Go Tell it on Black Rock Mountain Storytelling Festival

Join Rabun County Public Library for an Upcycled Journal Craft. Participants can choose to turn a cereal box into a personalized notebook for note taking, writing, sketching or drawing. There will also be an option to create a brown bag pocket journal to hold mementos, treasures and story inspirations you collect throughout your storytelling weekend adventure!

 

 

 

Panning for Gold, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm at the Black Rock Mountain State Park Campground (near the Mellinger Center)

 

Try your hand at Gold Panning while hearing stories about those who have gotten “Gold Fever” at Black Rock Mountain State Park Campground.

 

 

*must pre-register

 

Guided Tour of the Foxfire Museum, 9:00 – 10:30 am & 1:00 – 2:30 pm at the Foxfire Museum

 

Encounter the stories that started the Foxfire program and learn about life in Appalachia before modern technologies like running water and electricity on this guided tour of the Foxfire Museum.

 

 

Cooking Up Memories, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm & 1:00 – 2:30 pm at the Foxfire Museum

 

Swap memories and recipes during this wood stove cooking workshop with Foxfire volunteer David Grist.

 

Register here for the morning session.

Register here for the afternoon session.

 

 

Creative Writing Workshop, 2:30 – 4:00 pm at the Foxfire Museum

 

Join regional poets Louise Morgan Runyon and Dr. Catherine Carter for an interactive workshop on writing poetry. Explore this creative side of storytelling and learn how to spark imagination from the stories and landscape that surround you. Per the request of the instructors, masks will be required for this event.

 

Register here for the poetry workshop.

 

Live Music with Hannah Sage, 7:00 – 8:00 pm at the Black Rock Mountain State Park Campground

 

Finish off a day of storytelling and community with a performance at Black Rock Mountain State Park by regional artist Hannah Sage. Hannah’s musical beginnings can be traced back to her elementary school days in North Georgia when she participated in the Georgia Pick and Bow Traditional Music School. At 10 years old, she picked up a banjo and immediately fell in love with the traditional clawhammer style of playing. She also learned to play guitar, upright bass, and was introduced to the art of singing ballads. Hannah was fortunate to learn Appalachian old-time music from master musicians. Hannah has had the opportunity to play in several touring bands while in Pick and Bow and later in college, which have brought her to many stages including Nashville’s infamous Ryman Auditorium. She enjoys collaborating with other artists but also feels comfortable playing solo. In addition to her love for Appalachian traditional music, she is also passionate about social justice issues and often includes these themes in her songwriting.  Currently Hannah is studying Appalachian Studies at Berea College in Kentucky and will graduate Spring 2023. With her bright smile and stellar storytelling skills, Hannah creates a space where all people can come together and enjoy music.

 

Storytelling with Debora From, 8:00 – 9:00 pm at the Black Rock Mountain State Park Campground

 

Debora’s love of storytelling began as a child listening to her favorite storytellers – Family! She grew up hearing the stories of her elders from two different cultures: Appalachian and Italian American. While working as a Teaching Artist at the Craddock Center in Cherry Log, she was introduced to the art of storytelling as a profession. She fell in love with the art form which led her down the educational path to study storytelling at East Tennessee State University where she earned her MA. At ETSU, Debora was fortunate to learn from some of the most distinguished and celebrated storytellers. She has had the great fortune of sharing stories on a variety of stages nationally and in a variety of settings: elementary and middle schools, public libraries, festivals, and places of worship. Debora has also facilitated storytelling workshops for future and current teachers, parents, and students of all ages and encourages everybody to connect by sharing their stories. Since 2013, she has been the Storytelling Chair for Bear on the Square Mountain Festival in Dahlonega by bringing Appalachian tales to the stage. When covid hit in 2020, she began telling stories from the Story Steps in her front yard to the neighborhood children and their families. Debora continues to be influenced by her family heritage and carries on the tradition of oral storytelling by blending both backgrounds to create an eclectic style of her own.