Another Great Year!: The Spirit of Oklahoma Storytelling Festival 2022

For immediate release

Territory Tellers, Oklahoma’s statewide, nonprofit, storytelling group is pleased to announce that their virtual 2022 Spirit of Oklahoma Storytelling Festival was successful, due in part to the generous support of the Oklahoma Arts Council, which received support from the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment for the Arts. This support allowed the festival to be accessible to the deaf and others with hearing impairments for the first time through American Sign Language interpreters. It also funded a workshop by National Storytelling Circle of Excellence member, Laura Packer, on “How to Tell a Story That Will Make People Laugh, Cry and Connect”.

June 2022 marked the sixteenth annual production of this festival. Over 20 performing artists presented during the two days to a total Zoom attendance of over 195, with people tuning in from nine states, including Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina, Minnesota, New York and California. Storytellers and musicians performed at a variety of scheduled concerts and an informal story swap.

As one participant commented, “Wonderful, heart-warming experience! It was lovely to witness the pleasure that the audience took in the stories, the warmth of the welcome to friends both old and new, and the exceptional quality of the stories and the storytelling. While this is a small festival, it is one of quality and excellence.”

For more information on Territory Tellers and other storytelling events they produce, go to https://territorytellers.com/

The Oklahoma Arts Council is the official state agency for the support and development of the arts. The agency’s mission is to lead in the advancement of Oklahoma’s thriving arts industry. The Oklahoma Arts Council provides approximately 350 grants to nearly 200 organizations in communities statewide each year, organizes professional development opportunities for the state’s arts and cultural industry, and manages the art collections at the Oklahoma State Capitol. More information is available at arts.ok.gov.

###