Storytelling Classes

Find your voice in our Storytelling classes. Learn what makes a good story and how can you tell it in an engaging and informative manner. Share life lessons, make personal connections, and, best of all, provide great entertainment for new friends.

Explore The Studio

Harvest Room in Orchard House

Located in Orchard House, which overlooks an orchard in the front yard and a rolling pasture leading to the creek in the back, this building was originally built in the 1950s as a residence for a board member. The remodeled Photography & Writing Studio offers students a quiet classroom space equipped with high-speed internet along with Mac and PC computers. The studio’s large central table is ideal for coming together to review images or discuss your latest draft. In addition to the Harvest Room, Orchard House includes student housing.

News & Stories: What's Happening in Storytelling

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Celtic Medicine Stories with Kat Houghton

We’re thrilled to introduce native...

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Jackson Takes a Blacksmithing Class

Charley & Betsy Orlando's grandson...

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Cover Story: Beekeeping with Virginia Webb

Each spring, Virginia Webb’s beekeeping...

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Welcome to Our New Website

Our new website is here!...

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Writing Memories into Family Histories with Robin Edgar

When you take a Folk School class, you never know who you will meet. Last fall, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Robin Edgar in the herbalism class during Shaker Week. I learned that she and her husband, David Edgar, have been teaching classes at the Folk School since 1996! Robin teaches writing and David teaches the unique craft of turning recycled plastic into fantastic creations. This year, they are both teaching during Earth Week, April 19–24, 2020. In her upcoming class, Turning Fond Memories into Family Histories, students will discover how to use sights, sounds, and even smells to recall and record meaningful memories.

Karen Hurtubise headshot

Resident Artist in Gardening & Homesteading, Nature Studies, Soap Making, Storytelling

Karen Hurtubise

Karen and her husband have a small farm and grow diverse crops including native plants, berries, tomatoes, mushrooms, turmeric, and ginger. They began a large organic vegetable, flower, and herb garden over 30 years ago in Hayesville, NC, and won a Southeast Regional Rodale Organic Gardening Garden-of-the-Year contest. Karen is a passionate advocate of healthy agriculture, local food, and forest farming. She has been teaching at the Folk School since 1994.

Susannah Thompson headshot

Cooking, Gardening & Homesteading, Nature Studies, Soap Making, Storytelling Coordinator

Susannah Thompson

Susannah found the Folk School while looking for contra dance in western NC. Shortly after moving to the area, she earned her striped tights and wooden clogs as a member of Dame’s Rocket, one of the Brasstown Morris Dance teams. She has also been a teacher for over 20 years.

In forests and on camera, in school libraries, and in the kitchen, she enjoys creating new adventures for students of all ages. She started teaching at the Folk School in 2017 and is best known for her British Baking class. When she’s not in the cooking studio or on the dance floor, you can find her searching for salamanders, paddling local lakes, or assisting with wildlife monitoring projects.

Interested in Attending?

You can find more information about the many aspects that make up the Folk School Experience using the menu below.