Once upon a time, in a remote region far far away . . . and so the story goes. In this area heaped with concretions of history, legends, tall tales, myths, and off the cuff narratives; storytelling abounds. Why storytelling? The National Storytelling Association's premise is that storytelling lives at the heart of human experience--a compelling form of personal communication as ancient as language itself. Since the beginnings of humankind, we have shared through stories the events, beliefs, and values held dear by our families, communities, and cultures. But in recent times the age-old art of storytelling was almost drowned out by the clamorous din of contemporary culture--until the human yearning for genuine one-on-one communication sparked a revival of the art. Today a renaissance of storytelling is cascading across the country, a renaissance heard in the clear voices of teachers, librarians, corporate executives, therapists, minister, parents, and others for whom storytelling is a vibrant part of everyday life and work.

So, in December of 1999, in response to this growing phenomenon, the first official storytelling chapter in San Juan County, Utah was established. Dubbed the Abajo Storytellers of San Juan County, it has been welcomed into the Utah Storytelling Guild as the 6th recognized chapter in Utah and is an affiliate of the National Storytelling Association.