The 12th ANNUAL Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival was held in person on April 10-11, 2026, and shared online too.

Our featured tellers for the 2026 festival were: 

Antonio Rocha, Connie Regan-Blake, Peter Cook, Lyn Ford, and Andy Offutt Irwin

We also showcased these outstanding voices from across the Southeast:

Festival Program: Click here for a PDF of the event program, which includes bios of the tellers, a full event schedule, descriptions of the sessions, information about our sponsors, and more.

Wrap-up Report: Click here for a PDF of the festival wrap-up report.

Thank you to the following grantors and business sponsors for supporting the 2026 Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival: National Endowment for the Arts, the Georgia Council for the Arts, the North Georgia Community Foundation, the Wilhelm Family Foundation, The Georgia Council on American Indian Concerns, Clayton Walmart Supercenter #2753, The Ridges Resort on Lake Chatuge, Peach State Federal Credit Union, United Community (Blairsville), 4imprint, Blue Ridge Mountain EMC, Sage Wax Boutique, Blairsville Martial Arts Academy, Mountain Properties LLC, Jacky Jones Ford of Hayesville, Ridgetop Homes, Black Tie & Tails Doggie Day Spa, Lake Chatuge Chamber of Commerce, Hiawassee Animal Hospital, Edward Jones in Hayesville, Cherokee County Arts Council, Sparkle and Shine Detailing, Laughing Giraffe Toys, Logan Turnpike Mill, Body Sense, Aviator Cafe, Mama's Concierge Services, Crane Creek Vineyards, John C. Campbell Folk School, Strickland and Associates P.C., North Georgia Family Medicine, Century 21 Black Bear Realty (Rick Andrews), the City of Young Harris, Acworth Cultural Arts, Blue Ridge Olive Oil, Fool's Paradise Farm, the Byron Herbert Reece Society, Jacky Jones Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM, Pizza Belly Blairsville, Blairsville Printing, the City of Hiawassee, and the International Storytelling Center.

Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival, Inc. values and celebrates the diversity of human voices, backgrounds, and experiences. We are an equal opportunity organization and do not allow discrimination based upon age, ethnicity, ancestry, gender, national origin, disability, race, size, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or any other status protected by applicable law. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for our staff, volunteers, artists, audience members, vendors, and all other program participants.