diff -up speech-dispatcher-0.8/src/modules/festival.c.cancel speech-dispatcher-0.8/src/modules/festival.c
--- speech-dispatcher-0.8/src/modules/festival.c.cancel	2013-11-01 23:27:26.912804470 -0400
+++ speech-dispatcher-0.8/src/modules/festival.c	2013-11-01 23:27:03.688847395 -0400
@@ -469,7 +469,8 @@ int module_close(void)
 	// festivalClose(festival_info);
 
 	DBG("Terminating threads");
-	module_terminate_thread(festival_speak_thread);
+	if (festival_speak_thread)
+		module_terminate_thread(festival_speak_thread);
 
 	if (festival_info)
 		delete_FT_Info(festival_info);