The Roanoker March/April 2024 - 27

you could ever perform in front of, " he says. " They really do,
as Lee asks them to, 'lean in' and lift up nervous storytellers. "
And on that first night at Hoot and Holler, there was
some uplift for Lee, too. Standing before her audience, " it
felt like a rebirth, " she remembers. " All the fractured pieces
of who I'd been came back together in a bolt of lightning. "
S
ince that first lightning strike, Hunsaker
has hosted dozens of storytelling events, writing
workshops and gatherings to help tellers
find their voices. To accommodate the swelling
crowds, Hoot and Holler has moved several times - most
recently to The Grandin - and last fall, Lee took the
show on the road to Bristol, where tellers performed at
the Birthplace of Country Music Museum before a soldout
audience. But perhaps what's most meaningful is the
opportunity Hoot and Holler has given Lee to nurture
the stories of others. She coaches every teller, honing the
tales until they reach their final form.
" My ultimate goal is for them to walk off that stage
transformed in some way, " Lee explains. " And I can say
that happens, I dare say, 100% of the time. "
Hailey Hendrix, another repeat storyteller, says she
was initially terrified of speaking onstage, but Lee's
knack for the nurturing process gave her confidence
... and helped change the kind of stories she told: " For me her
input has been transformative, " Hendrix says. " Lee has pushed
me to be vulnerable in stories where I just want to be funny
and helped me see the humor in moments I would sooner
gloss right over. " With that encouragement,
Hendrix went on to share seven times.
" Lee has created magic, " she says. " I know
her pixie dust is what made me fly all seven
times I performed. "
T
TheRoanoker.com
hese days, true to form,
Hunsaker is already dreaming
about what's next - a mobile
recording studio, in the style of
" Story Corps, " that would allow two storytellers
to share their histories with each another by
following prompts. Meanwhile, she's also dreaming
about how to bring Hoot and Holler into its
next chapter:
" I want to go deeper, wider, " she says. " I want all
of the people in the room together, busting down
those stereotypes, busting down what we think we
know about other people and getting real. "
Which is, perhaps, just another way of saying that Hunsaker
wants to create the kind of community she craved when she
first left home ... and the safe space she found in the making
on her return.
" I think this town saved my life again, " Hunsaker says,
perhaps with a touch of surprise. " Or maybe it's that the
community gave me the space to save my own life ... and
I'm incredibly grateful. " I
MARCH/APRIL 2024 27
" It was an electric feeling to be sitting there...And I thought, there is
no reason not to do this in roanoke. "
COURTESY OF HOOT AND HOLLER / COURTESY OF MEREDITH ROLLER / COURTESY OF HOOT AND HOLLER
" This is the kind of city where it feels like
anything is possible, " says Hunsaker, who's
grown Hoot and Holler to a gathering that
regularly performs before sold-out crowds.
Hunsaker coaches every teller before
the big day. " I want them to feel
heard, " she says. " I try to give that to
them in a very sincere way. "
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The Roanoker March/April 2024

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