International Storytelling Center

Based in Jonesborough, Tennessee, the International Storytelling Center (ISC) is the flagship American institution for storytelling promotion and presentation. Our mission is to inspire and empower people to tell their stories, listen to and honor the stories of others, and use storytelling to produce positive change. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, the ISC presents two significant storytelling events: The National Storytelling Festival and Storytelling Live Teller-in-Residence series. Our work falls broadly into three categories: performance, preservation, and practice.

Founded in 1973, the annual National Storytelling Festival helped to coalesce aspects of the folk-arts revival movement with traditional practices and emergent modes of art, performance, and history. Today our festival boasts an average of 10,000 attendees. The event features over 25 storytellers across five stages housed in circus-style tents scattered across historic Jonesborough and two additional theater venues. The festival is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and supported by a swath of sponsors, both local and national. The 20-week Storytelling Live series starts in May and culminates the week of the National Storytelling Festival in October. Each performer in Storytelling Live comes to Jonesborough to give daily in-person performances and provide educational and outreach opportunities in the surrounding community. Both programs offer a virtual viewing option for our audiences worldwide. 

Not only does the ISC set a standard for storytelling artistry—including traditional, historical, personal, and contemporary stories—we also serve as an international consultant for storytelling program development and are a sought-after collaborator for storytelling-related activities. In recent years, ISC has expanded its onsite events to include the Kids Institute, a dynamic educational program that engages students, educators, and families through performances, workshops, and school partnerships, as well as the development of a learning library designed to better accommodate the needs and schedules of anyone interested in how storytelling can make a difference in their communities. Using grant funding, we have produced the I Have a Story, Stories for Change, and Freedom Stories initiatives. As part of our commitment to the preservation of storytelling, ISC maintains an archival relationship with the American Folklife Center. Through the promotion of the finest caliber of domestic and international storytelling—both on stage and around the kitchen table—we believe that stories can serve as the building blocks of strong communities, more effective workplaces, and vibrant schools.