Bio & Photos

Amanda Lawrence is from Blairsville, Georgia. She grew up in a family of storytellers and enjoys sharing folk and fairy tales, ghost stories, and personal narratives. She was a finalist in the Story Slam at the 2018 National Storytelling Festival and was voted People’s Choice as a New Voice at the 2023 Stone Soup Festival, where she returned as a featured teller in 2024. She has shared stories at festivals and events across the Southeast and is a regular teller at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina. Amanda is also co-founder and co-director of the Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival, which just celebrated its tenth anniversary.

Storytelling Resume

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Selected Performances and Recognitions

Acworth Books & Storytelling Festival

Alleghany Highlands Story Fest

Amicalola Falls State Park Campfire Series

Appalachian Stories at the Peacock Playhouse

Bear on the Square Festival

Better Said Than Done storytelling shows

Cherokee County Arts Council storytelling shows

Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival

Ghost Stories at Young Harris College

Halloween Stories at MUSE 134 (Stone Soup Storytelling Institute)

Haunts and Harvest: An Evening of Appalachian Ghost Stories

John C. Campbell Folk School: Fall Festival, Friends & Family Day, and Monthly Appalachian Storytelling Nights

Rose Valley Storytelling

Stone Soup Storytelling Festival

Stories by the Millstream Festival

Vogel State Park Fall Festival

Women’s Storytelling Festival

2018 Finalist: National Storytelling Festival Slam

2023 People’s Choice Award Winner: Stone Soup Storytelling Festival

2024 Winner of the Hagood Mill Liar’s Competition (for the title “Biggest Liar in South Carolina”)

What People Are Saying

  • SHEILA ARNOLD, STORYTELLER

    “Amanda guided us home to joy and the truth that sometimes peace comes right where you are. I look forward to her telling more.”

  • ANDY OFFUTT IRWIN, STORYTELLER

    “Amanda and her stories, told with her comforting, wise voice, have a lot to teach us about hurling through life. I am a doting fan.”

  • LONA BARTLETT, STORYTELLER

    “Amanda tells a Jack Tale as if she knows the boy personally. Her telling makes you smile, sit back, relax, and listen for more than a spell.”

  • PAUL STRICKLAND, STORYTELLER

    “There is a precision to Amanda's telling I admire. She knows why she's telling a story, and why she wants that story to live on beyond her telling in the world, and that is evident in her attention to the craft.”

  • CHILDREN'S OUTREACH LIBRARIAN

    “Thank you so much for joining us. I really enjoyed your stories, and so did the children. They loved the participation.”

  • PRIMARY SCHOOL LIBRARIAN

    “We really enjoyed it. We would love to have you back any time.”