and Armadillo Recon Unit; and a novel, Halfdollar; and has released eight audio collections.

In addition to his appearance at The Great Gathering, Lepp will perform for the community at large on Tuesday evening. At 7:30 p.m., the master storyteller will bring the inexactitudes and the laughs to the Virginia Thomas

Law Center for the Performing Arts.

Preceding the performance, there will be a picnic at 6 p.m. on the Agnes Howard Hall Lawn. Rain location for this event will be the Greek Reception Room in the Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $12 per person for dinner and show, and $5 per person for show only, and are available from the Office of Alumni Relations in the Erickson Alumni Center at 55 Meade St. For more information, please call (304) 473-8509 or email alumni@wvwc.edu.