Terry Visger on the art of scaring people through storytelling ahead of Saturday's Tales of the Creepy and Scary

She said her mom called her a little liar as a kid — and that turned out great for storyteller Terry Visger. Those “lies” were really stories, and storytelling is what she’s been doing professionally for the past 25 years. Before that, Visger was a teacher at La Crosse's Pleasant Valley Elementary School, then at Spence Elementary, before becoming a storytelling professor at Viterbo University. This Saturday, Visger will be one of the featured storytellers at the Pump House Regional Arts Center in downtown La Crosse for the 23rd Annual Tales of the Creepy and Scary. Visger is the chair of the La Crosse Storytelling Festival committee, which is putting on Saturday’s event. She stopped by the WIZM studio to give us a taste of what to expect, sharing a short snippet from her tale. She also mentioned the event is best suited for ages 13 and up — unless your kid is especially brave. Visger talked about what kinds of characters she finds the scariest — and oddly enough, it’s not the Devil or Dracula. She also discussed how storytelling — not just scary tales but stories in general — has a way of mesmerizing kids. She even shared a simple trick to get children to listen. Hint: It only takes three little words. Visger recalled a story she once told at a nearby library that frightened one young listener so much the girl ran to the back of the room and leapt into her mother’s arms — but Mom just laughed and said her daughter was fine and would remember that story forever. Six storytellers will take the stage Saturday, each performing pieces that range from five to twelve minutes. The show will also feature two singers, along with others reading short excerpts from scary stories. Visger added that some of the tales are based on true events — even a few that happened right here in Wisconsin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.