Eight Billion Stories to Change the World: A Tribute to my Friend, Jimmy Neil Smith.

My dear friend, Jimmy Neil Smith, who was my predecessor and the founder of the International Storytelling Center, passed away this weekend. There are many people who have stories about Jimmy, and I want to encourage folks to read those and continue to share the love that Jimmy gave to the world. However, I want to share my own personal tribute to someone whom I consider a true pioneer, creative genius, and champion for the art of storytelling.

Jimmy Neil Smith retired as president of the International Storytelling Center in 2012 after 40 years of service. When I was hired as president, I stepped into big shoes. In addition to founding the institution, Jimmy Neil was the visionary behind the National Storytelling Festival.

We all have people in our lives who have influenced us, directly or indirectly, including teachers, parents, friends, colleagues, or even strangers we admire. They are the people who have shaped our thinking, passions, and work. Jimmy Neil is someone who has influenced me greatly and whose incredible life and work touched the lives of thousands, if not millions, of people and communities worldwide.

​More than just my predecessor, he was also my friend.

When I arrived in August 2013, Jimmy Neil invited me to breakfast at the Courthouse Diner in Jonesborough. We’re both talkers, so naturally, our breakfast turned into a three-hour-plus conversation—one of many meals and meetings we’ve shared over the years. In addition to our love for the art form, we shared a love for bacon, talking politics, history, and breaking the rules. On a few occasions, I even sneaked in some bacon along with the latest gossip from Tennessee’s oldest town when Jimmy Neil was in the hospital. Of course, the bacon was Jonesborough-made! Sometimes, we’d do our own prayer to storytelling while hanging out at Cracker Barrel.

I’ve had many early-morning conversations over breakfast with Jimmy Neil. When the Courthouse Diner closed, we moved to the Pancake House. You’ll find it right on the corner of Boone Street as you enter downtown Jonesborough. I recall one day, as we were eating, Jimmy Neil looked out the window and described how much Jonesborough had changed over the years. In his early career, there was no traffic and many fewer traffic lights. Jonesborough has thrived, in large part due to his vision and care.

Over the years, I got to know him well. It’s amusing how much we had in common. Many of our staff, who have worked with us both, noted that we shared many characteristics and quirks, including how we both chewed our pens as we’d think up new ideas to put into action. And one time, I showed Jimmy Neil the large sketchbook where I noted my ideas—and he had the exact same notebook for the exact same purpose.

What I loved about Jimmy Neil from the start was that he had the mind of a folklorist. He was always asking questions, always present and curious as he listened. He would ask about my family, the places and experiences that shaped me in childhood. But I soon discovered this was just who Jimmy was with everyone.

When he met my 15-year-old nephew visiting from England, I took him to the Pancake House to meet Jimmy. Jimmy, ever curious, wanted to know everything, including how events had shaped his life and his opinions on world affairs. He was always interested in hearing everyone’s stories.
When I say Jimmy has had an impact on many people, he truly has. That is the legacy of someone who has poured so much heart into developing not only an institution but an idea.

“Think of a big idea and take steps to make it happen.” That’s what he’d say; it was his mantra. And then, in his beautiful Southern drawl, he’d add, “Well, I’m just a country boy with a big dream.” And I’d jokingly reply, “Well, I’m just a city kid, now turned country.” Occasionally, we’d swap hats and try each other’s accents out.

Another fascinating coincidence, we were both admirers of Bill Strickland, a creative genius who advised both the Bush and Obama administrations. Strickland believes that if you create a beautiful place, beautiful things will happen. I remember returning to Jonesborough from a work trip, excited to tell Jimmy about meeting Strickland in Nashville and hearing that philosophy firsthand. Jimmy Neil just smiled and said he had heard Strickland give a similar talk years ago. In fact, that talk was what inspired him to create the International Storytelling Center in the first place, to build a beautiful place where beautiful things could happen.

As we know, ISC and the National Storytelling Festival have brought international acclaim to Jonesborough and the region, elevating storytelling from an everyday folk art into a thriving professional and creative industry across the nation and around the world.

As Jimmy said, “Think of a big idea and take steps to make it happen.” This was the early 1970s when Jonesborough, like many small towns in the South, was struggling and in need of revitalization. It was Jimmy Neil who had the bold idea to give that first humble gathering of storytellers the grand name of the National Storytelling Festival. And, as we all know, that idea grew into its name over time.

But Jimmy also talked about storytelling as a revolution—something that has the power and potential to meet the challenges of the world.
During my tenure leading the International Storytelling Center, these were the ideas I wanted us to keep, evolve, and develop. As we built partnerships with many peacebuilding and humanitarian agencies around the world, I remember those conversations and ideas, much of which was put into research, booklets, papers, and notes that I have read many times, as well as hundreds of conversations with Jimmy Neil, over the years.

And again, you take steps to make that happen. Jimmy did just that. He built on research and projects with the Harvard School of Education, helped put storytelling theory into practice through partnerships with NASA, the United Way, regional healthcare institutions, UNESCO, and the Smithsonian Institution. He helped establish storytelling’s role in education, healthcare, literacy, conflict resolution, international diplomacy, and collaboration.

One of the things that made Jimmy Neil a creative genius, in my eyes, was his dedication to preservation and documentation. Early recordings of the festival that he ensured were recorded now form one of the largest single collections held at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
When I think of Jimmy Neil’s legacy, he will be remembered for developing the art of storytelling in service to the world, as a vehicle to bring people together, champion causes, foster dialogue, and empower individuals. Jimmy believed that if there are 8 billion people on the planet, then there are at least 8 billion stories to make the world a better place.

He may have called himself just a country boy with a big dream, but I can say, without a doubt—that country boy changed the world. And his creative legacy, ideas, and tangible projects, will live on for years, in benefit for generations to come.

I am grateful for everything Jimmy Neil gave to the storytelling, for the movement at large, and for what he gave me personally. But most of all, I will always treasure having the chance to call him my friend. I will be miss him dearly.

Kiran Singh Sirah.
 

For those interested in learning more about Jimmy Neil Smith, I encourage you also to read the tribute story on the International Storytelling Center website, as well as the beautiful obituary written by his family, as well as the many other writings about his work and interests.