Not to be confused with the Festival of Books: Elysian Heights Elementary School's festival of stories returns this afternoon (today!) for its second annual incarnation.

Today's festival will raise funds for after-school enrichment.

Last year, Yours Truly read entries from Chicken Corner. Other storytellers took the stage in the school's adorably proportioned auditorium and simply talked. I particularly liked watching/hearing a 20-something-year-old guy sitting on stage in what I remember as a rocking chair, "tellin' lies" and making us laugh. It was a blast. Watch out, The Moth: The school that spawned the legend of Room 8 is licking its chops! This year (shameless plug alert!) Chicken Corner's husband, RJ Smith, will be telling Echo Park stories of an as-yet-unrevealed nature.

Meanwhile, there will be music, food, games, the whole shabang.

Kim Pesenti, one of the organizers, writes:

Friends of Elysian Heights is excited to host our 2nd annual Echo Park Stories and Festival this Saturday from 4-8 at Elysian Heights Elementary.

The stories and music program starts at 5:30 and we've got some great participants lined up: Olentangy John and Fort King will be playing and our own RJ Smith, author of the The One: The Life and Music of James Brown, will be one of our neighborhood storytellers.

This year the mission of this fundraiser is to raise money for the after school enrichment program, which is a FREE arts and athletics program for the kids.

*More shameless plugging alert: To read Al Sharpton's review of RJ Smith's book The One, go here.