Mark Binder
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Mark BinderEducational Biography

Short Bio

Mark Binder has a degree in Mythology from Columbia University, and teaches "Telling Lies" to college students. He has a bunch of degrees and certificates (BA, Columbia College, 1984; MA, Rhode Island College; MA 1990, Trinity Rep Conservatory, 1989; Aikido Association of America, San Dan, 2002.) He's received grant funding from the US Department of Education, the RI Department of Education, the National Storytelling Network. He's written five books and four cds, including the award-winning Classic Stories for Boys and Girls. His collection, "The Everything Bedtime Story Book" has sold more than 50,000 copies. He tells stories, gives programs and workshops to parents, families, teachers, young people and everyone else in in schools, libraries, synagogues, churches, adult education centers, festivals, theaters, businessesand more.

Brochure for Schools and Libraries, click here

Longer bio

Mark Binder was born in 1962 in Newton, Massachusetts. His family moved frequently when he was young. As a youngster, he lived in Boston, Framingham and Watertown, Massachusetts;South Hackensack and River Edge, New Jersey; El Paso, Texas; and Bethesda, Maryland, where he graduated from Walt Whitman High School. He attended Columbia College at Columbia University in New York City, graduating with a BA in 1984. While at Columbia, he took courses in 21 departments and claims that the degree was in Mythology (although transcripts may show it was actually history).

After spending time in London, he moved to Providence, Rhode Island where he attended the Trinity Rep Conservatory and earned an MA in English and Theater from Rhode Island College. After brief stints in Haverhill and Chelmsford, Massachusetts, he returned to Providence where he now resides with his three children, Max, Harry and Francesca.

Detailed Bio

Over the years, Mark has held many positions, including:

  • Editor in Chief of Food Distribution Magazine -- the business magazine for the specialty food trade
  • Editor of the Rhode Island Jewish Herald
  • Acting Director of the East Bay Coalition for the Homeless
  • Contributing Editor to MacHome Journal and Ram Chowder Magazine
  • Urban Eye Columnist for The Providence Phoenix (NewPaper)
  • Weekly Columnist for The Chelmsford Independent

As a freelance writer, he has written about business in trade magazines targeted tosmall businesses, gourmet food, pizza, computers, martial arts and beer. He has been a frequent contributor to: 

  • Pizza Today
  • Modern Brewery Age
  • Fancy Food
  • Beer--The Magazine
  • Aikido Journal
  • Home Office Computing

In 2002, he ran as a Democratic candidate for the United States Congress, and captured 26% of the primary vote with a budget of less than $500, setting a record for most votes per dollar since the year 1846.

Mark has served on the board of the League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling, and is the founder and director of The American Story Theater. He has also worked as the Artistic Director of the Real Fun Theater Company, and the chief instructor of Kokyu Aikido. His written and storytelling work has received grant funding from the Rhode Island Council on the Arts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the National Storytelling Network, the Rhode Island Department of Education, and the United States Department of Education. He is a Rhode Island Artist Educator, and is on the New England Foundation for the Arts Touring Roster.

His compact disc, Classic Stories for Boys and Girls, has received rave reviews in Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and Booklist. It was awarded an iParenting Media Award and a Children's Music Web Award for best storytelling CD. His collection of stories, The Everything Bedtime Story Book, is in its fifth (or sixth) printing, and has sold more than 50,000 copies worldwide. 

Mark Binder's Books, CDs and other publications

  • The Worlds Best Challah (Light Publications -- soft cover)
  • A Chanukah Surprise (Light Publications -- cd)
  • Classic Stories for Boys and Girls (Light Publications -- cd)
  • The Everything Bedtime Story Book (Adams Media) The Everything Mini Story Book (Adams Media)
  • The Everything Build Your Own Home Page Book (Adams Media, Out of Print)
  • The Brothers Schlemiel From Birth to Bar Mitzvah (more or less) Audio Book (www.lightpublications.com)
  • Tall Tales, Whoppers and Lies - Mark Binder Live! (www.lightpublications.com -- cd)
  • Crumbs Don't Count -- The Rationalization Diet (Avon Books, Out of Print)
  • More than 150 stories published in: Cricket Magazine, The Shofar, Hadassah, the Forward, Bostonia, and nearly every Jewish newspaper in the United States and Canada.

Reviews of Mark Binder's CD, "Classic Stories for Boys and Girl"

BOOKLIST, September 2004
Kids will cotton to storyteller Mark Binder... A worthy addition to storytelling collections.

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, August 2004
Rhode Island author and storyteller Mark Binder is the spellbinder in this clever recording. Telling both traditional and original stories, Binder adds a certain flair to each story with his repertoire of voices.... A fine addition to children's audio collection... this recording will also prove useful for listening skills, story times, and general listening.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, May 10, 2004
Storyteller Binder shines in this collection that contains favorite folktales and a handful of originals... a gift for humor -- both broad and subtle -- Binder captivates...

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