You can attend from anywhere in the world and hear some of the finest storytellers around including a story from Connie at the VIRTUAL 49th annual National Storytelling Festival!
On a warm October weekend in 1973 the first National Storytelling Festival was held in historic Jonesborough, TN. Hay bales and wagons were the stages, and audience and tellers together didn’t number more than 60. It was intimate, but something happened that weekend that forever changed our culture, this traditional art form, and the little Tennessee town.
Connie was a founding member of this organization that became the center of an ever-widening movement that continues to gain momentum to this day. Storytelling organizations, festivals, and educational events have popped up all over the world. Teachers, healthcare workers, therapists, corporate executives, librarians, spiritual leaders, parents, and others regularly make storytelling a vibrant part of their everyday lives and work.
See International Storytelling Center for tickets and more info.
A message from the National Storytelling Festival:
ISC has been monitoring national, regional, and local COVID-19 trends since announcing our intention to hold an in-person event this fall in Jonesborough, TN. After consulting CDC guidelines and Northeast Tennessee’s Regional Health Department, we at ISC do not believe we can hold an in-person festival without placing our patrons, storytellers, staff, and volunteers at an unacceptable level of risk. While we’re sad that we won’t meet in Jonesborough this year, our top priority is keeping everyone safe and healthy so we can look forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Festival next year.
Look who Connie met hiking on Frying Pan Mountain on the Blueridge Parkway recently. Her name is Sheila, and turns out, she is an emotional support skeleton! 
Connie and Sheila want to share with you this “spooktacular” storytelling event coming up just across the mountain in Jonesborough.
The Town of Jonesborough, Tennessee is hosting the storytelling event “Brews & Boos” on Saturday evening, October 30th, 2021 featuring nationally known storytellers, Connie Regan-Blake, Tim Lowry, and Sheila Arnold. The event is taking place in the Storytelling Park (behind the International Storytelling Center on Main Street) from 8-10pm. Gates open at 7pm with live music from K.T. Vandyke.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased HERE or by calling the Jonesborough Visitors Center by calling 423.753.1010. A limited number of tickets will be available at the gate.
Attendees are encouraged to come early, grab a beverage before the start of the show, and enjoy live music. Main Street Café & Catering will be serving Depot Streets Octoberfest and Loose Caboose as well as a seasonal cider while concessions will also be available. Guests are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets, ground seating only.
You can find all of the event details on their website: https://jonesborough.com/boo
Here is the direct link to tickets: https://townofjonesborough.thundertix.com/events/191263
Here is a link to the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/289803086019813
Plan now to attend the 50th annual National Storytelling Festival! Connie Regan-Blake is performing and has the distinct pleasure of being on stage for all 49 Festivals so far.
On a warm October weekend in 1973 the first National Storytelling Festival was held in historic Jonesborough, TN. Hay bales and wagons were the stages, and audience and tellers together didn’t number more than 60. It was intimate, but something happened that weekend that forever changed our culture, this
traditional art form, and the little Tennessee town.
Connie is giving a special featured storytelling performance From Another Time: Celebrating the Legacy of Ray Hicks at 4pm Saturday, October 8th in the Library Tent – We have been looking up to him from the beginning . . . the lanky 6’ 7’’ man of the mountains, who came out into the world, bearing old-world gifts that have enriched modern lives beyond measure. Connie Regan-Blake first met Ray Hicks on October 14, 1973, in Jonesborough, Tennessee. It was an afternoon that changed her life . . . and the course of storytelling in the United States. The setting was the first National Storytelling Festival. Come listen to stories of how Ray became the face of traditional Appalachian mountain storytelling along with Connie’s personal reflections on her long friendship with the Hicks family.
See International Storytelling Center for tickets and more info.
Look who Connie met hiking on Frying Pan Mountain on the Blueridge Parkway recently. Her name is Sheila, and turns out, she is an emotional support skeleton! Connie and Sheila want to share with you this “spooktacular” storytelling event coming up just across the mountain in Jonesborough.
Get ready for ghost stories, seasonal craft beer, and spooky tunes! The Town of Jonesborough, Tennessee is hosting the storytelling event “Brews & Boos” on Saturday evening, October 29th, 2022 featuring world-renowned storytellers Connie Regan-Blake and Michael Reno Harrell. The event is taking place in the in Jimmy Neil Smith Park (Storytelling Park behind the International Storytelling Center on Main Street) from 8-10pm.
Gates will open at 7 p.m. with live music from regional artist K.T. Vandyke. Main Street Café & Catering will serve local favorites Depot Street Brews and Gypsy Circus Cider while concessions will also be available. Guests are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets, due to ground seating only.
Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 the day of the event and can be purchased online or by calling the Jonesborough Visitors Center at 423.753.1010. A limited number of tickets will be available at the gate.
Connie’s award-winning storytelling recordings including her “Chilling Ghost Stories: Haunting Tales for Adults & Teens” will be available for purchase
You can find all of the event details on their website: https://jonesborough.com/boo
Here is the direct link to tickets: https://townofjonesborough.thundertix.com/events/191263
Here is a link to the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/788415535760801
Plan now to attend the National Storytelling Festival! Connie Regan-Blake is emceeing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and has the distinct pleasure of being on stage for all the Festivals so far. Choose from one, two, and three day ticket options.
On a warm October weekend in 1973 the first National Storytelling Festival was held in historic Jonesborough, TN. Hay bales and wagons were the stages, and audience and tellers together didn’t number more than 60. It was intimate, but something happened that weekend that forever changed our culture, this traditional art form, and the little Tennessee town.
Come early for the pre-festival events featuring singer/songwriter Mary Gauthier who weaves stories throughout her songs on Thursday night. Pre-festival events are ticketed separately here.
See International Storytelling Center for tickets and more info.