Anne Shimojima - Storyteller

Anne is a third generation Japanese American, born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. An award-winning elementary school library media specialist of 35 years, she first discovered the power of story with her students, using storytelling to enrich and expand the curriculum and develop a deep emotional connection with her listeners.

Anne became a professional storyteller in 1982. She taught graduate courses in storytelling for National-Louis University and for eight years served on the board of the Wild Onion Storytelling Festival in Chicago.

In 2005 Anne interviewed her 91-year-old aunt about her experiences in an incarceration camp in World War II. From this Anne developed her family story, Hidden Memory; An American World War II Story, which she presents with photos from her family and the National Archives to tell the story of a Japanese-American community devastated by war but surviving with perseverance, determination, and incredible strength. 

Some highlights in her storytelling career include a week as Teller-in-Residence at the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, TN (2014, 2019, 2024) and performing at such venues as the National Storytelling Festival, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Illinois Storytelling Festival, the Talk Story Storytelling Festival in Honolulu, Storytelling Arts of Indiana, the Hans Christian Andersen Statue in Central Park, the Chicago Botanic Garden, and at three Tokyo high schools, sharing her family's World War II story as a guest of the government of Japan.

Anne's CD Sakura Tales: Stories from Japan was awarded a Storytelling World Resource Honor Award in 2019.

In 2022, Anne was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays, conferred by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, for promoting Japanese culture in the United States and promoting friendly relations and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States.

In 2024, Anne received the Circle of Excellence ORACLE Award from the National Storytelling Network, given to storytellers who are recognized by their peers to be master storytellers who set the  standards for excellence and have demonstrated, over a significant  period of time, a commitment and dedication to the art of storytelling.