Stories and Storytelling: Howard Shepherd and Dave Shepherd are in Jonesborough, Tennessee, at the National Storytelling Festival, where they discuss stories and storytelling.
Thanks to Martin P. for a PayPal donation (1:58)
We are in Jonesborough, Tennessee, the oldest town in Tennessee, home of the International Storytelling Center and host to the National Storytelling Festival. (2:19)
Why do people tell stories? Morality tales, expressions of heritage, stories that break the ice, stories that support the ego (5:14)
Music bumper from “Edgar Meyer Winter” by Shibboleth (13:28)
Different kinds of storytelling performances that we have seen: folk music, reminiscence stories, cowboy poetry, telling traditional tales (15:20)
Song: “The Story” by Jason Silver (22:19)
Rude Word of the Week: “turkey” (25:41)
Music bumper from “Nada” by Jaime Beauchamp. (29:36)
The future of storytelling: what will storytelling look and sound like in future generations? Benjamin Shepherd, Ruthanna Ruben, Caden Watts (30:17)
Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network
Theme music by Kick the Cat
time: 37:35
size: 34.4 Mb
rating: G (No “adult stories” were recounted in this edition. Furthermore, kids should be told stories all the time.)
What a great idea to attend this festival! I will see if my daughter, a kindred word nerd, wants to attend next year. Hope your dad had a great time turning 80 and listening to yarns with his sons.
I think our dad did have a great time. (In fact, he told us many, many times that he did.) Indeed, we all had a great time.
What we didn’t mention on the show was that the weather was nearly perfect for this event. Barbara Shepherd was sent to it about 12-13 years ago as a work assignment, and she got a bad impression. It was cold, had been raining, and everything was muddy.
Our weekend, on the other hand, was crisp and autumnal–the kind of weather that keeps you alert and makes you eager to create.
Having grandparents just a few miles away in Greeneville, TN, I was thrilled to hear you there in Jonesboro! It is a beautiful area. Happy 80th to your dad!
Thanks so much for your podcasts. I teach AP English (Lang and Lit), and I have a link to this website for both classes.
My dad loves folk stories. What is the name of the “Jack Tales” storyteller you mentioned? I’d like to get a CD of him for Dad for Christmas.
Krista McGee
Tampa, FL
Hi Krista. Sorry it took so long to approve your comment. I lost track of my approvals. It was a busy week in school.
Howard mentioned hearing Jack tales told by Ted Hicks. Ted is the son of Ray Hicks, who was the master teller of these tales in the North Carolina mountains when he was alive.
There are several books about Ray Hicks on Amazon. To find CDs of Ray telling stories, just Google “ray hicks cd” and you’ll get links to the Appal Shop General Store, Folk Legacy, and other sources.