I believe that crafting and sharing one’s story is therapeutic for the storyteller and is also the primary way communities are formed and changed. There is immense power in the process of shaping the messiness of our lives into plot lines and equal power in receiving others’ stories. I have collaborated with others to create programs that support the development and performance of personal stories.
My colleague Gillian Epstein and I co-founded and co-direct The Story Lab @ Olin, where we oversee a huge number of storytelling programs. Perhaps our signature program is annual Story Slam at Olin. What began as an opportunity to shape a handful of student stories as an extra-curricular experience has blossomed into a core element of Olin’s culture (and a credit-bearing activity). Our Student Story Slam is now a regular piece of Olin’s admissions process, performed at each of our Candidates’ Weekends. We have also expanded the Student Story Slam to become a Community Story Slam, including personal stories shared by faculty and staff, from the college Provost, to a beloved member of the dining hall staff.
In addition to the formal Story Slams, The Story Lab has also developed a number of other storytelling initiatives at Olin and beyond. For example, we have also facilitated the College’s Convocation for several years, using the common summer reading as an opportunity to prompt personal story creation and story sharing about our sense of home and what we’re searching for. We have also run story slams and developed storytelling workshops for faculty at other institutions, for faculty, staff, and students at colleges and universities, for organizations like the American Association for the Advancement of Science, for K-12 public school teachers, and for high school students.
The Story Lab is always excited to work with new clients, so if you’d like us to facilitate a Story Slam or workshop at your institution, please reach out!