Storytelling Resource Place

04/14/2026

The Storytelling Resource Place (SRP) is a place where stories and memories are made and shared! Today the family of Rebekah McGinnis stopped by the SRP, valued Jonesborough neighbors. Rebekah spend years enjoying SRP porch time, sharing stories and friendship with others at this special place. Rebekah passed away this winter. To honor one of their mother’s favorite spots, her daughters Dani and Liz recently loaned us Rebekah’s favorite Snake Plant to sit on the SRP porch. This sweet addition adds to the welcome here at this site, encouraging people to sit a spell and share a tale.

The story of this plant is a rich one, a fourth generation plant that first belonged to Rebekah’s great grandfather. What is the plant’s name? George Washington Little, named for Rebekah’s great grandpa. Passed down from one generation to the next, imagine the stories this plant has heard, and the many more it will hear in its time at the SRP. Eventually the family plans to divide this plant to share its historic roots with family and friends.

Stop by the SRP to explore and share the richness of stories! Special thanks to the McGinnis family for sharing this part of their mother’s legacy and passion for storytelling with those visiting the SRP. Come sit a spell, friends!



IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS: (1) two women and their dog sit on a porch next to potted plant; (2) a family of four smiles as they stand in front of a historic house, a tan building with brown trim (Storytelling Resource Place).

03/24/2026

Ed Stivender’s Spotlight is this Thursday, March 26. Still time to sign up for this free Zoom event, a behind the scenes peak into Stivender’s world as a storytelling. This session will include Q & A time. Join us!

Spotlight Series: Ed Stivender, Storytellers’ Legacy Project

Ed Stivender joins the SRP E-Spotlight Series to share stories and reflections from a lifetime devoted to the art of storytelling. A beloved performer, musician, and educator, Ed has helped shape the modern storytelling movement through decades of performances, workshops, and mentorship. In this special online spotlight, Ed offers insights into his work, traditions that inspired him, and the enduring power of story. Session will include Q & A time.

FREE virtual event.
DATE: Thursday, March 26, 2026, 7:00 pm EST.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/irTr7kgPR-ixA5cOM6jOmw

03/19/2026

REMINDER: volunteer training by Zoom is on for tonight plus March 29 at SRP. Details below. We hope to see you there, SRP friends!

Volunteer Training for SRP on March 19 (Zoom) and March 26:

The Storytelling Resource Place (SRP) is beginning to expand our volunteer efforts. Friends of the SRP and members of the storytelling community are invited join us for a volunteer orientation this month. These sessions will offer a brief introduction to the work of the SRP, the kinds of projects currently underway, and the various ways volunteers can be involved in supporting and preserving storytelling resources.

Whether you are new to the SRP or have helped in the past, we hope you’ll consider attending one of these gatherings as we look ahead to the next chapter of the organization’s work.

For your convenience, here are the details for the two sessions being offered:
Thursday, March 19
Virtual via Zoom
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Eastern
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89613908875

Saturday, March 28
In person at the Storytelling Resource Place, 115 Fox St., Jonesborough TN
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

03/19/2026

Thank you for an amazing chat during Wednesday’s Tea With a Teller, Steven James! Always keeping an eye out for something that intrigues him, James makes sure his stories for telling and in his novels make logical sense and have unexpected moments/surprises - like all stories should. Stories that survive over time have both of these elements. He also has great respect for studying the origin of stories, especially when considering his passion for the heritage lore of southern Appalachia and how all tales celebrates storytelling culture. “Write your stories with your mouth not your pen,” he said. This in-depth conversation had us all on the edge of our seats, leaning into this discussion.

Steven James summed up this important work in the art of storytelling well, “the only way stories can live is to tell them.”

Save the date for the April 15 Tea With a Teller at the SRP in Jonesborough TN. Next month’s featured storyteller will be announced soon.

03/17/2026

Still time to sign up for tomorrow/Wednesday’s Tea With a Teller: Steven James.

Join us for Tea with a Teller at the Storytelling Resource Place - a relaxed 90-minute conversation with acclaimed storyteller and author Steven James. Pour a cup, pull up a chair, and enjoy good company and rich conversation.

DATE: Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 4:00 - 5:30 pm
LOCATION: Storytelling Resource Place, 115 Fox Street, Jonesborough TN
RSVP: seating is limited so RSVP now by email to
[email protected]
TICKETS: Free for SRP members; $10 - general admission

For more information: 423-231-3138 or https://www.oursrp.org/

03/15/2026

In celebration of Women's History Month, we are reminded of how the stories of and by women continue to move us forward in our communities. Many story resources and recordings related to women are preserved at the SRP for storytelling research. But one SRP initiative takes a more detailed look into the work of female storytellers - in their own words. The Storytellers' Legacy Project (SLP) is a way we are actively preserving the stories, talents, and wisdom of storytellers so they are never forgotten. Sixteen oral history interviews have been conducted so far and are now in final stages of production. All interviews will eventually be available for viewing online. Many strong women storytellers have been part of this project, including Connie Regan-Blake, Elizabeth Ellis, Gwenda Ledbetter, Peninnah Schram, Corinne Stavish, Dovie Thomason, and Liz Weir. Liz's interview is the first one now available for viewing. The other 15 teller-on-teller interviews will be available when production of each story is complete.

Visit https://www.oursrp.org/ to learn more about available women's story resources, plus scroll down to "Growing Our Vision" to link to the Storytellers' Legacy Project and see Liz Weir's interview.

IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS: Storytellers' Legacy Project logo with open book; photo of Liz Weir, a smiling woman with short red hair and wearing a black top leans out a window hole of a red wooden building.

03/14/2026

SPR program series continues!
Tea With a Teller: Steven James

Join us for Tea with a Teller at the Storytelling Resource Place - a relaxed 90-minute conversation with acclaimed storyteller and author Steven James. Pour a cup, pull up a chair, and enjoy good company and rich conversation.

DATE: Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 4:00 - 5:30 pm
LOCATION: Storytelling Resource Place, 115 Fox Street, Jonesborough TN
RSVP: seating is limited so RSVP now by email to
[email protected]
TICKETS: Free for SRP members; $10 - general admission

For more information: 423-231-3138 or https://www.oursrp.org/

03/11/2026

Though this post is targeted towards WV, this Folkways Reporting Corps is seeking 5–10 storytellers from across Appalachia to contribute to the program.

This corps will include contributors from West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Appalachian Ohio who are interested in producing human-interest features focused on Appalachian folklife, arts and culture.

Participants will learn sound gathering and storytelling techniques, along with reporting strategies for creating sound-rich stories for radio and podcast audiences.

Use link below to point you towards more information.

📣 We are hiring! The Inside Appalachia team is expanding its Folkways Reporting Corps and is seeking 5–10 storytellers from across Appalachia to contribute to the program. Learn more at the link below 👇

https://buff.ly/7i9qRQx

03/11/2026

Volunteer Training for SRP on March 19 (Zoom) and March 26:

The Storytelling Resource Place (SRP) is beginning to expand our volunteer efforts. Friends of the SRP and members of the storytelling community are invited join us for a volunteer orientation this month. These sessions will offer a brief introduction to the work of the SRP, the kinds of projects currently underway, and the various ways volunteers can be involved in supporting and preserving storytelling resources.

Whether you are new to the SRP or have helped in the past, we hope you’ll consider attending one of these gatherings as we look ahead to the next chapter of the organization’s work.

For your convenience, here are the details for the two sessions being offered:
Thursday, March 19
Virtual via Zoom
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Eastern
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89613908875

Saturday, March 28
In person at the Storytelling Resource Place, 115 Fox St., Jonesborough TN
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

03/04/2026

Good opportunity here, storyteller friends 😉

Applications for NSN Member Grants are now open! Do you have a special program to perform? A coach you want to work with? Research to do?

02/24/2026

Sometimes diving into research on a specific time can really bring history to light in a story, including tales prepared for telling during Black History Month. The Negro Motorist Green Book was a crucial travel guide published from 1936 to 1967 for African Americans navigating Jim Crow-era segregation. This book listed safe, welcoming places to stay, restaurants, gas stations, and more, helping travelers avoid discrimination and violence while on the road. A copy of this book and related stories and songs of that time are available at the Storytelling Resource Place (SRP). Such detailed information can be a resource to help reveal challenges faced by so many in such times. How would you tell a tale of those times to strengthen others in our modern day?
https://www.oursrp.org/



IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS:
-two books, the Green Book and another book referencing stories and songs from the Green-Book times
-the introduction page of the Green Book