David Joe Miller in the 1990’s, when the weekend long National Storytelling Festival was hitting its peak, I was often asked where people could find storytelling performances during the rest of the year. It became obvious to me that there was a need for ongoing storytelling performances in the Storytelling Capital of the World. After receiving advice from J.G. (Paw Paw) Pinkerton, who created Tellabration!™, I decided to form a storytelling guild in downtown Jonesborough. A “performance guild” that would offer weekly storytelling in a downtown venue.

I’m proud to say that the Jonesborough Storytelling Guild is alive and thriving today, offering storytelling events each and every week in downtown Jonesborough as well as special events throughout the year.

David Joe Miller, Jonesborough Storytellers Guild Founder

In the summer of 1994 David Joe Miller of Jonesborough Tennessee, placed a small notice in the newspaper inviting local storytellers to form a professional guild. Six tellers responded. Besides David Joe Miller, the founding members of the Jonesborough Storytellers Guild were:

Bob Phillips (Jonesborough, TN)
G. Lee Hearl (Abington, VA)
Leon Overbay (Gray, TN)
Linda Poland (Telford, TN)
Carol Huebner (2005)
Jack Huebner (2005)

Six months later the JSG began offering weekly concerts in cafes along Jonesborough’s Main Street. Since 1994 the Guild has continually given residents and visitors in Tennessee’s oldest town the opportunity each week to share humanity’s most ancient form of communication.

Become a Member of
Jonesborough Storytellers Guild
Have you ever wondered if you were a storyteller?

Are you fascinated by the story behind the story?

Join Us