Community Voices: Celebrating Written Storytelling

Since its inception, The Story Center’s mission has been to help people create stories, share their stories, and connect with the stories of others. One of the primary ways this is accomplished is through the Storytelling Certificate Program. This free program provides both written and oral storytellers an opportunity to hone their craft by attending workshops taught by professionals in the field.

The program culminates in a capstone reading or performance (depending on the student’s choice of storytelling) at the annual Storytelling Certificate Celebration in December. This event is a great opportunity for program graduates to showcase their hard work and dedication to their craft.

In addition to the Certificate Celebration, the written storytellers are invited to share their work in an annual Woodneath Press anthology entitled Community Voices. The first volume was published on June 15, 2020, and featured graduates from 2018, 2019, and June of 2020. There were a wide range of entries—from memoir to fantasy, inspiration to suspense, and everything in between.

As with all books published by Woodneath Press, you can check out a copy of Community Voices Vol. I from the Library. The book is available in both print and eBook formats as part of the Library’s ReadLOCAL program. This year’s volume of Community Voices features Storytelling Certificate graduates from December 2020. It features “memoir-esque” and true account stories, fictional tales, and even a few submissions based on folklore and myth.

We’ve invited the authors of this year’s anthology to speak at the book launch event and share a little bit about their experience with the Storytelling Certificate Program. We’ll also hear from Story Center Program Manager Shannon Thompson. The virtual book launch is scheduled for Monday, June 21, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom (registration required). This year’s anthology will also be available for checkout in both print and eBook formats at the Library.

To learn more about the Storytelling Certificate Program and how you can get involved, or about publishing via Woodneath Press, please visit us online.

Dave B.
Story Center Publication Manager