ATHENS – Some of the nation’s most highly acclaimed storytellers, award-winning liars and world-class musicians will make their way to North Alabama at the end of October to celebrate the art of storytelling during a multi-day festival.
In its nineteenth year, the Athens Storytelling Festival returns to Athens State University Oct. 21-25, bringing with it stories of life, legends, lies and excitement.
The storytelling opens Oct. 21 at 6:30 p.m. with a Student Tellers Exhibition where representatives from area city and county schools compete on stage for braggin’ rights and the opportunity to take the stage again Thursday night. Admission is free.
All festival tellers take the stage starting 7 p.m. Oct. 23 for an Olio and joining them will be student tellers with winning performances from the Oct. 21 show.
Slated to appear Oct. 24 and 25 are four performers from the inaugural year 19 years ago: Andy Offutt Irwin, Carmen Deedy, Bil Lepp and Donald Davis.
Irwin is a recipient of the 2013 National Storytelling Network’s Oracle Circle of Excellence Award and a featured teller at the National Storytelling Festival nine times. He also works as an arts educator, keynote speaker, theatre director, songwriter, comedian, newspaper columnist, camp counselor, and Shakespearian actor.
Lepp is a nationally renowned storyteller, award-winning author and five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars’ Contest.
An award-winning author and storyteller, Deedy is also an accomplished lecturer, having been a guest speaker for TED and TEDx Conferences, the Library of Congress, Columbia University, the National Book Festival, and the Kennedy Center, among other distinguished venues.
Davis, author of 18 books and more than 40 original recordings, is the recipient of the Circle of Excellence and the Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Storytelling Network.
Stories will be told under the big tent on the campus of Athens State University by Sandridge Student Center at 300 N. Beaty Street, five blocks from downtown Athens.
In addition, food vendors, food trucks, local restaurants and an eclectic mix of shops offering a wide variety of antiques, gifts, gourmet foods, clothing and hardware will be open just a short walk from the festivities.
Ticket price for admission to all events are $95/adult and $49.50/child (13 years and older). Admission is free for children ages three to 12 years old (no children under two years old). Tickets for any combination of events or daily admission are also available and may be purchased here.
All ticket holders must stop by the Gift Shop inside the Sandridge Hall Student Center to pick up their swatches which will allow them entrance to the tent during their ticketed times. The ticket office opens one hour prior to festival events.
For complete ticket pricing, a biography on each storyteller and a schedule of events, visit www.
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