Janice Johnson thought she wanted to write a book, but decided she'd rather tell a story.
Perhaps the one about her grandfather who grew up on a plantation and ended up running for City Council twice in Hampton. Or another about Mary W. Jackson, NASA's first Black female engineer who Johnson knew as a Girl Scout troop leader.
Johnson also shares stories about abortion, infidelity and even sex toys, but those are only told after hours.
Johnson, 85, and nationally renowned storyteller Sheila Arnold, are the presenters behind the Hampton Storytelling Festival, July 15-21. Both women embrace the art of storytelling as a viable part of the city's culture because of the connection it creates.
"Today we talk at each other instead of with each other," Johnson said. "When you're involved in storytelling, listening is a fantastic part of that."
Storytelling festivals continue to sprout up across the nation, none more well attended than the National Storytelling Festival that started 50 years ago in front of 100 folks in Jonesborough, Tennessee. Today that rural town is known as "the storytelling capital of the world," and the annual festival drew more than 10,000 in 2023.
Attending that festival inspired Arnold to introduce the idea to Hampton, with the intention of reducing division and producing community.
"Once you hear somebody's story, it's hard to hate them," she said.
Last year's inaugural event attracted 350 attendees, and the feedback informed Johnson and Arnold that people liked the idea of sharing stories more than once a year. That's led to a monthly story swap at various locations, as well as a change to this year's festival.
"Rather than having the festival in one location, we're trying to go where people are," Johnson said.
Among this year’s venues: three churches, the Hampton History Museum and the Women's Club of Hampton, which will host the opening reception.
The tellers include Ray Christian, a combat-decorated retired Army paratrooper; actor and playwright Valerie Davis; and humorist Andy Offutt Irwin, distinguished by his manic, Silly Putty voice and knack for whistling that have made him a regular at the National Storytelling Festival. Dylan Pritchett, a Newport News native and former president of The National Association of Black Storytellers, will also be on hand.
Pritchett is a former interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg and delights in telling African folktales passed down for generations. He purchased a rare collection of narratives from formerly enslaved people and is driven to share history as it happened.
"My stories are filled with realism, authenticity," he said. "I am a traditionalist. I've always used stories to teach – period. I explain every story I tell. Stories, if you read them — the meaning is not the obvious. It's like watching one of those mystery shows. You think you know who did it until you find out who did it."
In keeping with the festival's theme of "Everybody has a story," festival goers will be encouraged to share narratives of their own.
"We want people to recognize that they, too, have stories," Johnson said.
"They may not know how to tell them, but we can help with that. We're trying to open the door to having the entire city of Hampton use storytelling as part of its culture."
The Hampton Storytelling Festival runs July 18-21 at various places in the city. All events are free and a full schedule is online.
