Personal Storytelling Workshop with Adrian Ma

Do you know a family member with a compelling life story? Have your life experiences given you a unique perspective on the past, present or future?

Whether you’re a writer aspiring to publish a memoir or someone wishing to chronicle their family’s legacy, the creative process of turning our memories, histories and insights into stories can be an incredibly inspiring and connective journey. But where to start? 

In this engaging, hands-on workshop on personal storytelling led by award-winning journalist and educator Adrian Ma (he/him), learn how to build strong narrative ideas and how to make your work shine with rich detail and the myriad ways people can capture and share their amazing stories, from personal essays to oral storytelling to multimedia documentaries.

Event Details:

• Date: Sunday, October 27, 2024

• Time: 10:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.

• Location: Zoom

• Register: Registration link here

On-Demand Viewing:

• Webinar recording: Watch on Youtube here

• Handouts: Presentation slides; story mapping exercise; story map example; writing with the senses exercise; tips for interviewing

Personal Storytelling Workshop Agenda

• 10 a.m. - An introduction to the workshop and the power of personal storytelling

• 10:20 a.m. - Activity #1: Where do I start? Create your own story map
  Identifying the experiences, themes in your life that could make for a unique story 

• 11 a.m. - Activity #2: Digging for details
  How to engage your sensory memory and bring your stories to life with vivid detail

• 12 p.m. - Activity #3: Interviewing others
  Tips on connecting with others for their perspectives; how to ask the right kinds of questions; practice your interviewing skills with a workshop partner

• 12:50 p.m. - Additional resources, closing thoughts

A note for participants:

• The workshop activities will involve writing. An open word document on your computer will absolutely suffice, as would some paper and a pen. Whatever you prefer!

• Feel free to take notes but know that all of the workshop materials presented and a video recording of the webinar will be made available online, so you can be more engaged in the moment.

• Each activity will involve a short presentation, an interactive exercise and then some group discussion, followed by a short break of around 10 minutes. Discussion participation either on-screen or in the chat is most welcome, but participants are not required to.

• In this personal storytelling workshop, participants will explore topics, experiences and memories that may be quite emotional. Please know that you are under no obligation to ever disclose or share anything you’re uncomfortable with. You are welcome to take breaks whenever you like. And we also wish to emphasize that, given the especially intimate nature of personal storytelling, all participants will treat each other (and themselves!) with the utmost consideration, care and respect to privacy.