Click on the picture to jump to the Summer 2026 (Volume 5, Issue 2) or HERE for PDF or HERE for Magazine Style (through Calaméo).
When a storyteller passes, where do all of their stories, books, recordings, notes, and source materials go? Often, they are given away or tossed out. What if there was a place to preserve such priceless material for research by future storytellers? Wouldn’t it be great if there were a climate-controlled museum/library to preserve storytelling history? Guess what? There is. It’s called THE STORYTELLING RESOURCE PLACE (SRP) (oursrp.org), in Jonesborough, Tennessee. Started by Dr. Pam Miller in 2016, the SRP is an independent 501(c)3 organization, separate from the International Storytelling Center. Over 5,000 books and 1,500+ recordings make up the collection so far, in addition to one-of-a-kind storytelling artifacts.
The SRP includes the resources of The Story League (a 100-year organization that shut down in 2021), Dr. Flora Joy’s collection, as well as resources and notes from Doug Lipman’s estate. A grant funds the Storyteller’s Legacy Project, in which interviews of storytelling elders are conducted, and archives of the recordings are kept for research and exploration by future generations. The SRP has launched a Spotlight Series set of interviews, beginning with Ed Stivender. Ed was interviewed live via Zoom and the recording is available to SRP members. A Retreat/Residency program is in the works for folks who would like to spend a week in the Teller Cabin in Jonesborough during a non-Teller-in-Residence week, have full access to the SRP collection, and simply create. For a week of free accommodations and full access to the SRP, the administrators only ask for a performance or workshop at the end of the stay.
For all that they do for the storytelling community, the SRP now needs our help. Tama Lunceford, the current president, is stepping down and someone must take over the reins. Ideally, it would be a northeastern Tennessee resident. However, someone might step in, even as a remote interim president, while SRP staff reassesses their priorities and keeps their current programs running. The SRP has also carved out some activities that can be handled remotely, such as managing the Spotlight Series, supervising the Retreat Residency Program, overseeing Membership activities, and coordinating Volunteer Training. If you have an interest in any of these activities or would like to find out more information, please send an email to storytellingresourceplace@gmail.com or send an inquiry through the SRP website, oursrp.org. You can also visit them if you are in the area at 115 Fox Street, Jonesborough, Tennessee.
Please consider becoming a member of the SRP to support their mission of preserving storytelling history. You can participate in Member exclusives, such as online access to interviews with storytelling elders. To get more details and to sign up, go to oursrp.org. Please support this organization with its eye on preserving the present for future generations of tellers and listeners.
The Story Beast is your quarterly e-Publication forum, and it is your place of community. Please share your creative works — poems, stories, artwork, or articles — with us and let your friends know about The Beast. Let us know what you think and send your contributed works to storybeasteditor@gmail.com. The deadline for contributions for the next issue of The Story Beast is August 15 for the Autumn 2026 issue. The Autumn issue’s theme is Cascading Colors. Thanks for reading.
May the blessings of summer, like soft breezes, surround us all.
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