FOCUS: Charleston Tells storytelling festival set for March 11-12

Set under magnificent moss-draped oaks, the fourth annual Charleston Tells Storytelling Festival on March 11 and 12 will bring together some of the best national and local storytellers with performances that reminisce about the carefree days of childhood, showcase humorous slice of life moments and transport audiences to significant times in history.

The festival, held at Wragg Square in downtown Charleston, offers full weekend passes for $40 each before March 10. Other prices can be found here.

Featured national storytellers include:

• Bill Harley, a two-time Grammy award-winner from Seekonk, Mass., who has been called the “Mark Twain of contemporary children’s music;
• Barbara McBride-Smith, a frequent headliner from Oklahoma at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn.
• Connie Regan-Blake, a celebrated storyteller from Asheville, N.C.; and
• Oba William King, a Chicago-area storyteller who tours nationally and who has written storybooks for young readers.

Similar to listening to Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion or being entertained by a great comedian, Charleston Tells celebrates the art and historical importance of storytelling. Programs are planned for both Friday and Saturday nights, including ghost stories Saturday night. During the day Saturday, there will be multiple concurrent performances, including a tent with activities and programs the whole family can enjoy.

Charleston’s blend of Southern charm, rich heritage and deep-rooted respect for oral history makes it the perfect venue to bring local residents and visitors together for this shared human experience. After all, Charleston’s allure and historic charm prompted readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine to name this South Carolina coastal city as their No. 1 U.S. city for the fifth year in a row, and Travel + Leisure magazine to name it the No. 2 city to visit in the world and the No. 1 city to visit in the United States and Canada in 2015.

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