Story Wise Wrap - May 2018

Dear Story Folks,

In late May I delivered the second Storytelling for Women Leaders workshop, this time in Melbourne and it was brilliant: intense, full, extraordinary, and mighty amazing. Again I was confirmed in the power of the work, and again I learned so much about the teaching process. I tried a new Storytelling Game and it was great addition to the workshop (and will be even better with a few changes for next time), and I introduced other changes that I think are great improvements to the workshop process. It is now much more streamlined and clearer in its stages and what is achievable in the time frame.  

This time I did not give individual feedback within the workshop itself and so added an extra coaching session with women to workshop their individual stories.  This has been a much better outcome as this perosnal one on one work is simply too time consuming to do for each person in the workshop, and it is so satisfying for me and the participants to be able to go really deep with their story after the workshop. The level of understanding of story and the crafting processes is so much greater with women who have done the workshop. 

In early June I did two  jobs in two very different organisations, all around story, but each a different aspect. A lot of work thinking round and round and round about how to best approach the task to achieve the aims of the person in the organisation who is sponsoring me to come in, and no matter how far I stray into other processes I keep coming back to story, circle, and play (if I had my way i'd also add in mindfulness).  It has been a huge opportunity and much learning for me.

All this work has meant that my social media postings have fallen away and even this 'wrap' is being banged out in record time, so I can race back to Joan.

Aaaah Joan, Joan of Arc that is. She has been my constant companion for the last month. I have been reading and researching deep into her life in order to somehow wrestle the entirely of it into a story. It is down to the wire now and so once this enews is done, the decks will be (almost) clear for me to get back to Joan - and Red and Demeter, and Ruby and Sophie - all the women and girls of the stories I will be telling in the week of the solstice for Fantastic Feminist Folktales, which I am very happy to is sold out. 

It has been a favourite saying this month, that when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. I feel like that with story, there does not seem to be a situation where story is not my answer.

Hope you are enjoying a story filled month.

Yours in story,

Kate