On November 21, 2024, the Salt Lake City School District launched its 'Teller of Tales' program, featuring youth storytellers from 13 elementary schools. The event was inspired by Kristina Richards, seen here in the purple scarf, a former youth teller at the inaugural WSU Storytelling Festival (now in its 29th year). Kristina's dream of a district-level storytelling event has come to life, showcasing the impressive skill and dedication of the youth, teachers, and storytellers alike.

Also pictured is Patti White from Promise Partnerships, wearing the green sweater with autumn leaves. Patti works with both Salt Lake City and Granite school districts to bring more arts into schools. Together with Rachel Hedman, she’s helped launch a 10-week after-school program at Moss Elementary (Granite), with plans for expansion based on its success.

We’ve long dreamed of involving all five school districts in Salt Lake County, and 2025 is the year we make that happen. In addition to Murray, Jordan, and Canyons districts, we’re thrilled to welcome Salt Lake City and Granite districts into our programming, alongside Alpine School District from Utah County.

Join us as we celebrate 10 years with the Story Crossroads Summit & Festival, May 5-8, 2025, where storytelling, culture, and community come together in a dynamic experience. Featured tellers include the Twin Poets (Al Mills and Nnamdi Chukwuocha), Rachel Dunstan Muller, Tiffani Dean, Sam Payne, and others, offering a vibrant mix of multi-generational and diverse stories that will captivate audiences of all ages.

This year, we're expanding our offerings with new programs like Courageous Conversations: A Respectful Story & Dialogue about Race, a two-hour session featuring learning and community dialogue in a safe, guided space. Our “State of the Art” addresses will highlight insights from the Latinx, Chinese, and Scandinavian communities, followed by group discussions. Tiffani Dean’s multimedia experience, Still Running, will explore mental health through storytelling, film, and music. With in-person, virtual, and hybrid Mingling/Hangout sessions, there are endless opportunities to connect. Don’t miss the 2025 Story Crossroads Summit & Festival!

Our schedule is now available to explore, and registration is open.

Our Year-End Campaign is off to a great start, with $474 raised toward our $2,025 goal—just $1,551 to go! The deadline to contribute is December 30, 2024. If we have your mailing address, you may soon receive a letter along with a Story Crossroads sticker for your water bottle.

Curious if you're on the list to receive a sticker? Reach out to us at info@storycrossroads.org!

The "Growing Gab" issue is calling for submissions of stories, articles, or art—theme-related or not—due by February 15, 2025. Do you have a paragraph or more of how you "survived your art" through either an embarrassing or strange moment? Or any true, original, or folkloric stories that links to "Growing Gab"? We welcome your submissions.

Though this is a separate entity from Story Crossroads, we’re excited to see this free e-publication available globally. All details can be found at storybeast.org. Notably, the Story Crossroads Executive Director launched this initiative, collaborating with a fantastic team to bring it to life.

Story Crossroads - 501(c)(3) - To foster creative and compassionate communities through the art of storytelling.