Rachel Hedman began her storytelling journey in high school in 1994, competing in Forensics—a series of public speaking contests that included storytelling. During her college years, she envisioned storytelling not as a niche art form, but as a powerful, everyday tool with global impact. Her passion and potential were recognized when she became the first recipient of the J.J. Reneaux Mentorship Grant, allowing her to receive in-person coaching from National Storyteller Don Doyle from September 12–15, 2006. She continued her professional development by attending National Storytelling Conferences hosted by the National Storytelling Network. A pivotal moment came on August 9, 2008, when she experienced a brain trust session led by David Novak at that year’s conference—further shaping her approach to the art and its possibilities.
David Novak, as brain trust facilitator and national storyteller, shared the following premise:
- The answer “No” did not exist
- The answer “Yes” was always followed by “If”
From these skills, Hedman wondered what a worldwide level storytelling event could be like. In the Fall of 2008, she talked with Jim Cooper, Salt Lake County Library Services Director. He turned to his desk, pulled out the Viridian Events Center blueprints, and declared, “We would be a great partner!” Hedman said that there will be much planning and groundwork and that may not happen until 2020 or beyond.
Meanwhile, on July 6, 2009, Hedman arranged a “Meeting of the Minds” recorded conference call with the following storytelling organization experts: Sean Buvala, Eric Wolf, Tim Ereneta, Loren Niemi, and Jeff Gere. They all encouraged the development of the World Story Conference.
Hedman wished for the National Storytelling Network to be involved somehow and so on August 1, 2009, she proposed a national storytelling conference (with Story Crossroads-like elements) with the National Storytelling Network to be held 2014 in Salt Lake City. The National Storytelling Network chose another location for the National Storytelling Conference though encouraged to develop the ideas shared.
Hedman attended many other conferences—storytelling, art, and leadership related ones—throughout the years to build connections and relationships with organizations. By the 2014 Mountain West Arts Conference, Mary Ann Kirk asked Hedman when there will be a first community planning meeting for a Salt Lake County storytelling event. Kirk wanted another opportunity for the youth tellers with the Murray Storytelling Festival to share their stories.
Story Crossroads began with five Community Planning Meetings held monthly from June through October 2014, which then transitioned into official monthly Board Meetings starting in November 2014. All meetings have been documented through recordings and written minutes, which are available upon request. To stay connected, you can also join the Story Crossroads email list by reaching out to info@storycrossroads.org.
We had our inaugural Story Crossroads Festival on Friday-Saturday, April 15-16 at the Viridian Event Center in West Jordan, Utah. During our 5th Annual Festival, we adapted our live festival to completely virtual and was renamed Story Crossroads Spectacular. Our 6th Annual Festival was May 10-13, 2021 and nicknamed “The Hybrid” as we combined virtual and live elements with safety measures such as proper-distancing, masks, and being outdoors. Since 2021, our annual Summit & Festival has been hybrid. Our upcoming 11th Summit & Festival is May 4-6, 2026.
Meanwhile, we have become our own nonprofit and approved as a 501(c)(3) on December 4, 2018 that backdates effective to April 7, 2017.
Story Crossroads is more than a yearly festival—it is a year-round initiative dedicated to arts education and performance opportunities that celebrate the power of storytelling across cultures and disciplines. The annual festival is part of a larger vision leading to the launch of the World Story Crossroads in 2030. Once established, this global event will occur every four years in Olympic-style fashion, hosted at Murray City Park utilizing all its pavilions and amphitheaters. The six-day celebration will spotlight each of the six major continents through broadcasted state-of-the-art addresses, story workshops, cross-disciplinary presentations, cultural explorations, and dynamic performances. Many of these stories will blend with other art forms, including dance, music, theatre, visual arts, and film. In the years between global gatherings, the Salt Lake-level Story Crossroads Festival will continue the momentum locally while still engaging a worldwide audience.