David Joe Miller, a former Kannapolis resident now based in Philadelphia, will present a narrative writing workshop to fourth-grade students at Odell Elementary School.

Over the past 10 years, he has conducted narrative writing workshops using the application of storytelling in narrative writing. These workshops have been presented to more than 45,000 third- and fourth-grade students across the state, many living in Cabarrus County.

Amy Luna of Lake Norman Elementary said the school achieved 83 percent proficiency on the state-mandated writing assessment with the help of Miller’s workshop.

This marks Miller’s 10th year working in the Cabarrus County schools, and he has been teaching the narrative writing workshops at Odell Elementary since 1998.

Miller is the former staff storyteller for the National Storytelling Association in Jonesborough, Tenn., and founded the Jonesborough Storytellers Guild in 1994. He has been a freelance writer and professional storyteller and coach since 1997.

He has performed for such audiences as former Vice President Al Gore and his family, Smithsonian Institute, Library of Congress, Disney and World Bank.

In 2005 he was the keynote speaker at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s National Writers Project Conference.

Brenda Alexander, lead fourth-grade teacher at Odell, says the “students are extremely excited that Mr. Miller will be coaching them again this year.”

Miller lives in Philadelphia. He can be contacted at 704-267-1108 or at Odell Elementary, 704-782-0601.

Odell Elementary is located on U.S. 73 in Concord.