Wiley and the Hairy Man

Published: Sept. 17, 2012, 1:31 p.m.

From the swamp country of the Southeastern U.S. comes the story “Wiley and the Hairy Man”, an African-American trickster tale, especially for the Halloween season. It's about a boy named Wiley, who's rather wily, and uses his wiles and wits to outsmart The Hairy Man, who is rather hairy and spooky, with the help of his mother. Wiley's mother, not The Hairy Man's.

We come to you from Braintree, Massachusetts, just south of Boston, and a little farther south of Salem, where we'll be performing in the height of haunting season.

We talk about WaterFire, a summer event in Providence that we attended recently. Every year since 1994, this series of Saturday evenings in downtown Providence features fire on the water, originally conceived as installation art by local sculptor Barnaby Evans. It's grown into a major event with entertainment, concessioners, and living statues. As well as huge crowds of people having a good time.

Our thanks to LaVar Burton and Book People Unite for helping us promote reading and literature. Call us and tell us how you pick a book (800) 429-6576. We might play your message on our next podcast.

Happy Listening,
Dennis (Narrator, Wiley, Dogs) and Kimberly (Mother, Hairy Man, Dogs)

  • See Act!vated perform live! Upcoming shows in Ramsey, NJ and Salem, MA open to the public.
  • More about Waterfire in Providence
  • Stamps with character available at Zazzle
  • Listen to The Coyote and the Eagle Podcast #1
  • For folktale request and booking information call us toll-free at (800) 429-6576 and leave a voice mail
  • Please leave a review on iTunes
  • Download a free Bee Maze
  • Stitcher - enter promo code "storytellers" to support A!S and for a chance to win some $