The Texas Storytelling Fes­ti­val won’t happen under tents, with trains blowing a lonely whistle as the country’s best narrators command audiences with little more than music and the spoken word.

This year, almost the whole festival will happen under one roof. All workshops, concerts and events will happen at Hubbard Hall on the Texas Woman’s Uni­versity campus. Only the “Tiny Tales for Tiny Tots” concert from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday will happen off-campus, at the Center for the Visual Arts. The hall is on Hickory Street just a bit off Bell Avenue, with plenty of room for everyone, said Cristin Thomas, the executive director of Tejas Storytelling Association, the group that stages the state festival each year.

“Last year, after two days of rain, we were really hurting. The rain just killed us,” Thomas said.

Showers didn’t just keep crowds away from Quakertown Park, the festival’s longtime location. Weather also forced school officials to round up each and every student attending the 2007 student field trip day mid-concert, and rain kept the resource tent in a tizzy.

“Every time it rained, we all had to run around and pack up the merchandise in the resource tent. When it stopped, we had to start all over,” Thomas said. “It was just crazy.”

Discouraging weather chewed into the nonprofit storytelling group’s revenue, urging organizers to reassess their core audience.

Access is important, Thomas said. As an all-ages event, the festival spread across Quakertown Park was a challenge for some older audience members, and a trek for families with children. Volunteers and festival patrons mentioned limitations.

“When we looked at the demographics of our base, they told us they had a little trouble getting around the grounds sometimes. And if you liked a storyteller and wanted to buy some of their stuff, you had to leave that tent right after the concert and go across the grounds to the resource tent,” Thomas said.

If you wanted to make another concert right away, the trip to the resource tent could cost you part of the next concert.

“Now, everything will be all there. Everything will be in one place,” Thomas said.

This year, the festival concerts will be in the southeast and southwest ballrooms as well as Pioneer Hall in Hubbard Hall.

National tellers cross over to publishing

This year’s storytelling festival coincidentally highlights the literary power of the headlining talent. The festival is known for delivering evening concerts by expert performers who know their art. This year’s tellers pack an additional punch to the art form. All of the national tellers are published authors.

Carmen Agra Deedy’s book Martina the Beautiful Cock­roach, written in English and Spanish, earned the Pura Belpre Medal, given to children’s books by and about Latino culture.

Tim Tingle, a Canyon Lake storyteller, saw his latest book, Turtle Grew Feathers, published by August House last February, and the story he’s probably most known for, Crossing Bok Chito: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship, is on the master list for the 2008-09 Texas Bluebonnet Awards.

His book is made available through Texas public school libraries, and when children read the title, they get credit through the award’s reading program. Tingle’s book is the touching story about a Choctaw girl who breaks the rules by crossing the Bok Chito River, befriending some of the slaves on the other side.

“Tim Tingle is becoming a hard man to find,” Thomas said. “He’s getting booked like crazy. He’s been a longtime supporter of the Texas festival, and a longtime supporter.”

Though Tingle is known for his Choctaw stories, he’s good for a blood-chiller during Ghost Tales, the inaugural concert of the festival each year.

Doug Lipman, an Oklahoma-based teller, has published his stories and instructional manuals and kits about storytelling for years.

“It’s a coincidence that all of our national tellers are published,” Thomas said. “I think that’s a really unique thing, though, and it shows just how dedicated these guys are to their art.”

Deedy was born in Havana, Cuba, and emigrated with her family to Georgia. She relies on her dual heritage to engage listeners with humor, poetry in language and frank insights. She has presented stories on National Public Radio’s weekend edition of All Things Considered.

Lipman is a sought-after storyteller and coach who travels widely — he went to Mexico just before coming to Denton. He began storytelling because he was interested in becoming a better teacher to the children in his classes. Other storytellers love him for creating “Storytelling Workshop in a Box.”

Tingle gave his first National Museum of the American Indian performance at the am­phitheater outside the Smith­sonian Insti­tu­tion complex last June. His work with tribal Choc­taw elders turned into an anthology that won the Best Anthology of 2003 award, granted by Storytelling World Maga­zine. Tingle has earned copious praise for his work to preserve Choctaw heritage, both in storytelling and music.

Regional tellers at this year’s festival are Doc Moore, Donna Lively and James Ford.

LUCINDA BREEDING can be reached at 940-566-6877. Her e-mail address is cbreeding@dentonrc.com .

When: 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday

Where: Most events are at TWU’s Hubbard Hall, off Oakland Street. The “Tiny Tales for Tiny Tots” concert from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday will be at the Center for the Visual Arts, 400 E. Hickory St.

Details: Festival passes are $150 for adults and $65 for youths. For Tejas Storytelling Association members, passes are $100 each, and $50 for youths. Evening concert tickets are $10, individual day concert tickets are $5, Friday or Saturday day passes are $40, and Sunday day passes are $20. For a full ticket schedule, including workshops and student field trip, visit www.tejasstorytelling.org  or call 940-382-7014. See schedule, Page 10.

Five Denton-area children will participate in the Texas Storytelling Festival — including Tuesday Kissinger, who attends L.A. Nelson Elementary School, and Ryan Elementary School students Garrett Smith, Jackson Sawko, Kody Jones and Caley Kubicek. Other young participants include Aneeta Alex, 10; Tionne Grady Fuller, 11; Keith Kibby; Meena Subramanian, 12; and Journey Poklikuha, 11.

TODAY

Quakertown Stage

7 to 9 p.m. — Ghost Story Concert

FRIDAY

Center for the Visual Arts

10 to 11 a.m. — Tiny Tales for Tiny Tots

Quakertown Stage

10:30 to 12:30 p.m. — Middle school concerts

10:30 to 11:20 a.m. — Donna Lively and Doug Lipman, with youth tellers

11:20 to 11:40 a.m. — Intermission

11:40 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — James Ford and Carmen Deedy, with youth tellers

1:30 to 3 p.m. — Concert of all featured tellers: Carmen Agra Deedy, James Ford, Tim Tingle, Donna Lively and Doug Lipman.

3:30 to 4:30 p.m. — Membership meeting

5 to 6 p.m. — Rising Star concert

7:30 to 10 p.m. — Evening concert, featuring James Ford, Doc Moore, Carmen Agra Deedy, Tim Tingle and Doug Lipman

Denton Stage

9:30 to 11:30 a.m. — Elementary school concerts

9:30 to 10:20 a.m. — Donna Lively and Tim Tingle

10:20 to 10:40 a.m. — Intermission

10:40 to 11:30 a.m. — James Ford and Carmen Agra Deedy

SATURDAY

Quakertown Stage

10 a.m. to noon — Traditional Native American concert and Story Circles

1 to 2 p.m. — Licking the Plate

2:30 to 3:30 p.m. — Kinfolk and Other Problems

4 to 5 p.m. — Lone Star Liars Contest

Denton Senior Center

5 to 7 p.m. — Tale Spinner Dinner and Silent Auction

Quakertown Stage

7:30 to 10 p.m. — Evening Concert: Tim Tingle, Doug Lipman, John Henry Faulk, volunteer awards ceremony (12-14 minutes), Donna Lively and Carmen Agra Deedy

Denton Stage

9 to 11:45 a.m. — Children’s concerts for children ages 5 and older

9 to 9:45 a.m. — Critters and Creatures

10 to 10:45 a.m. — Around the World and Home Again

11 to 11:45 a.m. — For Your Funny­bone

1 to 2 p.m. — Lessons Learned and Lost

2:30 to 3:30 p.m. — Texas to the Bone

4 to 5 p.m. — Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire

SUNDAY

Quakertown Stage

10 to 11 a.m. — Sacred Tales

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Those Who Have Gone Before

1 to 2 p.m. — Farewell Concert of featured regional tellers

2:30 to 3:30 p.m. — Farewell Concert of national tellers

Denton Stage

10 to 11 a.m. — Cowboy Church

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Cowboy Poetry