Since its formation in August 2025, the Smoky Mountain Storytellers (SMS) series — held monthly at Outdoor 76 on East Main Street in Franklin — has become one of the most popular social gatherings for literary folks and the curious alike in Macon County and greater Western North Carolina.
“Storytellers came about as a way to gather and enjoy the craft of writing in a live, collective environment. In this day of the digital age, live, in-person performance is not only more valuable and rare, but it’s also becoming a lifeline for creativity,” said series co-founder Hannah McLeod. “Forms of art like music, dancing, or theater depend on that live, in-person experience. Writing does not. We wanted to create a space in our community where that could exist for the art of writing.”
To properly mark the growth and evolution of the series, the Smoky Mountain Storytellers will publish and release its first anthology (Seed Bed Press). “Celebrating the rich literary traditions of Western North Carolina and the enduring power of storytelling to connect people across generations, backgrounds, and experiences,” the collection will feature fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from participants at the readings since its inception. A special book release party will be held during the next series reading on Nov. 21.
For me, bringing all these voices together
“For me, bringing all these voices together in one book is a reminder of the power of gathering,” McLeod said. “This physical project would not exist if it weren’t for the hundreds of people who have gathered together over the last year to listen to friends, acquaintances, and strangers share their stories. It’s a reminder and a keepsake.”
Alongside her partner, Franklin native Braulio Fonseca, McLeod launched the series as a way to not only offer something much-needed in the community, but also to reconnect with their roots in Western North Carolina. To note, McLeod, a Waynesville native, was also a prominent journalist at The Smoky Mountain News for five years.
“To inhabit a Storytellers event is like entering the theatre — the lights go down, the microphone is hot, and the room becomes silent as the audience leans in to every new voice that comes to the stage,” Fonseca said. “At intermission, the room is electric with conversation amongst writers and audience members as they get a chance to talk about the stories they heard and work they enjoy. It is a room of complete communal joy and inspiration, and the smiling faces and laughter are proof of that.”
My favorite part of these events is sitting
“My favorite part of these events is sitting in the audience, listening to people react in real time to a reading,” McLeod added. “Their laughs, gasps, sighs. They are alive around me and I get to watch writers feel the impact of their words as they speak them.”
When they’re not in WNC putting together readings, they are both pursuing PhDs, with McLeod a literature candidate at Auburn University and Fonseca a creative writing candidate at Florida State University. Before that, they each graduated from Western Carolina University’s master’s program in English.
“As a writer, [Storytellers] is our time to complete the act of writing as we learn each time we read how to pace our stories and deliver our lines and the audience shows us how to do that as they react in the moment.” Fonseca said. “Performing live is, without question, making me a better writer.”
Fonseca estimated 20 or so attendees during
Fonseca estimated 20 or so attendees during that initial reading last year, whereas nowadays, the audience is hovering around 100 or more on a consistent basis.
“Watching this event grow has been beautiful and gratifying but actually not surprising. We, as humans, crave this sort of thing. It’s what we all live for,” McLeod said. “We’re all chasing the feeling of being alive, of passion, of risk. Listening to someone share their story on the microphone in a quiet, dark room is just one tiny way to access those sensations and indulge in the vast array of human emotions.”
“SMS is growing in many ways, as we recently became a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and have begun recruiting amazing talent. So to begin with an anthology; that shows our audience and our guest readers that this show is something special — a unique family to be a part of,” Fonseca noted. “It means so much to me to showcase each and every writer in this anthology. Their work is cemented in time, immortal between two covers — that is the greatest gift, and we’re so happy to share it with the world.”
McLeod and Fonseca would like to acknowledge
McLeod and Fonseca would like to acknowledge the local businesses and entities involved in facilitating the series: Outdoor 76 for providing the venue, City Lights Bookstore for setting up a pop-up book shop at each performance, Ambitious Entertainment for donating the microphone and equipment, and Glen Whittaker for offering his vacation rental to visiting writers free of charge. The Smoky Mountain News also donates printing services for the show’s programs and other materials.
“It is truly a collective community effort that we wouldn’t be able to do without all these supportive people,” McLeod said. “[This] gathering with other writers, and people who want to spend time listening to another person tell their story, is actually indispensable — it makes us all more human. Like the gift of live music, we have to hold on to the act of listening to people tell their stories, or recite their poetry, because it helps us be people and make sense of our experiences and our world.”
Want to go?
To celebrate the release of its first anthology book, the Smoky Mountain Storytellers series will continue with its next installment, which will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at Outdoor 76 in downtown Franklin.
The event will feature a mix of fiction,
The event will feature a mix of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by guest writers Rhonda Browning White, Skip Horack, Andrew Clark, Doug Woodward, Lauren Raye, Bob Scott, Adam Bigelow, and Whitney Waters.
The reading is free and open to the public. For more information, email info@bfonckcreative.com. The book is available for purchase at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.
