National Story League

On a stone sunk into the lawn of Ayres Hall is inscribed “National Story League—Founded Here 1903.” This stone signifies the actual place on the campus during the 1903 Summer School of the South session where America’s oldest storytelling association was founded. The league was organized by Richard Thomas Wyche (1867–1930) who served 16 years as its president. Wyche was a storyteller and a lecturer at the University of Chicago for the Chautauqua Institute. He was cofounder of Storytellers’ Magazine. Twilight, informal storytelling sessions were held at the Summer School of the South to give teachers practice in storytelling and for the pleasure of their fellow attendees. The National Story League celebrated its 45th anniversary by convening in Knoxville on September 1–4, 1948.

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The following information is provided for citations.

  • Title National Story League
  • Author
  • Keywords National Story League
  • Website Name Volopedia
  • Publisher University of Tennessee Libraries
  • URL
  • Access Date September 7, 2026
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update October 9, 2018