National Storytelling Festival Features August House Authors

On Friday, October 2nd, thousands of people who share a love of stories will gather at historic Jonesboro, Tennessee to attend the 43rd Annual National Storytelling Festival. Jonesboro has become the informal epicenter for storytellers to meet, reconnect, and share their craft with fans and colleagues alike. This year's event will showcase three popular August House authors: Donald Davis, Susan Klein, and Bil Lepp. Visitors from Europe, South America and Asia will join the performers for three days of non-stop action from the top storytellers in the world.

Donald Davis is frequently recognized as the Dean of professional storytellers. He is a gifted performance artist whose unique wit and wisdom has touched audiences throughout the world. Davis is also a prolific author and has written over ten books published by August House, including the award winning LittleFolk picture book The Pig Who Went Home on Sunday: An Appalachian Folktale and collection of stories, Listening for the Crack of Dawn, drawn from his childhood growing up in the mountains of Western North Carolina in a family that shared a rich storytelling tradition. Besides his many award-winning books and audio recordings, Donald has been a guest host for NPR's Good Evening and a recipient of the NSN ORACLE Circle of Excellence and Lifetime Achievement awards. The New York Times wrote that "his stories often left listeners limp with laughter at the same time they struggled with a lump in the throat."

Susan Klein was born on Martha's Vineyard and is the author of Through a Ruby Window, a lively retelling of her memories of growing up on the island. In a review of Through a Ruby Window, Booklist wrote that "Her prose so strongly conveys her narratives with love and humor." Susan is a beloved storyteller to anyone who has attended one of her performances or participated in one of her popular workshops. She is a recipient of the Creative Living and NSN ORACLE Circle of Excellence awards. The Martha's Vineyard Times described her performances as "the kind of art that could transform the world."

The humorist Bil Lepp is the five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars' Contest. His outrageous tall-tales have left audiences throughout the world gasping for breath between his hilarious stories. Bil is the author of The Monster Stick and Other Appalachian Tall Tales. In a book review, School Library Journal wrote that "The laugh-out-loud stories are lively and full of colloquialisms." Lepp has been featured at a variety of venues, including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and Comedy Central.

These three storytellers will be joined by more than 15 other featured performers, plus a number of other performers throughout the three-day festival. For more information go to: http://www.storytellingcenter.net/festival/

August House is a highly acclaimed and award-winning multimedia publisher of children's picture books, folktale anthologies, and resource books. Located in Atlanta, GA, August House has developed one of the most highly respected collections of folktales from the world's great oral traditions.

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