Brief Bio & Photos
Amanda Lawrence is from Blairsville, Georgia. She grew up in a family of storytellers and enjoys sharing folk and fairy tales, tall tales, ghost stories, and personal narratives. A regular teller at the John C. Campbell Folk School, she has also performed at the Women’s Storytelling Festival, National Storytelling Network Conference, St. Louis Fringe, and countless other events, and she has been a finalist in the National Storytelling Festival slam. Amanda is the 2026 recipient of the J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Award, given every other year to an artist of major and unique performing talent who is deserving of national recognition. She also co-founded and directs the Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival, now in its twelfth year.
Storytelling Resume
Selected Performances and Recognitions
Acworth Books & Storytelling Festival
Alleghany Highlands Story Fest
Appalachian Stories at the Peacock Playhouse
Bear on the Square Festival
Better Said Than Done storytelling shows
Cherokee County Arts Council storytelling shows
No Rusty Ears (Hampton, VA)
Florida Storytelling Festival Fringe
Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival
The Good Liars Club
The Grapevine (Folklore Society of Greater Washington)
Hagood Mill Storytelling Festival
Haunts and Harvest: An Evening of Appalachian Ghost Stories
John C. Campbell Folk School: Fall Festival, Friends & Family Day, Ghost Stories, and Monthly Appalachian Storytelling Nights
National Storytelling Network Conference
Rose Valley Storytelling
St. Louis Fringe
Stone Soup Storytelling Festival
Stories by the Millstream 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”)
2025 Winner of Six Feet Apart Productions’ Story Slam (theme: survival)
2026 J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Award