JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS ASSOCIATION
1050 RALPH DAVID ABERNATHY BLVD, ATLANTA, GA 30310 wrensnest.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: The Wren's Nest is the historic home of Joel Chandler Harris, the author and editor who penned the Brer Rabbit stories, also known as the Uncle Remus stories. The Wren's Nest is governed by the Joel Chandler Harris Association which strives to uphold the legacy of Joel Chandler Harris and the heritage of African American folklore through storytelling, tours, and student publishing. The Wren's Nest, a National Historic Landmark, is a Queen Anne Victorian home that has been a museum since 1913, having been originally funded by President Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Carnegie, and thousands of school children. One hundred years after the death of Joel Chandler Harris, it remains an international tourist destination.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, The Wrens Nest operated the following programs:(i)Tours & StorytellingDuring 2019, The Wren's Nest offered tours of the home two days a week and by appointment the rest of the week. Additionally, professional storytellers performed the Brer Rabbit stories for over 100 different audiences. The storytellers performed outside of The Wren's Nest in a variety of venues such as the Decatur Book Festival, as well as traveling to schools and community groups that might not otherwise have been able to travel to the museum. The Wren's Nest participated in Phoenix Flies, a citywide celebration of historic sites coordinated by the Atlanta Preservation Center, where tours and storytelling were offered free to the public(ii)The Scribes Writing Program2019 marked the ninth year of Scribes, our writing program at KIPP Strive Academy, near our home in the West End neighborhood. The Wrens Nest pairs middle school students with communications professionals and graduate students to help write a story based on a theme. With the help of their mentors, students conducted research, learned the elements of developing a story and its characters, and dramatically improved their writing skills. The Wrens Nest published their stories in a bound collection and launched the publications in a party for the students and their families at the Decatur Book Festival. (iii)EventsThe Wrens Nest hosted the free annual Victorian Holiday Open House, which celebrates Joel Chandler Harris' birthday with traditional holiday decorations, storytelling, entertainment and food. The Wrens Nest hosted occasional book talks through the year and welcomed book clubs that wanted to meet in the house. We also staged an Escape Room parlor game on several evenings and hosted 10 nights of ghost-hunting seminars that drew more than 200 people to the Nest. In October and November, The Wrens Nest partnered with Brian Clowdus Experiences to present the Edgar Allan Poe Experience, an immersive theater presentation that drew more than 1,000 people over 20 night of performances. The Wrens Nest also opened its back yard for community events such as the annual West End Neighborhood Development concert and a series of concerts produced by the music nonprofit Jazz Matters which attracted more than 2,500 spectators. Jazz Matters also staged the Living Room Series, an indoor series of concerts that filled the inside of The Wren's Nest with music.

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