Sparks shoot up from the campfire, mingling with smoke to fade in the cool night air. Stars wink overhead. The flames crackle and snap. And people gather around, sharing stories, true and fictional, personal and passed down. It’s an age-old tradition, to swap tales around a fire, but did you know there are people who do this professionally, who are hired to captivate audiences with the spoken word? In Maine, expert storytellers gather on a regular basis to swap stories and share their craft with others, and the trend is growing. “Storytelling is alive and well in the state of Maine,” said Phyllis Blackstone, a professional storyteller from Brunswick.