Paul Strickland, one of Cincinnati’s favorite storytellers, will be acting as the Master of Ceremonies at the oldest and largest storytelling festival in the country this weekend.
After being canceled in 2024 due to damage from Hurricane Helene, the National Storytelling Festival returns to Jonesborough, Tennessee, from Oct. 3-5 bigger and better than ever. The festival has been held in Tennessee’s oldest town every October since 1973 and draws thousands of visitors who come to hear tales from some of the best storytellers in the world and celebrate America’s rich and varied storytelling tradition.
Strickland, known for his award-winning performances at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, including Ain’t True & Uncle False and Balls of Yarns, was featured storyteller at the National Storytelling Festival in 2023, performing for audiences of up to 2,000 people at a time and drawing standing-room-only crowds to his tents. He says it was experiences like the festival that inspired him to found the Cincinnati Storytelling Festival.
This year’s festival will feature over 20 professional storytellers from around the country spinning tales from a variety of genres, ranging from ghost stories and multicultural folktales to comedies and historic and personal accounts. You can learn more at storytellingcenter.net.
Cincinnati’s own storytelling festival returns for its fifth year Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 13-15, now at the Know Theatre in Over-the-Rhine. Featured storytellers include Charlotte Blake Alston, known for her traditional and contemporary tales inspired by African and African American oral and cultural traditions; Bill Lepp, who spins humorous and family-friendly tales; and Strickland. See the schedule and learn more at cincystoryfest.com.
