Hi Everyone,

I hope you’re looking forward to our next show on Nov 16th. The theme is “Just Say No – Stories where you should have said no but didn’t.” 

If you want to tell a story, remember to practice out loud as often as possible and be sure to make the story about one incident and not a list of things you should have said no to. We just had a great online workshop last Sunday and I’m hoping some of those folks will bring a story to tell on the 16th.

I also want to let you know on November 18th I’m emceeing the annual NAMI fundraiser, “The Brainpower Chronicles.” There will be six people sharing their personal mental health stories. I’ve been involved with the BPC since it began in 2017 and I’ve heard some of the most powerful stories I’ve ever heard anywhere on those stages. I hope you can join me there at the Kirkland Performing Arts Center. https://www.namiwa.org/brainpower-chronicles

I’m proud that we’ve had a number of FGS folks share their story at the BPC. One of my goals with FGS is to help people learn how to tell stories so they can go out into the world and make a difference with them. Though not every story is appropriate for our show, the skills you learn at FGS will help you tell any kind of story.

Last year, the WA State Health Care Authority asked me and my friend Zac (another FGS teller) to find people in recovery from addiction or mental illness and help them share their stories. They called the project “Portraits of Hope.” Zac and I went all over the state talking to some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. Some I already knew, and the rest I came to know by sitting with them for hours listening to their stories. 

Here’s the interview I did with one of our regular FGS tellers, Mary Anne Moorman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K-YVk1UYj0&list=PLFN25X6qxG3-VlxRohLzAqYIxHbkfbSbJ&index=9&t=5s

This is how storytelling can change lives. Mary Anne had told hundreds of stories before she was ready to share the one she’d been keeping to herself since she was a child. The first time she told it was at the Brainpower Chronicles in 2018. The second time she told it was to me during this interview. The skills she learned telling other stories helped her tell this one, the hardest one.

The more we share our stories, the easier they are to bear. 

I hope to see a bunch of you at the show next week. Our next workshop isn’t until December so call or write me if you’d like help with your story. 

Our free monthly FGS workshop

https://www.meetup.com/fresh-ground-stories-storytelling-workshop/

7Stories is a wonderful open-mic storytelling show in Burien. Join their meetup group if you’d like to get their monthly invites.

https://www.meetup.com/7-stories/

Take care everyone,

Paul
freshgroundstories at Gmail dot com