Anyone interested in becoming a storyteller can learn more about the art form during a Rose Hill Teller Conference slated for Saturday at the Soulé Steam Feed Works Museum Building.

The conference is set to begin at 10 a.m. and will conclude around 2 p.m. The cost of the conference with lunch is $25, but there is no charge for those attendees arriving for the 1 p.m. session or later, said Anne McKee, one of the founders of the Rose Hill Storytellers group. Participants have until 10 a.m. Thursday to register for the event.

The conference is an attempt to revitalize the art of storytelling, which took a big hit during the Covid-19 pandemic as storytellers around the state disbanded their groups.

“I realized several months ago that all of the storytelling groups in Mississippi had not re-formed after Covid. Many have not come back together,” said McKee.

Since Rose Hill Storytellers is one of the larger groups in the state and still very active, McKee thought it was only natural they should lead the way in re-establishing a conference for Mississippi’s storytellers.

“It seemed to me that we should be the ones to jump back into it,” she said.

McKee said continuing the art of storytelling has an important role in society.

“Story telling is the oldest art form known to man,” she said. “Before cave drawings, families and friends sat around the fire telling stories.”

More than two dozen storytellers from around the state have signed up to participate in the conference. The keynote speaker for the event will be well-known local storyteller Terrence Roberts followed by several members of the Rose Hill Company of Storytellers.

Presenters will explain how they got involved in storytelling, the techniques they use in their presentations and their vision for creating a performance, among other things, McKee said. After lunch, the storytellers will take to the Soulé stage and tell stories.

“We have one or two out-of-town guests to might want to tell a story, as well as a representative from the Mississippi Arts Commission,” McKee said.

The Rose Hill Storytellers received a grant from the Community Foundation of East Mississippi to fund the conference.