Storytelling president reflects on 2024 festival shutdown

JONESBOROUGH — The International Storytelling Center is moving forward with preparations for this year's National Storytelling Festival after last year's event was canceled in the aftermath of Helene.Michael Carson, former president of the International Storytelling Center, said in August the decision in 2024 to cancel came down to a lack of safety measures."The damage from the storm was severe," Carson said. "The first responders in the town of Jonesborough really needed to focus on the community and focus on people affected by the storm. It left us in a position where we would not have any public safety or services if we didn't cancel."Carson said the cancellation took a toll on multiple levels, from staffing to programming."From a staff perspective, we had already set up for the festival, and we were probably four days away when we canceled, so it was obviously a morale blow but also a major financial loss," Carson said. "For storytellers, many had to cancel their flights or change travel itineraries, and for shopkeepers on Main Street, many of them earned a lot of their revenue during the festival, so it affected us on three different levels."Carson said the community impact of Helene last year stretched beyond just the performers and staff."For the town of Jonesborough, it's the largest tourist event of the year, with about 8,500 people who did not attend when it was canceled — which meant money that was not spent locally," Carson said. "Many had ordered supplies to sell and had to return items, just like we did with our books and merchandise."In the immediate aftermath, Carson said the center worked to keep storytelling alive in other forms by contributing to recovery outreach and hosting other events."We continued with our program Storytelling Live, and through our storytellers we held a fundraiser called Storytellers' Give Back that raised funds for East Tennessee United Way," he said. "It was the very first event at the Jackson Theatre after it opened. It sold out, and it was really inspirational."Carson said the center's outreach aims to extend beyond Tennessee in the coming weeks."We've been prioritizing supporting storytellers in Western North Carolina, who were even more affected by Helene," Carson said in August, saying they were to help co-sponsor a fundraiser for musicians there on Sept. 21.In the months since Helene, Carson said the center has leaned on its year-round programming to keep audiences engaged."Storytelling Live is actually our most attended activity, even more so than the festival," he said. "We had about 11,000 attendees last year, and it's been improving morale for us, as well as the morale of our audience and the community."Despite the setback, Carson said most of the performers originally scheduled will still take the stage at the upcoming National Storytelling Festival, scheduled Oct. 3 to 5."We kept our same lineup," Carson said. "Almost all the tellers, except for a few from overseas, are still coming. Out of 23 scheduled, we have 20 returning."He said the planning for this year's festival comes with some new precautions, as well."We're putting in a preparedness plan, with alternative venues in case something happens," Carson said. "If there is a cancellation this year, we won't cancel — we'll actually move to different venues."As far as the goals ahead for the ISC, Carson said they are both local and far-reaching."The hope is that our audience will come back, that it will continue to grow and that we can work with other festivals and expand virtually," Carson said. "We will be streaming on YouTube this year and have been talking to Radio Bristol about broadcasting as well."The 2025 festival will also introduce new themes and special events."We have a legacy series with a former prisoner of war who was Sen. John McCain's roommate, and Donald Davis will be interviewed by his three sons," Carson said. "We're also collaborating with Brews and Tunes in Jonesborough for the first time as well as adding a story slam."Carson said the upcoming festival represents an optimistic turning point for the ISC and the community."Overall, it's like a rebirth after canceling last year," he said. "We just want people to come out for the town, for the community and for our storytellers."