News Release

Haunting in the Hills Storytelling Festival

News Release Date: September 3, 2020

Contact: Christopher Derman, 423) 569-9778

Big South Fork NRRA is pleased to announce the featured storytellers for the 28th annual "Haunting in the Hills" Storytelling Festival.

Adam Booth’s original stories blend traditional mountain folklore, music, and an awareness of contemporary Appalachia. A nationally touring artist, his professional telling appearances include premiere storytelling events across the United States, such as the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, the International Storytelling Center, the National Storytelling Festival, the Appalachian Studies Association Conference, the National Storytelling Conference, the National Academy of Medicine, and as a Spoken Word Resident at the Banff Centre (Alberta, Canada). He is a member of the Recording Academy and his recordings have received a Parents’ Choice Gold Award, two Parents’ Choice Silver Honors, and four Storytelling World Awards and Honors. He is a four-time champion of the West Virginia Liars' Contest.

Elizabeth Rose shares stories with wit, humor and expressive enthusiasm. Her stories include a blend of traditional southern folklore, Appalachian tales, mountain ballads, ghost stories, songs and her own personal stories of growing up in small town East Tennessee. She has the ability to mesmerize her listeners, transporting them through her image-laden tales of other times and cultures. She is truly captivating in voice and presentation.

Octavia Sexton is a vibrant and engaging professional storyteller specializing in the oral traditions of Appalachia. She weaves tales derived from a number of Appalachian roots, including folktales, the haunted “haint” tales, and Cherokee legends. Octavia draws upon a rich tapestry of stories passed down to her from her ancestors. She is a teaching artist of creative writing, drama, Appalachian culture and early American history. She performs a one woman show as the historical pioneer Jenny Wiley and presents anti-substance abuse assembly programs.

Michael D McCarty is a multicultural storyteller of African, African American and international olfktales, historical tales, stories of science, spiritual stories as well as stories of the brilliant and absolutely stupid things he has done in his life! His stories inform, educate, inspire and amuse. His storytelling style is energetic and enthusiastic. Michael has traveled to many countries and his travels have reaped a harvest of tales that testify to the unity within the diversity of the human spirit. Michael is director of the GRIOT Workshop, a storytelling collective in Los Angeles and is on the Board of Directors of the National Storytelling Network. He loves his job!

Storytelling predates writing, with the earliest forms of storytelling usually oral combined with gestures and expressions. Stories have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation, and instilling moral values.