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Purveyors of the Oral Art of Storytelling |
The Southern Order of Storytellers (SOS) is dedicated to bringing storytelling and story listening back to their traditional, prominent place in the community. Our members bring storytelling to corporations, schools, religious settings, community events and family functions.
Southern Order of Storytellers was organized during the Summer of 1982 and received its charter from the State of Georgia on September 26, 1983. It was an outgrowth of classes taught by Loralee Cooley at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.
Here is a sampling of what SOS is all about.
| Winter Storytelling Festival | An annual event held the last weekend in January, the festival offers two days of workshops, performances by regional and national performers and a wide range of resource materials. There are sessions for families and children and youthful voices, the next generation of tellers. |
| Tellabration! | Tellabration is an international evening of storytelling held in November. SOS sponsors 3 events in metro Atlanta. SOS members have participated in Tellabrations in Augusta, Blue Ridge, Carrollton, Douglasville, Hiawassee, Rome, Roswell, and Savannah. |
| Emerging Voices: Family Storytelling | In partnership with Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, SOS produces a monthly storytelling event. The program combines new voices in storytelling with a professional storyteller. Frequently, these new voices are young tellers. |
| Partnerships | Many SOS members, both as paid professionals and as volunteers, provide school programs and residencies, including training for teachers. Teachers can receive staff development units by attending storytelling classes taught by SOS members at the Alliance Theater and by attending the Winter Storytelling Festival. |
| Cluster Groups | Cluster groups are neighborhood groups which meet monthly. They provide a place for storytellers to share fellowship, to tell stories in a supportive environment, and to create and/or rehearse new material. Groups are open to all members and meet in Albany, Atlanta, Augusta, Decatur, LaGrange, Roswell, Rome, Sandy Springs, Savannah and Dothan, AL. Visitors with an interest in storytelling are invited to attend any of the Cluster Group meetings. |
| Georgia Storytelling Week | The third week of November is recognized by the Georgia House of Representatives as Georgia Storytelling Week. |
| Scholarship | In keeping with its charter, SOS established the Karen Thomas Memorial Scholarship in 2001. The scholarship pays the full tuition for one person to attend the Alliance Theatre Storytelling class taught by an SOS member. |
The Southern Order of Storytellers is an affiliate member of the National Storytelling Network and a member of the Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts.
The Southern Order of Storytellers, incorporated in 1982, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization under the laws of the State of Georgia.