Editor’s note: The 24th annual Tale-Telling Festival begins Friday. This is the second of three stories profiling the storytellers that will be at the event.

Listening to Jim May is like sitting on the back porch of Grandma’s farmhouse, sipping lemonade, eating sugar cookies and listening to adults talk about the way things were in the &uot;good ol’ days.&uot;

May, one of the three featured storytellers at this year’s Tale-Telling Festival, is a professional storyteller with more than 15 years of experience.

May is from Woodstock, Ill., and grew up in a small German-Catholic community. Many of his stories come from his experiences and recollections from his childhood.

Edie Morthland Jones, who is in charge of publicity for this year’s Tale-Telling Festival, heard May share stories at the National Storytelling Festival, held recently in Tennessee.

May, she said, is a little more laid back than the other storytellers. &uot;He talks about a time when life was not hurried,&uot; she said.

May is the author of &uot;Farm on Nippersink Creek&uot; and the children’s book &uot;The Boo Baby Girl Meets The Ghost of Mabel’s Gable&uot; and has received critical praise from numerous organizations.

May’s simple look on life is also shown in the method that he and his wife are getting to Selma for the festival. He told Jones that they are driving to Alabama from Illinois.

May is joining Barbara McBride-Smith and Selma’s own Kathryn Windham as the three featured storytellers at this year’s festival.

The featured tale tellers will perform Friday and Saturday beginning at 7 p.m. The Swappin’ Ground-A-Time, when everyone gets a chance to be a storyteller, will precede the main event and is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.