An award-winning storyteller, Andy Russell was born into a family rich with storytellers. Andy grew up in North Carolina, where family gatherings were often filled with stories of history and hard times, simple pleasures and heartfelt emotions. Andy’s stories sparkle from time spent with his grandparents, fishing with a cane pole and making music with friends.

In the words of one listener, listening to Andy’s stories is like “sitting by a wood stove on a chilly mountain evening.” One minute, you are bent with laughter, and the next, you are quietly wiping away a tear. Andy’s years writing songs in Nashville serve him well here, too, as many of his stories incorporate original songs that help bring the story to life.

In upcoming shows, Andy will be a Featured Teller at the Suncoast Storytelling Festival and the Cracker Storytelling Festival in Fall 2026, and at the Florida Storytelling Festival in January 2027.

In 2025, Andy won the StorySlam Championship by Six Feet Apart Productions, competing against all of the monthly winners from 2024.

Andy has appeared as a Regional Teller at the Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival and “A Taste of Storytelling” in LaGrange, GA. He was selected as a New Voice Teller at the Old North State Storytelling Festival in Cary, NC and the Stone Soup Storytelling Festival in Woodruff, SC. Andy has been featured on multiple online programs, including MoonShine Stories, Traditions and Truth, Better Said Than Done and The Good Liars Club.

Andy has presented solo one-hour public storytelling programs at the Hampton History Museum, the Boca Raton Public Library and Bynum Front Porch, and in private shows at Sinai Residences in Boca Raton and The Classical Academy of Sarasota.

Andy is a member of the National Storytelling Network, Storytellers of Central Florida, the Florida Storytelling Association, the North Carolina Storytelling Guild, Northeast Storytelling and Storytelling Association of California.

In recent years, Andy has volunteered at an area animal sanctuary, working with lemurs and other endangered species for more than five years. He continues to be a champion for their ethical treatment. “So many of these animals have had a rough start in life,” Andy says. “Helping them regain a lifestyle more like what they would have experienced in the wild is one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had.”

Andy lives in Ocala, Florida with two dogs and a three-legged cat.