This fall, storytellers and visitors will gather in Northeast Tennessee to celebrate the art of storytelling.
The International Storytelling Center will host its 53rd annual National Storytelling Festival Oct. 2-4 in Jonesborough. The event’s website describes it as one of “the most prestigious storytelling events in the country.”
The festival began in 1973 when “a small group of people gathered around … in [the] Courthouse Square to hear a few Appalachian tales,” according to the International Storytelling Center.
In the decades since, the festival has grown to attract thousands of attendees from around the world. The International Storytelling Center notes that visitors often “recognize Northeast Tennessee as the place to hear the finest storytelling talent in the world.”
The festival has also evolved over the years, incorporating new approaches to storytelling and music while maintaining its focus on oral traditions.
This year’s lineup includes storytellers Donald Davis, Elizabeth Ellis, Connie Regan-Blake, Bil Lepp, the Rev. Robert Jones, Antonio Rocha and Donna Washington. International storyteller Daniel Morden is also scheduled to perform.
The festival will feature a variety of storytelling sessions, including Late Night and Ghost Stories programs. The lineup brings together different storytelling styles and traditions from performers with a range of backgrounds.
According to the International Storytelling Center, the festival showcases a “stunning array of world-class talent” sharing oral traditions from different cultures and periods of history.
As visitors gather under the festival tents in Jonesborough this October, the National Storytelling Festival will continue a tradition that began more than five decades ago with a small gathering centered on Appalachian stories.
For more information about the festival, contact Angela White at angela@storytellingcenter.net.
