Storytelling Festivals Storytellers Clear Confusing Stories Professional National

In the United States, there are many "storytelling" (the art of sharing stories orally, without using written information) "festivals" (fairs; celebrations and competitions). Some storytelling festivals are only for professional storytellers, while others are for "amateurs" (people who do something for fun and don't charge money to do it).

Some festivals last only a few hours, but others last several days. During the festivals, each storyteller has a certain amount of time to tell a story to the audience. At many festivals, the storytellers are "judged" (evaluated) on how well they told the story and how well they "captured" (caught) the audience's attention and "imagination" (ability to believe something that isn't really true).

Many of the storytelling festivals are geographically based, meaning that all the storytellers live in a particular state or "region" (large area). Other storytelling festivals are based on a particular theme, such as Native American stories, fairy tales, historical events, or stories about nature.

The National Storytelling Network is a membership organization that tries to improve storytelling throughout the country, promoting it as a "performing art" (related to acting, singing, dancing, etc.), a "literacy tool" (something that helps people learn to read), and an important "cultural element" (part of culture). The organization publishes Storytelling Magazine and organizes a national conference where storytellers can meet to "network" (make professional connections and build relationships with other people) and share ideas and "techniques" (ways of doing things) with other storytellers. At the conference, storytellers can attend many classes and workshops to improve their storytelling abilities.