About the Event

Kyle Mitchell is Diné (Navajo) storyteller, educator, and veteran. He grew up on the reservation with his grandparents, learning the family’s hard work ethic and listening to oral tradition every day. After high school, he joined the U.S. Army, where he served as an infantryman. After his discharge from the military, he decided to pursue a degree in accounting. At the same time, he took a mythology course at South Mountain Community College with Liz Warren, introducing him to storytelling.

After embracing the storytelling community, he shared a healing story of the Diné at the 2014 National Storytelling Network conference. Mitchell has presented at numerous storytelling events and workshops throughout Arizona and works with American Indian students at local high schools to empower self-identity. In 2014, Mitchell started Kiiłtsoi bitó’, his own company, with a goal to overcome stereotypes through sharing oral traditions that are contemporary and informative. Mitchell believes that sharing the power of oral traditions can reinforce individuals’ self-identity and break down stereotypes toward Indigenous communities. Mitchell is the program manager for South Mountain Community College’s vice president of learning, a tribal liaison, and adjunct faculty member of the SMCC’s Storytelling Institute.