Floyd Living Traditions Festival Kick Off Event

“The Heron’s Journey” by Adam Booth- Floyd Living Traditions Festival Kick Off Event

“The Heron’s Journey” is a 60-75 minute story told without intermission. It is a neo-traditional, original story about a young boy who finds his true place in life while on a journey during which he transitions into a great blue heron. “The Heron’s Journey” is primarily about identity and creation. Some listeners hear it through the lens of power dynamics, listening to intuition, and environmentalism or access to the natural world. Audiences have been captivated by this tale and find it speaks to them on a variety of very personal levels. All of Adam’s stories are family-friendly in content, however “The Heron’s Journey” is intended for mature listeners. Adam collaborated with three West Virginia artists during the creation of this story.

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​Adam Booth (he/him) is the 2022 West Virginia Folk Artist of the Year, awarded at the Governor’s Arts Awards. Adam blends traditional mountain folklore, music, and an awareness of contemporary Appalachia to create original, forward-thinking story artistry. Adam’s new multidisciplinary program The Heron’s Journey has been selected for the 2024-2025 Mid Atlantic Arts Touring Roster. As a nationally touring artist, his professional telling appearances include premiere storytelling events across the United States, including the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, the International Storytelling Center, the National Storytelling Festival, the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, the Appalachian Studies Association Conference, the National Storytelling Conference, the National Academy of Medicine, and as a Spoken Word Resident at the Banff Centre (Alberta, Canada). He is a member of the Recording Academy and his recordings have received many national honors, including a Parents’ Choice Gold Award. Adam serves as the inaugural Storyteller-In-Residence at Shepherd University and is the founding artistic director of Speak Story Series, a premier destination for storytelling in concert.

Event Schedule: Opening at 6pm with Floyd Jams, followed by performance by Adam Booth

Registration Information: Adults- $20, Students- FREE. See link below for more information and tickets

Venue Information: The June Bug Center, 251 Parkway Lane S, Floyd VA 24091​

The June Bug Center is ADA accessible.

This project is made possible by Mid Atlantic Arts’ Central Appalachia Living Traditions program & Mid Atlantic Tours program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.