Inspired by the Oscar-winning film Tender Mercies, written by the great American storyteller Horton Foote and starring Robert Duvall & Ellen Barkin, the festival will feature artists who celebrate colorful American stories and songs about people on the margins, often seeking a second chance.

Minton Sparks and Kevin Kling—In the grand tradition of Dollys, Garths, and Rebas, Nashville speaker-songwriter Minton Sparks dazzles audiences with her “spoken word/honky-tonk hybrid performances.” Sparks is a poet, playwright, author, and—above all else—a storyteller. Similarly, Kevin Kling is known for his hilarious recounts of true events; he, too, is a master storyteller: “Kling’s autobiographical tales are as enchanting as they are true to life: hopping freight trains, getting hit by lightning, performing his banned play in Czechoslovakia, growing up in Minnesota, and eating things before knowing what they are.”