Amanda Lawrence entered the storytelling world with a bang! The second time she ever told a story on stage was as a finalist in the National Storytelling Festival slam. Since then, she has become a seasoned performer, sharing humorous, heartfelt, prize-winning tales in her signature style that led her to be selected as the 2026 recipient of the J.J. Reneaux Emerging Artist Award, given to an artist of major and unique performing talent who is deserving of national recognition.

Amanda reels in audiences with what storyteller Paul Strickland has described as “an ineffable, old-world wisdom that lets you know you’re hearing something essential without ever feeling lectured.” As Jessica Robinson, Executive Director of Better Said Than Done, puts it, “Amanda Lawrence is a trickster. When she first starts telling, it feels casual, almost like you and she are sharing a conversation over tea. Then ‘surprise!’ Suddenly you find yourself transfixed by her words and her voice and you can't stop listening because you've been tricked into hearing a story full of characters, and adventure, and so real that you daren't take a breath until you know that they are safe, and you with them. By the time you come through, your tea has grown cold, but you hardly care, because you've lived a lifetime in a story.”

Amanda is equally at home telling participatory stories to second graders, creating chills and thrills around campfires, moving thousand-person audiences to laughter and tears, and sharing traditional tales at the John C. Campbell Folk School, where she’s a regular teller. She’s also a firm believer in the healing power of stories and enjoys leading healing story circles.

When she’s not doing all that, she dotes on her family, directs the Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival (which she co-founded in 2015), and runs long distances so she can dream up new stories.