The Appalachian Writers Association's webpage is a good resource for anyone interested in Appalachian writing. Upcoming conference July 15-17. I don't think I can make that one, but it sure is tempting.
Storytellers benefit from writers conferences because writers talk about crafting stories, choosing words, pacing, character development. Storytellers need to pay attention to those things too. The differences I see is that when I'm telling a story orally, I show a lot of things without words. The writer must find just the right words to convey what I show with expression, body language, tone of voice and gestures.
I think that in many ways the writer has the more difficult challenge. For example, think about how many ways there are to show a character is happy. It might be the lighter tone of voice, a smile, a bounciness in movement that convey this to an audience. The writer, however, has to decide: use the word happy, joyful, jubilant, or exhilarated? Each word has a slightly different meaning that a storyteller can get across to an audience by intensity, drollness, laughter, and so on. The teller can show exactly how happy a character is without any words at all--a smile can do it all.
The writer has to find words to convey that meaning, and in the writing world "show don't tell" is a mantra most writers live by. So how to show in words without actually saying the words?
I believe there can be a marriage here. What if writers observed a storyteller telling a short story, and then tried to write what the teller did? Would they be able to capture exactly the right degree of happiness? Would the teller be able to identify exactly what he/she was trying to project? I want to try this--I think teller and writer could both learn from the experience.
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