Blue Ridge Music Trails is hosting a storytelling concert funded by the Jazz Foundation of America. They are providing support to artists in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene. Connie is sharing the stage with Josh Goforth, Sheila Kay Adams, and Michael Reno Harrell. Laura Boosinger will be the emcee. This afternoon storytelling event from 3-5pm at the Historic Earle Theatre in Mount Airy, NC will kick off Mayberry Days.
Every October since 1973, thousands of travelers have visited Tennessee’s oldest town. They come for one purpose–to hear stories and to tell them at the National Storytelling Festival.
This celebration of America’s rich and varied storytelling tradition, the oldest and most respected gathering anywhere in America devoted to
(Photo by: Tom Raymond)
storytelling, has in turn spawned a national revival of this venerable art. International Storytelling Center is excited to welcome you to the storytelling capital of the world October 3-5, 2025 to celebrate the power of storytelling.
Since its first days, the Festival has featured a stunning array of world-class talent that share oral traditions from across history and all over the globe. Cultural representation has included performers from the African American, Jewish, Aboriginal, Egyptian, Asian, Celtic, Hispanic, Israeli, Liberian, French, African, Caribbean, Native American, and the deaf communities, among others.
The National Storytelling Festival was an ambitious name for a small event tucked away in the Appalachian Mountains. But over decades, it has grown into its name, hosting thousands of listeners in Jonesborough each year.
Connie Regan-Blake will be emceeing at the festival again this year! Come early to enjoy music festivals and workshops!“Whispers from the Shadows” An evening of ghostly legends and haunting tales
The Town of Weaverville, NC is hosting Connie for a free evening of scary stories for teens and adults only in the Weaverville Community Center at Lake Louise. These spooky tales are perfect for the thrill lover. Influenced by legends from The British Isles and the Southern Appalachian Mountains, these stories combine fright with a sense of hope.
The focus of this “Taking Your Story to the Stage” 3-day workshop is on storytelling performance. Each participant is asked to come with a story that is almost “stage-ready.” Participants gather at Connie’s home, tucked in the beautiful mountains surrounding Asheville, NC. This workshop intensive provides a supportive, affirming atmosphere to nurture each storyteller’s performance skills and confidence. “Taking Your Story to the Stage” is open only to those who have previously studied with Connie. If you have not had this opportunity and/or Connie has not heard you tell a story, a private coaching session may be required. Registration is limited so if you’d like to add your name to the list of participants now, contact Connie. For more details, click here.
And if you can’t make the workshop, mark your calendars now join us as
listeners for an enchanting evening of storytelling in “A Slice of Life: An Evening of Stories” on November 1, 2025 at Black Mountain Center for the Arts.
Join nationally celebrated storyteller Connie Regan-Blake as she welcomes her storytelling workshop participants to the stage for “A Slice of Life: An Evening of Stories.” This show’s tellers are Andy Russell, Christine Phillips Westfeldt, Dada Maheshvarananda, Larry Pearlman, Nancy Reeder, Naomi Faw, and Pepper Ellis-Hagebak.
Connie is emceeing this evening of unique voices. The last several “Slice of Life” shows have been sell-outs – so get your tickets early!
Tickets are $18 if purchased in advance, or $22 at the door, if available. Doors open at 6:30pm and seating is first come first served. Online ticket sales end an hour before the performance time, but there may still be tickets available for purchase at the door. Call Black Mountain Center of the Arts for availability at 828.669.0930.
What participants have said:
- Intense and Rewarding. Opportunity to take risks and grow with others who care about stories and those who tell them.
- This workshop offers a retreat environment in which realignment occurs allowing freedom for the story to take the stage as I, the entertainer, offer it as a gift to the audience.
“The Round Robin of storytellers at Connie Regan-Blake’s “Slice of Life” show gave me a rare listening treat. Each story was as unique as the voice that told it. What great fun to hear a mountain art form so well-spun!” –Donna Marie Todd, storyteller, singer and story workshop leader
After ten StorySLAMs in a city, the winners then compete for the title of GrandSLAM Champion with a brand new story. Connie Regan-Blake joins this ultimate battle of wits at the GrandSLAM 
storytelling championship where the ten StorySLAM winners tell new stories on a specific theme. The Moth, as an organization, aims to bring the power of personal storytelling to millions of people, creating community and building empathy.
Connie is is our leader for Wild Week at Wild Acres Retreat Center 2026! This is a week-long intensive storytelling workshop with Connie. Until the website updates for 2026, you can look at the most recent 2025 Wild Week Schedule with Bill Harley to see how the week flows. 
There will be performances, workshops, coaching, walks in the woods . . . and all of it an idyllic retreat setting, right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Hosted since 2004 by Dianne Hackworth, it promises to be a fun, creative, renewing Wild Week in the Woods!
Want to join in? Register here.