by Michael Carson, ISC President
Less than two months in, 2025 is already proving to be a very exciting year. Like many of you, we have had enough of winter and are looking forward to spring, with flowers blossoming and warmer, more soothing weather.
Spring also means the start of our 2025 Storytelling Live season. After the cancellation of our 2024 National Storytelling Festival due to the community suffering and infrastructure damage inflicted by Hurricane Helene, the dynamic ISC staff and I are looking forward to bringing a revamped 20-week lineup of multitalented tellers to our Mary B. Martin Storytelling Center in Jonesborough. This lineup promises to bring joy, hope, and laughter to thousands of individuals — including yours truly — who are clamoring for the return of storytelling to Jonesborough after a long hiatus.
Our Teller-in-Residence series will feature some special offsite events this year, including “The Art of Storytelling” and a Juneteenth storytelling event at Fischman Gallery on June 18 in Johnson City. We’ll also host three storytelling workshops in Jonesborough for individuals and organizations to learn from and be inspired by the power of storytelling. Our Storytelling Live series, special storytelling performances, and workshops have all been carefully curated to rebuild and restore our collective spirit after Hurricane Helene, and celebrate our community’s incredible resilience in the face of hardship.
This fall, we are thrilled to present our 52nd National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough from October 3rd to 5th. Many of these storytellers have performed in Jonesborough previously, and showed their love for Tennessee and Appalachia by organizing fundraisers and donating supplies last year. You won’t want to miss this powerful reunion and celebration of the many ways in which our region has bounced back from the natural disaster last year. We hope to see you there.