Communication & Performance

College of Arts & Sciences

Storytelling Program

 

ETSU Storytelling Archive Now Online

Online database with links to dozens of storytelling videos

Special Online Summer Storytelling Institutes for 2021! 

Because of COVID-19, this year's Institutes will once again be offered online and we have adapted the schedule to be more conducive for those sheltering at home while still including the same number of contact hours as a standard face-to-face Institute. While it’s fun to come in person and take these like mini-retreats, at least by using Zoom, there are no travel expenses and we are offering special non-credit rates for a Most Unusual Summer! They also may be taken for 1 graduate credit each at the regular ETSU tuition cost.

Each Institute is capped at 15 participants so register or reserve your space soon!

Full Descriptions and Registration for Master Classes

The 2021 master classes, to be held via Zoom, are:

Storytelling Institute I with Janice Del Negro

Wild Words and Passionate Metaphors:
Reimagining the Traditional Folk and Fairy Tale
  • Mon-Fri, July 12 – 16, 1:00-4:00 EDT – Class Sessions
  • Mon July 12, 7:30-9:00 – Janice Del Negro Concert of Stories
  • Thurs July 15, 7:00-9:00 – Student Showcase of work developed in the class.

Storytelling Institute II with Kevin Kling

Chicken Soup for the Chicken
Writing and Telling Healing Stories:
  • Mon-Fri, August 9-13, 1:00-4:00 EDT – Class Sessions
  • Mon August 9, 7:30-9:00 – Kevin Kling Concert of Stories
  • Thurs August 12, 7:00-9:00 – Student Showcase of work developed in the class.

 


Why study Storytelling?

to develop a professional career as a performer, to foster dialogue across diverse populations, or to enhance work as teachers, community workers, business leaders, corporate trainers, ministers, counselors, and social justice workers.

The Appalachian region is rooted in the art of storytelling. Inspired by the storytelling revival of the 1970s and the successful National Storytelling Festival in nearby Jonesborough, Dr. Flora Joy established storytelling as an academic program in the 1980s with a focus on education. The program has grown to be recognized for its interdisciplinary applications and has broadened its career training scope. Today, students may pursue an undergraduate  storytelling minor, a graduate storytelling certificate, or the Communication and Storytelling Studies master’s degree. They have opportunities to learn from professional tellers through the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough and through intensive storytelling institutes offered at ETSU. Students can attain mastery as performers and proficiency in storytelling applications across a wide range of occupations.

Students in the ETSU Storytelling Program concentrate on performance skill and craft in order to pursue a professional storytelling career, to foster dialogue across diverse populations, or to enhance their work as teachers, community workers, business leaders, corporate trainers, ministers, counselors, and social justice workers. 

Our students also have the opportunity to be join TaleTellers, an ETSU student organization that serves our region by bringing storytelling off campus and into the community. Members hone their skill and talent as they gain experience telling for festivals, slams, schools, and community groups. Membership is open to all ETSU students.

Out of state students who join the National Storytelling Network pay in-state tuition rates through NSN.

Storytelling Programs

Storytelling in the News:

ETSU Storytelling Archive Now Online
The storytelling program has created a collection of online storytelling resources for students.

Book by ETSU storytelling student to be made into movie
An East Tennessee State University graduate student in storytelling has learned that an award-winning book she self-published in 2012 is to be made into a major motion picture.

Storytelling revises curriculum
Graduate students in East Tennessee State University’s Storytelling and Communication Studies programs this fall are enjoying a newly revised curriculum that will help them develop skills applicable in a wide segment of the job market.
www.etsu.edu

Story Slam’s First Ever National Winner
This past weekend, the first ever National Story Slam took place in Chicago. The winner, Nancy Donoval, represented the Twin Cities. We share Donoval's winning story “Bump.”
www.wbez.org

Why Storytelling Matters:

  • From The Chronicle of Higher Education, Why Storytelling Matters in Fields Beyond the Humanities
  • If you are unable to access the article, a full text version can be found here.

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