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Story published: 06-12-2012 • Print Article • E-mail Story to a Friend

Forest to share stories of farm life

The International Storytelling Center’s next teller-in-residence will be Heather Forest, a songstress and curator of folklore and fables.

While Forest is known for fairy tales and other folk stories, she has recently expanded her repertoire to include tales about life on her family farm, which has grown quickly over the last few years.

“I’ve been telling stories for 30 years and never shared much about my personal life,” she says. “But at this point it feels like such a universal story that it rises to the level of metaphor. I’m 63 years old and life has started all over again. I feel like I’m living inside of a folk tale.”

When she became manager after the death of her father-in-law, Forest switched the farm’s focus from flowers to food, which she sells at farmers’ markets and through a community-supported agriculture program.

“For the past 45 years, my husband’s dad had this family garden, which supplied our extended family and neighbors,” she says. “We were known far and wide for the amazing vegetables that we grow. I’ve always been a part of that, but it didn’t seem like anything special. It was just a lifestyle.

“Now I’m learning by the seat of my pants to do things I’ve only assisted in over the last 30 years.”

In addition to her stories about food, farming and fellowship, Forest will share folk tales and songs from around the world during daily matinees, from June 12-16 at 2 p.m. in the Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall.

Tickets for Forest’s matinee performances are $12 for adults and $11 for seniors, students, and children under 18.

Forest will also offer a children’s concert on Saturday, June 16, at 10:30 a.m.

She will have her guitar and other instruments on hand for sing-alongs. Tickets are $5 for all ages.

The Teller-in-Residence series, also known as Storytelling Live, is a seasonal program that invites a new storyteller to Jonesborough each week through the summer and fall.

A detailed schedule of the 2012 season is available at www.storytellingcenter.net. For more information, call 913-1276.