Visit the “Storytelling Capital of the World” in Jonesborough, TN
In Jonesborough, storytelling has historically been a means of healing, preserving local culture and bringing communities together. Today, that tradition continues in Tennessee’s oldest town and the “Storytelling Capital of the World.”
Through times of celebration and adversity, storytelling venues across Jonesborough provide a home for this powerful medium.
Tending to Tradition
Storytelling has long been ingrained in Appalachian culture, whether through spoken word or music played across the region.
That oral storytelling tradition continues in the form of the National Storytelling Festival, an annual event held by the International Storytelling Center, which draws tellers from all over the world each October to Jonesborough.
“Our flagship event, the National Storytelling Festival, expanded from people telling stories in the courthouse square,” says Michael Carson, president of the International Storytelling Center.
Hosting the first festival in 1973, the event has been going strong ever since. With up to 10,000 attendees each year, the National Storytelling Festival has become one of the largest events in the region. Tellers captivate audiences beneath six giant tents, sharing tales that are funny, moving, scary and always deeply rooted in culture. The festival has showcased cowboy poets from Texas, members of Canada’s First Nations, Scottish- Kenyan tellers and many more.
“The festival features all types of folk tales, personal tales, Appalachian tales, tall tales – every type of storyteller you could imagine,” Carson says.
Carson estimates that the economic impact of the festival is close to $3 million annually, a testament to the importance of storytelling in the region. The center also hosts 26 storytellers each year as part of its Storytelling Live series, during which “tellers-in-residence” hold performances around the community. They share everything, from Warrior Stories of returning veterans to Freedom Stories of Black storytellers from Appalachia.
Bolstered by bachelor’s and master’s programs in storytelling at East Tennessee State University, the region’s efforts toward uplifting storytelling as a medium are evident in its commitment to the art of the story.
“Storytelling is an art form, just like classical music or literature or theater,” Carson says.
A Center for the Arts
Another beloved Jonesborough venue has been revitalized, thanks to a 10-year effort by the community. Since its founding in the 1920s, the Jackson Theatre has undergone many changes in identity, from a silent movie theater known as the Blue Mouse to a teen hangout in the 1960s and, more recently, a women’s clothing store.
A century after its founding, the Jackson Theatre is going back to its roots, bringing movies, music and entertainment to Jonesborough.
“Downtown theaters were so nostalgic for so many people,” says Amber Crumley, operations manager for the Jackson Theatre.
The reopened Jackson Theatre will showcase stage plays, musical acts, movies and storytellers from all over Tennessee and beyond. Working in partnership with the McKinney Center and the Jonesborough Repertory Theatre, which is housed in the same complex as the Jackson Theatre, the venue aims to be a gathering place for arts and culture for residents in the community.
“We really love to bring people together and showcase downtown Jonesborough,” Crumley says.
As part of its grand reopening, the Jackson Theatre screened a documentary featuring stories of past patrons, from historic accounts of segregation during the 1960s to tales of falling in love within the theater’s walls.
The history of the theater has not been forgotten, and its new role in the Jonesborough community is just beginning to bloom.
When the National Storytelling Festival was canceled in 2024 due to the impact of Hurricane Helene, the Jackson Theatre stepped up to help. The venue held a benefit concert featuring storytellers from the canceled festival, raising $26,000 in relief funds for the community. In the “Storytelling Capital of the World,” the power of stories has helped a community find support in the midst of devastation.
“We want to use storytelling to heal and to help people recover,” Carson says.
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