MUSE on Fire: 40 Years of Stories at Stone Soup Festival
The 40th Stone Soup Storytelling Festival, South Carolina's official storytelling festival, brought 17 tellers from across the U.S. and Quebec to MUSE 134 in downtown Woodruff.
The Woodruff Times reported in May 2025 that the 40th annual Stone Soup Storytelling Festival filled MUSE 134 in downtown Woodruff for a weekend of performances. Stone Soup is the official storytelling festival of South Carolina.
According to the paper, 17 tellers took part: headliners Kim Weitkamp and Andy Offut Irwin, five featured tellers and nine "New Voices" from around the United States and Quebec. This year's theme asked for stories that promote cultural sustainability, community connection and empathy, and the program ranged from folk tales and ghost stories to personal narratives. Japanese performer Yasu Ishida worked origami and sleight of hand into his set.
The paper credits local businesses and volunteers: Pour Choices, Kingston Homestyle Kitchen and the Country Meat Market provided meals, and local sponsors helped with lodging. The Stone Soup Storytelling Institute also arranged school visits so students could hear oral storytelling firsthand, and organizers said they plan to expand programming through the year.
"We look for listeners. And we had listeners," organizers told the paper.
Read the full story at The Woodruff Times.