Class

Personal Narrative Storytelling

Personal narrative storytelling is having a heyday, with shows like The Moth inviting people of diverse backgrounds and voices to share stories from their lives and spawning a whole new genre. Personal narrative storytelling engenders not only self-expression but inclusion, understanding, compassion, and community-building as it encourages non-professionals to share unique stories from their lives.

This class comprises two sessions. Session 1 is instructional but highly interactive, with discussion and exercises that ensure students leave with story ideas and the skills to create a first draft of a true personal story. Session 2 is devoted to workshopping those stories, giving students a chance to share their drafts and get feedback from the group and instructor. In both sessions, we listen to recorded stories from tellers of diverse backgrounds and perspectives, using different tones and styles, to model the inclusion and diversity that’s the hallmark of personal narrative storytelling.

No writing or performance experience is necessary—personal narrative storytelling thrives on new and non-professional voices. Every life has valuable stories; the class focuses on helping students formulate those stories in a way that communicates what they want to convey while being compelling to their audience.

Instructions for Accessing This Online Class

In order to access live class meetings, you must have the Zoom application downloaded to your computer. You will also need a WiFi/Internet connection throughout the duration of your scheduled meeting and a computer with audio and video capability. The information to join your Zoom classroom will be provided in your confirmation email upon registration. Please check spam folders if you do not see this email upon registration. For more information on how to use Zoom, please see our training manual here.

Some classes use a supplemental Google Classroom page. Should your teaching artist use Google Classroom, you will be invited to join the classroom via email at least 24 hours in advance of your class (check spam folders if you are not seeing this invitation). Please note that Google Classroom requires a Gmail address to access the Classroom. If you do not have a Gmail account, the email invitation will be sent to the email address we have on file and will prompt you to create a free account or enter an existing account to join the classroom. If we are unable to send an email invitation to your non-gmail account, you will be contacted by a staff member to provide a Gmail address. If you do not have a Gmail account, you can create a free account here. Should you have concerns about this, please contact a Loft staff member at edu@loft.org or 612-379-8999. For more information on how to use Google Classroom, please see our training manual here.