About this Event
In this live storytelling workshop, we'll focus on how to shape a true, lived moment into a compelling story you can tell out loud. Led by writer and two-time MainStage storyteller Bryn Durgin (The Moth), the three-hour session will move step by step through the elements that make a personal story work: choosing the right moment, finding the emotional stakes, shaping an arc, and understanding what to include (and what to leave out). We'll talk about voice, timing, honesty, and how spoken stories differ from pieces written for the page.
Participants will take part in guided prompts and short exercises designed to help uncover stories already living in memory and begin shaping them in real time. Sharing aloud is encouraged but always optional; this is a supportive, low-pressure space focused on exploration rather than performance.
This workshop is open to writers and non-writers alike, whether you're interested in live storytelling, personal narrative, or simply want to better understand how stories work when told from memory and voice. Come with curiosity and leave with a clearer sense of the story you want to tell (and how to tell it).
The workshop cost is $50 and includes the three-hour session on Sunday, January 10, from 2-5 p.m.
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR:
Bryn Durgin is a writer and humorist based in Sarasota, FL. A frequent contributor to The New Yorker, her work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times. She is the Director of Programming at Bookstore1, where she leads the popular Banned Book Club. A certified Master Gardener and volunteer with the Blue Butterfly Family Grief Program, she is also a Featured Storyteller with The Moth's Mainstage. Find her on Instagram at @brynreadsbooks.
Event venue & nearby stays
Bookstore1Sarasota, 117 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.