The DCC Storytelling Festival is happening from Thursday, October 1 through Saturday, October 3. On Friday, we will have a series of workshops for different ages and interests. Pick one, or three! Registration is free, but highly encouraged.

Morning Workshops, 10-11:30am

Imagination, Words and You led by Lisa Harris

Do you have stories you want to tell--ones from your life, ones you haven't lived but wished you had, other ones waiting to be remembered? Are their poems lurking around corners or flying around you like flocks like birds? This workshop will provide you prompts, images, and objects and a place to write from the connection of your heart, your mind, and your spirit. You choose the genre-- poetry, fiction, personal narrative. This workshop will give you space and inspiration. We will write in timed blocks. We will have reserved time at the end of the writing time to share a part of what each of you have written. You may also choose not to share. We will not critique the work. We will be your first listeners. After a person reads, we will thank the writer.

Lisa Harris, author, poet, and teacher, is from central PA. She is considered a Northern Appalachian writer. Her newest collection of poems, Learning to Pray, is being released in October. She is an MFA from Bard College.

"The Art of the Vignette, Part 1 led by Jeff Spence

“Brevity is the soul of wit,” was said with unintentional irony by the windbag Polonius in Hamlet. However, there is much to be said for editing our writing using subtraction, proving that sometimes, less is more.

In this workshop, we will free write (that is, write quickly for twelve minutes, without regard for correctness or sense) to a variety of prompts. Those who are willing will read aloud, receiving no feedback other than our thanks. We will then collectively brainstorm a list of characteristics that make for engaging writing. Then, looking for those characteristics in our own writing, each of us will choose one of our free writes that we think has the potential, with editing, to become something others might like to read. I will demonstrate some techniques my students and I have used to polish and publish pieces using this process.

In the afternoon session, we can employ some useful protocols for peer editing and/or continue to polish our chosen piece on our own. Later, you will have the opportunity to read your vignette, if you wish, at the Story Telling concluding celebration on Saturday.

Jeff Spence is a retired high school English teacher and community college writing instructor. He was trained in the "writing as a process" pedagogy at Middlebury's Breadloaf School of English and Bard College's Institute for Writing and Thinking. At Ithaca High School, he founded Parallax, its literary and art magazine which published both student and staff submissions.

Early Afternoon Workshops, 1:30-3pm

The Art of the Vignette, Part 2 led by Jeff Spence (for description, see above)

The Stories We Hold led by Judy Malloy

Stories can begin in surprising places-a gesture, a sensation, a memory, a feeling we can’t quite name. In this workshop we’ll use the body as a source of inspiration. Through playful exercises we will explore sensation, gentle movement, gesture and memory as doorways into storytelling. We’ll explore how a feeling, a physical impulse or a remembered sensation can lead to somewhere unexpected-and become the beginning of a story you may not have known you were carrying within you.

Judy Malloy is committed to bringing healing to this world. As an actress, author, singer and massage therapist, she believes that gently listening to one’s own story and paying close enough attention to truly hear the stories of others, even if they are only whispered, is the greatest privilege we share as humans on the journey together. Judy performed on and off Broadway and in numerous regional theatres. She was awarded Best Cabaret Debut for her storytelling one-woman show, “Angels Unawares”. Her first novel, “Gabriella” was published while she was living in England and will soon be a serialized podcast. Her work as a healer has spanned three decades; the poignant stories she has witnessed with her hands and heart have inspired her successful podcast, “Where We Touch”.

Late Afternoon Workshops, 3:30-5pm

The Truth We Carry led by Bonny Renner

What becomes possible when we stop editing ourselves for other people’s comfort?

Through guided conversation, reflection, writing, and paired witnessing, we’ll explore the hidden cost of carrying the stories, desires, and parts of ourselves we’ve learned to keep hidden. Participants will explore what deeper truth may be asking to be expressed, and begin shaping it into a personal story.

Sharing is always optional. No writing or storytelling experience is needed. Recommended for ages 16 and older.

Bonny Georgia Renner is an award-winning writer, women-centered coach, and facilitator based in Dryden. After a lifetime of helping other people tell their stories, she is finding her way back to her own—and creating spaces where others can do the same. Bonny leads workshops, sound journeys, and Lioness Den women’s circles rooted in honest reflection, deep listening, and the courage to live authentically.

Historical Reality in Real Time led by Phillip Bradley

How do we describe the unvarnished present moment as it is actually happening, or before it becomes filtered, mythologized or rewritten by media or collective memory? We will start by talking about our mindset before we start writing our stories. Writing is a creative process and all expressions are welcome. In this time together, we hope to connect and become more comfortable with each other in order to be inspired to get your words out!

All ages and experiences welcome!

Phillip Bradley has worn a lot of hats and participated in and led creative writing classes and workshops in Philadelphia and Ithaca. In his time as a security guard, he started reading whatever he could get his hands on, and then was inspired to write down his own ideas and experiences.