Storyteller, Humorist, Keynote Speaker, TV Host
"Just as New Jersey has Bruce Springsteen, West Virginia has Bil Lepp" Goldenseal Magazine
Press and Media
All pictures and bios download in PDF format.
Quotes
“He’s terrific…fantastic. He’s a good one.” — Michael Feldman, Whad’ya Know
“He’s absolutely hilarious” — Barbara Smith Decker, National Parenting Awards
“Lepp is a well known liar…[his stories] make you laugh” — Jill Jordan Sieder, U.S. News
“…Lepp’s tales will tickle the funny bone…” “…the humor is sophisticated…” “…the laugh out-loud stories are lively…” - School Library Journal
“He won the [WV Liars’] contest and has been honing his lying skills ever since.”
— John Roach, National Geographic News
“Bil Lepp is the Wonder Bra of storytelling. He takes something small and insignificant and pushes it up into something realllly BIG and miiiighty interesting!” — Barbara McBride Smith
“With Lepp, the sorry, low-down lie becomes a grand and glorious creation, a verbal sculpture in which a hundred small fibs, stretchers, falsehoods and prevarications are piled together, shaped and molded into one stunning, awe-inspiring cathedral of flapdoodle and bull.” — Bob Wells, Duke Divinity Magazine
“Bil Lepp, a preacher and five-time winner of “biggest liar” competitions, stars his gun-shy hunting dog Buck in a tale that grows taller and taller — and then even taller. Listeners are howling with the hilarity, tears of laughter streaking faces split with wide-mouth grins. When the young teller wraps up his story in one more burst of implausibility, the audience leaps to its feet, cheering. All hail the king!”
— Mary Ellen Botter, The Dallas Morning News
“Bil Lepp [has] the stage presence of a stand-up comedian. He told a hilarious forty-minute monologue about growing up and getting into trouble with his best friend. Lepp’s stories begin appearing biographical, but continue becoming more outrageous until they’re hysterically unbelievable.”
— Sean Rogers, The Post, Athens, OH
“The audience could barely stop laughing long enough to catch the next twist in the tale…”
— Andrew Milman, Journal Sentinel, WI
“Bil is a clever, versatile, magnificent, and charming writer.” — Flora Joy, Storytelling World Magazine
Hooopla: Copy and use what you need.
Awards and Recognition
2019 NAPPA Award winner for The Princess & the Pickup Truck
2018 Vandalia Award- West Virginia’s highest folk arts award
2018 Parents’ Choice Silver Award- Raised on Hosewater, CD
2017 CityBeat Critic’s Pick- Cincy Fringe Festival
2016 Parents’ Choice Silver Award- Bottle Rockets, CD
2015 Parents’ Choice Gold Award- Wally! Come Down Right Now! CD
2015 Anne Izzard Storyteller’s Choice Award- The King of Little Things
2015 Storytelling World Award- Egg Babies, CD
2015 Parent’s Choice Gold Award- Wally! Come Down Right Now!, CD
2014 PEN Steven Kroll Award for Picture Book Writing
for The King of Little Things, Book
2014 National Book Festival- The King of Little Things
selected by WV Library Comm. to represent all books by WV authors
2014 Irma Black Award Honoree- The King of Little Things
2014 Kansas Reading Assoc. Bill Martin, Jr. Picture Book Award Finalist
for The King of Little Things
2013 Parents’ Choice Gold Award - The King of Little Things
2013 Kirkus Starred Review -The King of Little Things
2002-2016 Featured Performer at the National Storytelling Festival
2013 Parents’ Choice Silver Award – Egg Babies, CD
2012 Number 1 Best Seller in its category on Amazon/Kindle
for Muddling Through, parenting book
2012 Comedy Central Stage on Hudson
2011 Storytelling World Award- Vampire Santa, CD
2011 National Storytelling Network Circle of Excellence Award
2010 Parents’ Choice Silver Award – Vampire Santa, CD
2009 Parents’ Choice Approved Award– King of Little Things, CD
2008 NAPPA Honors Award- Mayhem Dressed Like an Eight Point Buck, CD
2008 Storytelling World Award Honors – Teacher & The Divine Bovine, CDs
2006 Parents’ Choice Approved Award – Teacher in the Patriotic Bathing Suit, CD
2003 Featured Storyteller at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival
2000 Storytelling World Award – The Monster Stick, Book
2000 PLA/ALLS Best New Books for New Adult Readers – The Monster Stick, Book
1992, 1996-1999 Five Time Champion – WV Liars Contest
Awards Specifically for The King of Little Things picture book
PEN Steven Kroll Award for Picture Book Writing
Zena Sutherland Award for Children’s Literature
Parents’ Choice Gold Award
National Book Festival- The King of Little Things selected by WV Library Comm. to represent all books by WV authors
2014 Korea Institute of Child Education and Culture Chief Book Selected
Irma Black Award Honoree
Kansas Reading Assoc. Bill Martin, Jr. Picture Book Award Finalist
Delaware Diamonds Nominee
The King of Little Things Reviews
Kirkus Starred Review: “Adults and children who read this delightful and imaginative book together will find lots to talk about.”
School Library Journal: “There are plenty of humorous details… The witty writing enlivens this fable about appreciating the small things in life."
Wall Street Journal: "It turns out that little things are the ultimate fifth columnists. When Normous attacks, the little things rebel: "Bolts bolted. Brakes jolted. Cookies crumbled. Blocks tumbled. . . . And every little thing, everywhere, refused to work." No points for guessing which king prevails in this endearing and satisfying picture book for readers ages 5-10.here."
Publishers Weekly: “It’s hard to miss the point of this fable about the kindly King of Little Things… Small, Lepp clearly feels, is beautiful. Yet the story doesn’t pall. Wenzel delivers Mad magazine–style spreads of medieval feasts, battles, capes, and crowns. Brainy wordplay abounds, and a scavenger hunt is included, too. Lepp affirms living simply without sounding smarmy, and Wenzel offers a king whose underpants fall off. What’s not to like?”
Selected Appearances
National Storytelling Festival, TN
Smithsonian Folk Life Festival, Washington, DC
Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Orem, UT
Indian Summer Storytelling Festival, Vernal, UT
Cave Run Storytelling Festival, Morehead, KY
Southern Ohio Storytelling Festival
Three Rivers Storytelling Festival, Pittsburgh, PA
Ojai Storytelling Festival, CA
Pigeon Forge Storytelling Festival, TN
Kansas Storytelling Festival
Four Corners Storytelling Festival, NM
WV State Parks
Patchwork Storytelling Festival, SC
Dogwood Festival, Dowagiac, MI
Laurinburg Storytelling Festival, NC
Sierra Storytelling Festival, Nevada City, CA
Selma Storytelling Festival, AL
Athens Storytelling Festival, AL
Brandywine Storytelling Festival, DE
Frisco Storytelling Festival, TX
Stitching Stars Festival, Athens, GA
Mariposa Storytelling Festival, CA
Akron Storytelling Festival, OH
Ocala Storytelling Festival, FL
Louisiana Library Tour, LA
Winter Tales, Oklahoma City, OK
Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts Storytelling Festival, IL
St. Louis Storytelling Festival
Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival, McCook NE
Hoosier Storytelling Festival, Indianapolis, IN
Arkansas Storytelling Festival, Degray Resort, AR
Tapestry of Tales, Portland, OR
Florida Story Camp
Stories by Sea, Malibu, CA
Smithsonian to the Mountains Tour
Smokey River Festival, KS
Storytelling Festival by the Sea, Trinidad, CA
Michigan Storytelling Festival, MI
Bristol Storytelling Festival, IN
Bay Area Storytelling Festival, San Francisco, CA
Washington Storyteller’s Theater, DC
George West Storytelling Festival, TX
Publications
Audio
Book Report, Buckdog Records, Charleston, WV, 2019.
Skeeter & Bil Break the Ocean, Buckdog Records, Charleston, WV. 2018.
Raised on Hose Water, Road Candy Records, Christiansburg, VA. 2017.
Fortune Turkey Tunaball, Road Candy Records, Christiansburg, VA. 2016
Bottle Rockets, stories by Bil Lepp: Road Candy Records, Christiansburg, VA. 2015.
Wally! Come Down Right Now, stories by Bil Lepp: Road Candy Records, Christiansburg, VA. 2014.
Adverse Conditions, stories by Bil Lepp: Road Candy Records, Christiansburg, VA. 2014.
Not So Silent Night- Various Artists: Road Candy Records, Christiansburg, VA. 2013.
Egg Babies, stories by Bil Lepp: Quarrier Press, Charleston, WV. 2012.
Claude Dolin – It’s With Me All the Time- A True Story of WWII, story performed by Bil Lepp: BuckDog Records, Charleston, WV. 2011.
Diablo – or How I met My Wife, stories by Bil Lepp: Quarrier Press, Charleston, WV. 2011.
Vampire Santa, stories by Bil Lepp: Quarrier Press, Charleston, WV. 2010.
Fire! Fire! Pants on Liar!, stories by Bil Lepp: Quarrier Press, Charleston, WV. 2008.
The King of Little Things, stories by Bil Lepp: Quarrier Press, Charleston, WV. 2008.
Punching the Lard, stories by Bil Lepp: Buck-Dog Records, Charleston, WV. 2007.
The Great Rope Swing Misadventure, stories by Bil Lepp: Quarrier Press, Charleston, WV. 2006.
The Divine Bovine, stories by Bil Lepp: Quarrier Press, Charleston, WV. 2005.
The Teacher in the Patriotic Bathing Suit, stories by Bil Lepp: Quarrier Press, Charleston, WV. 2005.
Mayhem Dressed as an Eight Point Buck, stories by Bil Lepp: Quarrier Press, Charleston, WV. 2003.
Buck Meets the Monster Stick, stories by Bil and Paul Lepp: August House Publishers, Little Rock, AR. 2001.
Books
The Princess and the Pickup Truck, Quarrier Press, Charleston, WV. 2018
King of Little Things, Peachtree Publishers, Atlanta. 2013.
Muddling Through: Perspectives on Parenting, Familius Press, CA. 2012
Halfdollar, a novel, by Bil Lepp: Quarrier Press, Charleston, WV. October, 2008.
The Armadillo Recon Unit, by Bil Lepp: Quarrier Press, Charleston, WV. 2004.
Inept: Impaired: Overwhelmed, by Bil Lepp: Quarrier Press, Charleston, WV. 2002.
The Monster Stick and Other Appalachian Tall-Tales, by Paul and Bil Lepp: August House Publishers, Little Rock, AR. 1999.
Other
Lepp has published humorous articles and editorial commentaries periodically in the Charleston Gazette, the largest newspaper in WV.
(More) Nice Things People Have Said About Bil Lepp
“Bil Lepp, five-time winner of his state’s annual Liars’ Contest, goes for the funny bone…he nonchalantly lets drop the zinger to his tale. -- Johnette Rodriguez, Boston Globe
“Bil Lepp is one of the funniest men I have ever heard and what’s so amazing about Bil is that he makes you believe those wild stories he tells.”
— Kathryn Tucker Windham
“You got good stuff out there, kid.” – Peter Marshall, creator and host of Hollywood Squares
“…Lepp, a cross between Dr. Seuss and…film noir....” -Charleston Gazette
