Teaching Veterans Storytelling at William and Mary

I am having the most wonderful time in Williamsburg with Stephanie Garibaldi. We are here at William and Mary teaching Storytelling  to Veterans who are transitioning from the services into business arenas. It is the most inspiring program - created by the Armed Services Arts Progran (ASAP) together with the University. The  participants are an incredible group of men and women - brave warriors all. 

The course consists of two days of teaching with a day off in the middle. On the first introductory day Stephanie and I were joined by Firefighter, Veteran and Storyteller Nick Baskerville. Tomorrow (Thursday) Stephanie and I will teach the story crafting and telling section solo. 

Today, on our down day, Stephanie and I caught up on three years of news. We told stories, laughed uproariously; perused some of Williamsburg's fabulous shops; ate glorious food; and plotted out a joint storytelling adventure that we are hoping to launch in the near future. 

More of that in a few weeks time. 

Exciting Times lie ahead!

In the meantime we are looking forward to another full day of classes. 

And so are the participants. 

They told us at that at the beginning of the course they hadn't had any idea what to expect and were somewhat reticent about storytelling. But soon, as they participated in story-finding exercises and games, and shared stories in pairs, the room had rung with laughter, and camaraderie and bonding took place before our eyes. 

The participants said they had been taken out of their comfort zone; rediscovered truths about themselves; remembered who they really were, and thoroughly enjoyed the journey. 

They had been introduced to - and reveled in - the incredible transformative power of Storytelling.

Glory!

I am having the most wonderful time in Williamsburg with Stephanie Garibaldi. We are here at William and Mary teaching Storytelling  to Veterans who are transitioning from the services into business arenas. It is the most inspiring program - created by the Armed Services Arts Progran (ASAP) together with the University. The  participants are an incredible group of men and women - brave warriors all. 
The course consists of two days of teaching with a day off in the middle. On the first introductory day Stephanie and I were joined by Firefighter, Veteran and Storyteller Nick Baskerville. Tomorrow (Thursday) Stephanie and I will teach the story crafting and telling section solo. 
Today, on our down day, Stephanie and I caught up on three years of news. We told stories, laughed uproariously; perused some of Williamsburg's fabulous shops; ate glorious food; and plotted out a joint storytelling adventure that we are hoping to launch in the near future. 
More of that in a few weeks time. 
Exciting Times lie ahead!
In the meantime we are looking forward to another full day of classes. 
And so are the participants. 
They told us at that at the beginning of the course they hadn't had any idea what to expect and were somewhat reticent about storytelling. But soon, as they participated in story-finding exercises and games, and shared stories in pairs, the room had rung with laughter, and camaraderie and bonding took place before our eyes. 
The participants said they had been taken out of their comfort zone; rediscovered truths about themselves; remembered who they really were, and thoroughly enjoyed the journey. 
They had been introduced to - and reveled in - the incredible transformative power of Storytelling.
Glory!