TSA Mission Statement
Tejas Storytelling Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering the appreciation of storytelling as an oral tradition, a performing art, and an educational tool.
TSA History
In 1985, storyteller Finley Stewart produced the first storytelling festival at the Denton Arts Center, in Denton, Texas. A handful of storytellers and listeners gathered to participate in the ancient art of storytelling. Storytellers told in themed concerts to the listeners. This humble beginning lit a spark in those who participated. By the next year, story lovers worked to establish the Tejas Storytelling Association (TSA) as an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization. They named it Tejas to express Finley's grand vision of creating an organization that would bring together listeners and tellers from throughout the Texas region.
From these beginnings, TSA rapidly grew. The festival continued to grow, drawing tellers and listeners from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The festivals began to feature workshops on how to tell stories and showcase nationally known storytellers.
In 1997, Karen Morgan became TSA's second executive director. She had served years as a volunteer and later as a board member. Through her tenure as executive director, she shepherded the growth of the festival. She solidified the relationship between the Festival and the city of Denton. In 2000, she founded the Denton Storytelling Task Force.
For many, storytelling is much more than a pasttime. It's a way of life. Volunteers have provided hundreds of thousands of hours to TSA in the support of storytelling. They have done so because they've felt that same spark that started over twenty-five years ago. People attending TSA's events experience the joy, wisdom, and hope that storytellers transmit through their stories. We hope that you'll attend the Festival or one of TSA's other events and experience the power of storytelling.
June of 2009 brought another change to TSA as the group became an all volunteer organization, under the leadership of Elizabeth Ellis, president of the governing board. Elizabeth is a nationally known storyteller, who has taken time from her busy performance schedule to serve on the TSA board as chair of the Program Committee and as artistic director of the Festival.
Donna Ingham of Spicewood has now taken the helm as President of TSA. A much respected storyteller, author and folklorist, Donna is leading TSA into a bright future.