Nate Robinson, who just finished sixth grade at Alpine Elementary School, began storytelling six years ago, on a whim.

"In first grade I just decided to do it," he said. "Well, I got into [the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival] my first year, and so in second grade I thought, 'Wow, I can do this again.' "

Now, five years later, he was one of 15 youth in the United States selected as finalists for the 2009 National Youth Storytelling Showcase and invited to attend and perform at the Showcase in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Nate was one of only three middle school student finalists, and the only finalist from Utah.

Each day of the showcase was filled with workshops led by professional storytellers.

"They really had some of the best," said Holly Robinson, Nate's mother.

"We practiced storytelling in general," Nate said. "We would do exercises and the professional storytellers would also tell us how they tell stories, and how to make up stories."

"It was very interactive," said Holly Robinson. "It wasn't just sitting and listening, it was more like, 'Come do this adventure.' "

Nate said that one of his favorite workshops was with Doug Elliot, who tells stories about people interacting with nature, like being a farmer or a beekeeper.

"Doug Elliot is a naturist and he took us out to look at plants," Nate said. "We ate thistle and sour grass."

The finalists were judged all week on various aspects of their trip, such as ambassadorship, as well as their storytelling abilities.

"In some ways the whole time you're there is a competition," Holly Robinson said. "They downplay that, but at the end they bring it up. We were told that just your story and just your telling won't do it. It's how you're interacting and if you're participating, and parents aren't talking down to other kids."

As part of Nate's ambassadorship, he made clay turtles that he attached to key rings and gave to the other participants.

"Nate's story was of a turtle named Robert," said Tim Robinson, Nate's father. "He sold turtles at the school to earn money for the flight, and then he took them to all the other storytellers as part of being a good ambassador."

Nate is taking what he learned at the showcase and sharing it with others in the area by teaching a clinic to a girls camp.

"I teach a lot of what I learned at the workshops," Nate said. "I'm going to do activities with a story box and the story map where you act out an actual fairy tale."

Nate will also teach some concepts that he learned.

"Donald Davis told about imagining the story as a movie," Nate said. "You need to have people, a place. You need to have a problem, and then you need to have progress, which means someone learns something at the end. He said if you don't have progress then it's not a story, it's just a report."

Nate doesn't know if he'll audition for the National Storytelling Showcase again, but he said he was glad he got to participate this year.

"I thought it was pretty cool because I'm one of 15 kids in the entire county and the only one from Utah this year," Nate said.

Fortunately for local fans, Nate will be returning to the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival this year, as well as other festivals in the area.