The Storytelling Imperative

It\u27s human nature to desire stories – both to absorb other people\u27s narratives and to relate our own. This may serve all sorts of goals, from simply giving pleasure to increasing social connections to helping us more clearly fathom one another and what truly matters in life. In fact, much of the way we make meaning of our lives occurs through the medium of narrative. From novels to newspaper articles, from diaries to Facebook updates, we use stories to shape our sense of things and navigate our growth. In this workshop, we\u27ll give special attention to memoir – the personal stories we craft to share with others – and consider what elevates such writing from the merely confessional or self-involved to the realm of art and service