Sam Payne
July 2, 2025 | 6 pm @ Johnson City Public Library
JOHNSON CITY – Johnson City Public Library is hosting a free performance by storyteller Sam Payne on Wednesday, July 2 at 6 p.m. in the library’s Jones Meeting Center. This event is made possible through a partnership with the International Storytelling Center.
Payne, who is also a musician, infuses his stories with vibrance and depth by seamlessly moving between speaking and singing. His stage presence, craftsmanship and soaring tenor voice have established him as a favorite with audiences and critics alike.
According to The Independent magazine, “Payne delivers his riveting tales with passion, emotionally stirring hooks, and an almost supernatural ability to tell a story.”
Payne has brought his stories—punctuated with music that critics have called “jazz-inflected folk”—to Canada, Bulgaria, Tokyo, and from coast to coast in the U.S., including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn. and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He also serves as the Weber State University Storytelling Fellow.
Along with his work as a storyteller, Payne is involved in podcasting and literary projects. He hosts “The Apple Seed,” an award-winning national radio show by BYUradio dedicated to the art of storytelling. Payne was also part of the Peabody-nominated team that created “Treasure Island 2020,” the serial podcast based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel.
Payne’s writing includes “Sanctuary: The Story of Zion” for the National Parks Service’s centennial and “Echoes of Hammers and Spikes” with Suzanne Payne for the sesquicentennial of the First Transcontinental Railroad’s completion.
Learn more about Payne and his work atsampayne.com. For more information about his performance at the library on Wednesday, July 2, call 423-434-4454.
Visitjcpl.org, call 423-434-4450 or drop by 100 W. Millard St. to use the library. Follow Johnson City Public Library onFacebookandInstagramfor daily updates.
Category: Youth and Family