She Got it Right!

Jonesborough Storytellers Guild member and past president Saundra Gerrell Kelley spoke with WCYB the other day about our Roots celebration.

She said: I remember with Anndrena Belcher, that first time I ever heard her, that balladry, that rich sound. Oh my word! And then to hear Orville Hicks, the cousin of Ray Hicks, tell what it's like to LIVE on the mountain. To understand what Jack tales are with Jospeh Sobol....and Katie Hoffman, are we hipster or what? 

She also said we deliberately scheduled it so you can hear it all. And she's right. She just didn't have enough time to get it all in. But we do....and so will you on Saturday. This Saturday. April 18. Can't wait to see ya'll.

Clear Strong Voices

North Carolina storyteller, Linda Goodman, a native of Melungeon descent, learned the art of storytelling from her father, a former coal miner who was himself a master yarn spinner. Known for works with a Southern Appalachian flavor, Goodman has been entertaining audiences throughout the country with her original stories and traditional tales for over 25 years. Her one-woman show, Daughters of the Appalachians, tells the stories of six unique Appalachian women. "Each tale can stand alone,” notes author Joan Leotta, “but together they form a saga of the Southern Appalachian Mountains that helped shape their lives. The clear strong voices given these women by Goodman lifts them from any stereotype stigma. They are very real, almost too real in some cases." 

On Saturday, April 18, Goodman brings her one-woman show to Jonesborough as part of our Appalachian Roots Tribute. Admission to the performance is included in the Full Event ticket or may be purchased separately online or at the door.

Why Do We Call Them Workshops?

Looks like more fun than work. Check out the workshops scheduled for this year's Appalachian Roots Tribute, and you'll see what I mean. Workshops are scheduled so participants will have the opportunity to attend all workshops. And just a reminder: Workshops are included only with full event tickets which are limited.  So best not to wait for the snow to thaw. Get your tickets now, online, without even leaving the house.

Anndrena Belcher: My Story, My Songs, My Voice, My Home: Anndrena's stories and songs celebrate a "life lived in the crux of contradiction."  A child of the 1950s Great Southern Migration, her workshop chronicles the journey between her eastern Kentucky ancestral home, her inner-city Chicago home, and the "Hillbilly Highway" she travels to connect the two. Traditional ballads, original acapella songs and Anndrena's self-penned Honky Tonk tales explore the ever intriguing music that springs up from these mountains she calls  home!

Joseph Sobol: Appalachian Wonder Tale: Jack and the Least Gal     

Joseph Sobol has studied and learned tales from several of the major bearers of the Appalachian wonder tale tradition—Ray Hicks, Stanley Hicks, and Donald Davis—and has published extensively on the tellers and their tales. He’ll be sharing insights from his 30 years of research as well as some of his own versions of the stories--exploring the enduring value of telling traditional tales in the 21st century.

Katie Hoffman: Hillbilly… or Hipster?                

It just goes to show you that if you wait long enough, you’re the new “in” thing! This workshop will explore the new hipness of mountain culture, which is all the rage right now in big-city restaurants and music venues. We’ll see how images of Appalachia and its people have changed over the last century and a half and celebrate the fact that, finally, mountain people are speaking for themselves and others are listening. Prepare to be both educated and entertained as Katie reviews the problematic and stereotypical Appalachian images of the past in the light of a very promising present and future.

Orville Hicks: Life on the Mountain            

Raised up on the backside of Beech Mountain, Orville Hicks learned storytelling from his mother, Sarah Harmon Hicks, and his famous cousin, Ray Hicks. "I think old tales ought'ta keep going,” says Hicks, “so this younger generation can learn and know about what some of us went through growin' up in the mountains, how life really changed."  So, just what was it like growin' up on the mountain? Come listen as only Orville Hicks can tell it.

When I first visited Jonesborough a few years ago, I stopped in at The Cranberry Thistle, a restaurant then on Main Street, and ordered a bowl of soup beans for lunch. Not surprisingly, my order came with the traditional wedge of cornbread. But that's where tradition ended, at least for me. Being from "out West," I was expecting the familiar bite of red pepper and hot chili. What I experienced, instead, was buttery, earthy sweetness. I decided right then and there, this was something I could definitely get use to. And I have. 

Since that lunch at the Thistle, I've made Jonesborough my home. I've become delightfully familiar with Tennessee's traditional soup beans and cornbread, country ham, fried tators and onions, chow chow, greens, and, of course, sweet tea. All of which the Telford Ruritans will be preparing for the Appalachian Table Luncheon on April 18 as part of the Appalachian Roots Tribute. 

Oh, there's one more thing on the menu. Apple Stack Cake. I've never had apple stack cake. I've seen pictures of it. Read recipes for it. Even imagined eating it. Can't wait to try it. 

I've also been told not to expect cornbread like "out West." According to storyteller Amy Yeary Holmes, "This is going to be REAL cornbread made on site, using Mr. Carl Daniel's grandmother's traditional recipe. Only three ingredients: cornmeal, crisco, and eggs." Which means, it's gluten free.

Like we say at the Jonesborough Yarn Exchange, "Everything old is new again!"

By the way: The Appalachian Table Luncheon is included, and only available, as part of the Full Event ticket. Full Event tickets are limited. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the Jonesborough Visitors Center at 423.753.1010.

Guild Announces 2015 Tribute

"Good storytelling isn't just about telling a
good story. Storytelling is a preservation of
community, heritage, history, and folklife."
Storyteller Adam Booth

We've set the date, secured presenters, reserved conference rooms, and sampled the luncheon menu. Now it's time for you to save the date for Jonesborough's Storytellers Guild's Appalachian Roots Tribute 2015.  

Saturday, April 18, enjoy a full day of exploring the Appalachian culture of East Tennessee with the oldest storytelling guild in the country, the Jonesborough Storytellers Guild. And a full day it will be, with

• Morning and afternoon workshops on Appalachian culture, storytelling, history, and music;
• An "Appalachian Table" Luncheon with Keynote Speaker Charlotte Ross; and
• A special evening performance featuring storyteller Linda Goodman in her one-woman show, Daughters of the Appalachians.

So mark your calendar, bookmark this blog, and join us as we explore and celebrate our Appalachian roots!