The International Storytelling Center

Building a Better World
Through Stories.

- Boston Globe

"The small audience hangs on every word,
sound, and gesture of the storyteller on stage.
Under her spell, we wait, gasp, and exhale as one."

- Smithsonian

“From all over America,
people came to Jonesborough
just to hear stories. ”

- New York Times

“…where thousands of the faithful
gather to take part in one of
humankind's most satisfying rites. ”

- Los Angeles Times

“For what New Orleans is to jazz. . .
Jonesborough is to storytelling. ”

- The Boston Globe

“[Lepp] goes for the funny bone.
He stuffs his hands in his pockets
and leans back as he nonchalantly
lets drop the zinger to his tale. ”

- U.S. News and World Report

“The old-fashioned art of storytelling
has become a 21st century sensation. ”

"Building a Better World Through Stories."

We believe in a better world through the power of storytelling.

Learn More

Featured Event

Storytelling Online! 2020

October thru December 2020

Storytelling Online! is our new concert series that you can watch directly from your living room. Using the state-of-the-art platform we developed for the National Storytelling Festival, we’ve planned seven evening concerts and one special children’s show to take us through the end of the year. Storytelling Online! tickets are available for sale through the date of the event and can be viewed for up to 3 days after purchase.

Click here to learn more about about Storytelling Online! 2020

Featured Event

Next Event

February 13, 2021 at 1pm EST

Join us in February—Black History Month—as we continue to explore and unearth the Black heritage of Appalachia. We will continue to hear from a variety of Black storytellers, artists, civic leaders, humanities scholars, and historians as we hear these important yet oft-silenced narratives. As always, our next event in February will take place live on our ISC Facebook timeline. Until then, we invite you to explore recordings of the past seven discussions available on our YouTube channel.

Don’t have Facebook? Don’t worry! You can still watch by clicking this ISC Facebook link, and selecting “Not now” when prompted to create an account.

Blog December 18, 2020

Visit Us

The International Storytelling Center (ISC) is located in the heart of downtown Jonesborough. The ISC campus consists of the historic Chester Inn, the Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall, the ISC gift shop, and the Jimmy Neil Smith Storytelling Park.

Our physical location is currently closed to the public due to Covid 19. The health and safety of our visitors and staff is our top priority. Though our Center is closed, our mission of improving lives through storytelling endures, and we are working on digital performances, educational content, and more! Please tune in and join us for our Storytelling Online! 2020 concert series — as we look forward to the day we are able to meet in person once again.

You can also visit our Stories page, listen to our StoryVault podcast, watch our You Tube videos from past festivals, and follow us on Facebook to stay engaged with our work as we navigate the safest ways to bring storytelling to you, our audience, wherever you may be.

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We believe in a better world through the power of storytelling.

Storytelling Online! 2020

Next Event

End of Year Reflections

Eating Together, Apart

The International Storytelling Center Awarded Resiliency Grant

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